President Donald Trump’s nominee for cybersecurity position within the Department of Energy on Tuesday agreed to urge the administration to develop a cyber deterrence strategy, Politico reported.
Independent Senator Angus King asked Karen Evans to “urge” the administration to develop a cyber doctrine and select “one point of authority” at the White House to coordinate cybersecurity efforts if she is confirmed to the position.
“I hope those are two messages that you can carry back,” King told Evans during her confirmation hearing Tuesday before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
“I would be happy to do that, sir,” Evans replied.
King together with a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the Senate has criticized both the Obama and Trump administrations for failing to set forth a detailed cyber doctrine that telegraphs repercussions for adversaries who launch attacks against the United States in cyberspace.
“Right now, there is no deterrence,” King said Tuesday. “We are entirely defensive and ultimately that is a losing strategy.”
“We know that a cyber attack is coming at some point,” the senator continued.
“It’s the longest windup for a punch in the history of the world, and shame on us if we’re not prepared for it. The best way to prepare for it is to deter it.”
King also asked Evans during Tuesday’s hearing to urge the White House to implement a structure where there is one point of contact for agencies on the issue of cybersecurity.
“I go to these hearings all the time and everybody says the ‘whole of government.’ When I hear that, I think none of the government. That means nobody’s in charge and nobody’s accountable. I believe that we need a leadership position,” King said. “Please urge the administration to think about a cyber coordination function.”
The administration was criticized last month for deciding to dismiss the cyber coordinator position at the White House, a position that coordinated federal cyber policy efforts across the government. The White House defended the decision by saying that it was made to reduce bureaucracy and improve management at the National Security Council, where the position was housed.
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