A government shutdown would put the US at risk of a cyber attack, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told a Senate panel Tuesday. “What better time for a cyber attack by an adversary [than] when much of our expertise might be furloughed,” Clapper told the Senate Armed Service Committee. A shutdown also would set back efforts to build DOD’s cyber mission force, said Adm. Mike Rogers, commander of US Cyber Command. Sequestration and the last government shutdown delayed the effort six months, Rogers said. “If we go to a [Budget Control Act] or sequestration level, that puts us even further behind, in an environment in which … we are not where we need to be,” he said. Another shutdown also would likely cause many DOD employees to leave for work in the commercial sector, Rogers said. “That would be terrible for us, because despite all of our technology, never forget: It is men and women who power this enterprise,” he said.
While the Space Force is still making long-term plans to establish high-fidelity live and virtual test and training ranges in the coming years, officials say they're also working with operators to identify near-term gaps and quickly field capabilities to address them.
