WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) urged nominees for top posts in the Department of Energy to advocate for measures to strengthen our national cyber defenses. Senator King’s questioning came during a hearing in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee, and was directed at Ms. Karen Evans, the nominee to be an Assistant Secretary of Energy for Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response. The hearing also featured Ms. Teri Donaldson, nominee for Inspector General, Dr. Christopher Fall,  nominee for Director of the Office of Science, and Mr. Daniel Simmons, nominee to be an Assistant Secretary of Energy for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

“[Cyber] is a crucial challenge facing us…there are two things I would urge you to urge,” said Senator King in the hearing. “One is to set up a structure so that there is one point of authority on the issues of cyber throughout the United States government. I go to these hearings all the time, and everybody says, ‘the whole of government.’ When I hear that, I think, ‘none of government.’ That means nobody’s in charge, and nobody’s accountable, and I believe that we need a leadership position because there are at least seven or eight agencies, by my count, that have responsibilities in cyber, not to mention working with the private sector… please urge the Administration to think about a cyber coordination function. Secondly, we need a cyber doctrine, or a strategy, to make our adversaries understand that they will pay a price for a cyber-attack on this country. Right now there is no deterrence – we are entirely defensive, and ultimately that’s a losing strategy… We know that a cyber-attack is coming at some point. It’s the longest wind-up for a punch in the history of the world, and shame on us if we’re not prepared for it – and the best way to prepare for it is to deter it."

Senator King has been a leading voice on the need for a national emphasis on cyber deterrence, and has repeatedly pressed officials in both the Obama and Trump Administrations on the importance of deterrence. In March, he highlighted the topic in both the ENR and Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC). Earlier that week, Senator King questioned Admiral Mike Rogers, the former Director of the National Security Agency and Commander of U.S. Cyber Command, on the status of a report from the Secretary of Defense that was mandated by a King-led provision in the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act and is currently eight months past due. In addition, he questioned top national intelligence officials in February on the lack of a national doctrine on the subject.

Senator King has also worked to address the issue through legislation, including introducing the Securing Energy Infrastructure Act with Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), his colleague on both the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and Senate Intelligence Committee. The bill aims to protect America’s electric grid from cyber-attacks by reducing dependency on digital technology and other solutions so that it cannot be accessed remotely.