The digital battlefield is proving to be difficult terrain for President Barack Obama.
As he unveiled his plan Friday to make the nation’s computer networks more secure, he fulfilled a campaign pledge to make cybersecurity a top priority. But he fell short on another promise to create a cyber adviser “who will report directly to me.”
Ten months ago, candidate Obama told a Purdue University audience that he “will make cyber security the top priority that it should be in the 21st century.” He went on to pledge that he would coordinate efforts across government, implement a national policy, tighten standards to make information more secure, and bring together government, industry and academia “to determine the best ways to guard the infrastructure that supports our power.”
On Friday, Obama took the first step toward making that far-reaching promise a reality. But it remains unclear whether the structure he is creating will be capable and powerful enough to take on an enduring and monumental task.
The key will be how much authority the so-called coordinator will wield.
Obama said Friday he will personally choose his new cyber coordinator, and that person will have “regular access” to the Oval Office.
But the White House has yet to apply a formal title to the post and specify the coordinator’s line and level of authority within the complex government structure.
Access is everything in Washington. Those who have the president’s ear have the power to make things happen. Without a title and clear lines of authority, it’s hard to say how much power and access the new cyber czar will have.
Turf wars between powerful federal departments, including intelligence agencies, the Pentagon and Homeland Security, have also long mired efforts to better coordinate, control and fund the nation’s cyber security. Agencies do not want to cede authority to make decisions about what…