Defense & Intelligence Policy, Business and Technology

Bill establishing State Department cyber ambassador passes committee

Fifth Domain: The Cyber Diplomacy Act, which would create an Office of Cyber Issues within the State Department, passed through the House Foreign Affairs Committee Nov. 15. Under the bill, the head of the office would have the rank and status of an ambassador and be responsible for leading the State Department’s diplomatic cyberspace efforts by promoting “an open, interoperable, reliable, unfettered and secure information and communications technology infrastructure globally.”

“The US is increasingly under attack by foreign actors, and these actors are online. Now, more than ever, we need a high-ranking cyber diplomat to prioritize these efforts and work with foreign governments,” said the bill’s author Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif. “This bipartisan bill will help counter foreign threats on the internet, and it’s also going to help promote human rights abroad and will create new jobs, new economic growth, here at home.”

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