New bipartisan legislation introduced in the Senate this week would staff the newly-created Office of National Cyber Director (NCD) and authorize non-reimbursable detailees for NCD to support coordinating national cybersecurity policy and strategy.
Creating NCD was a key recommendation of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC), and was authorized by the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2021. NCD is charged with helping to coordinate Federal cybersecurity policy and strategy, and the sticker price for salaries and necessary expenses for the office is tabbed at $15 million.
Chris Inglis – a former deputy director of the National Security Agency and a member of the Solarium Commission – was sworn in last month as the first-ever NCD.
“Now that the U.S. has a National Cyber Director to coordinate the federal response to improve our cyberdefenses, it is imperative we give the position the staff and specialists fight this cyberwar with the resources and expertise needed,” said Sen. Angus King, I-Maine. “Any good field general needs troops and a team to execute the mission, and as we confront global cyberthreats and ransomware criminals, we must give Chris Inglis the tools and capability to protect our society, economy and nation from those seeking to do us harm.”
Sen. King was joined in introducing this legislation by Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Kyrsten Sinema D-Ariz., Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Mike Rounds, R-S.D.
