Who’s Who in Defense: Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor

Who’s Who in Defense: Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor
Who’s Who in Defense: Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor

National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan   Responsibilities Called the “the best foreign policy job in government,” the NSA serves as the top aide to the president on national security and foreign policy. The NSA is generally a low-profile, high-influence position that plays a foundational role in the National Security Council (NSC). Created in 1947…

HASC’s Langevin Pushes White House Cyber Coordinator, ‘E-Congress’

HASC’s Langevin Pushes White House Cyber Coordinator, ‘E-Congress’
HASC’s Langevin Pushes White House Cyber Coordinator, ‘E-Congress’

By pushing work online – and partially paralyzing Congress – COVID-19 has highlighted shortfalls the co-founder of the Cyber Caucus has warned about for 19 years.

NSC Makes Cyber Security For Space Industry ‘Top Priority’

NSC Makes Cyber Security For Space Industry ‘Top Priority’
NSC Makes Cyber Security For Space Industry ‘Top Priority’

The National Security Council, Air Force Space Command, the Missile Defense Agency, and NASA among others will share analysis about, warnings of, and potential responses to cybersecurity threats to satellites and ground stations with industry under a new public-private partnership.

Cyber: DHS, DoD Thrash Out Command Details In Wargames

Cyber: DHS, DoD Thrash Out Command Details In Wargames
Cyber: DHS, DoD Thrash Out Command Details In Wargames

“If it’s a hurricane, [at the Defense Department], they’ve got the mission assignments. They know, ‘OK, we’ve got to send people to fill sandbags,'” DHS’s Jeanette Manfra explained. For cyber responses, she said, “that part is not mature enough.”

‘Severe Instability:’ Trump Boots Bolton, Third National Security Advisor

‘Severe Instability:’ Trump Boots Bolton, Third National Security Advisor
‘Severe Instability:’ Trump Boots Bolton, Third National Security Advisor

Severe instability in the national security establishment raises questions not about the president’s policy judgements, but about the government’s ability to plan for and implement those decisions.

Cyber Warfare In The Grey Zone: Wake Up, Washington

Cyber Warfare In The Grey Zone: Wake Up, Washington
Cyber Warfare In The Grey Zone: Wake Up, Washington

WASHINGTON: The entire US government — not just the Pentagon — needs to wake up to the intertwined threats of cyber warfare and political subversion, Army and National Security Agency officials say. It’ll take a major cultural change to get the whole of government to compete effectively in the grey zone between peace and war.…

‘Thousands’ More Troops To US Border, But Colombia Deployment Unclear: Shanahan

‘Thousands’ More Troops To US Border, But Colombia Deployment Unclear: Shanahan
‘Thousands’ More Troops To US Border, But Colombia Deployment Unclear: Shanahan

Shanahan spent much of his first formal (albeit off-camera) Pentagon pressroom briefing as SecDef emphasizing continuity with his ousted predecessor, Gen. Jim Mattis. He made a point of praising Mattis’s National Defense Strategy, America’s allies, and even the press – not exactly favorites of President Donald Trump.

Pence Defends Space Force Costs: ‘What Price Freedom?’

Pence Defends Space Force Costs: ‘What Price Freedom?’
Pence Defends Space Force Costs: ‘What Price Freedom?’

For insights about how the US military currently views the realities of space war, it’s helpful to consider the recently concluded annual Schriever War Game.

Trump Eases Cyber Ops, But Safeguards Remain: Joint Staff

Trump Eases Cyber Ops, But Safeguards Remain: Joint Staff
Trump Eases Cyber Ops, But Safeguards Remain: Joint Staff

Fast doesn’t meant out of control. Brig. Gen. Grynkewich took pains to emphasize that civilian oversight remains intact and the Pentagon’s role will be rigorously defined under the new National Security Presidential Memorandum NSPM-13.

NSC Readies Major Overhaul in US Arms Exports

NSC Readies Major Overhaul in US Arms Exports
NSC Readies Major Overhaul in US Arms Exports

The Trump Administration is putting the final touches on a plan to speed up arms sales to allies, and play catchup to China and Israel in selling armed drones.

No White House ‘Chaos’; Trump’s Korea Remarks Calculated: H.R. McMaster

No White House ‘Chaos’; Trump’s Korea Remarks Calculated: H.R. McMaster
No White House ‘Chaos’; Trump’s Korea Remarks Calculated: H.R. McMaster

WASHINGTON: There’s no “feuding” or “chaos” in the Trump White House, National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster insisted yesterday. Anyone who pushed their personal agenda at the expense of the president’s is now either gone or neutralized by Chief of Staff John Kelly, McMaster added. Both men are military officers, as is Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. McMaster…

It’s Not Buy America: Admin Aide On Trump’s Sweeping Industrial Base Study

It’s Not Buy America: Admin Aide On Trump’s Sweeping Industrial Base Study
It’s Not Buy America: Admin Aide On Trump’s Sweeping Industrial Base Study

WASHINGTON: Is the Defense Industrial Base study required by the Trump Administration’s new Executive Order the groundwork for a new Buy America push or a bold strategic act reminiscent of President Eisenhower’s Solarium project, begun just four months after he took office? Many of the defense analysts, industry people and acquisition experts I’ve spoken with…

McMaster: Russian Info Ops Major Focus Of New National Security Strategy

WASHINGTON: Fact. China controls 90 percent of the world’s trade with North Korea. When President Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping at his Mar a Lago club there was, “frank recognition that China does have a great deal of control — a great deal of control over that situation, mainly through the coercive power…

Give Trump A Chance: NSC Staffer Pledges Thoughtful Strategy

Give Trump A Chance: NSC Staffer Pledges Thoughtful Strategy
Give Trump A Chance: NSC Staffer Pledges Thoughtful Strategy

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has shaken this staid capital city by making policy pronouncements over Twitter. Far from the social media spotlight, however, Trump’s National Security Council, led by warrior-intellectual H.R. McMaster, is coordinating a comprehensive series of policy reviews that are deliberative, collegial and strategic, NSC staffer Christopher Ford said today. The new North…