NSC official: Trump administration will ‘change the script’ on offensive side

At the RSA Conference, NSC senior director for cyber Alexei Bulazel signaled the Trump administration’s intent to “destigmatize and normalize” offensive cyber operations, arguing that proportional responses can deter adversaries and that failing to respond is itself escalatory. He emphasized leveraging U.S. cyber capabilities, updating both offense and defense to reflect AI and emerging technologies, and framed the approach against a backdrop of prior Chinese intrusions, while noting limited immediate impact from policy alone on defensive outcomes.