Releasing more initiatives ahead of his State of the Union address, President Obama will lay out a series of legislative proposals and executive actions next week aimed at bolstering U.S. cybersecurity, a White House official said.
In the wake of massive cyberattacks against corporations including Sony Pictures, Mr. Obama will outline more steps to secure businesses and consumers from hacking and identity theft. Vice President Joseph R. Biden will announce funding to help train Americans to join the cybersecurity workforce during a visit Thursday to Norfolk, Virginia, the White House said.
After the Sony hacking, blamed on agents of North Korea, Republican lawmakers roundly criticized the administration for failing to adequately safeguard computer systems in the U.S. from international cyberattacks.
Further, America’s top soldier said Sunday that the U.S. military does not enjoy superiority in cyberfields and must contend with equal rivals, something that would not happen in the field of tanks and fighter jets.
“In every domain, Chris, we generally enjoy a significant military advantage. But we have peer competitors in cyber,” Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told host Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday.” “We don’t have an advantage. It’s a level playing field. And that makes this chairman very uncomfortable.”
Mr. Obama will host an event Monday at the Federal Trade Commission in Washington to lay out more details of his plan to improve consumer and student privacy, White House officials told reporters over the weekend. He’ll build on an executive order he issued in October to secure credit, debit and other payment cards with microchips instead of magnetic strips and PINs, such as those on ATM cards.
On Tuesday, the president will host congressional leaders at the White House to discuss ways to improve the economy and enhance national security.
Then he will visit the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center to focus on “efforts to increase voluntary cybersecurity information sharing between the private sector and the government while protecting privacy and civil liberties and to improve the government’s ability to collaborate with industry to combat cyberthreats,” the White House official said.
On Wednesday, Mr. Obama will travel to Iowa to lay out steps to increase access to affordable, high-speed broadband across the country.
The president is giving Americans a campaign-style preview of his State of the Union address to Congress on Jan. 20. This week, he traveled to Michigan, Arizona and Tennessee to highlight initiatives on housing, manufacturing and education, including a proposal for the government to pay full tuition costs for community college students.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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