The Center for Strategic and International Security (CSIS) is convening the second iteration of a Cyber Policy Task Force to advise the next presidential administration on cybersecurity recommendations it can implement within the first 60 to 100 days.
The previous group, the CSIS Commission on Cybersecurity for the 44th Presidency, released its report in December 2008. Established in August 2007, it was tasked “to examine existing plans and strategies and to assess what a new administration should continue, what it should change, and what new policies it should adapt and what new authorities it should seek from Congress.”
Unlike the previous group, this task force will be split in two: 40 members in Washington, D.C., and 30 in California. The California group consists of Silicon Valley and experienced technology persons, looking into long-term issues while the D.C. group consists of former government and private sector officials that will focus again on recommendations the next administration can enact within the first several months, James Lewis, the Director of the CSIS Strategic Technology Program, said in a press conference announcing the task force.
Lewis said the groups will be looking at issues that will not be resolved by the Obama administration within the next two years and they will include both internal government cyber policies and larger cybersecurity initiatives domestically and internationally.
In addition to a final report expected to be completed in 18 months to two years, the “salient issues” of today may allow for several standalone reports, Lewis said.
“We’re asking the task force to really put out some radical ideas about how to shift how some of this works,” Karen Evans, a member of the task force who is the National Director of the U.S. Cyber Challenge and a former Office of Management and Budget (OMB) official, said.
Like the last report, this one will have nonpartisan conclusions.
“The report should be written in a way that it doesn’t matter who wins,” Lewis said.
The co-chairs of the task force are Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.
Whitehouse praised the previous report; co-chaired by Rep. James Langevin (D-R.I.), McCaul, Scott Charney, and retired Lt. General Harry Raduege.
“After eight years, in an area of expertise where both policy and technology are changing very rapidly, that report still holds up very well. And a considerable number of its recommendations were put into action. So that report sets a very high bar for our efforts with this report.”
Whitehouse noted his and McCaul’s roles are to make sure in the scoping of the questions asked in the report, that they are satisfied the important questions they think need to be asked are there. Two co-chairs can add advise on answers but will not be in a position to dictate them. He also said the co-chairs will try to help move through any logjams that might come about in the process–to solve policy disagreements that might arise.
McCaul agreed on the importance of the report.
“One of the first things President Obama talked about was cybersecurity. And I think a lot of it was because this report got so much attention.”
“The issue’s never been more timely, never more dangerous than it is today. So I think it’s a great time to reconvene our efforts.”
Whitehouse and McCaul also reiterated the Senate should pass cyber information sharing legislation soon.
“I think we have a very good chance of moving forward with a cyber bill right now,” Whitehouse said, in reference to the several cyber bills that may come to the Senate floor within the next month.
“We have a bipartisan vehicle to go forward with on the information sharing legislation that has come out of the intelligence committee…We have a significant bipartisan piece of legislation that Sen Graham and I just had a hearing on in the law enforcement area. We have a significant bipartisan piece of legislation that Sen. Blount led in the awareness and notice area of cybersecurity.”
“So I think we have a terrific opportunity in the Senate to get a core bill to the floor and then through the process of amendment, add significant, thoughtful bipartisan amendments that are truly directed to cybersecurity.”
McCaul noted “It would be great if the Senate would pass my cybersecurity bill.”