Keyboard
with
China
flag
key
(Getty
images)
WASHINGTON
—
Texas
Republican
Rep.
Pat
Fallon
plans
to
introduce
a
bill
today
that
will
prohibit
the
Department
of
Defense
from
doing
information
technology-related
business
with
Chinese
entities,
Fallon
tells
Breaking
Defense.
The
bill,
titled
the
“Safeguard
American
Innovation
Act,”
would
ban
the
Secretary
of
Defense
from
“entering,
renewing,
or
extending
an
IT
contract”
with
companies
that
have
specific
ties
with
the
People’s
Republic
of
China,
according
to
a
preview
of
the
bill
sent
to
Breaking
Defense
before
its
release.
“The
‘Protecting
American
Innovation
Act’
is
vital
to
securing
our
nation’s
technology
and
deterring
foreign
threats,
particularly
from
China.
Recent
cyberattacks
like
SolarWinds
and
Salt
Typhoon
have
shown
how
vulnerable
our
defense
and
IT
systems
are
to
foreign
interference,”
Fallon,
a
House
Armed
Services
Committee
member,
told
Breaking
Defense
in
an
email.
“This
bill
will
take
action
to
prevent
this
by
blocking
any
Department
of
Defense
(DOD)
contracts
with
companies
tied
to
China
that
could
jeopardize
our
national
security.”
With
the
118th
Congress
ending
in
just
a
few
weeks,
this
iteration
of
the
bill
is
effectively
dead
on
arrival.
But
Fallon
said
he
is
introducing
the
bill
now
so
it
will
be
a
priority
in
the
next
Congress,
and
a
spokesperson
said
the
plan
is
to
reintroduce
the
language
once
the
119th
Congress
is
up
and
running.
“Along
with
the
return
of
President
Trump’s
leadership,
Rep.
Fallon’s
intention
going
into
the
119th
Congress
is
to
ensure
US
equities
are
protected
from
the
PRC
influence
to
prevent
what
we
saw
with
Salt
Typhoon
and
Solar
Winds.
Innovation
is
our
main
asymmetric
advantage
and
Congress
needs
to
protect
that
at
all
costs,”
the
spokesperson
said
in
an
email.
According
to
the
proposed
language, the
Secretary
of
Defense
will
be
barred
from
doing
business
with
IT
companies
that
are
characterized
as
the
following:
-
“Owns
or
operates
research
and
development
in
mainland
China -
Substantially
funded
by
the
PRC -
Has
enabled
the
PRC
access
to
source
code
in
software -
Provided
software
for
DOD
or
law
enforcement
application
(dual
use)
to
PRC -
Operates
or
is
affiliated
to
data
centers
in
mainland
China”
Fallon,
who
serves
on
the
HASC’s subcommittee
for
Cyber,
Innovative
Technologies
and
Information
Systems,
said
that
one
major
concern
he
has
with
the
DoD
doing
IT
business
with
Chinese
entities
is
due
to
the
fact
that
“China’s
laws
force
companies
to
share
sensitive
technology,
including
software
source
code,”
adding
that
this
“poses
a
serious
risk.”
“By
banning
contracts
with
companies
that
operate
in
China,
are
funded
by
the
People’s
Republic
of
China
(PRC),
or
allow
China
access
to
critical
code,
this
bill
helps
ensure
our
IT
infrastructure
remains
secure
and
our
technological
advancements
stay
out
of
adversaries’
hands.
This
legislation
is
essential
to
protecting
American
innovation,
keeping
our
military
safe,
and
maintaining
US
technological
leadership,”
he
added.
Related:
Chinese
sanctions
on
US
drone
firm
were
‘signal’
about
supply
chain
weaknesses:
DIU
official
Fallon’s
bill
to
address
IT
concerns
comes
after
several
years
of
rising
anxiety
from
the
Pentagon
and
lawmakers that
the
US
supply
chain
is
still
interwoven
with
Chinese
entities.
There
have
been
efforts
to
get
at
this
problem.
For
example,
in
2020
the
Defense
Innovation
Unit
launched
its
Blue
UAS
program,
a
“holistic
and
continuous
approach
that
rapidly
vets
and
scales
commercial
unmanned
aerial
system
(UAS)
technology
for
the
Department
of
Defense
(DoD)”
in
part
to
ensure
parts
don’t
come
from
adversaries.
And
on
the
Congressional
side,
the
2024
National
Defense
Authorization
Act
states
that
beginning
on
Oct.
1,
2027,
no
funds
appropriated
or
made
available
for
the
DoD
can
be
spent
to
procure
a
battery
produced
by
the
listed
Chinese-owned
and
-operated
companies.