National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross laid out his and the Trump Administration’s vision for the future of the Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD) during remarks at the 2025 Meridian Summit in Washington DC. His comments centered on four key priorities for the office’s next phase:

‍1. Elevating the role of ONCD within the federal government - Cairncross emphasized the need to “elevate the Office of the National Cyber Director to the place it was envisioned by Congress and the Executive when it was created.” He noted that the U.S. has never had a single point of coordination or a “cohesive, coordinated cyber strategy coming from the White House,” and expressed his desire for ONCD fulfill this role. 

‍2. Shaping adversaries’ behavior in cyberspace - Cairncross stated that it is the Trump Administration’s goal to reset the risk calculus of U.S. adversaries in cyberspace. He argued that the U.S. has not done a good job of sending the signal to the People’s Republic of China in particular that its behavior in cyberspace – which has included several high profile attacks on U.S. critical infrastructure – is “unacceptable.” A reset, he said, would provide the United States with “strategic stability in [the cyber] domain,” representing a paradigm shift in how the country approaches deterrence in cyberspace.

‍3. Partnering with the private sector on critical infrastructure - Acknowledging that much of critical infrastructure is owned and operated by the private sector, Cairncross called for stronger collaboration between government and industry. He stressed the importance of industry embracing security-by-design and privacy-by-design, dedicating appropriate resources to cybersecurity, and elevating cybersecurity issues to “CEO-level engagement” in the boardroom. From the perspective of the government, he said the United States can help industry by streamlining the regulatory regime.

‍4. Working with U.S. partners and allies - Cairncross underscored that threats to cybersecurity are global in nature and require coordinated international responses. He emphasized cooperation with Five Eyes partners (i.e., the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand) in particular, as essential to defending against shared threats. He also framed the evolving cyber landscape as an opportunity. As the People’s Republic of China attempts to “export a surveillance state across planet Earth,” Cairncross said the U.S. must work with countries seeking to “increase their cyber operations and technological capabilities” to encourage adoption of a “clean American tech stack.”

Cairncross also provided an overview of the forthcoming National Cyber Strategy (NCS), which will replace the current version that was issued by the Biden-Harris administration in March 2023. He described the NCS as a high-level strategic guide rather than an exhaustive “100-page document that has charts and every detail is spelled out.” Instead, the NCS will describe the nation’s overall cyber posture, with follow-on documents providing specific action items and implementation steps.

In addition to discussing the work of ONCD, Cairncross also called on Congress to reauthorize the authorities in the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 (CISA 2015). He reiterated that it is the White House’s position that there be a 10-year clean reauthorization.