US Government To Launch New Cyberspace Bureau To Combat Online Attacks
Image via The White House
The Joe Biden administration announced it will be introducing a new US State Department Bureau for cyberspace and digital policy, as part of its initiative to combat online security breaches.
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the nation has faced numerous cyber attacks in recent years. In March 2021, the head of US Cyber Command testified that the organization had conducted over two dozen operations to combat threats ahead of the 2020 elections.
Today’s news was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, which wrote that the new bureau will focus its efforts on three areas, namely: international cybersecurity; international digital policy; and digital freedom. As per State Department spokesperson Ned Price, it will also be appointing a special envoy to head meetings on critical and emerging technology.
Interestingly, according to CNN, this isn’t the first time such an organization has been set up. A similar office had been closed down by the Donald Trump administration, though it was later reinstated by then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The Biden administration reviewed Pompeo’s proposal, now taking the idea a step further by officially starting up a bureau to focus on cybersecurity issues.
“This structure will provide us with greater leadership and accountability to drive the diplomatic agenda with the interagency and abroad, and build on the extraordinary work that is already taking place across the Department,” Secretary of State Tony Blinken wrote in an email to the department’s staff.
Blinken stated that a formal announcement would come during a speech this Wednesday.
[via CNN, cover image via The White House]
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