Katherine Sutton confirmed as Pentagon cyber policy leader
The Pentagon is getting a new cyber policy leader after the Senate voted to confirm Katherine Sutton and a slew of other nominees for high-level government jobs on Thursday.
After she’s sworn in, Sutton will be only the second Senate-confirmed official to ever hold the role of assistant secretary of defense for cyber policy. That office was officially created last year at the behest of Congress. The Trump administration recently rebranded it as assistant secretary of war for cyber policy.
The person holding the ASD role “establishes and oversees the implementation of [Department of War] cyberspace policy and strategy,” integrates national cyberspace policy and guidance with the department’s cyberspace policy, and “provides guidance and oversight on DOW cyberspace activities as they relate to foreign cyberspace threats, international cooperation, engagement with foreign partners and international organizations, and implementation of DoW cyberspace strategy and plans, including those related to cyberspace forces, capabilities, and their employment,” according to the Pentagon.
Sutton most recently served at U.S. Cyber Command as chief technology advisor to the commander and director of Pentagon operations. Previously, she worked on Capitol Hill as a professional staff member for the Senate Armed Services Committee.
During her confirmation hearing in May, Sutton suggested that she would aim to boost the U.S. military’s digital firepower, if confirmed.
She told lawmakers that “while we need strong defenses, we are not going to deter the adversary with defenses only,” adding that, if confirmed, she would “work to strengthen our offensive cyber capabilities to ensure the president has the options he needs to respond to this growing threat.”
“The cyber domain is continuing to evolve and the one constant that I’ve seen in being involved in this domain for over two decades is that the rate of change is exponential. My top priority if confirmed in this role will be to address this change with speed and agility in the department,” Sutton said. “I believe we’re at a point where we need to reevaluate those [authorities] and make sure that we’re postured to be able to respond to the increasing speed of cyberattacks and that we are able to address the incoming impacts of AI.”
Austin Dahmer had been performing the duties of the ASD job prior to Sutton’s confirmation.
Sutton is stepping into the role amid uncertainty about the future of the U.S. military’s cyber enterprise. Cyber Command is currently led by Army Lt. Gen. William Hartman, who took over as commander in an acting capacity in April after Air Force Gen. Timothy Haugh was fired without explanation by the Trump administration. The roles of deputy commander and chief of staff at Cybercom are also currently held by officials serving in an acting capacity. President Donald Trump has not yet nominated anyone to helm Cybercom on a permanent basis since Haugh’s removal.
Thursday’s Senate vote to confirm Sutton came a day after the Government Accountability Office released a new report recommending that the the ASD for cyber policy assess the extent to which military cyber training courses and DOD cybersecurity service providers could be consolidated to achieve efficiencies and cost savings. The Pentagon agreed with those recommendations.
Sutton may be poised to work with Kirsten Davies, who was nominated by Trump to be the Pentagon’s chief information officer. The Senate Armed Services Committee held Davies’ confirmation hearing on Thursday, but the full Senate hasn’t voted yet on her confirmation.
