The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) this week added two new leaders to its cyber security team, including Andy Ozment as the new Assistant Secretary for Cyber Security and Communications (CS&C), which has responsibility for boosting the security and reliability of the nation’s cyber and communications infrastructure.
Ozment most recently was the senior director for Cybersecurity at the White House, reporting to Cybersecurity Coordinator Michael Daniel. In its blog on March 12, DHS said that Ozment’s most recent responsibilities involved leading the development and subsequent implementation of Executive Order 13636, which led to the creation of the recent Cybersecurity Framework as well as improved information sharing initiatives.
Venable law firm partner Jamie Barnett said in a statement that Ozment “has done a superb job at the White House” and praised him for “dramatically strengthening the public-private partnership on cyber security.”
The assistant secretary position had been filled by Bobbie Stempfley in an acting position. Previously, she had been the deputy assistant secretary. Now Stempfley takes on a the job of deputy assistant secretary for Cybersecurity Strategy and Emergency Communications, a new role responsible for “overseeing emergency communications, developing and implementing strategy and policy efforts, as well as focusing on building our partnerships with the public and private sectors, and the general public,” according to the blog, which was posted by Phyllis Schneck, deputy under secretary of CS&C, and Suzanne Spaulding, the under secretary for the DHS National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD).
The CS&C office is within NPPD.
Schneck and Spaulding also said that retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Gregory Touhill is now the deputy assistant secretary for Cybersecurity Operations and Programs, focused on “the development and implementation of operational programs designed to protect our government networks and the critical systems that run our power plants and utilities, such as the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program and our 24×7 National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center.”
Touhill retired from the Air Force last July where he wrapped up his military service as the chief information officer and director of C3 and Cyber Systems at the United States Transportation Command.
Before the announcement, the CS&C office only had one deputy assistant secretary. Stempfley and Touhill will report to Ozment.