Safety in Numbers: Improving Cyber Capacity Building

Ukraine’s effective cyber resilience – withstanding thousands of Russian attacks – is thanks in part to years-long cyber defense capacity building programs backed by both the U.S. government and industry. Washington’s robust efforts – if somewhat ad-hoc – help partners build cyber resilience, mature their law enforcement tools and techniques, improve information sharing, train cyber workforces, and deploy more secure and resilient information and communications technology networks. As attacks by criminal and state-backed hackers on America and its allies grow, is Washington organized and resourced to meet the needs of tomorrow? How can the U.S. government better organize to help partners improve their cyber resilience? Why is partner capacity building important for U.S. national security?To answer these questions and discuss how to enhance partner capacity building, FDD hosts a conversation with the inaugural U.S. Ambassador at Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy Nathaniel C. Fick; RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, senior director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI); and Annie Fixler, director of CCTI and research fellow at FDD. The discussion is moderated by John Sakellariadis, cybersecurity reporter at Politico.