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Executive Order 13718 🏛️✅ Zone 1: Maximum Authority Constitutional Fidelity (+0.66) 📜 5th Amend: Regulatory Execution with Due Process

Executive Order 13718—Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity

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Tuesday, February 9, 2016
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8 min read (1,594 words)
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81 Fed. Reg. 7441

Executive Brief • At a Glance

⏱️ 8 min read (1,594 words) • ● In Effect
🎯 Primary Mandate

The Commission shall be composed of not more than 12 members appointed by the President.

⚖️ Constitutional Footing
🏛️✅ Zone 1: Maximum Authority
Express or Implied Congressional Authorization
📜 5th Amend: Regulatory Execution with Due Process
🏛️ Scope & Affected Sectors
Sovereign State Governments & Localities Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants Private Citizens & Property Owners

Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis

Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.

Signed by President Barack Obama on February 9, 2016, this order concerns Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity. There is established within the Department of Commerce the Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity (Commission). Sec. 2 . Membership . (a) The Commission shall be composed of not more than 12 members appointed by the President.

Constitutional Assessment: Evaluated against the Fifth Amendment, this action touches upon property or economic rights. An early statesman would insist upon strict adherence to due process of law and the constitutional guarantee that private holdings shall not be encumbered or taken for public purposes without just compensation and lawful process.

Key Directives & Operative Actions

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Membership

The Commission shall be composed of not more than 12 members appointed by the President.

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Mission and Work

In developing its recommendations, the Commission shall identify and study actions necessary to further improve cybersecurity awareness, risk management, and adoption of best practices throughout the private sector and at all levels of government.

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Administration

The Commission shall hold periodic meetings in public forums in an open and transparent environment.

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Termination

The Commission shall terminate within 15 days after it presents its final report to the President, unless extended by the President.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Sovereign State Governments & Localities 🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants 🏛️ Private Citizens & Property Owners
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The Framers' Constitutional Council

1787 Prism

Evaluating this order against the constitutional debates of 1787 and the limits of Article II executive power.

🏛️✅ Zone 1 (Maximum Authority)
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"When the President acts pursuant to an express or implied authorization of Congress, his authority is at its maximum, for it includes all that he possesses in his own right plus all that Congress can delegate."

— Justice Robert H. Jackson, Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer (1952) Express or Implied Congressional Authorization
JM

James Madison

Separation of Powers & Legislative Primacy

"The constitutional magistracy was designed not to invent policy, but to be the faithful instrument of the laws passed by the people's representatives." — Speech in the First Congress (1789)

Madison would approve the structural posture of this order. The President acts strictly in subordination to statutory authority granted under Article II, Section 3 ("take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed"). The checks and balances hold firm because the policy origin remains with the legislature.

Madisonian Stance: Concurring (Statutory)
AH

Alexander Hamilton

The Energetic Executive & Unified Command

"A feeble Executive implies a feeble execution of the government; and a government ill executed, whatever it may be in theory, must be, in practice, a bad government." — Federalist No. 70 (1788)

Hamilton would view this directive as the natural and indispensable functioning of administrative leadership. Without the power to coordinate agencies, manage personnel, and resolve operational ambiguities, the modern presidency would be reduced to an impotent figurehead.

Hamiltonian Stance: Supportive of Execution
GM

George Mason

Bill of Rights, Due Process & 10th Amendment

"The purse and the sword ought never to be in the same hands... nor the liberties of the citizen placed at the pleasure of a single magistrate." — Virginia Ratifying Convention (1788)

George Mason and the Anti-Federalists would sound a fierce warning. They feared that Article II would inevitably evolve into an elective monarchy. When an executive order impacts private rights, property, or civil liberties without individualized judicial process, Mason would see their darkest predictions verified.

Anti-Federalist Stance: High Bill of Rights Scrutiny
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Five Measurable "Constitutional Friction" Dimensions

An objective audit measuring potential separation-of-powers tension against the United States Constitution and established Supreme Court doctrine.

⚖️ Discretionary Twilight Zone
40 / 100 friction index
Dimension 1 • Art. I, §1 & §8

Legislative Encroachment & Purse

Moderate Friction

Administers commerce or fiscal programs requiring ongoing statutory delegation and legislative oversight.

Benchmark: Power of the purse, taxes/tariffs, and rule of law reserved to Congress.
Dimension 2 • Art. II, §1 & §3

Executive Scope & Faithfulness

Moderate Friction

Directs internal executive branch machinery, agency workflows, and federal personnel.

Benchmark: Faithfully execute laws enacted by Congress vs. unilateral decree.
Dimension 3 • 10th Amendment

Federalism & State Sovereignty

Moderate Friction

Engages state and local partners in cooperative federalism programs.

Benchmark: Police powers and un-delegated responsibilities reserved to the States.
Dimension 4 • 5th & 14th Amendments

Due Process & Individual Rights

Moderate Friction

Applies regulatory or compliance standards to private contractors or commercial entities.

Benchmark: Protection of private property, contracts, liberty, and procedural justice.
Dimension 5 • Separation of Powers

Youngstown Jacksonian Tier

Low Friction

The President operates strictly as the constitutional Chief Executive, carrying out policy established by Congress with strong statutory backing.

Benchmark: Express or Implied Congressional Authorization
⚖️ Audit Synthesis

This order operates within Justice Jackson’s Zone of Twilight, resting upon concurrent presidential authority or congressional silence.

Weighted composite: Art. I (25%), Art. II (25%), Federalism (15%), Due Process (15%), Youngstown (20%).
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How to read these dimensions: Executive power expands whenever an administration acts without explicit statutory authorization from Congress (Article I), touches upon police powers historically reserved to the states (Tenth Amendment), or limits private rights and property without judicial process. A low friction score indicates strict concordance with enacted law; a high friction score highlights orders testing the limits of presidential discretion.
Total Words
1,594
10,742 characters
Estimated Read Time
8 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
25
Post-Graduate Legal
Language Tone Score
+0.66
Constitutional Fidelity
How is this scored?
Text size:

Official Archival Text

View Source Document

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to enhance cybersecurity awareness and protections at all levels of Government, business, and society, to protect privacy, to ensure public safety and economic and national security, and to empower Americans to take better control of their digital security, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1 . #sec-1

Establishment . There is established within the Department of Commerce the Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity (Commission).

Sec. 2 . #sec-2

Membership . (a) The Commission shall be composed of not more than 12 members appointed by the President. The members of the Commission may include those with knowledge about or experience in cybersecurity, the digital economy, national security and law enforcement, corporate governance, risk management, information technology (IT), privacy, identity management, Internet governance and standards, government administration, digital and social media, communications, or any other area determined by the President to be of value to the Commission. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, the Majority Leader of the Senate, and the Minority Leader of the Senate are each invited to recommend one individual for membership on the Commission. No federally registered lobbyist or person presently otherwise employed by the Federal Government may serve on the Commission. (b) The President shall designate one member of the Commission to serve as the Chair and one member of the Commission to serve as the Vice Chair.

Sec. 3 . #sec-3

Mission and Work . The Commission will make detailed recommendations to strengthen cybersecurity in both the public and private sectors while protecting privacy, ensuring public safety and economic and national security, fostering discovery and development of new technical solutions, and bolstering partnerships between Federal, State, and local government and the private sector in the development, promotion, and use of cybersecurity technologies, policies, and best practices. The Commission's recommendations should address actions that can be taken over the next decade to accomplish these goals. (a) In developing its recommendations, the Commission shall identify and study actions necessary to further improve cybersecurity awareness, risk management, and adoption of best practices throughout the private sector and at all levels of government. These areas of study may include methods to influence the way individuals and organizations perceive and use technology and approach cybersecurity as consumers and providers in the digital economy; demonstrate the nature and severity of cybersecurity threats, the importance of mitigation, and potential ways to manage and reduce the economic impacts of cyber risk; improve access to the knowledge needed to make informed cyber risk management decisions related to privacy, economic impact, and business continuity; and develop partnerships with industry, civil society, and international stakeholders. At a minimum, the Commission shall develop recommendations regarding: (i) how best to bolster the protection of systems and data, including how to advance identity management, authentication, and cybersecurity of online identities, in light of technological developments and other trends; (ii) ensuring that cybersecurity is a core element of the technologies associated with the Internet of Things and cloud computing, and that the policy and legal foundation for cybersecurity in the context of the Internet of Things is stable and adaptable; (iii) further investments in research and development initiatives that can enhance cybersecurity; (iv) increasing the quality, quantity, and level of expertise of the cybersecurity workforce in the Federal Government and private sector, including through education and training; (v) improving broad-based education of commonsense cybersecurity practices for the general public; and (vi) any other issues that the President, through the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary), requests the Commission to consider. (b) In developing its recommendations, the Commission shall also identify and study advances in technology, management, and IT service delivery that should be developed, widely adopted, or further tested throughout the private sector and at all levels of government, and in particular in the Federal Government and by critical infrastructure owners and operators. These areas of study may include cybersecurity technologies and other advances that are responsive to the rapidly evolving digital economy, and approaches to accelerating the introduction and use of emerging methods designed to enhance early detection, mitigation, and management of cyber risk in the security and privacy, and business and governance sectors. At a minimum, the Commission shall develop recommendations regarding: (i) governance, procurement, and management processes for Federal civilian IT systems, applications, services, and infrastructure, including the following: (A) a framework for identifying which IT services should be developed internally or shared across agencies, and for specific investment priorities for all such IT services; (B) a framework to ensure that as Federal civilian agencies procure, modernize, or upgrade their IT systems, cybersecurity is incorporated into the process; (C) a governance model for managing cybersecurity risk, enhancing resilience, and ensuring appropriate incident response and recovery in the operations of, and delivery of goods and services by, the Federal Government; and (D) strategies to overcome barriers that make it difficult for the Federal Government to adopt and keep pace with industry best practices; (ii) effective private sector and government approaches to critical infrastructure protection in light of current and projected trends in cybersecurity threats and the connected nature of the United States economy; (iii) steps State and local governments can take to enhance cybersecurity, and how the Federal Government can best support such steps; and (iv) any other issues that the President, through the Secretary, requests the Commission to consider. (c) To accomplish its mission, the Commission shall: (i) reference and, as appropriate, build on successful existing cybersecurity policies, public-private partnerships, and other initiatives; (ii) consult with cybersecurity, national security and law enforcement, privacy, management, technology, and digital economy experts in the public and private sectors; (iii) seek input from those who have experienced significant cybersecurity incidents to understand lessons learned from these experiences, including identifying any barriers to awareness, risk management, and investment; (iv) review reported information from the Office of Management and Budget regarding Federal information and information systems, including legacy systems, in order to assess critical Federal civilian IT infrastructures, governance, and management processes; (v) review the impact of technological trends and market forces on existing cybersecurity policies and practices; and (vi) examine other issues related to the Commission's mission that the Chair and Vice Chair agree are necessary and appropriate to the Commission's work. (d) Where appropriate, the Commission may conduct original research, commission studies, and hold hearings to further examine particular issues. (e) The Commission shall be advisory in nature and shall submit a final report to the President by December 1, 2016. This report shall be published on a public website along with any appropriate response from the President within 45 days after it is provided to the President.

Sec. 4 . #sec-4

Administration . (a) The Commission shall hold periodic meetings in public forums in an open and transparent environment. (b) In carrying out its mission, the Commission shall be informed by, and shall strive to avoid duplicating, the efforts of other governmental entities. (c) The Commission shall have a staff, headed by an Executive Director, which shall provide support for the functions of the Commission. The Secretary shall appoint the Executive Director, who shall be a full-time Federal employee, and the Commission's staff. The Executive Director may also serve as the Designated Federal Officer in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, 5 U.S.C. App. (FACA, the "Act"). (d) The Executive Director, in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair, shall have the authority to create subcommittees as necessary to support the Commission's work and to examine particular areas of importance. These subcommittees must report their work to the Commission to inform its final recommendations. (e) The Secretary will work with the heads of executive departments and agencies, to the extent permitted by law and consistent with their ongoing activities, to provide the Commission such information and cooperation as it may require for purposes of carrying out its mission.

Sec. 5 . #sec-5

Termination . The Commission shall terminate within 15 days after it presents its final report to the President, unless extended by the President.

Sec. 6 . #sec-6

General Provisions . (a) To the extent permitted by law, and subject to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary shall direct the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to provide the Commission with such expertise, services, funds, facilities, staff, equipment, and other support services as may be necessary to carry out its mission. (b) Insofar as FACA may apply to the Commission, any functions of the President under that Act, except for those in section 6 and section 14 of that Act, shall be performed by the Secretary. (c) Members of the Commission shall serve without any compensation for their work on the Commission, but shall be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, to the extent permitted by law for persons serving intermittently in the Government service (5 U.S.C. 5701-5707). (d) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect: (i) the authority granted by law to a department, agency, or the head thereof; or (ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals. (e) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person. BARACK OBAMA The White House, February 9, 2016.

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Scholarly & Legal Citations

Exec. Order No. 13,718, 81 Fed. Reg. 7441 (Feb. 9, 2016).