Why It Matters The U.S. military's ability to defend against and conduct cyber operations is about to get a closed-door review on Capitol Hill. The Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Cybersecurity has scheduled a classified briefing for May 13 on cyber operations and readiness covering the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025 and the first quarter of fiscal year 2026. The stakes are concrete: decisions shaped by this briefing will inform the fiscal year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act and determine how billions of dollars in defense spending flow toward cyber forces, training infrastructure, and emerging technologies like post-quantum cryptography and AI-enabled defense systems. The Policy Landscape Defense contractors and cybersecurity firms have spent the past year pressing Congress on the same issues the subcommittee is expected to examine: cyber force training and readiness, post-quantum cryptography transitions at the Department of Defense, IoT security requirements, and AI applications for military readiness. Quantum Research International Inc. spent $280,000 lobbying on cyber security operations tied to the FY26 NDAA and defense appropriations across five consecutive quarters, from the first quarter of 2025 through the first quarter of 2026. OpenPolicy Inc. has been pressing DoD specifically on post-quantum readiness and IoT security requirements in the 2026 NDAA, spending $113,000 across four quarters. Site 525 filed a first-quarter 2026 disclosure targeting authorization and funding for military cyber training environments and synthetic training infrastructure, including FY26 NDAA provisions related to cyber force training and readiness. Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. has maintained a steady $90,000-per-quarter lobbying presence on cybersecurity issues, including federal cyber workforce development and federal procurement policy. Palo Alto Networks Inc. has been similarly active at $120,000 per quarter, covering AI-enabled cyber defenses, federal government cyber practices, and cyber-related trade policies. Virtualitics Inc. disclosed $100,000 in first-quarter 2026 lobbying on AI for military readiness,