Investment in domestic and international security partnerships must increase exponentially in order for the U.S. and its allies to fight threats by the year 2023 and beyond, said Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security
Mayorkas and DHS Undersecretary for Policy Robert Silvers, both Wash100 award winners, attended the Munich Security Conference to emphasize the importance of information sharing and cyber defense in homeland security, the agency said Monday.
In his speech, Mayorkas stressed that the expanding threat landscape can only be countered through collective action. “We are at an inflection point regarding the sharing of information that could impact the lives of millions of people,” he remarked. “None of us can do this alone or in isolation. It requires a whole-of-society effort. It requires a community effort. We need to increase exponentially our investment in international and subnational partnerships to prepare our nations for the threats we can predict and the ones we cannot.”
Silvers called for transformational change in international cyber defense through the collaborative effort of governments and the private sector. “This is a combined effort of network defenders, law enforcement, financial system regulators, and more – all across the globe,” he stated.
He touched on the agency’s cybersecurity contributions in the war in Ukraine, as well as partnerships with similar agencies in the Middle East. “Transforming cyber defense at the international level is not only about how we collaborate to address the threats of today. We must also look back to learn how we can better defend ourselves against the threats of tomorrow,” he added.
