NEW CYBER DIRECTOR

President Trump on Wednesday formally submitted the nomination for a new assistant director of cybersecurity at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), one of the top-ranking cyber officials at the agency.

Trump nominated Bryan Ware to take over the position from Jeanette Manfra, who last month announced she would step down at the end of the year.

Ware will be in charge of leading DHS efforts, as part of its Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), to defend and strengthen critical infrastructure against cyberattacks.

Ware currently serves as the DHS assistant secretary for cyber, infrastructure, and resilience policy, where, according to the White House, he is in charge of “leading department-wide efforts to reduce national risks, with a focus on critical infrastructure, cybersecurity, federal network security, countering cyber-crime, and improving the security and resilience of the global cyber ecosystem.”

Prior to serving at DHS, Ware founded and led an artificial intelligence company that was acquired by security analytics group Haystax in 2013. According to the White House, Ware has also been issued multiple patents on artificial intelligence and mobile technology.

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) told The Hill in a statement on Wednesday that Ware was taking on “an enormous task.”