Blab Tech
FBI Releases First Unclassified Cyber Strategy, Emphasizes AI and Zero-Trust
On September 9 2026 the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced its first agency‑wide, unclassified cyber strategy. The 17‑page document, presented at the 17th Annual Billington CyberSecurity Summit in Washington, D.C., lays out a four‑pillar framework that the bureau intends to apply across its 56 field offices.
The strategy’s pillars are: 1) disruption of malicious actors, 2) support for victims, 3) expansion of partnerships, and 4) strengthening the FBI’s cyber capabilities. According to the FBI’s release, disruption will focus on the people, infrastructure, money, and tools that enable cyber campaigns. The agency also plans to speed intelligence sharing with critical‑infrastructure owners and trusted private‑sector partners while protecting victim privacy.
Partnerships are highlighted as a priority. Field offices are tasked with building industry relationships before a crisis occurs, the FBI said. The strategy also calls for scaling cyber operations with artificial intelligence (AI). The bureau intends to use AI to support both defensive and offensive efforts and to help investigators target cyber actors more efficiently.
The strategy was unveiled by FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director Brett Leatherman, who explained that the document is meant to bring greater consistency to cyber operations across the bureau. Leatherman said the strategy will help the FBI coordinate investigations, assist compromised organizations, and expand cooperation with other government agencies, foreign authorities, and industry.
The FBI’s new playbook comes amid a broader federal push to modernize technology. President Donald Trump issued an executive order on veterans’ records earlier this year that directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Pentagon to modernize how military files move between the two agencies. The order targets a process that can currently take 90 to 180 days. Within 30 days, personnel and health records must be shared immediately when service members leave the military. The VA said that improved records sharing could cut another 20 to 30 days from processing for recently separated service members.
The executive order also requires the VA and the Pentagon to review IT and software contracts within 120 days and to embed interoperability into current and future deals. By the 180‑day mark, the agencies must deploy AI and other emerging technologies to streamline benefits access through a “comprehensive single source.” The order reflects a broader trend of using AI to improve government data flows.
At the same summit, Acting Federal Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Michael Duffy urged federal agencies to use the AI momentum to advance zero‑trust security. Duffy said that the data security work needed for zero trust and the work required to make data trustworthy for AI are closely aligned. He cautioned against treating zero trust as a fad and encouraged agencies to shift from simple check‑the‑box questions to continuous security monitoring.
The Department of Defense (DoD) also addressed AI challenges. Chief Digital and AI Officer Cameron Stanley said that the DoD’s AI push is hampered by aging data infrastructure, weak metadata standards, limited API access, and policy hurdles. Stanley said the department needs to make data more accessible, build digitally savvy operational teams, and weave AI into decision‑making workflows. He noted that much of the DoD’s data remains locked in legacy systems that were not built for modern processing, making it harder for AI tools to use that information.
Stanley added that the DoD is working with allies and partners to advance AI capabilities, hoping to avoid costly lessons learned by the United States. The department’s approach signals a shift toward integrating AI into operational planning while addressing technical and policy obstacles.
The combination of the FBI’s new cyber strategy, the veterans‑records executive order, and the DoD’s AI roadmap illustrates a federal effort to modernize cybersecurity and data management. The initiatives aim to improve threat response, streamline data sharing, and embed AI across government operations.
As the FBI rolls out its strategy, the VA and Pentagon will begin implementing the veterans‑records order, and the DoD will continue to tackle infrastructure challenges. The next steps will involve measuring progress against the outlined timelines, assessing the effectiveness of AI tools in real‑world investigations, and determining how zero‑trust principles are adopted across federal agencies.
The federal technology landscape is therefore moving toward a more coordinated, AI‑enabled, and zero‑trust‑oriented approach, with the FBI, VA, Pentagon, and DoD each playing a role in shaping the future of national cyber defense and data interoperability.
The strategy’s pillars are: 1) disruption of malicious actors, 2) support for victims, 3) expansion of partnerships, and 4) strengthening the FBI’s cyber capabilities. According to the FBI’s release, disruption will focus on the people, infrastructure, money, and tools that enable cyber campaigns. The agency also plans to speed intelligence sharing with critical‑infrastructure owners and trusted private‑sector partners while protecting victim privacy.
Partnerships are highlighted as a priority. Field offices are tasked with building industry relationships before a crisis occurs, the FBI said. The strategy also calls for scaling cyber operations with artificial intelligence (AI). The bureau intends to use AI to support both defensive and offensive efforts and to help investigators target cyber actors more efficiently.
The strategy was unveiled by FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director Brett Leatherman, who explained that the document is meant to bring greater consistency to cyber operations across the bureau. Leatherman said the strategy will help the FBI coordinate investigations, assist compromised organizations, and expand cooperation with other government agencies, foreign authorities, and industry.
The FBI’s new playbook comes amid a broader federal push to modernize technology. President Donald Trump issued an executive order on veterans’ records earlier this year that directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Pentagon to modernize how military files move between the two agencies. The order targets a process that can currently take 90 to 180 days. Within 30 days, personnel and health records must be shared immediately when service members leave the military. The VA said that improved records sharing could cut another 20 to 30 days from processing for recently separated service members.
The executive order also requires the VA and the Pentagon to review IT and software contracts within 120 days and to embed interoperability into current and future deals. By the 180‑day mark, the agencies must deploy AI and other emerging technologies to streamline benefits access through a “comprehensive single source.” The order reflects a broader trend of using AI to improve government data flows.
At the same summit, Acting Federal Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Michael Duffy urged federal agencies to use the AI momentum to advance zero‑trust security. Duffy said that the data security work needed for zero trust and the work required to make data trustworthy for AI are closely aligned. He cautioned against treating zero trust as a fad and encouraged agencies to shift from simple check‑the‑box questions to continuous security monitoring.
The Department of Defense (DoD) also addressed AI challenges. Chief Digital and AI Officer Cameron Stanley said that the DoD’s AI push is hampered by aging data infrastructure, weak metadata standards, limited API access, and policy hurdles. Stanley said the department needs to make data more accessible, build digitally savvy operational teams, and weave AI into decision‑making workflows. He noted that much of the DoD’s data remains locked in legacy systems that were not built for modern processing, making it harder for AI tools to use that information.
Stanley added that the DoD is working with allies and partners to advance AI capabilities, hoping to avoid costly lessons learned by the United States. The department’s approach signals a shift toward integrating AI into operational planning while addressing technical and policy obstacles.
The combination of the FBI’s new cyber strategy, the veterans‑records executive order, and the DoD’s AI roadmap illustrates a federal effort to modernize cybersecurity and data management. The initiatives aim to improve threat response, streamline data sharing, and embed AI across government operations.
As the FBI rolls out its strategy, the VA and Pentagon will begin implementing the veterans‑records order, and the DoD will continue to tackle infrastructure challenges. The next steps will involve measuring progress against the outlined timelines, assessing the effectiveness of AI tools in real‑world investigations, and determining how zero‑trust principles are adopted across federal agencies.
The federal technology landscape is therefore moving toward a more coordinated, AI‑enabled, and zero‑trust‑oriented approach, with the FBI, VA, Pentagon, and DoD each playing a role in shaping the future of national cyber defense and data interoperability.
