Recognizing the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition for its now five-year effort to promote cyber security curriculum in institutions of higher learning.

Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to say a few words on cyber security in this particular exercise done by universities.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1244, recognizing the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition for its now 5-year effort to promote cyber security curriculum in institutions of higher education.

The Cyber Collegiate Defense Competition is a 3-day event and is the first competition of its kind that focuses on the operational aspect of managing and protecting an existing commercial network infrastructure. Students get a chance to test their knowledge in an operational environment and network within industry professionals who are always on the lookout for up-and-coming engineers.

On February 27 and 28 of 2004, a group of educators and students, government and industry representatives gathered in San Antonio, Texas, to discuss the feasibility and desirability of establishing such a program--this particular regular cyber security exercise with a uniformed structure for postsecondary-level students.

The Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security at the University of Texas at San Antonio agreed to host the first Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition for the Southwestern region in April of 2005. The University of Texas at San Antonio is the National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education by the National Security Agency and by the Department of Homeland Security.

The University of Texas at San Antonio is in my district, and I have been continually impressed with their pioneering approach to cyber security curricula. They have outstanding faculty and staff, all of whom recognize how critical information assurance is becoming in the 21st century.

This year's regional winners included Towson University, DePaul University, Montana Tech, Northeastern University, the University of Washington, Texas A&M University, the University of Louisville, and the California State Polytechnic University at Pomona.

I am also honored and privileged to have attended this year's competition and previous events and to have personally had the opportunity to congratulate the winners from Northeastern University, the champions of the national competition.

Let me just add that it is exciting to see these young people engage in this competition. We are hoping that, as we move forward, this will grow and allow other universities to participate and get engaged as these are the youngsters, in the words of some of them who describe themselves, who are the geek warriors who defend our infrastructure throughout our country and throughout the world. It was really exciting to see them not only in the competition but to see them participating. We have

these unique individuals who are extremely brilliant, who are out there doing a wonderful job, not only for the private sector but for the public sector.

In conclusion, I just want to believe that the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition is poised to expand and grow as cyber security becomes increasingly important for the public and the private sectors throughout the country and throughout the world. I hope this body will continue its strong work in supporting the cyber security profession while making sure we are providing the resources to train the next generation of cyber security professionals.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the chairwoman for allowing this particular legislation of recognition to come forward. Thank you very much.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1244) recognizing the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition for its now five-year effort to promote cyber security curriculum in institutions of higher learning, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on House Resolution 1244 into the Record.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today in support of House Resolution 1244, which recognizes the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition for their 5-year effort to promote cyber security curriculum at institutions of higher education. Their dedication and commitment to cyber security instruction serves an important purpose as computer and Internet software continue their vital role in our digital world.

In February of 2004, a group of educators, students, and government and industry representatives in cyber defense gathered in San Antonio, Texas, to address the growing need for cyber security education for post-secondary students. These individuals understood the growing importance of, and the world's increasing reliance, on computer and Internet software, as well as the national security interest in protecting this vital infrastructure. From the gathering in San Antonio, the Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition was born.

The competition provides students the opportunity to improve their understanding and operational competency in protecting corporate network infrastructure and business information systems. For the past 5 years, the competition has offered computer security curriculum to students at institutions of higher education across the United States.

Many teams participated in this year's regional competition with winners including Towson University, DePaul University, Montana Tech, Northeastern University, University of Washington, Texas A&M University, University of Louisville, and California State Polytechnic University at Pomona. Students from these universities learned many skills and their education will help meet the rapidly growing demand for cyber security specialists in the public and private sectors.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Representative Rodriguez for introducing this resolution.

Once again, I express my support for House Resolution 1244, which recognizes the importance of the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition and its contribution to our Nation's cyber security curriculum.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Rodriguez).

Once again, I would like to encourage all of my colleagues to support H. Res. 1244, the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition, and I congratulate all of the participants and the winners of this very important competition.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1244, ``Recognizing the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition for its for its now five-year effort to promote cyber security curriculum in institutions of higher learning,'' as introduced by my fellow member of the Texas delegation, Rep. Ciro Rodriguez.

Our Nation's critical infrastructure is composed of public and private institutions in the sectors of agriculture, food, water, public health, emergency services, government, defense industrial base, information and telecommunications, energy, transportation, banking and finance, chemicals and hazardous materials, and postal and shipping. Cyberspace is their nervous system--the control system of our country. Cyberspace is composed of hundreds of thousands of interconnected computers, servers, routers, switches, and fiber optic cables that allow our critical infrastructures to work. Thus, the healthy, secure, and efficient functioning of cyberspace is essential to both our economy and our national security.

One of the most significant security challenges that our Federal government faces today is ensuring that we have an abundance of adequately trained individuals defending our information infrastructure. In the past, I have been proud to sponsor bills that would increase funding for cybersecurity education programs, to ensure that we have a properly trained workforce to protect this vital infrastructure. The National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC) is an important piece of the cybersecurity education puzzle.

Since 2005, the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition has given students in the field of cybersecurity the opportunity to showcase their abilities. Rather than having students design an ``ideal'' network, the CCDC requires participants to assume the administrative and protective duties for an existing ``commercial'' network. This allows participants to show their skill at ``real world'' situations, as very few cybersecurity workers will have the luxury of building a perfect system from the ground up. While we obviously want to build the most secure networks possible, our experts must be able to work with the infrastructure that exists, finding and eliminating weaknesses that may already exist, and making imperfect systems secure.

Over the last few years, the contest has grown to include regional competitions in Texas, Maine, Washington, California, and Minnesota, among other locations. This year, there were more than eighty schools that participated, from all parts of the country. The students participating in this contest have not only demonstrated their knowledge and understanding of this important function, but they have also had the opportunity to hone their skills by dealing with actual, real time issues. The National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition plays an important role in the development of our next generation of cybersecurity professionals, and I am proud to join Mr. Rodriguez in recognizing it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 1244, ``Recognizing the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition for its now five-year effort to promote cyber security curriculum in institutions of higher learning,'' as introduced by my fellow member of the Texas delegation, Rep. Ciro Rodriguez.

Our nation's critical infrastructure is composed of public and private institutions in the sectors of agriculture, food, water, public health, emergency services, government, defense industrial base, information and telecommunications, energy, transportation, banking and finance, chemicals and hazardous materials, and postal and shipping. Cyberspace is their nervous system--the control system of our country. Cyberspace is composed of hundreds of thousands of interconnected computers, servers, routers, switches, and fiber optic cables that allow our critical infrastructures to work. Thus, the healthy, secure, and efficient functioning of cyberspace is essential to both our economy and our national security.

One of the most significant security challenges that our Federal government faces today is ensuring that we have an abundance of adequately trained individuals defending our information infrastructure. In the past, I have been proud to sponsor bills that would increase funding for cybersecurity education programs, to ensure that we have a properly trained workforce to protect this vital infrastructure. The National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC) is an important piece of the cybersecurity education puzzle.

Since 2005, the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition has given students in the field of cybersecurity the opportunity to showcase their abilities. Rather than having students design an ``ideal'' network, the CCDC requires participants to assume the administrative and protective duties for an existing ``commercial'' network. This allows participants to show their skill at ``real world'' situations, as very few cybersecurity workers will have the luxury of building a perfect system from the ground up. While we obviously want to build the most secure networks possible, our experts must be able to work with the infrastructure that exists, finding and eliminating weaknesses that may already exist, and making imperfect systems secure.

Over the last few years, the contest has grown to include regional competitions in Texas, Maine, Washington, California, and Minnesota, among other locations. This year, there were more than eighty schools that participated, from all parts of the country. The students participating in this contest have not only demonstrated their knowledge and understanding of this important function, but they have also had the opportunity to hone their skills by dealing with actual, real time issues. The National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition plays an important role in the development of our next generation of cybersecurity professionals, and I am proud to join Mr. Rodriguez in recognizing it.

I rise today to express my support for H. Res. 1244, sponsored by Representative Ciro Rodriguez of Texas, recognizing the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC) for their five-year effort in promoting a cyber security curriculum in institutions of higher learning. I believe that because the contestants are tested on their operational and management skills in network infrastructures and keeping defense systems safe from hackers, the CCDC not only benefits the competitors but support educators, students, the community, and the Government.

Cyber defense is important to my constituency in Georgia, as well as to our nation as a whole because as our technology capabilities grow nationally so does the threat to our network operations. I share the concerns of many Americans that information privacy and security is compromised as more and more information becomes electronic. Everyday, Americans fill out doctor's forms, insurance forms, credit card forms, and other documents that are digitized and stored at a data center somewhere. Too often, we find out that this information has been compromised in some way, whether intentionally by a hacker or accidentally through poor data management. Once compromised, one can never know how their personal information could have been accessed and how it may be used in the future. As more and more data becomes electronic, clearly we should invest in a cyber security system that is capable of protecting this data.

I am proud to recognize the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition today because it is not only a way to allow talented individuals an opportunity to provide infrastructure assurance and security; it also challenges

students to protect corporate network infrastructures and business information systems.

I congratulate the 2010 National Collegiate Cyber Defense Champions on their win and I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution.