In a letter to the White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, the Center for Cybersecurity Policy & Law (CCPL), Better Identity Coalition (BIC), Cybersecurity Coalition (CC), Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) and the Software Alliance (BSA) urge President Biden to nominate a National Cyber Director (NCD) immediately to protect the nation from ongoing and future threats. 

The letter recommends nominating a permanent NCD by the end of July and advocating for an expedited confirmation process to avoid any complications prior to the election. Failing to nominate in a timely manner could impede the great work accomplished under former Director Chris Inglis and Acting Director Kemba Walden, hinder the implementation of the National Cyber Strategy, and jeopardize the effectiveness of the Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD).

Without a permanent NCD who can provide the foundation for the implementation plan and any additional cybersecurity priorities, moving forward with National Strategy will be a challenge. By making a nomination the Biden Administration is positioned to clarify and cement the importance of ONCD with the White House’s ambitious cybersecurity agenda..

The Administration also has the opportunity to better coordinate cybersecurity activities across all federal agencies. While ONCD was created to coordinate federal efforts to address cybersecurity challenges, other agencies are also doing similar work. Because of these potentially duplicative efforts, the letter strongly recommends that once a nominee is confirmed, the White House should issue an Executive Order clarifying the different cybersecurity-oriented roles and responsibilities within the relevant cyber entities and agencies. 

Though the letter does not endorse a specific candidate, it urges that the Administration has an opportunity to act quickly, continue the progress already made and signal its intention on prioritizing and strengthening cyber defenses by appointing the next NCD. 

The center looks forward to working with the new NCD and ONCD in the future.