How the New National Security Strategy Misses the Mark on Cybersecurity

Excerpt

While there will be heated disagreements on how President Donald Trump’s new National Security Strategy characterizes America’s relationship with both China and Europe, few will disagree with the clear sentiment to defend the homeland. More than any strategy document released since the September 11 attacks, this one emphasizes defending the homeland or, more specifically, “the continued survival and safety of the United States” as the top national security priority.

When Trump took office earlier this year, it must have been clear to him that the homeland has never been less secure, with challenges extending well beyond the border issues, which he tried to address in his first Presidency, to now include imminent missile and cyber threats to the homeland.

The President’s efforts to secure the border and defend against missile threats are well underway—he has reduced illegal immigrant crossings by 95 percent from March 2024, and signed a new “Golden Dome” executive order backed with $25 billion in resources. 

America’s Unaddressed Cyber Vulnerability 

There is one remaining homeland security vulnerability that has not been addressed—Trump inherited a national critical infrastructure that is dangerously vulnerable in cyberspace, with both Russia and China working hard to exploit this weakness. In fact, his administration’s actions in this first year back in office have, if anything, made America’s cyberspace less secure. And China and Russia are both postured and willing to take advantage of America’s cyber vulnerabilities.

Mark Montgomery is a retired US Navy rear admiral and a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.