FDD Morning Brief

Late last year, the commander of U.S. Cyber Command observed that the current state of U.S. military cyber organization is unsustainable. “All options are on the table,” he said, “except the status quo.” The existing structures have led to recruitment challenges, inconsistencies in compensation and service requirements, and personnel with inadequate training and support. Bipartisan members of Congress have for a decade expressed deep concern about the inability of the existing military services to recruit, train, and equip sufficient personnel to meet growing cyber challenges.

America’s cyber force generation system is clearly broken. FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation is releasing a comprehensive report that explores the viability of establishing an independent cyber service: U.S. Cyber Force. To discuss the report and associated policies, join FDD for a virtual event featuring Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation; Dr. Erica Lonergan, assistant professor in the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University; and RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, senior director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation; with introductory remarks by Bradley Bowman, senior director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power.

Read more and watch the conversation here:

https://www.fdd.org/events/2024/03/25/exploring-the-potential-of-a-us-cyber-force/

FDD Senior Vice President Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, Senior Director of FDD's Center on Cyber and Technological Innovation.

Learn more at: www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

FDD Senior Vice President Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Ambassador Michael Oren, prolific historian who served as Israeli ambassador to the US, and Knesset member.

Learn more at: www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

FDD Senior Vice President Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Rep. Ritchie Torres, Democrat Congressman of New York's 15th District and staunch supporter of Israel.

Learn more at: www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

FDD Senior Vice President Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis on headlines of the Middle East, followed by a conversation with Fleur Hassan Nahoum, Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, Israel's Special Envoy for Innovation, and co-founder of the UAE-Israel Business Council.

Learn more at: www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

Physical systems in U.S. critical infrastructure have become reliant on digital technology for an array of functions, from safety to operation to communication. This interconnectivity of cyber and physical systems has made services exponentially more efficient, but at the same time has vastly expanded the digital attack surface. Hackers understand now more than ever that the impacts of a digital attack can proliferate to interconnected physical components, causing widespread systemic failure. The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) issued a report to address these issues, highlighting the need to build systems that are resilient against disruption, including cyberattacks, so that the operational impacts of incidents are minimized.

To discuss these challenges and provide solutions to remedy them, FDD hosts a panel with PCAST cyber-physical resilience working group co-leads Dr. Eric Horvitz, Microsoft’s Chief Scientific Officer; Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Jen Easterly, and Phil Venables, Chief Information Security Officer of Google Cloud; Harry Coker, Jr., National Cyber Director; and Dr. Georgianna Shea, FDD’s chief technologist and PCAST working group member. Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery moderates the conversation.

Read more and watch the conversation here: https://www.fdd.org/events/2024/03/13/fortifying-cyber-physical-resilience-recommendations-from-the-presidents-council-of-advisors-on-science-and-technology/

FDD Senior Vice President Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis on headlines of the Middle East, followed by a conversation with Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus - FDD Senior Fellow who served numerous years in the IDF, including as former International Spokesperson and a combat commander. They discuss the IDF operations in Gaza, what to watch on Israel's northern border and in Rafah, and what may come next in Israel's war on Iran-backed terror in the wake of the 10/7 attacks.

Learn more at: www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

Corruption through foreign bribery schemes has fueled wars and bankrupted countries around the globe. Numerous treaties, international bodies, and conventions for years have sought to end the practice of foreign bribery – yet Transparency International research reveals that only two of the 47 largest exporting countries are actively enforcing foreign anti-bribery laws. To make matters worse, sanctions against corrupt officials are rarely levied. While these corrupt schemes have largely been successful in evading accountability and justice, recent bipartisan efforts in Congress may level the playing field and deliver the most significant anti-corruption opportunities in decades.

FDD and Transparency International-US host a conversation with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) to discuss the recent passage of the Foreign Extortion Prevention Act (or “FEPA”), how the legislation can best be leveraged against corrupt regimes, and what comes next in the fight against global corruption and kleptocracy. The discussion will address how FEPA fits with other anti-corruption laws and regulations, how the Department of Justice should implement FEPA, how to address issues of jurisdiction and extradition, and what laws and regulations are still needed in the fight against corruption.

Read more and watch the conversation here: https://www.fdd.org/events/2024/03/12/expanding-the-anti-corruption-toolkit-fepa-and-beyond/

FDD Senior Vice President Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis on headlines of the Middle East, followed by a conversation with author and journalist Matti Friedman, whose work has been central to exposing ways in which terrorists, including Hamas, have coopted the information space and weaponized the mainstream media against Israel.

Learn more at: www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

FDD Senior Vice President Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Abdulaziz Alkhamis, Saudi journalist and political commentator, who sheds like on perspectives of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states regarding the Israel-Hamas war, the greater threat posed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the prospects for Saudi-Israel normalization.

Learn more at: www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/