As unlikely as it seems, President Obama recently named Gregory Touhill, a retired Air Force brigadier general, as the United States federal government’s first chief information security officer (CISO). Bank Info Security brought this news to us in their article, “Obama Names Retired Air Force General as First Federal CISO.”
In February, Obama created the federal CISO post as part of a multifaceted initiative known as the Cybersecurity National Action Plan that’s aimed at strengthening the nation’s IT security.
With only four months left in the Obama administration, you wonder if the new CISO will have enough time to accomplish anything significant. The next president could choose a new federal CISO or do away with the job.
Touhill’s past positions included CIO and director of C4 systems, the nation’s military transportation combatant command and CIO and director for communications and information for the air mobility command. He retired from the Air Force in 2005 after nearly 22 years of service.
Melody K. Smith
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