Langevin Statement on Trump National Cyber Strategy

WARWICK, RI – Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI), co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus and a senior member of the House Committees on Armed Services and Homeland Security, issued the following statement regarding the release of President Trump’s National Cyber Strategy:

“While I appreciate that the Trump National Cyber Strategy is in line with the bipartisan progress that has been made over the past two decades, it does not go far enough in accelerating the reforms that need to be made. Cybersecurity is the national and economic security challenge of the 21st Century, and it deserves a whole-of-government treatment. Unfortunately, the strategy is largely a restatement of recommendations that have carried through the last several Administrations.

“In each of the four pillars, the document lays out important steps that need to be taken. For example, we do need more clarity on the roles and responsibilities of federal agencies with respect to critical infrastructure. However, the document often fails to provide the strategic guidance regarding what tradeoffs we should expect to make between regulating, supporting, and responding to the needs of critical infrastructure owners and operators. Ironically, the very position best able to address these tradeoffs at a national level – the Cyber Coordinator – was eliminated earlier this year. Without strong executive leadership from the White House, I am concerned that agencies will approach their priority actions under this strategy in an ad hoc manner that does not translate into a decisive national policy.

“Earlier today, National Security Advisor John Bolton described the strategy in starkly offensive terms. I agree that our adversaries need to know that we can – and will – challenge them in cyberspace. But as the country with the most innovative economy in the world, we must also acknowledge the abiding interest of the United States in encouraging stability in this domain. It is incontrovertible that we must respond to malicious activity violating well-established norms of responsible behavior, but that response must be whole-of-government and need not always include a cyber component. Public attribution, indictments of foreign government agents, and sanctions are all important tools that this Administration has made good use of. I am intrigued by the proposal to establish an international Cyber Deterrence Initiative to advance such responses in coordination with our allies in a manner that avoids escalating conflicts. I also strongly support further centralization of authorities for federal civilian cybersecurity at DHS in order to better deter competitors by denying their ability to strike at our networks.

“After a decade working on cybersecurity policy, I know that the many challenges we face have no easy solutions. While the National Cyber Strategy does not break much new ground, I hope it will lead to an increased focus on this vital topic. I share the goals of the strategy, and I look forward to working with the Administration to help protect American interests in cyberspace.”