The German National Cyber Security Council was established in 2011 to strengthen cooperation within the government and with the private sector and provide recommendations at high political levels on strategic issues. The Council is under the responsibility of the Federal Government Commissioner for Information Technology (BfIT) and comprises representatives from the Federal Chancellery and State Secretaries from the Foreign Office, Ministries of the Interior, Defence, Economics and Technology, Justice, Finance, Education and Research, and representatives from the federal Länder (regions).