White House: Melissa Hathaway will resign

by Steve Ragan - Aug 4 2009, 16:30

Citing personal reasons, Melissa Hathaway, the Obama administration's acting Senior Director for Cyberspace, has said she will resign mid-August. In more than one interview, Hathaway has stated that she isn’t empowered to drive change, and concluded herself that she can do more in a different role.

Cybersecurity is a major issue on the Obama agenda. Shortly after taking office, President Obama ordered the National Security Council and Homeland Security Council to conduct a top-to-bottom review of plans, programs, and current activities underway government-wide aimed at combating cybercrime.

He tapped Melissa Hathaway, a former official in the Bush administration who coordinated cyber monitoring for the Director of National Intelligence, to oversee the review process. She was given 60 days to perform the task, and perform she did.

The final report, 76 pages in all, pointed out that, when it comes to the threat of cybercrime and state-sponsored intrusions and operations, “The Federal government is not organized to address this growing problem effectively now or in the future.”

After the report was released, President Obama confirmed there would be an appointment of a Cybersecurity Coordinator, or a 'cyber czar' as the term has been coined.

“From now on, our digital infrastructure -- the networks and computers we depend on every day -- will be treated as they should be: as a strategic national asset. Protecting this infrastructure will be a national security priority,” President Obama said, explaining that the new cybersecurity initiatives will start from the top.

“I'm creating a new office here at the White House that will be led by the Cybersecurity Coordinator. Because of the critical importance of this work, I will personally select this official. I'll depend on this official in all matters relating to cybersecurity, and this official will have my full support and regular access to me as we confront these challenges.”

The new Cybersecurity Coordinator will be a member of the National Security Council as well as a staffer on the National Economic Council (NEC). However, this appointment remains up in the air, as no one has yet filled the role.

The assumption is that the Cybersecurity Coordinator spot is mostly a consulting position, with no real enforcement power to shape policy. If that is the case, it’s no wonder no one wants the job. What good is it to oversee cybersecurity for the government if there is no real control connected to the job and all it entails?

Considering the effort Hathaway put into the 60-day review process, her frustration is somewhat understandable. She had only a staff of 10 during her 60-day period, and, if sources close to the matter are to be believed, access to far fewer resources than expected. However, she still pulled it off, and the resulting report is well worth a read.

In a statement to The Tech Herald, the White House’s Nick Shapiro said: “We are grateful for her dedicated service and for the significant progress she and her team have made on our national cyber security strategy.”

“Cyber security is a major priority for the President,” he added, noting that President Obama is “personally committed to finding the right person for this job and a rigorous selection process is well underway.”

Speaking to the Washington Post, Hathaway explained that she “wasn't willing to continue to wait any longer, because I'm not empowered right now to continue to drive the change... [so] I've concluded that I can do more now from a different role.”

Current speculation suggests she will move back into the private sector, but top officials still want her to remain in the loop and offer her opinions when it comes to national cyber defense.

“We've made a lot of progress in the last 30 months that I've been in government, and now it's time to move on,” Hathaway added during the interview. “It's up to the administration to take the next step.”

You may recall that in March, the director of the National Cybersecurity Center, Rod Beckstrom, suddenly resigned his position. Beckstrom resigned citing conditions within the NSA and a lack of funding as his core reasoning.

Melissa Hathaway has been on detail to the National Security Staff from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Her initial assignment ended on April 09, and her second detail will end on August 09.

Hathaway will remain acting Senior Director for Cyberspace until August 21, the Obama administration hopes to have assigned a new director for the cybersecurity staff at the NSC by then, but there is no solid confirmation that sets this date in stone.

Want regular updates from The Tech Herald? Follow us on Twitter.

Interested in a more interactive TTH? Join our Facebook Group.

Around the Web