President Biden on March 21 nominated Michael Sulmeyer to become assistant secretary of defense for cyber policy – a new position that was created by the fiscal year (FY) 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
Sulmeyer has been principal cyber advisor to the Secretary of the Army since March 2022, and is responsible for advising the secretary on all cyber matters including issues of readiness, capabilities, and strategy.
His resume also features stints as director of the Defense Department’s Rapid Vulnerability Review, senior director of cyber policy on the White House National Security Council, and senior advisor to the chief of U.S. Cyber Command.
Sulmeyer also directed the Cybersecurity Project at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, and was a senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology.
The FY2023 NDAA boosted the number of assistant secretaries of defense to 19, and created the position of assistant secretary of defense for cyber policy.
The Defense Department’s current deputy assistant secretary for cyber policy is Mieke Eoyang, who began in that position in early 2021.
