U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced his nomination of Sean Plankey to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), according to a list of nominations submitted to Congress. Plankey, who brings a wealth of experience in cybersecurity and national security, previously held key roles at the Department of Energy and the National Security Council during Trump’s first term. His nomination underscores the administration’s focus on strengthening the nation’s cybersecurity infrastructure amid growing digital threats.
Plankey worked in operational roles during his naval tours and later moved into the cybersecurity sector to gain more experience. This led to his assignment at US Cyber Command, where he was sent to Afghanistan in 2013. He received a Bronze Star for his contributions. He was the first U.S. Coast Guard Officer deployed to Afghanistan for cyber operations, working with the Special Operations community at various bases.
“His experience in Afghanistan strengthened his patriotism and solidified his desire to continue on in cybersecurity. From there, his career saw a meteoric rise,” according to a post published by the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Alumni Association. “He left the Coast Guard to join the U.S. Navy as the Deputy Chief Information Officer for the Navy where he provided vision and governance over the Maritime Domain Awareness portfolio. His talent was immediately recognized both within the government and private sector.”
It added that, as a result, he joined BP, leading the evaluation of threat intelligence to correlate with geopolitical issues. Called back to his passion to serve his country, and he was then appointed as Director for Cyber Security for the National Security Council (NSC). That led to his nomination and appointment as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response at the Department of Energy (DOE). The culmination of his work at the DOE resulted in 2020 when he co-authored the National Maritime Cyber Security Plan, signed by the President.
Plankey will require Senate confirmation to assume leadership of CISA, a process that is expected to proceed smoothly given the Republican majority in the chamber. Since January, Bridget Bean has been serving as the agency’s acting director following the departure of its previous director, Jen Easterly.
Plankey takes over from Jen Easterly, who focused on enhancing America’s resilience against cyber threats from the People’s Republic of China (PRC). She also pushed technology companies to prevent adversaries from exploiting product defects that target critical infrastructure installations by emphasizing secure-by-design products.
In a LinkedIn post, Maggie O’Connell, director of security, reliability, and resilience at the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, wrote that the agency is “delighted to hear of Sean Plankey’s nomination as Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. INGAA members work very closely with CISA, and have developed strong partnerships with the agency through our shared goal of ensuring the security and resilience of our infrastructure. We look forward to continuing our coordination and collaboration under his leadership!”
In January, the U.S. Senate confirmed Kristi Noem as the eighth Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security with a vote of 59-34 on Saturday. She was sworn in by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas the same day, succeeding Alejandro Mayorkas. In her statement, Noem emphasized her commitment to keeping Americans safe, prioritizing border security, and reforming the immigration system while also pledging to support law enforcement in combating crime and enhancing disaster response efforts.
