Biden’s DHS Pick Was a ‘Quick Study’ of Cybersecurity Issues as the Department’s Deputy
Alejandro Mayorkas, President-elect Joe Biden’s choice to run the Department of Homeland Security, was deputy secretary of the department from 2013 to 2016, and reportedly gained an appreciation for how cyberthreats factor into national security challenges.
“He clearly understood [cybersecurity] issues and why they were important and was a good advocate for DHS’s part in that,” said Christopher Painter, who served as President Barack Obama’s top State Department diplomat focused on cyberspace. Greg Touhill, a retired Air Force brigadier general who served as director of DHS’s hub for sharing threat information with the private sector, said that Mayorkas “recognizes he’s not a cyber expert,” but described him as a “quick study” on cybersecurity issues.
Biden also announced Antony Blinken as his choice for Secretary of State, Avril Haines for Director of National Intelligence, and Jake Sullivan as National Security Adviser; all four appreciate the way cybersecurity challenges factor into policymaking, according to Painter.
