CISA’s International, Industry and Academic Partnerships Slashed
Sweeping layoffs have gutted the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) Stakeholder Engagement Division (SED), effectively dismantling crucial partnerships with state and local governments, private businesses, and international allies. Almost all 95 employees in the division were eliminated in mid-October, leaving three of its four units without any staff after early December. Key units impacted include Council Management, Strategic Relations, and International Affairs.
The SED cuts sever long-standing collaboration mechanisms vital for information sharing and coordinated defense. The Council Management office facilitated meetings between government agencies and critical infrastructure operators across sectors like healthcare, energy, water, and finance. Strategic Relations partnered with universities and businesses to advance cyber resilience goals. The International Affairs team oversaw projects training foreign governments and improving their technological capabilities, often stemming from formal diplomatic agreements. One security executive in the oil and natural gas subsector was unaware of the cuts until contacted, highlighting the lack of communication from CISA to its partners.
The elimination of these teams raises concerns about weakened cybersecurity resilience and a potential increase in cyber risk, particularly for vulnerable sectors like healthcare. Errol Weiss, chief security officer for the Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center, stated that the cuts “create a dangerous void” and that it’s “exactly the wrong time to be pulling back federal support”. A natural gas industry executive expressed concern that the layoffs could “have negative impacts to our national security,” emphasizing the importance of a fully functional CISA.
Michael Daniel, former cybersecurity advisor to President Obama, warned that the downsizing “runs the risk of leaving CISA blind to certain threats and trends and will also limit CISA’s ability to influence the private sector and communicate its priorities.” The elimination of the International Affairs team also weakens the U.S. government’s foreign cybersecurity partnerships, potentially hindering the ability to enlist foreign help countering threats. Megan Stifel, chief strategy officer for the Institute for Security and Technology, said the cuts would make it harder for the U.S. to enlist foreign help countering threats and that “We can’t claim to be leaders internationally without a full bench of experts to help reduce risk across the government and our critical infrastructure.”
The SED cuts align with the Trump administration’s budget proposal to shrink the division’s responsibilities, shifting CISA’s focus solely to Sector Risk Management Agency (SRMA) efforts. While CISA maintains that it “remains dedicated to safeguarding the nation’s critical infrastructure”, the loss of institutional knowledge, trust, and agility built over years is a significant blow to collective cybersecurity resilience.
To read the complete article see: Cybersecurity Dive
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