President Biden has nominated Harry Coker, a former NSA and CIA official, to be the next national cyber director. Coker would replace Chris Inglis, who stepped down from the position in February.
Coker has a long career in cybersecurity, having served in senior roles at the NSA and the CIA. He is also an operating partner at D.C. area venture firm C5 Capital. Coker’s nomination comes at a time when the United States is facing increasing cyber threats from Russia, China, and other countries. The national cyber director is responsible for leading the government’s efforts to protect the nation’s critical infrastructure from cyberattacks.
He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1980 and then served in the Navy for five years before joining the NSA in 1985. At the NSA, he served in a variety of roles at the NSA, including as the executive director and joined the CIA in 2005. He served in the directorate of science and technology and left the CIA in 2015. He is currently an operating partner at C5 Capital.
Coker’s nomination is likely to be met with bipartisan support in the Senate. He is a well-respected figure in the cybersecurity community, and his nomination is widely accepted.
The sources for this piece include an article in Axios.