Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Tom Davis Doesn't Want Cyber Czar Job

Former Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., said Tuesday that he does not want the job of President Obama's cybersecurity coordinator despite recent rumblings that he was one of the top contenders for the position. "If I'd wanted to stay in government, I would have stayed in Congress," he said at a National Press Club briefing. "I don't have any real interest in going back." Davis joined the federal services team of consulting firm Deloitte last year after serving as chairman and ranking member of the House Government Reform Committee where he took the lead on legislation aimed at improving e-government, information security and critical infrastructure. When pressed further by reporters, Davis said he was "not a candidate for anything... [but] you never say never." He has maintained his departure from public service is only a sabbatical.

His main concern with the cyber czar position, which Obama described on the campaign trail and formally announced last month in conjunction with a wide-sweeping report that examined the federal cybersecurity posture, is the job description remains vague. Davis said it is unclear what the position would entail and how much authority the individual, who would report jointly to the National Security Council and National Economic Council, would have. "For this job to work you'd better get some understandings up front," he said. Davis lauded Obama for recognizing the need for a strong cybersecurity leader but said he thinks the administration has brought on too many czars. Melissa Hathaway, a senior adviser to Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair, is potential candidate. Former Microsoft security chief Howard Schmidt's name has also come up.

Author James Bamford, who has written extensively about intelligence agencies, said he thinks the cyber coordinator is too low-level a post under Obama's plan and he finds it hard to believe the individual will have the president's ear. A former congressman would the perfect candidate for the job because he or she could "break through bureaucracy" but a powerful figure would not be keen on being so far down the chain of command. Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Dale Meyerrose, now a vice president at Harris Corp., said the most encouraging aspect of the White House cyber report and Obama's remarks is that both made clear the status quo is unacceptable. The paper has 45 major implied tasks in nearly a half-dozen categories but Meyerrose warned: "You can't have 45 priority number ones."