SASC to Pentagon: you need a new cyber-deterrence plan
Trump-administration nominees and members of the Senate Armed Services Committee recently traded views on how to deal with rising threats to critical infrastructure.
Lauren C. Williams | July 11, 2025
The Pentagon needs a new plan to deter hackers from attacking American critical infrastructure, say senators who aim to write that into law.
In its version of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, the Senate Armed Services Committee would require the Pentagon to develop a strategy to “reestablish a credible deterrence against cyberattacks targeting American critical infrastructure using the full spectrum of military operations,” according to an executive summary of the bill that was marked up and passed in closed sessions this week.
“As we've seen in the last two years—particularly with Volt and Salt Typhoon—there's obviously a growing, more aggressive and capable threat against our critical infrastructure that supports the Department of Defense,” a senior congressional official told reporters Friday following the bill’s finalization.
The strategy, if the provision is adopted in the final legislation, would outline a complete range of options that could be used to deter adversaries.
https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2025/07/sasc-pentagon-you-need-new-cyber-deterrence-plan/406677/?oref=d1-skybox-hp
