Sydney J. Freedberg Jr., Breaking Defense, Feb 9
WASHINGTON – The Pentagon named a Navy cryptologist to a top cyber policy position today. Rear Adm. Sean Filipowski, who’ll get his second star with the new job, is a protégé of former NSA director Gen. Keith Alexander.
Filipowski even served as Alexander’s intelligence chief at U.S. Cyber Command – a position that requires keeping on top of emerging cyber threats worldwide. Filipowski currently works on information dominance (N2/N6) for the Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Jonathan Greenert, who has elevated the intersection of signals intelligence, cybersecurity, and electronic warfare to a higher priority than any other service chief.
Like Greenert, Filipowski also started his career in submarines – specifically handling “strategic weapons,” i.e. nukes. It’s a notoriously cerebral and demanding job.
“No detail is small enough to be ignored when you deal with nuclear weapons,” one retired admiral told me. Filipowski is “very hands-on ... He hasn’t gotten away from his upbringing as a strat weapons guy.”
“When you look at his background over the last 10 years…he’s been one of the guys who shaped Navy cyber policy,” the admiral continued. “There’s probably not a better qualified guy to do this job.”
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