The incoming Trump administration and Congress should strengthen the White House cyber czar’s office by clarifying its mission statement and amplifying its public profile, according to a report released Wednesday by a cybersecurity group.

Since it was established in 2021, the Office of the National Cyber Director “has matured into one of the several key components of the U.S. government’s policymaking apparatus for cybersecurity — across both the government and the private sector,” the nonprofit Center for Cybersecurity Policy and Law says in the report.

“However, several changes are needed to ensure the efficacy of the office, especially as it relates to these other relevant agencies within the U.S. government.”

Since its creation in 2021, after a recommendation by the bipartisan Cyberspace Solarium Commission,  the office has shepherded a series of well-received efforts intended to improve  the security of U.S. digital infrastructure, including the creation of a national cyber strategy and its implementation plan.

Still, the center suggests, the next administration or lawmakers should “clarify” ONCD’s mission statement, including its policymaking responsibilities, in order to differentiate from other major cyber entities within the government, like the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Office of Management and Budget.

The director should also “explicitly” serve as the government's top public-facing cyber official, similar to the U.S. Trade Representative, the report states, so that the general public knows who to turn to on digital matters.

Organizationally, a senior ONCD official should be “dual-hatted” within a senior role on the White House National Security Council in order for the two entities to work better together. The suggestion is rooted in the turf battles between the Biden White House cyber offices that led the first national cyber director to quit.

In addition, more subject matter experts from throughout the federal government should be detailed to the cyber office, rather than political appointees, according to the center. 

“While increasing the size of ONCD should be a priority, this may prove to be unpopular with the incoming administration,” its report notes.

It also recommends codifying the federal chief information officer role into law, placing it within OMB as a dual-hat position that reports directly to the cyber czar. 

The center notes that the incoming administration could address some of the issues when it begins to make nominations for major cyber policy roles.

Congress “will also need to act, working with the administration, to ensure that many of these roles and authorities are properly delineated going forward,” the report states.