CISA Appoints Khoi Nguyen as Acquisition Chief

The former USCYBERCOM director will oversee a $6 billion cybersecurity procurement pipeline for the agency.

Updated on Oct. 21, 2026 in Cybersecurity

CISA Appoints Khoi Nguyen as Acquisition Chief

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Khoi Nguyen has joined the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) as its new chief acquisition executive. A retired U.S. Army officer, Nguyen previously led the J9 directorate at USCYBERCOM for over three years.

Why it matters

Nguyen’s appointment arrives as the Department of Homeland Security accelerates investments in digital and physical threat mitigation. His background managing high-value acquisition programs at USCYBERCOM will direct CISA’s oversight of billions in upcoming cybersecurity procurement contracts.

Nguyen oversees acquisition programs previously supported by over $2.6 billion in annual solutions at USCYBERCOM. CISA is now managing a $600 million annual procurement for cybersecurity tools and a $100 million follow-on integrated cyber assessment contract.

The players

Khoi Nguyen

The new chief acquisition executive at CISA and a retired U.S. Army officer who previously managed the J9 directorate at USCYBERCOM.

CISA

The Department of Homeland Security agency responsible for protecting the nation's critical infrastructure from physical and digital threats.

USCYBERCOM

A unified combatant command of the U.S. military that manages cyberspace operations and related defense acquisition programs.

Nick Andersen

The current acting director of CISA, serving in the role since February 2026.

Scott Breor

The leader of CISA's Infrastructure Security Division, appointed in June 2026.

The details

As chief acquisition executive, Nguyen manages the agency’s requirements management process—the formal methodology for defining security needs—and engagement with private sector contractors. He brings experience from the J9 directorate, which handles capability development and integration. CISA currently coordinates with industry partners to refine requirements for its multi-billion dollar cybersecurity tools procurement portfolio.

February 2026: Nick Andersen became acting director of CISA.
June 2026: Scott Breor began leading the Infrastructure Security Division.
August 2026: CISA sought industry input for cybersecurity procurement.
October 20, 2026: Khoi Nguyen announced his appointment.
November 10, 2026: Bobby Thompson will keynote the Homeland Security Summit.

The Tech Race

Nguyen’s appointment aligns CISA’s leadership with the complex requirements of the DHS cybersecurity procurement lifecycle. This move accelerates the agency's competitive positioning as it prepares to award over $700 million in combined support and assessment contracts.

Industry partners and contractors should expect changes to procurement requirements as Nguyen streamlines the agency's engagement process. CISA plans to award a major operations support contract in the second quarter of fiscal year 2027.

The takeaway

The agency is positioning its leadership to manage a $6 billion contract lifecycle for defensive cybersecurity tools. Interested vendors should monitor the upcoming second-quarter fiscal year 2027 award for the cybersecurity operations support contract.