The Senate unanimously approved the nomination of Chris Inglis, a 28-year National Security Agency veteran, as the first national cyber director, The Hill reported Thursday.
He will be responsible for coordinating policies to increase the security of federal information systems and will serve as a point of contact between the White House and Congress on cybersecurity matters.
The creation of a cyber czar within the executive branch was a key provision in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act and a recommendation from the Cyberspace Solarium Commission.
At his nomination hearing, Inglis told members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that cyber threats “will never go away completely, but we can bring it down, we can bring it to heel significantly.”
Inglis was nominated by President Biden in April and previously held a 41-year federal career that includes service as deputy director at NSA from 2006 to 2014.
He most recently worked as a Looker Distinguished Visiting Professor in Cyber Security Studies at the U.S. Naval Academy, a managing director at investment company Paladin Capital and a commissioner at CSC.
