Senate confirms Harry Coker as next national cyber director

The big picture: Congress established the Office of the National Cyber Director in early 2021 following the discovery of the far-reaching Russian espionage campaign that leveraged SolarWinds' software.

• Coker is only the second person to be named the permanent national cyber director, following Chris Inglis, who departed the role in February.

Between the lines: Coker told senators during his confirmation hearing last month that he planned to just "continue the good work that ONCD has done with its partners."

• However, it's still unclear how exactly Coker would approach continuing that work and how he plans to navigate a reportedly tricky relationship with the White House's National Security Council, which also oversees the administration's cyber policy priorities.

Catch up quick: Coker's nomination came as a surprise to bipartisan lawmakers and former government officials who were rallying around Kemba Walden, the former acting national cyber director, for the post.

• Coker has stayed out of the spotlight for most of his career, but he brings decades of experience at the CIA and NSA, as well as experience in the venture capital industry.
• Coker was also a member of the Biden administration's transition team focused on creating a short list for intelligence community positions.