Category: National Security

Defense Bill’s ‘Pacific Deterrence Initiative’ Puts Focus on Growing China Threat

The proposed United States’ $886.3 billion Fiscal Year 2024 defense budget features a $9.1 billion program designed to beef up allied operational efficiencies and fortify installations to counter aggression in the Western Pacific by China’s growing military. Both Senate and House armed services committees last week adopted the Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI) within their Fiscal…


David Johnston Files Final Report on Foreign Meddling, Done as Special Rapporteur

David Johnston filed his final—and confidential—report on foreign interference to the prime minister on Monday, ending his contentious term as special rapporteur. Johnston had announced his plans to resign earlier this month, saying the atmosphere around his work had become too partisan. He pledged to submit a final report to the government before the end…


DeSantis Pledges Action, and Lots of It, at the Nation’s Borders

Ron DeSantis rolled out a detailed plan to secure the nation’s borders, something he’s said he’ll begin implementing on the first day of his presidency—if elected. Speaking in Eagle Pass, Texas—on the Rio Grande River on June 26—the Florida governor and candidate for the Republican nomination touted a plan listing 35 actions he commits to…


Senate’s $886 Billion Defense Budget Similar to House Plan, But With Less ‘Anti-Woke’ Focus

The House and Senate proposed Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Acts (FY24 NDAA) are set for floor adoptions, a summer of intra-chamber conferencing, and hopeful adoption by late September. Both proposed FY24 NDAAs, or next fiscal year’s national defense budget, reflect the same $886.3 billion top-line figure submitted by President Joe Biden in March…


Lawmakers Demand Classified Briefing on Chinese Spy Base in Cuba

Two top lawmakers are pushing the Biden administration to hold a classified briefing on the secret Chinese spy facility in Cuba, flagging the national security implications of the “growing intelligence” the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is gathering not far from American shores. In a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and CIA Director William…


CCP Harvesting Open-Source Intelligence for Military Advantage: Report

China’s communist regime is investing in new ways to exploit open-source intelligence (OSINT) to undermine the United States and gain military advantage, according to a new report. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which rules China as a single-party state, is contracting new research and analysis services to compile actionable intelligence from publicly available sources throughout…


Pentagon’s ‘Woke’ Agenda Dividing, Weakening the Military: Former Space Force Officer

Military service members have been increasingly exposed to a “hyper-politicized and sexualized work environment,” according to a former lieutenant colonel, who says the resulting divisiveness is weakening the U.S. Armed Forces. The Pentagon’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies have drawn increased and intense scrutiny in recent years, especially from conservatives, who dubb these moves…


Exodus of Biden’s Border Officials Continues as Four More Quietly Resign

Amid a record-breaking influx of illegal immigrants into the United States, four more of President Joe Biden’s top border officials have quietly resigned in just the past two weeks. That brings the total to seven in recent months, along with speculation about the reasons for their departure. The latest came just this week from the…


The National Security Threat of China’s Base in Cuba

Commentary The revelation that communist China has an expanding base in Cuba is a direct threat to U.S. national security for five major reasons. First, what is true in real estate is also true in intelligence collection: location matters. The base offers China the ability to collect intelligence some 90 miles from U.S. shores, which…


US Declassifies COVID-19 Origins Report

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence finally released a government report on the origins of COVID-19 on Friday. The chairs of the House Intelligence and Coronavirus Pandemic committees say the report lends credence to the theory that the virus may have originated in a laboratory in Wuhan, China. Congress passed legislation earlier this year…