Yesterday, Congressman Rick W. Allen (GA-12) participated in an Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
hearing entitled
"Safeguarding Americans' Communications: Strengthening Cybersecurity in a Digital Era." This hearing was of particular importance for Georgia's 12th District, as the CSRA has been considered and recognized as a growing cyber region in America and the world.
During yesterday's hearing, Congressman Allen delivered the following opening remarks as prepared for delivery:
"This hearing is of particular importance to my district, as Augusta, Georgia has been considered and recognized as a growing cyber capital of America and the world. Fort Eisenhower is in my district. It hosts the Army Cyber Center of Excellence (CCOE), which is the Army’s force modernization proponent for cyberspace, signal, and Electronic Warfare operations.
"The CCOE is home to the Army’s Cyber School, which trains, educates, and develops the Army’s cyberspace and Electronic Warfare workforce. It is also home to the Army’s Signal School. On a related note, the Army’s Spectrum Management School is located on-base as well. Additionally, Fort Eisenhower is home to NSA-Georgia, the second-largest NSA facility outside of Fort Meade, in Maryland.
"In summary, my district is home to thousands of cyber and intelligence Soldiers and DoD civilians who conduct daily cyber and intelligence operations in support of military and U.S. government operations around the world.
"In fact, the combination of NSA-Georgia, Army Cyber Command, and its subordinate operational units make Fort Eisenhower the largest cyber and intelligence operations footprint in the U.S. Army and the second largest joint cyber/intel operations footprint in the nation – second only to Fort Meade.
"Every year, roughly 3,000 people leave this fort looking for work. Studies show that 70% of them would prefer to stay in the area surrounding Augusta, Georgia.
"To help meet this demand, former Governor Nathan Deal and the state of Georgia invested $100 million dollars to create the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center in Augusta, Georgia. This center is located on Augusta University’s campus and its common mission is to drive collaboration between academia, government, and industry stakeholders to educate and train a superior cybersecurity workforce. It has become a nucleus for cybersecurity research, development, and education.
"Although the Cyber Center has a large DoD presence and has established key partnerships with organizations on Fort Eisenhower, the education, training, research, and services provided by the Cyber Center extend to all public and private sectors – including the Department of Energy, law enforcement, and healthcare sectors."
To view Congressman Allen's full line of questioning, CLICK HERE.
