Evolving Threats, Stagnant Policies: A Conversation on How to Secure Critical Infrastructure for the Cyber Era

With apologies for the inconvenience, this event has been postponed.

Modern critical infrastructure – including access to safe water, energy, communications, and transportation systems – is vital to American security and prosperity. And yet the existing private-public partnership governing framework – Presidential Policy Directive 21 (PPD-21) – is a decade old. To address the rapidly emerging technological changes and increased threats to critical infrastructure, the Biden administration has indicated it is reviewing and revising PPD-21. What are the shortcomings of PPD-21? How can improved public-private collaboration better protect U.S. national security, economic prosperity, and public health? What should the Biden administration be considering as it undergoes its important policy review?

To discuss these questions, FDD and CSC 2.0 will host a panel with Kiersten E. Todt, former chief of staff of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and current senior advisor to CISA Director Jen Easterly; RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, senior director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation and CSC 2.0 executive director; and Mary Brooks, policy fellow at the Wilson Center. The panel will be moderated by Martin Matishak, senior cybersecurity reporter for The Record.

Kiersten E. Todt

Kiersten E. Todt served as the Chief of Staff at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), where she continues to serve as a senior advisor to Director Jen Easterly. As chief of staff, Kiersten was responsible for planning, allocating resources, and development of long-range objectives in support of CISA’s goals and milestones. Prior to her role at CISA, Kiersten served as the Managing Director of the Cyber Readiness Institute, a non-profit she cofounded that develops free cybersecurity tools and resources for small businesses.

RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery

RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery is the senior director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation. He also directs CSC 2.0, having served as the Cyberspace Solarium Commission’s executive director. Previously, Mark served as policy director for the Senate Armed Services Committee, coordinating policy efforts on national security strategy, capabilities and requirements, and cyber policy. Mark served for 32 years in the U.S. Navy as a nuclear-trained surface warfare officer, retiring as a rear admiral in 2017.

Mary Brooks

Mary Brooks is a public policy fellow at the Wilson Center, focusing on cybersecurity and technology. She was previously a Fellow in the Cybersecurity and Emerging Threats program at the R Street Institute, an associate producer for HBO documentaries “Year One” and “The Perfect Weapon,” and a special assistant at the public interest law firm, Perseus Strategies. Her work has been published by the Aspen Strategy Group, Lawfare, The National Interest, and The Hill, among others.

Martin Matishak

Martin Matishak is a senior cybersecurity reporter at The Record by Recorded Future. Previously, Martin worked as a cybersecurity reporter for POLITICO, where he covered Congress, the Pentagon, and the U.S. Intelligence Community, and was a driving force behind POLITICO’s cybersecurity newsletter. Before joining POLITICO, Martin served as Washington correspondent for The Fiscal Times, reporting on an array of foreign and domestic issues, and as a reporter for The Hill, covering matters of national security and defense.