A former Bush administration official said on Tuesday that consolidation of the government’s cybersecurity responsibilities within the Homeland Security Department will enhance efforts to protect physical and electronic infrastructures. The White House last week released an executive order that would dismantle the President’s Critical Infrastructure Protection Board, which had been charged with coordinating the government’s cybersecurity effort. The order comes as Homeland Security begins absorbing oversight of infrastructures such as power grids and transportation systems. John Tritak, former head of the Commerce Department’s Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office, defended the move. “The idea there is to consolidate and leverage the core competencies of these individual organizations in a way we couldn’t do before,” he said. Abolishing the board “does not suggest deviation of concern” about cybersecurity within the White House. Full Story