The White House plans to nominate Harry Coker Jr., a Navy veteran and a senior-level leader on national security issues, to become the new national cyber director.
Coker would finally succeed Chris Inglis, who stepped down as national cyber director earlier this year. Kemba Walden is expected to leave her post as acting national cyber director after her expected nomination did not materialize, reportedly in connection to a personal debt issue, according to The Washington Post.
Coker was executive director of the National Security Agency from 2017 to 2019 and currently serves as a senior fellow at Auburn University’s McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security.
He previously worked as the director of Open Source Enterprise at the CIA’s Directorate of Digital Innovation.
Industry experts and congressional leaders praised the nomination and urged the White House to prioritize the nomination, which comes just weeks after the administration unveiled implementation plans for the national cybersecurity strategy.
The Software Alliance, also known as BSA, said it looks forward to a White House nomination for the post before August.
“We have urged the administration to nominate someone swiftly for the position,” Henry Young, director of policy at BSA, said in a statement.
Young and other officials said it was important to have a confirmed leader as the administration rolls out the strategy.
“Looking forward, it is important to reiterate the necessity of strong, permanent leadership in the Office of the National Cyber Director,” Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, and Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., said in a joint statement. “The NCD is effectively the coach of the U.S. cybersecurity team, and it is important that the leadership is Senate confirmed and accountable to both the President and Congress.”
The officials expressed their “deepest appreciation and gratitude” to Walden for what they described as her “fantastic work” in guiding the nation’s cybersecurity policy and developing and rolling out the implementation plan. They expressed hope that Walden would remain in her current position during the Senate confirmation process and continue as part of the national dialogue on cybersecurity policy.