WASHINGTON – Nearly a year after taking office, US President Barack Obama on Tuesday named Howard Schmidt, a former Bush administration adviser and Microsoft executive, as his cybsersecurity coordinator.

"Howard will have the important responsibility of orchestrating the many important cybersecurity activities across the government," said John Brennan, Obama's assistant for homeland security and counterterrorism.

Obama's appointment of a White House "cyber czar" comes 11 months after he was sworn in as president and seven months after he declared protecting private and government computer networks a "national security priority."

No single US agency is currently charged with ensuring government cybersecurity efforts and US lawmakers had been calling for the creation of a powerful cybersecurity adviser reporting directly to the president.

Cybersecurity was subject to fierce turf battles under the previous administration between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the super-secret electronic surveillance National Security Agency (NSA).

A top DHS cyber security official quit in March, complaining that the department had been sidelined and US cyber protection efforts were being dominated by the NSA.

According to The Washington Post, Schmidt was chosen after dozens of people were sounded out for the post and many declined, largely out of concern that the job conferred much responsibility with little true authority.

Schmidt, a cyber adviser to former president George W. Bush from 2001 to 2003, currently heads the non-profit Information Security Forum.

In his new capacity, he will report to the National Security Council at the White House, coordinating the federal government's cybsersecurity policy for both military and civilian agencies.

Brennan said Schmidt "will have regular access to the president and serve as a key member of his National Security Staff.

"He will also work closely with his economic team to ensure that our cybersecurity efforts keep the nation secure and prosperous," he added in a statement.

An Air Force and FBI veteran, Schmidt previously served as chief security officer at software titan Microsoft and online retail giant eBay.

Citing his four decades of experience in government, business and law enforcement, Brennan called Schmidt "one of the world's leading authorities on computer security."

"Protecting the Internet is critical to our national security, public safety and our personal privacy and civil liberties," he said.

The nomination comes as the Pentagon launches a new cyber command unit and the Department of Homeland Security seeks to boost the protection of civilian networks.

In October, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced her department had received the green light to hire up to 1,000 cybersecurity experts over the next three years.

In a video message on the White House blog, Schmidt said Obama had charged him with "developing a new comprehensive strategy to secure American networks" and "ensuring an organized unified response to future cyber incidents."

Schmidt's appointment comes as gangs of cybercriminals, foreign intelligence services -- reportedly including China and Russia -- industrial spies and hackers increasingly prey on US networks, according to various studies.

A US congressional panel warned in November 2008 that China had developed a sophisticated cyber warfare program and stepped up its capacity to penetrate US computer networks to extract sensitive information.