Washington: US President Barack Obama has
picked former Bush administration adviser Howard Schmidt, an
Air Force and FBI veteran to serve as his first national
cybersecurity coordinator, the White House announced today.
"Howard will have the important responsibility of
orchestrating the many important cybersecurity activities
across the government," Obama's assistant for homeland
security and counterterrorism, John Brennan said.
Schmidt's appointment came seven months after Obama vowed
to "personally select" an adviser to spearhead the
government's strategy for protecting computer systems.
"Howard will have regular access to the president and
serve as a key member of his National Security Staff," Brennan
said in a statement.
"He will also work closely with his economic team to
ensure that our cybersecurity efforts keep the nation secure
and prosperous," he said while describing Schmidt as "one of
the world's leading authorities on computer security."
Schmidt, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and FBI, had
earlier in his career served as chief security officer at
Microsoft and as chief information security officer at eBay,
the Washington Post reported.
Schmidt, a cyber adviser in George W. Bush's
administration, is president of the non-profit consortium
Information Security Forum.
In May, Obama declared the nation's digital networks a
"strategic national asset" and said protecting them would be a
"national security priority."
Bureau Report
First Published: Tuesday, December 22, 2009, 22:11