The State Department's cybersecurity officials are raising concerns about a possible shakeup once their leading official leaves at the end of the month.
Chris Painter, State's cybersecurity coordinator, is leaving his job after six years at the end of July. The department plans on closing the office he led and spreading its responsibilities to a bureau that focuses on economic issues with foreign leaders, according to The Hill.
"It's normal when administrations change to see people change jobs. That part I think they'll accept. It depends on what State does with the job," James Lewis, senior vice president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the Hill.
"If it's a downgrade and a move to the economic bureau, they're going to say the U.S. isn't serious anymore."
Painter became known as a leading figure in raising awareness of cybersecurity among the international community in his time on the job.
"Chris did a great job at getting this on the international agenda, of making it a senior-level issue in governments around the world. Now the challenge is to get people to think about how to make security better," said Lewis, a former State Department official.
"I think there's going to be a gap in leadership. I think that's inevitable. The question is, how can we limit the damage?" he added. "There will be a gap, there will be a decline, there will be problems. It might take us six months or a year to climb out of that."
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.