Cyber Defense and Critical Infrastructure Security

Critical infrastructures are of fundamental importance to US and allied national economic, political and military security. Geopolitical conflicts of interest, where the People’s Republic of China, Russia, and the DPRK (North Korea), and Iran are each perceived as serious threats, underlines the risks that private and public sector asset owners must plan for and mitigate. The Ukraine-Russia conflict has seen the targeting of energy, transportation, urban areas and diverse critical infrastructures. What disruptions have resulted, and which defenses and mitigations worked? Which policies and strategies stand the best chance of reducing long term risks – and are norms of restraint a possible path to international risk management?

 David Mussington

Dr. David Mussington is Professor of the Practice at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy. Prior to rejoining UMD in January of 2025, David served as the Executive Assistant Director for Infrastructure at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency, US Department of Homeland Security. At CISA David was one of three Presidentially appointed officials charged with implementing the nation’s critical infrastructure security and resilience strategies and plans across 16 critical infrastructures. He also led interagency efforts on counter- and anti- terrorism efforts, playing a leading role in reducing the risks of domestic targeted violence, school safety, and physical infrastructure security standards. He was also a founding member of CISA’s Cyber Safety Review Board

David has extensive public and private sector experience in cyber and infrastructure security, selected for the Senior Executive Service and assigned to the Office of the Secretary of Defense in the role of Senior Advisor for Cyber Policy, later joining the NSC staff as Director for Surface Transportation Security Policy. As a researcher at RAND Corporation and later at the Institute for Defense Analyses, David directed cybersecurity studies for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Federal Communications Commission, the Bank of Canada, and NATO. David has a PhD in Political Science from Canada’s Carleton University, and MA and BA degrees from the University of Toronto. He undertook post doctoral study at Harvard’s Belfer Center, and at the UK’s International Institute for Strategic Studies. In 2023 David was awarded Homeland Security Today’s Mission Award, for contributions to the US Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience mission. In 2024 he received the 2024 Impact Award from the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology (ICIT) for leadership in critical infrastructure policy and strategy.

In 2021 David was elected a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.