China’s foreign ministry has expressed concern over a potential $1.42 billion sale of U.S.-made missiles, torpedoes and missile components as well as support services for various defense programs to Taiwan, DoD Buzz reported Friday. The report said the Chinese government called for the cancellation of the deal because it presents …
Read More »James Mattis: US, China Declare North Korea’s Nuclear Missile Program a Threat to APAC Security
Defense Secretary James Mattis has said both U.S. and Chinese officials attested that North Korea’s nuclear missile efforts pose a security threat in the Asia-Pacific region, DoD News reported Wednesday. “We also affirmed our strong commitment to cooperate, including through the U.N. to realize our shared goal of denuclearization of …
Read More »Report: US Looks to Boost Scrutiny of Foreign Investments in AI, Machine Learning Tech Via Interagency Panel
The U.S. government has begun to consider how to ramp up the role of an interagency committee that evaluates acquisitions of U.S. companies by firms from countries that pose national security threats, Reuters reported Wednesday. “We’re examining [the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S.] to look at the long-term …
Read More »Adm. John Richardson: Navy Needs to Increase Fleet Size, Transform Naval Warfare
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson has said the U.S. Navy needs to grow its fleet of combat ships and undergo a naval warfare transformation that would allow the service to fight adversaries in novel ways, Defense News reported Wednesday. Richardson, an inductee into Executive Mosaic’s Wash100 for 2017, told …
Read More »Europol: Ransomware Attack Compromised 200K Computers in Over 150 Countries
Europol has said a ransomware attack disrupted computers of at least 200,000 individuals in more than 150 countries, The Washington Post reported Sunday. Jan Op Gen Oorth, a spokesman for Europol, said the agency expects the number of computer networks and people affected by the malware, dubbed WannaCry or WanaCryptor …
Read More »Reports: House Lawmakers Ask White House to Clear Reaper UAV Sales to Jordan, UAE
House lawmakers have called on President Donald Trump’s administration to clear the sale of General Atomics-built MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles to the United Arab Emirates and Jordan to help address threats associated with the Islamic State militant organization, The Hill newspaper reported Tuesday. Ellen Mitchell writes Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-California) led …
Read More »Gen. Joseph Dunford: DoD’s Counter-Threat Strategies to Support Joint Force Readiness
Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said that strategies against international threats such as violent extremism can help the Defense Department prepare the joint force, DoD News reported Thursday. Dunford discussed the currents threats from China, Iran, North Korea and Russia, dubbed as “four-plus-one threats,” during …
Read More »Profile: John Brennan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Resources in Bureau of Consular Affairs
John Brennan has served as deputy assistant secretary for resources at the State Department‘s Bureau of Consular Affairs since November 2015. In that capacity, he manages the bureau’s budget, strategic planning, human resources and information technology functions. The 32-year State Department veteran previously held the roles of senior adviser for the Electronic Visa …
Read More »GAO: GSA Should Notify Tenant Agencies of Foreign-Owned Buildings
The Government Accountability Office has called on the General Services Administration to inform tenant agencies if their high-security leased offices are owned by foreign companies. GAO said in report published Monday it found that GSA leases high-security space from foreign owners in 20 buildings for 26 tenant agencies, including organizations that perform classified operations and store sensitive …
Read More »Gen. John Hyten: US Needs to Deter Conflict in Space
Air Force Gen. John Hyten, commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, has said the U.S. needs to deter “bad behavior” and conflict in space amid efforts of Russia and China to build weapons for space deployment, Stratcom reported Tuesday. Clifton B. Parker writes Hyten told audience during a talk at …
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