A 42-page Annual Worldwide Threat Assessment was released on 1/29/19 and intelligence chiefs testified before a Senate Intelligence Committee, first publicly, then in closed session, as usual. “In testimony before the committee the nation’s intel chiefs tried to avoid directly questioning administration policies. They detailed a different ranking of the threats facing the U.S, starting with cyberattacks and moving on to the endurance of the Islamic State and the capabilities of North Korea and Iran.” In answers to queries from Senators, Dan Coats, National Intelligence director, stated that “North Korea was unlikely to give up its nuclear stockpiles, some activity is inconsistent with denuclearization; most of what they dismantled is reversible”. Gina Haspel, CIA Director said, “Pyongyang is committed to developing a long-range nuclear-armed missile that would pose a direct threat to the U.S”. Haspel stated that Iran is presently “not taking the steps necessary to make a nuclear bomb”.
The written report “found that American trade policies and unilateralism’s central theme of Trump’s ‘America First’ approach have strained traditional alliances and prompted foreign partners to seek new relationships”. It stressed growing cyberthreats from Russia and China, which are more aligned than ever. “Cyberweapons are still in their infancy, but the threat is growing and the worst is yet to come. We’re living in yet another new age, a time characterized by hybrid warfare, weaponized disinformation, all occurring within the context of a world producing more data than mankind has ever seen”, said Senator Richard M. Burr, R/NC, the committee’s chairman. “Foreign enemies want to see the U.S. weakened, if not destroyed, they want to see us abandon our friends and our allies. They want to see us squabble and divide.”
The global threat review detailed “Russian’s ability to conduct cyberespionage and influence election campaigns, and stressed the greater concern that Moscow is now staging cyberattack assets to allow it to disrupt or damage the U.S. civilian and military infrastructure during a crises. It specifically noted Russia’s planting of malware in the U.S. electricity grid. Russia already has the ability to bring the grid down at least for a few hours, and is now mapping our critical infrastructures with the long-term goal of being able to cause substantial damage.”
Putin recently boasted, “America is no longer a super-power!” We must weigh the most critical security threats to our nation and apply our resources wisely to build and strengthen our security infrastructures. There are security threats to our nation far more urgent than the need for building a steel wall on our southern border.
Trish Forsyth Voss
Feb 4 2019
U.S. should strenghten national security infrastructures
A 42-page Annual Worldwide Threat Assessment was released on 1/29/19 and intelligence chiefs testified before a Senate Intelligence Committee, first publicly, then in closed session, as usual. “In testimony before the committee the nation’s intel chiefs tried to avoid directly questioning administration policies. They detailed a different ranking of the threats facing the U.S, starting with cyberattacks and moving on to the endurance of the Islamic State and the capabilities of North Korea and Iran.” In answers to queries from Senators, Dan Coats, National Intelligence director, stated that “North Korea was unlikely to give up its nuclear stockpiles, some activity is inconsistent with denuclearization; most of what they dismantled is reversible”. Gina Haspel, CIA Director said, “Pyongyang is committed to developing a long-range nuclear-armed missile that would pose a direct threat to the U.S”. Haspel stated that Iran is presently “not taking the steps necessary to make a nuclear bomb”.
The written report “found that American trade policies and unilateralism’s central theme of Trump’s ‘America First’ approach have strained traditional alliances and prompted foreign partners to seek new relationships”. It stressed growing cyberthreats from Russia and China, which are more aligned than ever. “Cyberweapons are still in their infancy, but the threat is growing and the worst is yet to come. We’re living in yet another new age, a time characterized by hybrid warfare, weaponized disinformation, all occurring within the context of a world producing more data than mankind has ever seen”, said Senator Richard M. Burr, R/NC, the committee’s chairman. “Foreign enemies want to see the U.S. weakened, if not destroyed, they want to see us abandon our friends and our allies. They want to see us squabble and divide.”
The global threat review detailed “Russian’s ability to conduct cyberespionage and influence election campaigns, and stressed the greater concern that Moscow is now staging cyberattack assets to allow it to disrupt or damage the U.S. civilian and military infrastructure during a crises. It specifically noted Russia’s planting of malware in the U.S. electricity grid. Russia already has the ability to bring the grid down at least for a few hours, and is now mapping our critical infrastructures with the long-term goal of being able to cause substantial damage.”
Putin recently boasted, “America is no longer a super-power!” We must weigh the most critical security threats to our nation and apply our resources wisely to build and strengthen our security infrastructures. There are security threats to our nation far more urgent than the need for building a steel wall on our southern border.
Trish Forsyth Voss
By spiritspeak • Letter to the Editor 0