US President, Barack Obama, says the United States has failed to adequately protect the security of its computer network for a very long time. And he says he will name a new cyber czar to take on the job.

U.S. President Barack Obama delivers remarks on securing the nation's cyber infrastructure, Friday, May 29,2009, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. [Ron Edmonds/AP Photo]

Obama says the threat to cyber security is one of the most serious economic and national security challenges the country is facing. He says he will soon pick a person to lead the new White House Office of Cyber Security.

Outlining a broad five-point plan, the president says the US needs to provide the education required to keep pace with technology and attract and retain a cyber-savvy work force.

He is also calling for a new education campaign to raise public awareness of the challenges and threats related to cyber security.

Obama also assured the business community the government would NOT dictate how private industry should tighten their own digital defenses.

Barack Obama, US President, said, "This new approach starts at the top, with this commitment from me: from now on, our digital infrastructure, the networks and computers we depend on every day, will be treated as they should be: as a strategic national asset. Protecting this infrastructure will be a national security priority. We will deter, prevent, detect, and defend against attacks and recover quickly from any disruptions or damage."

(CCTV May 31, 2009)