The House Armed Services Committee’s emerging threats and capabilities subcommittee voted Thursday to endorse the inclusion of cyber opposition forces to U.S. military training programs, Nextgov reported Monday.
Aliya Sternstein writes language in the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act calls on the Defense Department to establish a program for certifying and training cyber opposition forces.
The report said the provision would also require geographic combatant commands to enter into agreements with Defense Secretary Ashton Carter about the use of opposition teams in cyber exercises.
“The committee recognizes that special arrangements will be needed to deconflict training from real-world activities that may happen on mission networks,” according to NDAA documents obtained by Nextgov.
An HASC official told Nextgov that a cyber opposition group would be like an aggressor squadron that takes part in the U.S. Air Force‘s Red Flag aerial combat training.