State Department’s Nathaniel Fick Urges Increased US Support for Allied Cybersecurity

Nathaniel Fick, the Department of State’s ambassador at large for cyberspace and digital policy, is advocating for greater cybersecurity assistance to allies as digital matters grow more important to national security.

Fick added that the United States should ramp up its role in building up these countries’ cyber infrastructure while incorporating artificial intelligence, quantum computing and other emerging technologies. According to Fick, such capabilities are poised to “increasingly converge” with digital policy.

He told attendees of a recent Foundation for Defense of Democracies event that the U.S. should also respond faster to cyberattacks. Mark Montgomery, director of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission 2.0, supported Fick’s assertion, noting that a nation’s cyber resilience hinges more upon the strength of its networks.

Together with Annie Fixler, director of the FDD’s cyber and technology innovation center, Fick mentioned that the U.S. could advise countries on best practices for communications networks and on collaboration with industry, Nextgov/FCW reported Friday.