> Begin forwarded message: > > CISA Chief Says the Agency’s Global Initiative Is to Support the State > Department > International cybersecurity work of both the State and Homeland Security > departments will rely on support from Congress. > By Mariam Baksh > FEBRUARY 19, 2021 03:33 PM ET > https://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2021/02/cisa-chief-says-agencys-global-initiative-support-state-department/172184/ > > <https://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2021/02/cisa-chief-says-agencys-global-initiative-support-state-department/172184/> > > Work is already underway for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security > Agency to quickly increase its overseas presence, according to Acting > Director Brandon Wales who said a new global initiative will bolster and > align with State Department activities. > > “We are looking at ways to make a more firm commitment internationally, > including deploying CISA personnel around the world, really, for the first > time in a more dedicated way, to be that touchpoint at critical embassies > around the world embedded with some of our most critical cybersecurity > partners,” Wales said. “Those efforts are proceeding now, and I expect that > over the next two years, you will see a different CISA with a different kind > of global footprint.” > > Wales spoke Thursday during a virtual event hosted by the Business Council > for International Understanding—the member companies of which are major U.S. > corporations from across the economy–to launch CISA Global. The initiative > centers on sharing information with international partners to cooperate on > operations, build capacity, engage stakeholders and shape policy. > > Under the previous administration, the State Department proposed merging > staff from the Office of the Coordinator for Cyber Issues and the Office of > Emerging Security Challenges within the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification, > and Compliance under a new bureau of Cyberspace Security and Emerging > Technologies. Issues related to the digital economy and internet freedom > would be handled by different bureaus—those for economic and business affairs > and democracy, human rights and labor. > > But leading members of Congress would prefer a new cyber bureau to include > and consolidate cyber diplomacy activities, such as those related to > international cybersecurity, digital economy, and internet freedom. > > Asked about potential overlap CISA Global would create with State, Wales said > CISA has "an extremely close relationship with the State Department, both > with the office of the coordinator for cyber issues, and with the > counterterrorism bureau.” He noted a call to launch the initiative with > hundreds of international partners was conducted with the State Department's > Office of the Coordinator for Cyber Issues. > > “At times, they have utilized us as kind of the technical, the [subject > matter expert] to help provide some of our expertise through their > capacity-building efforts to help international partners advance and mature > their efforts,” he said. “So, you know, we see our work as complementary and > really entirely supporting [State].” > > Chris Painter, president of the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise and the > former top diplomat for cybersecurity at State participated in Thursday’s > event. He welcomed CISA’s plans but raised the issue of CISA’s limited > resources amid competing priorities. > > “I was very happy to see your emphasis on capacity building, that's something > that's critical around the world. As you say, it helps other people help us > but it also helps them and so that's a good situation. Especially on incident > response, and other things, your work is critical,” he said. “The only > frustration I think I ever faced was not with the quality of that work, but > the fact that you were stretched very thin, and you didn't have the resources > to commit to a lot of those things, and, you know, perhaps reasonably, were > focused more on the domestic issues. It's great to have a plan, it's great to > have a strategy. But what will the resources and commitment be to this?” > > Wales said it will ultimately be up to Congress to facilitate the initiative. > But, citing the massive hacking campaign involving network management company > SolarWinds, he seemed confident lawmakers would. > > “We're hopeful that maybe additional resources will be coming in, in the near > term, based upon some of the issues that were identified through the supply > chain compromise,” he said. “I don't think that we lack the authority to > engage internationally. The executive branch will generally hew to the > priorities as set by Congress in our appropriations and in authorizing > language. And if Congress wants to make it a priority, they have the tools at > their disposal to shape our activities.” >
-- Iw mailing list [email protected] http://sticklist.org/mailman/listinfo/iw_sticklist.org
