WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), co-chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, today questioned General Paul Nakasone, Director of the National Security Agency (NSA), on current United States strategies to deter foreign adversaries from launching cyberattacks, or striking U.S. critical infrastructure. Developing a layered cyber deterrence strategy was the key focus outlined in the March 2020 final report of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, and the proposed approach was detailed in the form of over 80 specific recommendations – 25 of which were included in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021.

Today’s exchange between Senator King and General Nakasone came during an open hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, where General Nakasone agreed with Senator King on the importance of deterrence, stating that the U.S. is “not going to be standing by the sidelines, not being involved in terms of what’s going on in the cyberspace and cybersecurity.”

SENATOR KING: “General Nakasone, four or five years ago, I asked one of your predecessors a simple question: do our adversaries fear our response in cyberspace – are they deterred to the point of changing their calculus as to whether or not to launch a cyber-intrusion or attack against us? I want to ask you the same question, is there an adequate deterrent or is this something we need to establish more clearly as a matter of policy?”

GENERAL NAKASONE: “Senator, I’m not sure in terms of whether or not our adversaries, you know feel that or necessary—but here’s what I know that our adversaries understand, that its different today than it was several years ago. That we are not going to be standing by the sidelines, not being involved in terms of what’s going on in the cyberspace and cybersecurity. Over the past several years, whether or not it’s been defending our elections or being able to provide quicker attribution, this is our focus and this is the focus of the agency and the [intelligence community] and across our government.”

In addition to General Nakasone, today’s hearing featured testimony from Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence; William Burns, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency; Christopher Wray, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Lieutenant General Scott D. Berrier, Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency.

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and co-chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, Senator King is recognized as one of Congress’s leading experts on cyberdefense and a strong advocate for a forward-thinking cyberstrategy that emphasizes layered cyberdeterrence. He voted in favor of the Senate’s passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021, which includes 25 bipartisan cybersecurity recommendations from the Cyberspace Solarium Commission. The legislation became law earlier this year after Senator King and the overwhelming majority of his colleagues voted to override President Trump’s veto.  Just this week, the Solarium’s top priority - the creation of a National Cyber Director position – reached a major milestone, as the Biden Administration nominated Solarium Commissioner Chris Inglis to be the first to fill that role.

The CSC was established by statute in the 2019 NDAA, officially launched in April 2019, and will continue to execute its statutory mission through December 2021. The Commissioners convene nearly every Monday that Congress is in session, and its staff draws upon the expertise of corporate leaders, federal, state and local officials, academics, and cybersecurity experts. The meetings are all in the interest of informing and strengthening America’s posture in cyberspace and identify opportunities to improve our national preparedness to defend ourselves against cyberattacks.