Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has announced the rescission of a leadership offer to former Biden administration cybersecurity chief Jen Easterly, who previously held the position of U.S. director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). This decision was prompted by a directive to review the U.S. Military Academy at West Point’s hiring practices, following internal documents that revealed government pressure on Big Tech companies to censor information concerning the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines. Easterly, a former Army intelligence officer instrumental in the establishment of the U.S. Cyber Command at the National Security Agency (NSA), had a notable career marked by deployments to Iraq to investigate how terrorists utilized communication technology for recruitment and radicalization.
Driscoll’s orders included the termination of Easterly’s role as the Robert F. McDermott Distinguished Chair in the Department of Social Sciences at West Point, alongside instructions to temporarily halt non-governmental groups from selecting employees, instructors, or teachers, as well as shaping academic content. The secretary also mandated an immediate top-down review of the academy’s hiring practices, emphasizing the need for preparation of future officers to meet the demands of the modern battlefield. A spokesperson from the Army highlighted these measures as part of a deliberate approach to ensure the Academy’s readiness for contemporary challenges. The Pentagon has referred questions to Army Public Affairs, indicating the ongoing nature of this internal review.