President Donald Trump is set to nominate political insider Sean Kane-Cross to be the new director of the National Cybersecurity Office. If confirmed by the Senate, Kane-Cross would become the third head of the Office of the National Cybersecurity Director (ONCD).
Kane-Cross previously served as CEO of Millennium Challenge Corporation and deputy assistant to the president in the first Trump administration. He also oversaw spending and was chief operating officer of the Republican National Committee. The appointments come amid concerns among experts that ONCD will be cut after President Trump rescinded Biden’s executive order on leadership succession and restricted public access to the office’s past work. Critics fear the administration will cut ONCD despite the threat posed by the Chinese-linked hacking campaigns Bolt Typhoon and Salt Typhoon.
The Office of the Director of National Cybersecurity (ONCD) was created by Congress in 2021 to implement the U.S. National Cyber Strategy. The department published its first National Cybersecurity Plan under the Biden administration, but has changed leadership several times. Former director Gary Corker, now Maryland’s commerce secretary, has called for increased digital security at all levels.
Cairncross’s appointment could signal a shift in the White House’s cyber policy. Experts worry that the ONCD’s mandate will be curtailed at a time when digital threats are growing. Meanwhile, the Senate must decide whether to support a nominee with no cybersecurity experience.
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