The National Security Agency (NSA) appointed Rob Joyce, a senior cybersecurity official serving as the NSA’s Special Liaison Officer at the U.S. Embassy in London, as the new chief of the agency’s Cybersecurity Directorate.
Joyce replaces Anne Neuberger, who led the directorate since it was established in October 2019 until this month, when she was appointed Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology by the Biden administration.
The cybersecurity directorate is responsible for providing advisories for the private sector, such as the agency’s guidance on protecting cloud environments, published last January.
Joyce served as special assistant to the President and Cybersecurity Coordinator on the U.S. National Security Council at the White House until the Trump administration’s controversial decision to eliminate the top cyber policy role in May 2018. In this role, he was responsible for creating a new charter for the nation’s Vulnerabilities Equities Process (VEP).
He also served as Acting Homeland Security Advisor from April – May 2018. Prior to his role in the White House, Joyce led the NSA’s Tailored Access Operations, the agency’s elite offensive unit.
