Cocker Harry (Harry Coker)

Cocker Harry (Harry Coker)

Biography

2023: Appointment as U.S. Cybersecurity Director

On July 25, 2023, US President Biden appointed Harry Coker, a former head of the National Security Agency (NSA), to the post of national director of cybersecurity. His candidacy must now be confirmed by the Senate.

Cocker will take a position that has remained vacant since Chris Inglis, the country's first-ever cybersecurity director and former NSA deputy director, resigned in February 2023. Cocker, among other things, will be responsible for the implementation of the new US national cybersecurity strategy.

Cocker served as executive director of the NSA from 2017 to 2019. According to official data from the White House, he was born and raised in Parsons (Kansas), and subsequently served in the Navy for about 20 years. Cocker graduated from the United States Naval Academy and is a senior fellow at the McCrary Institute for Cyber Defense and Critical Infrastructure Security at Auburn University as of late July 2023.

His long and distinguished government career included positions at the National Security Agency, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the U.S. Navy. We firmly believe that this experience, as well as the knowledge and skills that he possesses, make him an ideal candidate for the position of national director of cybersecurity, "said Senator Angus King and Rep. Mike Gallagher.

Kemba Walden, a former Microsoft Corporation lawyer who served as acting national cybersecurity director, withdrew her nomination after being informed she would not be considered for a permanent position due to personal financial problems. ^[1]

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