New Pentagon cyber policy chief confirmed

Former Cyber Command Chief Technology Adviser Katherine Sutton had her nomination as the U.S. Defense Department's new cyber policy head approved by the Senate, according to The Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future.

Despite concerns that her nomination be thumbed down due to association with dismissed Cyber Command and National Security Agency Chief Timothy Haugh, Sutton had been cleared alongside dozens of other nominees across multiple agencies.

Sutton previously noted plans to evaluate the Defense Department's cyber capabilities in countering threats from China and other adversaries.

"As I have watched the domain evolve over the last decade, it is very clear that our adversaries are becoming not only increasingly capable, but also increasingly aggressive in the domain," Sutton said in her confirmation hearing.

Such a development comes after the departures of Acting Pentagon Assistant Secretary Laurie Buckhout and former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy Ashley Manning.