federal information systems, critical infrastructure, and other systems that impact national security, public health and safety, and economic security. These protective efforts seek to reduce organizational and systemic vulnerability to malicious cyber activity and empower stakeholders to make informed risk management decisions and to improve their cybersecurity. At the same time, our law enforcement Components work closely with each other, and throughout the law enforcement community, to reduce threats by aggressively investigating, disrupting, and defeating criminal actors and organizations that use cyberspace to carry out their illicit activities. To mitigate the consequences of cyber incidents, DHS draws upon its experience and capabilities in emergency management in addition to our network protection and law enforcement capabilities. DHS plays a lead role in the federal response to many cyber incidents, which may or may not involve physical consequences. DHS works with other federal agencies and stakeholders to minimize impacts and ensure that lessons learned from incidents are incorporated into future risk management efforts. Finally, DHS also works to support cybersecurity risk management outcomes under the fifth pillar of our approach through efforts aimed at making cyberspace more defensible. This includes efforts to strengthen the security and reliability of the overall cyber ecosystem, and align our internal cybersecurity efforts. In particular, DHS seeks to foster security innovations that give an advantage to those protecting networks, and also to drive research, development, and technology transfer efforts. Because cyberspace is inherently global, DHS collaborates with the international community to build capacity, advocate for best practices, and promote responsible international behavior to ensure that the Internet remains open, interoperable, secure, and reliable. DHS also prioritizes efforts to address cybersecurity workforce challenges and empower organizations to recruit, hire, develop, and retain personnel with strong and enduring cybersecurity skillsets. Through these complementary efforts across our Components, DHS works to collectively shift the advantage away from malicious cyber actors and toward those who are working to reduce national cybersecurity risks. Accomplishing our identified cybersecurity goals will also deter malicious cyber activity by denying access to, and imposing costs on, those who try to use cyberspace for illicit purposes. The cross-cutting goals and objectives set forth in this strategy are designed to ensure that DHS is maximizing its unique resources to accomplish impactful policy and operational outcomes as part of a national cybersecurity risk management approach. 4