New Cyberspace Solarium Commission to Examine and Advise Against Cybersecurity Threats

Senator Angus King (I-ME) and Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI) recently announced the creation of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC). It was established by a statute in the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).The CSC is a bipartisan effort to review the threats facing America in cyberspace and provide strategic guidance and policy recommendations on how to defend ourselves against cyber threats.

It is comprised of 14 commissioners that hail from congress, federal agencies, and relevant civilian’s professions, who seek to build a consensus on a strategic approach to defending the United States in cyberspace against cyber-attacks of significant consequences as the world enters a new phase of cyberconflict. One of the main goals of the CSC is to develop a new cyber policy. This policy will also include a report and briefings with key congressional committees on defense, intelligence and homeland security.

“Cyberspace is a decisive battlefield in the 21st century,” said Rep. Gallagher. “Every day, Americans are on the frontline of a new kind of conflict—wittingly or not—and we lack a plan to combat these challenges. It is imperative we take immediate action… I’m proud to join Senator King in leading the Commission and confident the team will write the playbook to secure our interests in cyberspace for years to come.”
Along with Senator King and Representative Gallagher, the remaining 12 commissioners are:

• Senator Ben Sasse (R-Neb.)
• Representative Jim Langevin (D-R.I.)
• Susan Gordon: Deputy Director of National Intelligence
• David Norquist: Acting Deputy Secretary of Defense
• David Pekoske: Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security
• Chris Wray: Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Frank Cilluffo: Director of the McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security at Auburn University
• Tom Fanning: Chairman, President and CEO of the Southern Company
• Chris Inglis: Professor of Cyber Security Studies at U.S. Naval Academy and former Deputy Director of the National Security Agency
• Patrick Murphy: Former Congressman and former Under Secretary of the Army
• Samantha Ravich: Vice Chair of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board and former principal deputy National Security Advisor to Vice President Dick Cheney
• Suzanne Spaulding: Senior Advisor for Homeland Security at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and former Under Secretary of National Protection and Programs Directorate at the Department of Homeland Security