U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Monday the intention to establish a specialized office for cybersecurity and appoint an envoy, aimed at enhancing U.S. diplomacy in addressing "21st-century challenges" amid a surge in cyber attacks. Blinken wrote in a letter to department employees obtained by Agence France-Presse, "We will work with Congress to create a new Cyber and Digital Policy Office" within the State Department.
U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price explained to reporters that the new agency will be headed by an ambassador whose appointment will be confirmed through a vote in the U.S. Senate, noting that this office "will focus on three main areas: international cybersecurity, international digital policy, and digital freedom." Blinken is scheduled to deliver a speech on Wednesday regarding this aspect of "updating" U.S. foreign policy, promising to appoint a "new special envoy for critical and emerging technologies." The secretary reaffirmed his desire to build "a State Department that is ready for the challenges of the 21st century."
For his part, Price stated that the world has entered a new era of international affairs "in which climate crises, health, and emerging technologies will increasingly be at the center of joint initiatives with our allies and partners, but also at the heart of our competition with our rivals and adversaries." This announcement comes as tech giant Microsoft revealed that the Russian hacking group "Nobelium," which launched a widespread cyber attack in the United States last year, is conducting a new attack targeting U.S. and European organizations. The U.S. government and Microsoft accuse the Russian government of supporting the hackers, a claim that Moscow denies.
