rapuano? has the defense department given direction to according to take all steps to advise the administration on what you can do to prevent, preempt tort respond to russian intrusions in 2018? >> senator cochran not aware of a specific direction in terms of a specific task associated with the election process. we are engaging on a routine basis with dhs and the rest of the interagency community to develop priorities and consider responses as well as mitigation measures. as i tried to note earlier, the competing authorities associate with electoral process really do call for a thoughtful orchestration of how we would direct and cast and engage with the state and local authorities. it really does need to be coordinated because each agency bring something different. there's a private sector component, because most states get very significant support in terms of their electoral systems from five entities. we are certainly engaged in the process and we're certainly available to support, but -- >>

rapuano? has the defense department given direction to according to take all steps to advise the administration on what you can do to prevent, preempt tort respond to russian intrusions in 2018? >> senator cochran not aware of a specific direction in terms of a specific task associated with the election process. we are engaging on a routine basis with dhs and the rest of the interagency community to develop priorities and consider responses as well as mitigation measures. as i tried to note earlier, the competing authorities associate with electoral process really do call for a thoughtful orchestration of how we would direct and cast and engage with the state and local authorities. it really does need to be coordinated because each agency bring something different. there's a private sector component, because most states get very significant support in terms of their electoral systems from five entities. we are certainly engaged in the process and we're certainly available to support, but -- >>

rapuano? has the defense department given direction to according to take all steps to advise the administration on what you can do to prevent, preempt tort respond to russian intrusions in 2018? >> senator cochran not aware of a specific direction in terms of a specific task associated with the election process. we are engaging on a routine basis with dhs and the rest of the interagency community to develop priorities and consider responses as well as mitigation measures. as i tried to note earlier, the competing authorities associate with electoral process really do call for a thoughtful orchestration of how we would direct and cast and engage with the state and local authorities. it really does need to be coordinated because each agency bring something different. there's a private sector component, because most states get very significant support in terms of their electoral systems from five entities. we are certainly engaged in the process and we're certainly available to support, but -- >>

rapuano? >> senator, i would just note, when you look at the national response framework that we used for noncyber but kinetic in the range of state actor or natural events, what you have seen, and particularly since katrina, is a maturation of a very similar process, many disparate roles, responsibilities and authorities and many different target stakeholders who may require assistance from local, state, all the way up. this system, the national cyber response framework, is based close closely on the national response framework. we are in a more nascent stage when it comes to cyber in all aspects. i would say, if you look at the last several months in terms of very significant multiple hurricanes and what i think overall, in light of the consequences, was a very effective federal response, there has been a dramatic evolution in our ability to work as a whole of government team when it comes to complex problems with colliding authorities. >> i do have one more question. i get the gist of what

rapuano? >> senator, i would just note when you look at the national response framework we use for non-cyber and kinetic and events, what you've seen since katrina is a maturation of the process and many different target stakeholders who may require assistance from local, state, automatll the way up. this is based very closely on the national framework. we're in a different stage when it comes to cyber? when you look at the last several months of very significant multiple hurricanes and overall a very effective federal response, we have been able to work as a team when it comes to complex problems by colliding authorities. >> i get the gist of what you're suggesting. let me ask this in terms of the overall picture. we can either have defense within our country or defense to try to stop something in terms of a cyber attack before it gets here. that involves not only a cyber system universal, system sometimes in our all lies' country and areas actually the bad guys located creating the attacks t

rapuano, please proceed. >> thank you, chairman mccain, ranking member reed and members of the committee. it is an honor to appear before you to discuss the roles and responsibilities the department of defense and its interagency partners in defending the nation from cyber attacks of the significant consequence. i hear today in my role as the assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and global security as well as the principal cyber advisor to the secretary of defense, in which i oversee cyber policy in the department, lead the coordination of cyber efforts across the department and whether interagency partners, and integrate the departments cyber capabilities with its mission assurance and defense support to civil authorities activities. i appreciate the opportunity to testify alongside my interagency colleagues because these challenges to require a whole of government approach. dod is developing cyber forces and capabilities to accomplish several missions in cyberspace. today i will focus on our mission to defend the united states and its interests against high consequence c