WASHINGTON — The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s cyber subcommittee opened a congressional hearing Tuesday by citing recent U.S. military cyber operations in Iran and Venezuela as evidence that digital warfare has become central to modern combat, and called on the Department of Defense to continue strengthening its cyber forces.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), chair of the Subcommittee on Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation, delivered the opening statement at a hearing titled “Cyber Posture of the Department of Defense,” held April 21 at 3:30 p.m. in Rayburn House Office Building Room 2118, according to the House Armed Services Committee.
Cyber Operations in Iran and Venezuela
“Today’s hearing comes at a time of increased cyber activity targeting U.S. infrastructure, including recent campaigns against telecommunications and critical infrastructure networks,” Bacon said in his opening statement. “It also comes at a time when cyber operations are being integrated into military operations more than ever before.”
Bacon cited U.S. Cyber Command’s direct role in two recent high-profile military operations. “U.S. Cyber Command has supported recent operations, including Operation Midnight Hammer in Iran, and Operation Absolute Resolve in Venezuela,” he said.
Operation Midnight Hammer was the June 2025 U.S. military strike on three Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, which involved seven B-2 bombers and more than 125 supporting aircraft. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine confirmed at a Pentagon press briefing following the operation that U.S. Cyber Command was part of the strike package, according to DefenseScoop.
Operation Absolute Resolve was the January 3, 2026 mission that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Gen. Caine stated at a press conference that as U.S. forces approached Venezuelan territory, the military “began layering different effects provided by U.S. Space Command, U.S. Cyber Command and other members of the interagency”
CYBERCOM 2.0 and Pentagon Reforms
Bacon acknowledged institutional progress at the Department of Defense, noting that the Cyber Mission Force has grown and matured in recent years. He pointed to several specific developments: Cyber Command has received enhanced budget control; the role of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy has been established and filled; and the Department has stood up the DoD Cyber Defense Command as a sub-unified command.
He also highlighted an ongoing reorganization effort. “Cyber Command has initiated organizational and force generation to form an effort known as CYBERCOM 2.0,” Bacon said, describing it as focused on “improving workforce management, training, readiness, and operational effectiveness” and intended to “create more defined career paths, enable greater specialization, and improve the department’s ability to respond to emerging threats.”
Witnesses
The subcommittee received testimony from two witnesses: the Honorable Katherine Sutton, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy and Principal Cyber Advisor to the Secretary of Defense; and General Joshua Rudd, Commander of U.S. Cyber Command and Director of the National Security Agency.
Gen. Rudd was confirmed by the Senate in March 2026, entering the dual-hat role as Cyber Command supports ongoing U.S. military operations.
Broader Context
The hearing comes as U.S. Cyber Command is simultaneously supporting Operation Epic Fury, the ongoing U.S. military campaign against Iran that began in late February 2026, in which Gen. Caine described Space Command and Cyber Command as the “first movers” in layering non-kinetic effects against Iranian targets.
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