The National Security Agency (NSA) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released today a report guiding U.S. engagement in standardization: “Recommendations for Increasing U.S. Participation & Leadership in Standards Development.”
The report was developed by the ESF Industry Specifications Group (ISG) Working Panel, an NSA and CISA-led public-private cross-sector working group. Mary Saunders, ANSI senior vice president of government relations and public policy, was an invited participant in this working group. The document provides recommendations for industry, academia, and the U.S. government to sustain and grow engagement in standards developing organizations (SDOs). The report notes that the U.S. needs to participate in and position itself as the leader in the creation of global standards for both economic reasons and national security concerns.
“We’re always working toward open, transparent, consensus-driven standards,” said Atiya Yearwood, deputy chief of NSA’s Cybersecurity Collaboration Center. “This is how we innovate, adapt, advance, and prosper while also protecting security. Areas such as quantum computing and AI are rapidly evolving, and need to be developed carefully and securely, so we need U.S. industry to continue the tradition of strong leadership from the beginning phase of standards development.”
The report provides recommendations in four areas intended to increase U.S. presence and participation in the global standards landscape:
The report also emphasizes the significance of inclusive and participatory standards development processes involving diverse stakeholders, noting that “open, transparent, rules-based standards processes—processes that represent multiple stakeholders and do not give undue influence to a limited number of voices—are necessary to ensure that globally relevant standards meet U.S. national security requirements.”
Read more in the NSA news release.