In addition to sharing its concerns with the Pentagon directly, the National Governors Association has appealed to Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the Armed Services Committee, to forestall the Pentagon proposal that the military be allowed to activate reserve forces during domestic disasters. In an Aug. 20 letter to the Senators (with a copy to their House counterparts), the NGA urged them to push the Pentagon to set up the Congressionally directed Council of Governors so it can engage directly with defense leaders over the expanded authority proposal. The association reminded the lawmakers that Congress stripped a similar Pentagon proposal from last year’s defense policy bill “because of governors’ concerns.” (More in The Hill report, Star-Bulletin report, and Rapid City Journal report)
Speaking during a virtual panel organized by the Center for a New American Security, director of the Defense Innovation Unit Michael Brown said the Defense Department has a number of programs that bring in the people necessary to bolster its tech efforts, such as the Technology and National Security Fellowship…