"The United States and its allies are looking for defense technology partners that can move quickly, innovate continuously and deliver systems already proven across theaters of combat," Sean Plankey said in a statement.
Sean Plankey joins UFORCE as U.S. chief executive officer
Sean Plankey, who had been the nominee for director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), is joining defense technology company UFORCE as its U.S. chief executive officer, the company announced Monday. The appointment comes less than a month after Plankey withdrew his nomination amid difficulties overcoming objections from senators who had placed a hold on it.
Plankey's background cited in the announcement includes service as a cyber veteran during the first Trump administration and a recent role as senior adviser on the Coast Guard at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). He retired from the Coast Guard this year.
UFORCE: origin, valuation, and product roadmap
UFORCE is a London-based company formed out of nine Ukrainian-based firms. The startup makes combat drones for air, land and sea and said it plans to have its first U.S.-made unmanned surface vessels hitting the water by this summer. The company reportedly reached a $1 billion valuation earlier this year.
Oleg Rogynskyy, co-founder and CEO of UFORCE, described Plankey's decision to join as reflecting "the strength of our platform and the growing recognition that the future of autonomous defense will be shaped by companies able to combine real combat validation with scalable Western deployment."
Why Plankey withdrew his CISA nomination
The announcement and contemporaneous reporting note that Plankey withdrew his nomination for CISA director after encountering objections from senators who had placed a hold on the nomination. The move from a contested federal nomination to a senior corporate role was announced less than a month after that withdrawal.
CISA leadership and DHS context
CISA has gone without a permanent director for the entirety of the second Trump administration, and the president has yet to put forward a nominee for the position since Plankey's withdrawal last month. Separately, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin took over as DHS secretary in late March, according to the reporting.
What this means for technologists, policymakers, and procurement leaders
- Technologists and security teams: A senior government cyber figure moving to lead a drone and autonomous-systems startup highlights a continuing flow of operational expertise into private-sector development, with an emphasis on systems "already proven across theaters of combat," as Plankey put it.
- Policymakers and regulators: The continued vacancy at CISA and the president's lack of a subsequent nominee since the withdrawal leave the agency without a permanent director, a fact that will shape oversight and policy continuity in the near term.
- Procurement leaders and defense partners: UFORCE's plan to manufacture in America and to field U.S.-made unmanned surface vessels this summer signals a push toward faster, scalable deployment pathways and may alter sourcing conversations where combat-proven autonomous platforms are a requirement.
Plankey framed his move as aligning with demand for partners who can "move quickly, innovate continuously and deliver systems already proven across theaters of combat," and UFORCE framed his hire as validation of its platform for western deployment. The near-term, concrete items to watch are UFORCE's production timeline for U.S.-made unmanned surface vessels this summer and whether the president names a new nominee to lead CISA following Plankey's withdrawal last month.
Original reporting: https://cyberscoop.com/former-cisa-nominee-sean-plankey-named-us-ceo-of-defense-startup/
