Senate Briefed on Foreign Threats
Last week, the Senate Intelligence Committee received a briefing on national security threats from the top U.S. intelligence officials. The intelligence officials named four major foreign threats to U.S. security: China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. Here, btw takes a closer look at their remarks, and at what the Biden administration plans to do to address these concerns.
China
According to the intelligence officials—which included Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines–China continues to increase its global technological and economic power as well as its military and political influence in Asia. They also predicted that China will at least double its number of nuclear weapons over the next decade, and that Beijing will not be interested in arms-control negotiations with the U.S. It is likely that China will more aggressively assert its influence in the South China Sea and will pressure Taiwan to reunify. China is attempting to assert itself in space as well, with plans to build a space station and a base on the moon. Here in the U.S., economic espionage linked to the Chinese government has also grown by about 1,300 percent over recent years.
Russia
Russia is also asserting its control over its region of the globe. Russia has built up its military presence in several areas of western Asia. In 2014, Russia invaded part of the Ukraine. The intelligence officials also expressed concern that Russia will continue using cyberattacks to target critical U.S. infrastructure, including computer systems. \Senator Mark Warner, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, suggested that the U.S. treat cyberattacks the same way it would view biological or chemical attacks, and respond similarly.
Other Threats
Other intelligence officials who briefed the senators included CIA director William Burns, FBI director Christopher Wray, National Security Agency director General Paul Nakasone, and Defense Intelligence Agency director Lt. General Scott Berrier. They stated that Iran will avoid direct conflicts with the United States to avoid direct U.S. retaliation. The Senate also was informed that North Korea may be resuming long-range missile tests as early as this year. Terrorist groups such as ISIS and al-Qaida remain a threat. Even though their power has been significantly downgraded in recent years due to sustained military pressure, they continue to inspire acts of domestic terrorism within the United States.