On Tuesday, President Barack Obama sought an increase in funding to directly counter and combat security threats, following a warning by his top intelligence official. The warning noted that computer attacks are among the most imminent security challenges the United States are currently facing.
Increased cyber security finding is an avenue that gains bipartisan support in the past and despite Congress currently being controlled by a Republican majority, the White House’s 2017 fiscal budget proposal for cybersecurity is likely to gain support.
President Obama has sought for $19 billion in cyber security funding for increasing the security framework across all bodies of the United States government. The proposal marks an increase of $5 billion from the 2016 budget proposal.
The forthcoming Obama initiative also seeks more than a one-third increase from the $14 billion spent this year overall. That figures includes $3.1 billion sought for technology modernization across various federal agencies.
The figures and plan of action were revealed in an op-ed by President Obama in the Wall Street Journal.
More than any other nation, America is defined by the spirit of innovation, and our dominance in the digital world gives us a competitive advantage in the global economy.
“However, our advantage is threatened by foreign governments, criminals and lone actors who are targeting our computer networks, stealing trade secrets from American companies and violating the privacy of the American people,” the President added.
The Obama administration has seen the growing threat against cyber security by criminals around the world.
High-profile hacks such as that of Sony Pictures and Target were predominantly met with inaction from legislation and altogether, the administration was uncertain on how to best combat evolving cyber threats.
With this in mind, President Obama has announced the establishment of a bipartisan Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity in order to look at the bigger picture and focus on long-term solutions.
The President ended by stating:
As long as I’m president, protecting America’s digital infrastructure is going to remain a top national-security priority. We won’t resolve all these challenges over the coming year, but we’re laying a strong foundation for the future.
By taking these steps together, I’m confident we can unleash the full potential of American innovation, and ensure our prosperity and security online for the generations to come.
Featured image from Wikimedia.
