JEWISH BRAINS: Biden Taps Frum Intelligence Veteran For New White House Cybersecurity Role

President-elect Joe Biden plans to pluck a career intelligence official from the National Security Agency to serve in a newly created cybersecurity role on his National Security Council.

Anne Neuberger, who joined the NSA more than a decade ago and has been serving as the agency’s director of cybersecurity since 2019, will be named deputy national security adviser for cybersecurity in the incoming NSC, according to two people familiar with the plans.

Neuberger’s hiring indicates that the Biden White House intends to reelevate cybersecurity as a key national security priority, after President Donald Trump eliminated the role of cybersecurity coordinator in 2018.

Neuberger will be responsible for coordinating the federal government’s cybersecurity efforts, with a likely emphasis on responding to a massive cyberespionage campaign carried out last year by suspected Russian hackers, which the government is still struggling to unravel. Neuberger will be well-positioned for the role — in her capacity as the NSA’s first director of cybersecurity, Neuberger was tasked with managing intelligence information sharing between the NSA and other government agencies, as well as the private sector, about threats to critical infrastructure.

A transition spokesperson declined to comment on personnel but said in a statement that “the Biden-Harris Administration will make cybersecurity a top priority, elevating it as an imperative across the government from day one. We will strengthen our partnerships with the private sector, academia, and civil society; renew our commitment to international norms and engagement on cyber issues; and expand our investment in the infrastructure and people we need to effectively defend the nation against malicious cyber activity.”

POLITICO

{Matzav.com}