On May 22, 2013, the Atlantic Council’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative held a discussion on the history of cyber critical infrastructure protection in recognition of the 15th anniversary of Presidential Decision Directive 63 (PDD-63).

Issued by the Clinton administration in 1998, PDD-63 outlines the increased reliance on cyber infrastructure by public and private enterprises, and the strong need for collaboration to improve the security of this infrastructure. The directive marked the first White House effort to address vulnerabilities from the United States dependence on cyberspace, and established a framework to encourage information sharing and collaboration among various sectors.

The discussion reviews the decisions that were made regarding critical infrastructure protection fifteen years ago in PDD-63, and how succesfully the directive has been implemented in the years since. Suzanne E. Spaulding, acting under secretary for the national protection and programs directorate at the US Department of Homeland Security, provides remarks on the directive, which is followed by a panel dicussion moderated by Jason Healey, director of the Cyber Statecraft Initiative of the Atlantic Council.