President Donald Trump has nominated Sean Cairncross, who is chief counsel at the Republican National Committee (RNC), to become the next national cyber director (NCD), the White House announced on Wednesday.
Cairncross, if confirmed to the position by the Senate, would lead the Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD), which is responsible for advising the president on cybersecurity policy and strategy. ONCD was established in 2021 under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) following a recommendation from the Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC) for Congress to create an NCD position.
The nominee lacks some of the experience that the first two national cyber directors brought to the job – both came to the role after serving at the National Security Agency (NSA). Chris Inglis, the first NCD, served as deputy director of NSA, and Harry Coker who followed Inglis was the NSA executive director.
It appears that Cairncross has not held cybersecurity-related positions. He was chief executive officer of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a foreign aid agency that works on economic growth in developing countries. Other prior roles include a stint as a deputy assistant and senior White House advisor for the Trump administration during its first term.
While working with the first administration, Cairncross is said to have provided “counsel on a variety of issues including matters related to national security.”
The nominee is also the president and founder of the Cairncross Group, a strategic consultancy based in Washington, D.C.
If confirmed, Cairncross would lead the ONCD as its role continues to take shape – a process made more complicated by the White House’s National Security Council, which has traditionally handled many of the same responsibilities. Some experts have suggested steps that the office could take to better define its function moving forward.
When he stepped down as NCD in early January, Coker urged the new administration and Congress to work toward the office’s long-term goal of Federal cybersecurity regulation “harmonization,” noting that the lack of harmonization impedes industry and government’s cybersecurity posture.
“We’ve laid the groundwork for the next administration and Congress to do the right thing for our partners in the private sector,” Coker said during an address in January about efforts ONCD had taken toward regulatory harmonization.
