Obama's Cyber Chief Bows Out
Melissa Hathaway, top cybersecurity adviser to the director of national intelligence and the principal author of the Obama administration's 60-day review of the U.S. government's cybersecurity posture has resigned, a National Security Council spokesman told Tech Daily Dose late Monday. Hathaway, who was senior adviser to former Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell in the Bush administration and held the same post under Dennis Blair in the current White House, will depart effective Aug. 21. "We are grateful for her dedicated service and for the significant progress she and her team have made on our national cyber security strategy," the NSC official said.
Cybersecurity has been touted as a major priority for President Obama, which is why shortly after taking office he directed the NSC and Homeland Security Council to conduct the top-to-bottom review of federal cyber efforts and to recommend the best way to secure critical networks. In late May, the White House released the report and announced the creation of a cyber security coordinator who will have direct access to the president. "The president is personally committed to finding the right person for this job, and a rigorous selection process is well underway," the NSC spokesman said. Hathaway was initially thought to be a top contender for the job.
CongressDaily recently reported that two frontrunners to become cyber czar are Howard Schmidt, former White House special adviser for cyberspace security, and Frank Kramer, an assistant Defense secretary under President Bill Clinton. Other names floated included Microsoft Vice President Scott Charney; Obama transition team technology adviser Paul Kurtz; and former Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va. Davis said in June he was neither interested in returning to government nor being a candidate for the position. Read more here (subscription required).
Join the Discussion
The National Journal Group has the right (but not the obligation) to monitor the comments and to remove any materials it deems inappropriate.
Comments powered by Disqus