Summarized by the Alliance for Fort Gordon
Published September 12, 2025
National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross called for investing in the cybersecurity workforce and rapidly modernizing federal cyber defenses in his first public address since being confirmed by the Senate in early August.
Speaking as the opening keynote at the Billington Cyber Summit in Washington on Tuesday morning, Cairncross laid out the second Trump administration’s approach to cyber. He pointed to the threats posed by other nations, particularly China, which he called the United States’ “most aggressive and capable adversary.”