Alexander Gates, a cybersecurity official with the National Security Agency, has been appointed to join the Department of Energy as assistant secretary for cybersecurity, energy security and emergency response or CESER, Cyberscoop reported Friday.
Gates will succeed Karen Evans who has been in the role since September 2018. The CESER office works to protect the country's energy industry from cyber threats.
Gates' appointment also marks his return to DOE, following his work as deputy director of the department's Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence.
Dan Brouillette, secretary of energy, said in a statement that Gates holds decades of work in the areas of cyber and signals intelligence. The DOE secretary also noted Gates' capacity to facilitate coordination between the department and intelligence agencies.
