Readout: Acting National Cyber Director Kemba Walden’s Travel to California
From April 24-28, Acting National Cyber Director Kemba Walden traveled to California. During this trip, Acting Director Walden emphasized how the National Cybersecurity Strategy sets the agenda for the Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD), including the development of an interagency National Cybersecurity Strategy (NCS) implementation plan; the forthcoming National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy; the application of the NCS to urgent, present-day issues such as the cybersecurity of space systems; and the Biden-Harris Administration’s work to secure critical infrastructure, including its investments in America through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
In the San Francisco Bay area, Acting Director Walden gave the opening keynote at the “International Cybersecurity Forum” and headlined two fireside chats as part of the RSA Cybersecurity Conference. Additionally, Acting Director Walden participated in a cybersecurity roundtable at the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center, where she and others discussed best practices for collaboration by all levels of government before and after cyber incidents. Acting Director Walden also provided opening remarks at the Stanford University Law School Software Liability Workshop, a convening to launch engagement by the academic and legal communities to examine potential strategies for shifting liability for insecure software products and services, as discussed in the NCS.
Acting Director Walden also traveled to Long Beach, California. Hosted by Long Beach City College, she engaged with students and participated in a fireside chat with representatives from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Relativity Space, and the Port of Long Beach, discussing the importance of the NCS, cyber workforce development, and ONCD’s work with interagency partners on space systems cybersecurity.
As part of several space-focused engagements, ONCD convened a workshop at JPL with space industry experts – as well as representatives from the Office of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, City of Los Angeles, and Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce – to discuss current approaches to securing space systems from cyber threats, building resilience, and sharing information. This workshop was ONCD’s first engagement of a series of regional, technical-level workshops on space systems cybersecurity, as announced at the March 28 Space Systems Executive Forum hosted by ONCD and the National Space Council at the White House.
In addition, Acting Director Walden and Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson visited the Port of Long Beach. The visit featured a roundtable discussion on securing the Port’s critical infrastructure and the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic investments in America, including recent grants made to the Port and the City of Long Beach through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. These grants include $30.1 million to deploy and secure the nation’s largest fleet of zero-emissions cargo-handling equipment at the Port, as well as $30 million as part of the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program to improve the connection between downtown and public open space.
###
