What President Trump's Skinny Budget Says About Cybersecurity

President Donald Trump’s 2018 budget blueprint touts major investments in cybersecurity, including a $61 million hike to help the FBI and the Justice Department combat criminals and terrorists’ use of encrypted communication tools. The document is light on specifics, however, and does not include a top line figure for cyber investments.

The budget proposal would give the Defense Department a boost of more than $50 billion, largely by ending the automatic budget cuts known as sequestration, for a total request of $639 billion. That money would be aimed at building a “more capable, and more lethal joint force” and at ensuring US superiority in major domains including cyberspace. That Pentagon budget would include $7.2 billion for operations and maintenance, including improving cyber capabilities, according to a White House memo. The blueprint lacks a specific figure, however, for all DOD cyber priorities at US Cyber Command and elsewhere.