Washington, D.C. — TechNet President and CEO Linda Moore made the following statement after House passage of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

“TechNet applauds House passage of the NDAA, and we urge the Senate to quickly take up and pass this crucial legislation without delay. We are pleased that several TechNet-endorsed provisions were adopted in the NDAA such as the establishment of a National Cyber Director to enhance cyber security coordination between the government and the private sector in addition to the inclusion of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020, which will provide for long-term investments in national artificial intelligence research and development efforts so that the United States can continue to set the global standards for this emerging technology.

TechNet, with a coalition of associations and businesses, worked with Congress to make important changes to the earlier versions of the NDAA to protect supply chains for printed circuit boards by ensuring the military can continue to source this technology from our allies. TechNet also supported the inclusion of grants for science, technology, engineering, and math for Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps to build the STEM talent pipeline, an essential national security priority for the United States. Finally, we applaud lawmakers for including reporting on diversity and inclusion and for accelerating the development and deployment of broadband 5G technology. Enacting the NDAA into law will position our nation to implement sound cybersecurity policies, bolster our work to combat cyber threats, and drive our efforts to achieve superiority in emerging technologies.”