On January 19th, the  President signed National Security Memorandum (NSM) 8, “Improving the Cybersecurity of National Security, Department of Defense and Intelligence Community Systems”.

NSM8 appeared to have been inspired by Project Warp Speed – specifically, the elimination of layers of reportage and bureaucracy when trying to innovate with unprecedented speed and scale.  With NSM8 and NSS, the goal was not so much the acceleration of innovation, but the ability to “defend forward” at speed and scale – with a tight OODA Loop between the White House and the NSA.  At the time, the signing of NSM 8 appeared tactical, not strategic.