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White House unveils 2026 cyber strategy

3/12/26

By: Jacob Berlinger and Michele Focht

On March 6, 2026, President Donald Trump released his administration’s long-awaited cyber strategy outlining the federal government’s priorities for defending the United States in an increasingly contested digital environment. The strategy addresses the growing threats posed by foreign governments, threat actors and emerging technologies. In response, the administration’s plan establishes a framework for strengthening the nation’s cyber defenses, coordinating efforts between the public and private sectors, and maintaining technological leadership in emerging technical areas such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing. The cyber strategy is focused on six pillars of action.

Pillars of Action:

1. Shape adversary behavior

This pillar calls for using U.S. government offensive and defensive capabilities in cyberspace, as well as incentivizing the private sector to hack back and disrupt adversary networks.

2. Promote common sense regulation

President Trump calls for streamlining cyber regulations to reduce compliance burdens, addressing liability, and better align regulators and industry globally. This stance is in contrast with the previous administration which expanded cyber regulations such as the 2021 Cybersecurity Executive Order 14028 and the Biden administration’s 2025 executive order 141444.

3. Modernize and secure federal government networks

This pillar highlights changes to be made to secure federal government networks by “implementing cybersecurity best practices, post-quantum cryptography, zero-trust architecture, and cloud transition.” Furthermore, this pillar emphasized using AI-powered cybersecurity solutions to defend federal networks.

4. Secure critical infrastructure

To secure critical infrastructure, the strategy calls for fortifying the supply chain by focusing on U.S.-made cyber products while moving away from “adversary vendors and products.”

5. Sustain superiority in critical and emerging technologies

It should come as no surprise that AI usage makes up the bulk of this pillar. President Trump’s strategy calls for implementing AI-enabled cyber tools to detect, divert, and deceive threat actors and adversaries. Plus, this administration will promote the adoption of post-quantum cryptography and secure quantum computing.

The pillar also calls for calling out and frustrating “the spread of foreign AI platforms that censor, surveil, and mislead their users.”

6. Build talent and capacity

The last pillar emphasizes that the United States’ cybersecurity workforce is a critical national asset that protects the country and supports economic and national security. It calls for significant investment in developing this workforce through a strong talent pipeline that leverages universities, vocational programs, businesses, and venture capital. The plan aims to train current workers, recruit future cyber professionals, and remove barriers that prevent collaboration between industry, academia, government, and the military in building a highly skilled cybersecurity workforce.

This policy signals the administration’s intent to pursue stronger partnerships with the private sector to advance cyber technologies and leverage cyber capabilities to help defend the nation. FMG will continue to monitor key developments in the administration’s strategy and the implementation of its six pillars and will provide ongoing guidance to companies as they strengthen their cybersecurity, privacy and AI programs. For questions related to cybersecurity, artificial intelligence or data privacy, please contact Jacob Berlinger, Michele Focht or your local FMG attorney.

Information conveyed herein should not be construed as legal advice or represent any specific or binding policy or procedure of any organization. Information provided is for educational purposes only. These materials are written in a general format and not intended to be advice applicable to any specific circumstance. Legal opinions may vary when based on subtle factual distinctions. All rights reserved. No part of this presentation may be reproduced, published or posted without the written permission of Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP.