In 1947, as the world rebounded from the devastation of World War II, George Kennan's "Long Telegram" introduced containment, a strategy that guided the United States throughout the Cold War. Today, as the world again attempts to rebound from devastation, the international system is similarly on the brink of a new economy, new geopolitics, and new norms and policies.
Just as Kennan's telegram instigated a reimagined strategy for the post-war era, the United States similarly needs a jump-start now toward a modernized and technology-focused strategy for the post-pandemic world order. Importantly, this impetus must account for the growing ideological divide between authoritarians and democracies over the use of cyber and emerging technologies. It is not only overdue but absolutely critical to economic and national security.
What the Executive Orders Aim to DoThe one-two punch of the recent and upcoming executive orders on supply chains and cybersecurity may well be this jump-start and set the foundation for a significant and much-needed shift in US grand strategy.
In April, administration officials began releasing discrete details regarding the anticipated cybersecurity executive order, including data breach disclosure and security requirements, such as multifactor authentication and encryption, inside federal agencies. Framed in part as a response to the SolarWinds supply chain attack, the executive order comes at a time when the United States' tech and cyber strategy lags behind ongoing geopolitical realities.
As SolarWinds demonstrated, cybersecurity and supply chains are tightly interdependent. The upcoming cybersecurity executive order may include a "software bill of materials" for critical programs to specify the code and components and underscore digital supply chain security. This complements many aspects of February's executive orders reshape cybersecurity supply chains pandemic world
