Emerging Threats and Capabilities

The Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee is one of the Senate Armed Services Committee's specialized divisions, tasked with reviewing legislation and holding initial hearings on a focused slice of defense policy. As a subcommittee, it prepares the ground for the full committee, which alone can report bills to the Senate floor. This panel handles a distinct portfolio: counterterrorism, special operations forces, intelligence programs, weapons of mass destruction nonproliferation, information warfare, and defense research and development activities. The subcommittee also oversees military technology sales to foreign countries and works with major Pentagon agencies including the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, and Special Operations Command.

Chaired by Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) and with Ranking Member Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), the 17-member subcommittee focuses on emerging security challenges that don't fit neatly into other panels. Recent activity includes hearings on Special Operations Command's defense authorization requests and examinations of threats posed by advanced data analysis tools to Pentagon networks. The subcommittee also reviews budget accounts for Army and Air Force research, development, testing, and evaluation activities, making it a key player in shaping how the military prepares for future threats. By concentrating on these specialized areas, the subcommittee allows the broader Armed Services Committee to address the full spectrum of military and defense policy more effectively.