DHS, Israel Increasing Security Cooperation
The Department of Homeland Security and Israeli authorities have signed new agreements to enhance cooperation in the areas of cybersecurity, biometrics and defense. Rob Silvers, DHS under secretary for policy, met in early March with Israeli public and private sector partners. Silvers and the Israel National Cyber Directorate (INCD) issued a joint statement of intent that to work together to combat ransomware, improve cooperative research and development, increase cyber resilience, and exchange experts in the area of emerging technology. The two agencies also signed a memorandum of understanding to further the joint work between INCD and the Transportation Security Administration to advance cybersecurity cooperation in the aviation, maritime, mass transit, freight and passenger rail, and oil and natural gas sectors. Silvers also signed an MoU with the Ministry of Defense to expand counterterrorism cooperation to in the areas of terrorist financing and other illicit financial activities. He also met with executives from the Israeli technology industry to discuss collaboration on cybersecurity as a top priority.