FDD Morning Brief

The systems that provide safe drinking water and dependable wastewater services are increasingly dependent on networked technology. At the same time, the importance of water and wastewater systems make them prominent targets for both profit-seeking cyber criminals and America’s authoritarian adversaries. Securing the digital systems of tens of thousands of utilities – many of which are small and municipally owned – is difficult and requires robust collaboration among governments, technology service providers, and companies. With other critical infrastructure dependent on water systems for reliable operation, significant investments in cybersecurity technology and processes, both on premises and in the cloud, are overdue.

To grapple with these challenges and discuss solutions, FDD, CSC 2.0, and Microsoft hosts a panel discussion with Tom Fanning, executive chairman of Southern Company; Fred Humphries, corporate vice president of Microsoft; and Dr. Kevin Morley, manager of federal relations for the American Water Works Association. The panel will be moderated by Dr. Samantha Ravich, chair of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation.

The event coincides with the release of a CSC 2.0-Microsoft after action report on the findings and recommendations from a series of roundtable discussions with government officials, policy experts, and practitioners in the water and technology industries.

Read more and watch the conversation here:

https://www.fdd.org/events/2023/12/13/hard-water-increasing-the-cyber-resilience-of-americas-water-supply/

The Biden administration is reported to have spent recent weeks drafting and consulting on a multiphase postwar plan for Gaza. As Israel continues to carry out its primary mission of destroying Hamas, significant questions remain on what may come next after the war ends, including what role Israel, the United States, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Europe, among others, will play in supporting reconstruction, security, and long-term governance.

President Biden has suggested that “Gaza and the West Bank should be reunited under a single governance structure, ultimately under a revitalized Palestinian Authority.” But does Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas – 19 years into a four-year term – have the legitimacy among Palestinians? Can the Israelis – reeling from the aftermath of the deadliest attack on the Jewish state on October 7 – support such an arrangement, particularly in light of terrorist activities in the West Bank? What role and obligation do other countries have in the rebuilding efforts? What alternatives or creative arrangements might be worth pursuing?

FDD hosts a virtual event featuring Eyal Hulata, former Israeli national security advisor under Prime Ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, and Ghaith al-Omari, senior fellow at The Washington Institute and former negotiator and advisor within the Palestinian Authority. The conversation will be moderated by Nahal Toosi, Politico foreign affairs senior correspondent, who recently authored a Politico article on this question.

More here:

https://www.fdd.org/events/2023/12/13/future-gaza-options-and-considerations-for-the-day-after-the-war/

FDD Senior Vice President Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of UN Watch, a human rights NGO whose mandate is to monitor the performance of the United Nations and hold them to account.

More here: www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) campaign of malign influence across Latin America includes leveraging tools of financial exploitation, expansion of military and intelligence apparatuses, and growing pressure around ports and critical waterways. To this extent, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) poses a threat to the national security of the United States and allies. As Beijing implements a comprehensive campaign in Latin America to advance their interests to the detriment of the region, what is the United States doing to protect Americans and preserve a world order that embraces the freedom of navigation, fair trade, and the protection of the intelligence and national security?

To address the challenges posed by the CCP in the Western Hemisphere, FDD’s China Program hosts a conversation with the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI). Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH) will deliver remarks, followed by a panel discussion moderated by HPSCI member Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR), who will be joined by Dr. Zoe Liu, Maurice R. Greenberg Fellow for China Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations; Dr. Paul Angelo, Director of the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies; and FDD Senior Fellow Craig Singleton.

More here:

https://www.fdd.org/events/2023/12/11/beijings-latin-america-exploitation-beyond-the-scif-with-house-permanent-select-committe-on-intelligence/

FDD Senior Vice President Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with IDF Brig. Gen. (Res.) Jacob Nagel, former head of Israel's National Security Council and former acting National Security Advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

FDD Senior Vice President Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Dalia Ziada, Egyptian author, activist, and Executive Director at the MEEM Center for Middle East & Eastern Mediterranean Studies.

FDD Senior Vice President Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Jerusalem-based Fox News foreign correspondent covering the current war in Gaza, Trey Yingst.

FDD Senior Vice President Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Lahav Harkov, Senior Political Correspondent at Jewish Insider.

The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) is a critical U.S. ally. It is one of three countries (along with Palau and Marshall Islands) that have signed Compacts of Free Association (COFAs) with the U.S. giving the U.S. extensive defense access, second only to what the U.S. has in the homeland. The COFAs forms the backbone of U.S. security architecture in the Central Pacific and facilitates U.S. freedom of deployment from Hawaii to the Philippines. FSM citizens can also live and work in the U.S. and serve in the U.S. military at high rates.

Given its geographical location and its importance to the U.S., the FSM is the target of unrelenting People’s Republic of China (PRC) political warfare and grey zone operations, with the goal of pulling the FSM away from the U.S. and into Beijing's orbit. For example, currently key components of the Compacts are awaiting renewal by Congress, giving an opening for PRC influence campaigns to foster uncertainty about U.S. commitment to the region.

Between 2022 and early 2023, then president of FSM, David W. Panuelo, wrote three letters describing in unprecedented detail for a head of state Chinese activity in his country and in the Pacific Islands area. He warned that not only were PRC activities corrupting the FSM and undermining democracy, they were an intrinsic part of Beijing Taiwan contingency planning.

To update on the situation in FSM since he left government, FDD’s China Program is pleased to host former President of Micronesia David W. Panuelo for a discussion with FDD Non-Resident Senior Fellow Cleo Paskal. The conversation will be moderated by FDD Senior Fellow Craig Singleton with remarks by FDD Adjunct Fellow Richard Clark.

FDD Senior Vice President Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Republican Congressman Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin's 8th District.