DHS Cybersecurity Office Expanded to Five Divisions

Ever since 2006, the US Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Cybersecurity and Communications has had three divisions: the National Communications System, the National Cybersecurity Division and the Office of Emergency Communications.

However, now that the DHS’s responsibilities in the cyber security department have increased, new divisions are needed.

According to Federal News Radio, the Federal Network Security – which until now has been a branch of the National Cybersecurity Division – will become a separate division. The Federal Network Security will be responsible for handling Federal Network Resilience (FNR) and Network Security Deployment (NSD).

The second division will be Network Security Deployment (NSD), which includes the National Cybersecurity Protection System and the Cyberscope tool.

The Computer Emergency Readiness Team (U.S. CERT), the Control Systems Security Program, and the National Coordinating Center will fall under one new division called National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center.

Education and cyber workforce initiatives, the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee, and the private sector coordination efforts will become part of The Stakeholder Engagement and Cyber Infrastructure Resilience division.

The Office of Emergency Communications keeps its name, but it will take over some of the responsibilities from the old National Communications System. The Office of Emergency Communications will be responsible with supporting public safety efforts.

“Our new structure will result in an organization more capable of agile operations; of forming stronger partnerships; and of professionally, efficiently, and effectively enhancing the security, resiliency, and reliability of the nation's cyber and communications infrastructure,” the assistant secretary of the Office of Cybersecurity and Communications wrote in an internal memo.

“This realignment also centralizes common support functions of budget, finance, and acquisitions, information management and human capital.”

DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano has already approved the realignment plan.