Biden’s cyber ambassador urges Trump not to cede ground to Russia and China in global tech war

European governments wonder whether Trump will continue US support for Ukraine and NATO in the conflict with Russia that has partly erupted. Played in cyberspace. Vic’s team was instrumental in Create a process To quickly deliver cyber defense aid to the troubled Ukrainian government.

“I was in Ukraine just before Christmas, I was in Poland, I was in Estonia, up and down NATO’s eastern flank,” he says, adding that he felt a “deep desire for the United States to remain engaged and cooperative.” And recognizing that European partners will need to do their share – which, by the way, they are increasingly doing.

More broadly, Vick heard “a strong desire among many allies and partners” for the United States to continue to confront China and Russia in technology and cyber discussions in international bodies such as the United Nations and the G20.

“Without the United States being deeply involved, you will see the Chinese more deeply engaged, and you will see the Russians more deeply involved,” Vick says. “There is a very broad view (globally) that the United States needs to continue to participate in multilateral organizations, for its own interests and the interests of our allies and partners.”

Vick sympathizes with Republicans who view these multilateral organizations as too slow and timid, but he wants the Trump team “to realize that the alternative is not to reduce the influence of these organizations; the alternative is simply for them to become playgrounds for our competitors and adversaries.”

Celebrating ‘Sea Change’

Looking back on his time as America’s Online Ambassador — which saw him spend more than 200 days traveling the world on nearly 80 trips to visit key U.S. allies and partners — Vick is proud of the way his team has launched a brand new office within the U.S. United. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has increased its staff to about 130 employees, and achieved results that he says are transforming digital diplomacy.

One of his biggest achievements was launching Foreign Cyber ​​Assistance Fund Which You will support the programs To deploy security assistance to compromised allies, support new undersea cables, and train foreign diplomats on cyber issues.

The security assistance project saw an early test in November when Costa Rica faced another major ransomware attack. “We had people on a plane the next morning, Thanksgiving morning, with their hands on keyboards along with partners from Costa Rica that night,” Vick says. “This is amazing. This is a radical change in how we do this, and it will strengthen our hand in providing support to these middle-ground countries.”

Vick also focused on preparing the Foreign Service for the modern world, achieving his goal of… At least one diplomat trained with experience in technology for every foreign embassy (about 237 embassies) and successfully lobbied to add digital fluency to the State Department’s standards for professional ambassadorial positions. He also helped the State Department balance Pentagon discussions at the White House on foreign technology issues, literally bringing “US diplomacy back to the negotiating table in the Situation Room on technology topics.”

Then there’s his team’s support for U.S. cyber aid to Ukraine, from security programs to satellite communications to cloud migration of vital government data — work that he says provides a model for future public-private foreign aid partnerships.

Final warning

Vick has shared his thoughts on China, 5G, artificial intelligence, deterrence and other cyber issues with Trump’s transition team, and says there is still a lot to do to keep cyber diplomacy “front and center” at the State Department. But as he prepares to leave government, he has one key piece of advice for the incoming administration.

“It is necessary to have a bias for action,” he says. “We end up admiring a problem for too long instead of taking a decisive step to address it… This decisive step may be imperfect, but indecisiveness is a decision, and the world moves on without you.”

In other words: In an era of rapidly evolving technologies and intensifying geopolitical competition, huge bureaucracies like the State Department sometimes need to act.

“The job of leaders in these large organizations is to move the organization toward change a little faster than they would on their own,” Fick says.