Today is the first day of operations for the new cyber bureau at the State Department. More than 60 staffers are there now, from cyber coordination and international communications offices — and the State Department plans to add 30 new positions in the bureau this year.
While covering these, let’s note that this is likely not the only move. The administration is reviewing a policy from the previous administration that allows the DoD and US Cyber Command to authorize cyber-operations without White House approval.
One hopes that actual diplomats spending time on the impact on the United States will make a difference. This group has a lot to do very quickly, but we’ve gone from nothing to something. That’s significant, and it’s why we care.