As expected, Representative Mike Rogers (Alabama) has been named Chairman of the US House Armed Services Committee. The HASC has oversight over the entire US defense portfolio. While focused on disparate matters ranging from service member pay and benefits to the development of hypersonic and other next-generation aircraft, the congressman has been on record to call attention to training readiness and technology enablers of increasing importance to military training enterprises.      

Mike Rogers named education and training for cybersecurity and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence as one of his top priorities in the 2022 defense policy bill cycle. "Cyber is just an emerging threat that we've got to recognize we're not prepared to meet," he stated.

Rogers has been calling for the Pentagon to divest over $6 billion in legacy systems that do little to deter China and other adversaries and “reinvest those savings in emerging technologies, such as AI, quantum computing, hypersonic weapons, and autonomous systems.”

Similarly, the Alabama House member went on record last summer “applauding the House passage of H.R. 7900, the National Defense Authorization Act tor Fiscal Year 2023, that in part, “Fully funds military exercises with our allies and partners in the Pacific to counter China’s growing reach.”

While inclined to follow the Republican party’s overarching legislative agenda, Rogers has also given every indication of being unbiased on topics of interest to S&T stakeholders.

Rep. Adam Smith (D-Washington), who held the HASC chair position since 2019, will now serve as the ranking Democrat on the committee.