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Now, Gallagher’s new role as chair of the cyber subcommittee could put him in a highly influential position to shape DOD software policies, programs, acquisition guidelines and more, while carrying forward Langevin’s legacy.
Jeremiah Gertler, a longtime defense policy analyst who spent a dozen years as a Congressional Research Service military aviation specialist, noted Langevin was unique among members for devoting himself to leading on cyber policy.
“So much of Congress is where you sit determines where you stand,” Gertler said, referencing the parochial interests that often act as chief influences on a lawmaker’s agenda. “If you get a member who has a particular knowledge because of background or because they made themselves smart, they can drive committee debate.”
Gallagher, a co-chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission and member of the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus, is also bringing his background as a China hawk to the helm of the armed services cyber panel. Meanwhile, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., will serve as ranking member, House Armed Services Committee leaders announced late Wednesday.
Tapped to lead the newly formed House committee centered on strategic competition with China, Gallagher’s dual perches on the two panels represent “a perfect coming together of two things that are vitally needed in our national security policy,” said Bill Greenwalt, a former Senate Armed Services Committee staffer who’s now a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
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