The Department of Homeland Security is likely to expand its role and profile as the lead agency in the federal government for cybersecurity. A bill approved by the House Homeland Security Committee could create a new DHS cyber defense agency that would be called the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Agency. The transformation would reorganize and optimize key cybersecurity roles and functions currently in DHS’s National Protection and Programs Directorate. The change may take place as early as 2017 as it has strong bi-partisan support.
The prospective agency would replace NPPD and put a stronger focus on DHS’s integral role in cyber preparedness, response and resilience. More importantly, it would reorganize the agency into an operational role to help protect against targeted cyber intrusions of the nation’s critical infrastructure, such as financial systems, chemical plants, water and electric utilities, hospitals, communication networks, commercial and critical manufacturing, pipelines, shipping, dams, bridges, highways and buildings.
DHS’s responsibility to protect against cyber threats has evolved significantly from early days of the department and its creation under the Homeland Security Act of 2002. A major reason for this new focus on cybersecurity has been the rapid changes in the information technology landscape. Since 2002, the capabilities and connectivity of cyber devices and communications has grown exponentially. So have the cyber intrusions and threats from malware and hackers, requiring restructuring of priorities and missions. The cyber threat reaches far beyond terrorists, and includes various criminal enterprises and adversarial nation states.
A change in these risk environments has corresponded with a heightened DHS collaboration with other agencies, and especially the private-sector stakeholders who own most of the nation’s vital infrastructure. DHS has had to step up assessing situational awareness, information sharing and resilience research and development plans with these stakeholders to mitigate risk and protect critical infrastructure and key resources.
DHS’s heightened cybersecurity mission was also reaffirmed via the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security allocating $1.1 billion in fiscal 2017 for cybersecurity programs.
DHS has significantly evolved since 2002 and has elevated its technological and organizational capabilities in confronting security and terrorist threats. The new reorganized and streamlined agency will address the new security challenges of the digital world and hopefully enable DHS to successfully fulfill its growing leadership role.
Charles (Chuck) Brooks serves as the vice president for government relations & marketing for Sutherland Government Solutions. He served at the Department of Homeland Security as the first director of legislative affairs for the Science & Technology Directorate. Find him on Twitter: @ChuckDBrooks.
DHS cyber role elevated in new legislation
