 Seal of theUnited States Department of State | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | April 4, 2022[1][2] |
| Jurisdiction | Federal government of the United States |
| Headquarters | Harry S Truman Building, Washington, D.C., U.S.[3] |
| Parent department | United States Department of State |
| Website | www |
TheBureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy (CDP) is a bureau of theUnited States Department of State responsible for leading U.S. foreign policy on cyberspace, digital technologies, and related issues of security, economic growth, and human rights.[3] It was established in April 2022 under H.R.1251 -Cyber Diplomacy Act of 2021[4] to consolidate and elevate cyber and digital policy functions that had previously been spread across multiple State Department offices and to provide a focal point for U.S.cyber diplomacy.[a]
Independent analysts describe the bureau as a central instrument of U.S. cyber diplomacy and as part of the implementation of the Cyber Diplomacy Act, which codified State's role in global cyber negotiations and capacity building.[6][7]
In July 2025, it was reported that the CDP was in the first stage of dismantlement as part of a larger internal State Department reorganization.[8]
Proposals for a dedicated cyber and digital policy bureau were advanced by members of Congress and by the U.S.Cyberspace Solarium Commission, which argued that the State Department needed a lead entity to coordinate international cyber policy and norms.[7][6] In 2021, Secretary of StateAntony Blinken announced plans to create a Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy and to appoint an Ambassador-at-Large to lead it.[9]
Authority and role of the bureau codified 22 U.S. Code § 10301 - United States international cyberspace policy[10][11] and theBiden administration requested a budget of $37 million upon its formation.[12]
The bureau formally commenced operations in April 2022. A contemporaneous report byNextgov described CDP as the State Department's "first Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy", created to modernize U.S. diplomacy around emerging technologies and cyber threats.[13]
It was organized into three policy units—international cyberspace security, international information and communications policy, and digital freedom—and senior Foreign Service officerJennifer Bachus served as its first acting head after Senate confirmation.[14]
Prior to Bachus' confirmation, the bureau was working with a team of 60 and it was announced the State Department intended to add an additional 30 before the end of that year.[15]
TheGovernment Accountability Office's 2022 and 2024 reviews of State's cyber diplomacy efforts identified the creation of CDP as a key step in elevating cyber priorities and consolidating previously fragmented responsibilities into a single bureau led by an Ambassador-at-Large.[2][1]
CDP is led by a senior bureau official, with additional leadership posts including a principal deputy assistant secretary and office directors.[16] The bureau also supports the work of the Ambassador-at-Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy, a Senate-confirmed position created to serve as the department's senior diplomat on cyber and digital issues.[1][17][18]
As of 2024–2025, CDP's work is organized into several offices, including:[b]
The bureau also coordinates with regional bureaus, other functional bureaus, and interagency partners on matters such as cyber capacity building, digital trade rules, and technology standards.[1][7]
In 2024–2025, the bureau's structure and placement within the department became a subject of congressional oversight and media scrutiny.GAO's 2024 report found that while State had taken steps to implement a cyber diplomacy strategy through CDP, the new bureau still faced challenges, including clarifying roles and responsibilities and developing performance measures to assess its work.[1] A subsequent GAO testimony to Congress in 2025 reiterated that CDP was central to U.S. international cyber efforts but highlighted ongoing staffing and coordination issues.[5][20]
In April 2025,Nextgov/FCW reported that under a department-wide reorganization, the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy was moved under the State Department's economic growth portfolio and that the plan included eliminating roughly 15 percent of the department's US-based staff.[21]Cybersecurity Dive similarly reported that the reorganization would move CDP and theBureau of Intelligence and Research, and quoted advocates who warned that the changes could weaken the department's cyber diplomacy capacity and run counter to the intent of the Cyber Diplomacy Act.[22]
Commentary fromAspen Digital and other observers has argued that these staffing and structural decisions have implications beyond the department, because CDP is one of the main channels through which the United States engages allies, rivals, and multistakeholder forums on issues such as cyber norms, digital trade, andartificial intelligence governance.[7][23]
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