Last month, in response to the SolarWinds hack, then-President-elect Joe Biden offered a simple message: “We will respond and probably respond in kind.” For campaign observers, such tough talk might be unsurprising; Biden ran, after all, on a platform of “deter[ring] cyber threats” and “demand[ing] … countries cease and desist from conducting cyberespionage.”

In its first weeks, the administration has matched strong words with strong actions: elevating veteran cybersecurity leaders, calling for vast digital defense investments and laying the groundwork for renewed cooperation with allies abroad and the private sector at home. Together, these developments offer early answers to what the Biden administration’s cybersecurity policy will look like (while, at the same time, raising important questions).

Strong Leaders and a Deep Bench