Sean Cairncross said the idea rather is to collaborate with the private sector in a way that helps the U.S. government take the battle to its adversaries.
Then-Millenium challenge corporation CEO Sean Cairncross speaks during a ceremony on Aug. 5, 2019 at the presidential palace in Abidjan. (Photo by ISSOUF SANOGO / AFP) (Photo credit should read ISSOUF SANOGO/AFP via Getty Images)
The national cyber director is pitching an approach that blends cyber operations with diplomacy, law enforcement and pressure on CEOs to shore up their organizations.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., walks towards a closed-door briefing with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Nov. 5, 2025 on Capitol Hill. (Photo by Tom Brenner/Getty Images)
National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross, then-CEO, Millenium Challenge Corporation, speaks onstage during the 2019 Concordia Annual Summit – Day 2 at Grand Hyatt New York on Sept. 24, in New York City. (Photo by Riccardo Savi/Getty Images for Concordia Summit)
Chairman Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., (L), accompanied by Ranking Member Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich. (R), speaks during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs confirmation hearing for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought on Jan. 15, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Short-term and long-term extensions alike for the 2015 Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act have fallen by the wayside despite industry and Trump administration advocacy.
Then-Millenium challenge corporation CEO Sean Cairncross speaks during a ceremony on Aug. 5, 2019 at the presidential palace in Abidjan. (Photo by ISSOUF SANOGO / AFP) (Photo credit should read ISSOUF SANOGO/AFP via Getty Images)
President Donald Trump holds up an executive order on creating a White House 2028 Olympics task force after signing it in the South Court Auditorium of the White House on Aug. 5, 2025. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)
National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross, then-CEO, Millenium Challenge Corporation, speaks onstage during the 2019 Concordia Annual Summit – Day 2 at Grand Hyatt New York on Sept. 24, in New York City. (Photo by Riccardo Savi/Getty Images for Concordia Summit)
Sean Cairncross, as CEO of the Millenium Challenge Corporation, speaks onstage during the 2019 Concordia Annual Summit in New York City. (Photo by Riccardo Savi/Getty Images for Concordia Summit)