Senate confirms Fick as first US cyber ambassador

The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed Nathaniel Fick as the country’s first ever cyber ambassador. 

Fick will head the State Department’s Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy, an office that opened in April and is intended to address gaps in the government’s global cyber response. 

The confirmation comes one day after the Senate Foreign Relations Committee advanced President Joe Biden’s choice for the position. 

Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who introduced Fick, a fellow Mainer, at his nomination hearing last month, praised the confirmation. 

“Today, with the confirmation of Cape Elizabeth’s Nate Fick, the United States has taken a historic, long overdue step to address our rapidly-changing cyber environment,” King, who co-chaired the Cyberspace Solarium Commission that recommended the creation of the new Foggy Bottom organization, said in a statement.

“With Ambassador Fick coordinating our global cyberdiplomacy, America will be better positioned to respond to growing threats, inform the development of global rules of engagement, and create desperately needed international rules of the road for cyber.”

I am grateful to the Senate for confirming Nathaniel Fick as Ambassador-at-Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy. Under his leadership, @StateCDP will help @StateDept modernize diplomacy and lead, coordinate, and elevate US foreign policy on cyberspace and digital technologies.

— Wendy R. Sherman (@DeputySecState) September 15, 2022

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman also voiced her support, writing on Twitter that Fick will "modernize diplomacy and lead, coordinate, and elevate US foreign policy on cyberspace and digital technologies."

Fick served in the U.S. Marine Corps and has extensive experience working in the private sector, including as CEO of the cybersecurity software company Endgame. 

In a confirmation hearing last month, he called cyberspace “the next frontier of American diplomacy,’ and said that he would solidify a role for the State Department in addressing cyber threats alongside cyber leaders from other agencies.

Additional reporting by Martin Matishak.