Providing an Order of Succession Within the Office of the National Cyber Director
The order establishes a six-step chain of acting authority for the Office of the National Cyber Director when the Director position is vacant or the Director is unable to serve, running from the Deputy National Cyber Director down to the General Counsel.
What this order does
What it orders
The order sets a fixed succession chain for the National Cyber Director role: the Deputy National Cyber Director acts first, followed by the Chief of Staff, then four Assistant National Cyber Directors in a specified order, and finally the General Counsel. Any of these officials may step in only if they are eligible under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act and are not themselves already serving in an acting capacity.
The order explicitly preserves the President's discretion to designate a different acting Director outside this chain. It does not alter any existing agency authorities, affect OMB's budgetary functions, or create any enforceable legal rights for outside parties.
Who it affects
Senior officials within the Office of the National Cyber Director — specifically the Deputy Director, Chief of Staff, four Assistant Directors, and General Counsel — whose acting-Director responsibilities are now formally ranked under this succession order.
Why it matters
Federal cybersecurity policy and coordination have a clear, pre-set leadership chain if the National Cyber Director seat becomes vacant or the Director is incapacitated, reducing ambiguity about who can exercise the Director's authorities during any transition.