Amid concerns the State Department is reducing its role in enforcing cyber diplomacy efforts, the department has set up a new Cyber and Technology Security (CTS) directorate to consolidate its own information technology (IT) protection efforts.

The CTS directorate, officially launched May 28, falls under the purview of the department’s Diplomatic Security Service. The director of the State Dept.’s Office of Security Technology Lonnie Price is overseeing the directorate as interim director.iStock Cyber Lock

“CTS facilitates the conduct of global diplomacy by protecting life, property, and information with advanced cyber security programs and risk-managed technology innovation. CTS provides advanced cyber threat analysis, incident detection and response, cyber investigative support, and emerging technology solutions,” a State Dept. spokesperson told Defense Daily.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced plans in July to possibly shutter the department’s cyber coordination office as part of an agency-wide reorganization. The State Department’s lead cyber diplomacy official since 2011 Chris Painter also left his post at the end of July.

Following his departure, Painter published a post on Medium detailing the importance diplomacy plays in building coalitions with allies to protect critical networks, and the work needed to deter adversaries from pursuing more invasive cyber attacks.

“This is not some legacy Cold War issue but the quintessential 21st century issue of our national security  —  involving aspects of human rights, security and economic policy  —  requiring high- level leadership and a matrixed 21st century response that leverages all of our capabilities. Our approach to this issue must be agile, coordinated and creative, not stove-piped or siloed, to succeed,” Painter wrote on Medium. “We need to ensure that this dark future does not prevail by effectively combatting the many threats — both policy and technical — in cyberspace and taking advantage of the opportunities that cyberspace presents. Success will depend on using all of our tools including diplomacy.”

The CTS Directorate is responsible for improving business processes, building on IT efficiency efforts and streamlining the delivery of network protection services. The directorate is meant to consolidate and realign the existing cyber oversight responsibilities under the Diplomatic Security Service, a State Department official told Defense Daily.