Building Digital Resilience: US Efforts to Develop Rapid Cyber Assistance Tools

Line of Effort 3: Develop New Tools to Deliver Digital and Cyber Assistance Quickly and Efficiently

The demand for cybersecurity and cybercrime assistance, in particular cyber defense, incident response, and skills to combat criminal misuse of cryptocurrency, is growing in scale. After cyberattacks against Ukraine, Costa Rica, and Albania, the United States and its allies shared threat intelligence; facilitated operational collaboration; enabled access to commercial cybersecurity companies’ services, including hardware, software, and embedded technical support; and funded longer term capacity building.

From these and other cases, the State Department has learned the importance of regular and close coordination across the U.S. government and with international partners, as well as the importance of mobilizing private-sector technology and expertise. Modernizing authorities and mechanisms to provide technology-related foreign assistance at the speed and scale necessary is crucial. We must adapt our foreign assistance resources and authorities to support long-term U.S. leadership and foster digital solidarity.

Recognizing the urgent and growing need for additional tools to advance U.S. cyber and digital foreign policy, Congress created, through the Department of State Authorization Act of 2023 and funded, through the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Program Appropriations Act, 2024, the Cyberspace, Digital Connectivity, and Related Technologies Fund. This fund will provide the Department of State with authorities and dedicated funding to support strategically important cyber, digital, and technology-related foreign assistance programs. This is a significant step in advancing U.S. foreign policy. The Department will work to operationalize and implement these new authorities.