{"id":27109,"date":"2023-12-13T15:05:07","date_gmt":"2023-12-13T15:05:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/uncategorized\/2023\/12\/13\/senate-confirms-navy-nsa-veteran-coker-as-national-cyber-director\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T04:57:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T04:57:47","slug":"senate-confirms-navy-nsa-veteran-coker-as-national-cyber-director","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/cyber\/2023\/12\/13\/senate-confirms-navy-nsa-veteran-coker-as-national-cyber-director\/","title":{"rendered":"Senate confirms Navy, NSA veteran Coker as national cyber director"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Senate confirmed the government\u2019s second-ever national cyber director on Tuesday, filling a far-reaching leadership position that will shape how agencies move forward collectively on pressing artificial intelligence and cybersecurity policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers voted 59-40 to confirm Harry Coker, Jr., a 20-year Navy veteran and previous third-in-command at the National Security Agency<\/a>, to head the Office of the National Cyber Director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently, Coker has been an operating partner at C5 Capital, a London-based firm that funds businesses in the cybersecurity, energy security and space industries, according to a biography<\/a> by the Potomac Officers Club. He\u2019s also served as an adviser at Primis Principiis, an outside director at JSI and is a senior fellow at the McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security at Auburn University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHarry Coker is an accomplished leader and dedicated public servant who is well-qualified to lead this importance office,\u201d Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., said on the Senate floor Dec. 12<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coker\u2019s confirmation fills a 10-month vacancy that was left after the inaugural national director, Chris Inglis, stepped down in February. Kemba Walden had taken over as acting director of the office but was ultimately not nominated for the position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ONCD has a major role to play in overseeing progress of the Biden administration\u2019s National Cybersecurity Strategy<\/a> implementation plan, unveiled in July, and in shaping budget proposals in line with these initiatives. Coker will also have a seat on the White House\u2019s AI Council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At his nomination hearings this fall, <\/a>Coker stressed not only the importance of partnering with industry to ward against increasingly complex cyber threats, but of looking inward at how the government is recruiting the next generation of IT talent to lead and sustain these efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\t