U.S. National Cyber Director Chris Inglis plans on traveling to Japan later this month to advise government officials there on bolstering cybersecurity defenses, according to a source briefed on the upcoming trip.
The official visit appears to be an effort to improve cybersecurity cooperation with a key ally in Asia amid a strained relationship between the United States and China, according to two people who confirmed Inglis’ travel plans but asked not to be named because they are not authorized to speak to the press.
The Biden administration wants to encourage all friendly nations to accelerate cybersecurity investments, said Mark Montgomery, former executive director of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission who now runs the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Montgomery said he expects the trip include a bit of “cheerleading” and encouragement of “cyber resilience and preparation” among U.S. allies and partners, which is a significant objective for the White House. Beyond that, he said, he expects Inglis likely will “talk to them about their capacity building [and] about contributing to international cyber capacity building efforts with developing Southeast Asian countries.”
Additionally, U.S. officials could be looking for stronger connections on cyber issues in Asia as both Chinese and North Korean hackers are poised to become and even bigger threats in years to come.
It makes sense for American officials to focus on making Japan a “stronger cybersecurity partner in the Indo-Pacific at a critical moment with a rising China, emboldened North Korea, and ..
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