Building Careers and Shaping Public Policy

6 September 2005

The Honorable Richard B. Cheney
Vice President of the United States
Office of the President of the Senate
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Vice President Cheney:

On behalf of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers-United States of America (IEEE-USA), I am writing to endorse the findings and recommendations of the President’s Information Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC) in its report, “Cyber Security: a Crisis of Prioritization,” released in February of 2005.

The country’s computer network infrastructure is critically important for commerce and communication, and for the control of our civil infrastructures including ever increasing roles toward our energy security. Without cyber security protection, our computer networks are vulnerable to criminal and terrorist attacks. Everyday we hear about computer viruses, spam, and stolen identities. The continual assaults by criminal elements are a significant drain on national productivity, and on public trust. The President’s Information Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC) found that the federal government needs to fundamentally improve its approach to cyber security.

In particular, the PITAC report put forth four well thought-out recommendations: (1) Provide increased support for fundamental research in civilian cyber security at appropriate federal agencies and, specifically, an increase of $90 million in National Science Foundation cyber security research and development. This funding level increase would provide support for peer-reviewed proposals in the NSF Cyber Trust program that would be at a level similar to other programs within the NSF; (2) Intensify its efforts to promote recruitment and retention of cyber security researchers and students; (3) Strengthen the federal government’s cyber security technology transfer partnership with the private sector; and (4) Bring the overall federal cyber security R&D into focus with efficient coordination.

The PITAC recommended that the Interagency Working Group on Critical Information Infrastructure Protection to become the focal point for coordinating federal cyber security R&D efforts, and that the working group be strengthened and integrated under the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program. These recommendations, when implemented, will lead the way toward improving the nation’s cyber security, thereby promoting the security and prosperity of our citizens. I urge you to implement these PITAC recommendations.

The PITAC has served in the past 14 years to provide advice to the government, the private sector, and the academic community in shaping the U.S. research and development activities in information technology. This vitally important function deserves to be continued.

IEEE-USA is an organizational unit of The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., created in 1973 to advance the public good, while promoting the careers and public-policy interests of the more than 225,000 technical professionals who are U.S. members of the IEEE. If we can be of any assistance, please contact Bill Williams at 202-785-0017.

Sincerely,

Gerard A. Alphonse
President, IEEE-USA