Dive Brief:
- Two coalitions of cybersecurity companies, professional associations and experts have endorsed Sean Plankey and Sean Cairncross, President Donald Trump’s nominees to serve as director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and national cyber director, respectively.
- Plankey and Cairncross’s backers include executives at cybersecurity firms, former senior government officials from administrations of both parties and leaders of trade groups and think tanks.
- The broad support reflects urgent concerns about the cybersecurity leadership void inside the Trump administration.
Dive Insight:
The groups endorsing Plankey and Cairncross made similar arguments in letters to the leaders of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security Committee, which is holding the two nominees’ confirmation hearing on Thursday.
Plankey’s supporters said his background at the National Security Council and the U.S. Department of Energy have prepared him to help protect critical infrastructure and his combination of public- and private-sector roles makes him likely to prioritize cyber partnerships. They also pointed to his rare experience with increasingly targeted operational technology.
“Mr. Plankey has a distinguished record of service in both the public and private sectors, with a deep understanding of the complex cybersecurity challenges facing our nation,” wrote a collection of groups that includes the Association of the United States Cyber Forces, CSC 2.0 (the successor to the congressionally chartered Cyberspace Solarium Commission), the Cyber Threat Alliance, the McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security and the Operational Technology Cyber Coalition.
Cairncross’s backers say his private-sector managerial experience, White House national security roles and collaboration with diverse stakeholders will suit him well at the helm of the Office of the National Cyber Director.
“Building on the good work that has come before [at ONCD] will require a focus on implementation of strategy, and Sean is exceedingly well prepared to undertake these stated challenges,” wrote Cairncross’s supporters, who include former senior intelligence officials; the McCrary Institute’s director; executives at RSA Security, Dragos and CrowdStrike; and Chris Inglis, the first national cyber director.
Plankey, a former director for cyber policy at the NSC and top official in DOE’s cyber wing, could provide a reassuring presence at CISA, which is reeling from the loss of top talent and important contracts as part of the Trump administration’s downsizing efforts. The administration has said it wants to refocus CISA on its core infrastructure protection mission, and Plankey could be well-positioned to implement that goal while also protecting a workforce whose value he has witnessed firsthand.
“We are confident that Sean Plankey has the vision and leadership skills to guide CISA in fulfilling its mission and to enhance the security and resilience of our nation's critical infrastructure and federal systems,” his supporters wrote.
Plankey is “an experienced cybersecurity professional with hard won policy experience,” Trey Herr, director of the Atlantic Council's Cyber Statecraft Initiative, told Cybersecurity Dive via email. “He understands that CISA has an impact on more than just the Federal government, even when its work is focused on Federal agencies and that's one reason why you see a coalition of critical infrastructure and cyber talent focused organizations supporting his nomination.”
Cairncross does not have a technology or cybersecurity background, but his allies see his extensive ties to the White House as vital for ensuring ONCD’s political influence. He led the Millennium Challenge Corporation and advised Trump’s chief of staff during the president’s first term, and he has served in multiple top roles at the Republican National Committee.
Cairncross’s backers argued that his “role leading operations for the Republican National Committee, combined with private sector legal experience have allowed him to effectively understand and respond to rapidly evolving political dynamics shaping policy conversations at the highest levels of government.”
Both nominees have “built up a lot of credibility in Washington in very different ways,” said Ari Schwartz, managing director of cybersecurity services at Venable. He said Plankey has “shown that he is extremely knowledgeable and willingness to listen to industry and other security experts,” while Cairncross “has been an extremely successful manager of a new growing project in a political environment.”
The two groups of supporters told senators that it was vital for Trump’s cybersecurity nominees to take the reins of organizations that play key roles in national cyber defense.
CISA’s mission “is more important than ever, given the increasing sophistication and frequency of cyberattacks,” Plankey’s backers wrote.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with comments from experts.
