The government is recruiting tech companies to help fight its cyber battles

Politico  |  John Sakellariadis, Maggie Miller

President Donald Trump issued a presidential memorandum authorizing vetted private technology and cybersecurity companies to conduct state-sanctioned offensive cyber operations against foreign cybercriminal gangs. The policy shift responds to escalating digital financial fraud, which cost Americans nearly $21 billion in 2025 across complex online schemes. To participate, private firms must execute contracts with both the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security while undergoing rigorous technical and personnel vetting.

Overseen by the National Coordination Center, participating entities can propose surveillance or disruption operations against foreign infrastructure, provided consensus procedures are established within 60 days. Authorized actions strictly target non-state criminal networks, excluding institutional state actors, though ambiguity surrounding state-tolerated syndicates in Russia, China, and Iran introduces attribution risks. Operations accidentally affecting U.S. entities trigger mandatory reporting and immediate operational pauses. This legal framework marks an unprecedented expansion of private sector engagement in national cyber defense.

Comment

The establishment of consensus procedures under the National Coordination Center alters the command and control architecture of U.S. Cyber Command by introducing non-state commercial actors into active battle spaces. Integrating private strike teams into federal operational frameworks creates direct deconfliction friction with National Security Agency signals intelligence missions. Corporate offensive measures against foreign infrastructure risk prematurely exposing or invalidating active implants maintained by Joint Task Force-Ares.

This structural integration forces the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice to manage real-time operational deconfliction across non-governmental security operations centers. Concurrent targeting of shared command-and-control servers risks burning ongoing surveillance campaigns conducted under U.S. Cyber Command's persistent engagement doctrine. Consequently, target clearance protocols established by the White House Homeland Security Council will likely constrain the operational velocity of commercial strike operations.

Strategic Question for Discussion

Which factor presents a greater operational barrier to joint cyber operations — deconfliction latency between private security operations centers and the National Security Agency, or target clearance oversight enforced by the White House Homeland Security Council?

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