FDD Morning Brief

As key international restrictions on Iran’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs are set to expire this month, Tehran supports, sponsors, and coordinates with terrorist groups like Hamas — who just brutally murdered over 1,200 Israelis. The United States and its allies are assessing how best to respond to the indiscriminate attacks on Israel while also actively seeking to mitigate fatal flaws of the 2015 nuclear deal and associated UN Security Council Resolution 2231. While the US has opted for a policy of declining pressure on Iran, the Islamic Republic has amassed enough material to produce a nuclear weapon in 12 days while simultaneously developing and testing more advanced ballistic missiles. To make matters worse, the Islamic Republic has booted inspectors from nuclear sites, leaving reduced international oversight.

How can the US stand up to the murderous regime in Iran and its network of proxies? What exactly are the upcoming “sunsets” under UN Resolution 2231? How can the West mitigate the fallout of an effective greenlighting of Iranian sales of missiles and drones to Russia?

To discuss Iran’s military and nuclear capabilities and its ongoing coordination with its global network of terror surrogates, FDD will host an event featuring:

• David Albright, founder and president of the Institute for Science and International Security
• Shannon Crawford, ABC News reporter
• Behnam Ben Taleblu, FDD senior fellow
• Bradley Bowman, senior director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power
• Richard Goldberg, FDD senior advisor and former director for countering Iranian weapons of mass destruction
• Eyal Hulata, FDD senior international fellow and former Israeli national security advisor
• Anthony Ruggiero, senior director of FDD’s Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program and former deputy assistant to the president for national security affairs and National Security Council senior director for counterproliferation and biodefense
• Jonathan Schanzer, FDD senior vice president for research
• Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL), Illinois’ 10th Congressional District
• Andrea Stricker, FDD research fellow and deputy director of FDD’s Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program

Most Americans now recognize the serious threat the People’s Republic of China (PRC) poses to the United States. But many may not be aware of the comprehensive campaign Beijing is implementing in Latin America to advance the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) interests, undermine the United States, and put our homeland at risk.

What is China doing in our hemisphere? Why does it matter? How is the United States responding? And what more can be done?

FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP) hosts a conversation with Commander of U.S. Southern Command General Laura J. Richardson. As the Commander of SOUTHCOM, she is responsible for U.S. contingency planning, operations, and security cooperation in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The conversation will be moderated by CMPP Senior Director Bradley Bowman.

On Saturday, October 7, 2023, Israelis awoke to a multi-front, Iran-backed attack on Israel’s southern border today. Dozens of Hamas terrorists infiltrated the border and invaded Israeli towns, going door to door killing Israelis and taking hostages back into Gaza to be held as bargaining chips. Simultaneously, terrorists fired thousands of rockets at Israel with Hamas claiming 5,000 rockets launched. Several hours into the attack, residents of southern Israel were still barricaded in their homes waiting for IDF reinforcements.

FDD experts joined an exclusive on-the-record media event to provide their latest analysis. The conversation featured FDD Chief Executive Mark Dubowitz, Senior Vice President Jonathan Schanzer, Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power Bradley Bowman, and FDD’s Long War Journal Analyst Joe Truzman. The conversation was moderated by FDD Vice President of Communications Elizabeth Robbins.

Congress has long been at the forefront of efforts to bolster America’s tools of economic statecraft. Parallel to the Biden administration’s long-awaited executive order on outbound investment, for example, the Senate recently passed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act proposing new powers and policies to further regulate the screening of outbound investment heading to China and other foreign adversaries.

FDD’s Center on Economic and Financial Power (CEFP) hosts Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) for an on-the-record event to discuss ways to safeguard America’s economy and national security and ensure Washington has the capabilities necessary to build a more unified understanding of investment risks with appropriate screening mechanisms.

The event is moderated by Juan C. Zarate, CEFP chairman and co-founder, and features a discussion with Elaine K. Dezenski, CEFP senior director and head, and Nova Daly, senior public policy advisor at Wiley Rein, LLP and CEFP advisor.

China is sprinting to field military might that can defeat U.S. forces and conquer Taiwan. Putin continues to wage his brutal war against Ukraine – the largest invasion Europe has witnessed since World War II. The regime in Tehran continues to oppress the Iranian people, export terrorism, and inch toward a nuclear weapon capability, while building closer relationships with Moscow and Beijing. Nuclear-armed North Korea is strengthening its missile arsenal to threaten the United States, South Korea, and Japan. In Afghanistan, the Taliban has rolled back many gains of Afghan women and girls and has deepened its partnership with al-Qaeda.

While this list of threats and challenges is extraordinary, the United States enjoys unparalleled advantages, including a resilient democratic system, a large and innovative economy, a powerful military, and a strong network of allies and partners. So, what is the security situation in East Asia, Europe, and the wider Middle East? What is the Biden administration doing to address threats in these vital regions? And how can the US and its allies better secure national security interests while deterring aggression?

FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP) hosts a conversation with CMPP Chairman LTG (Ret.) H.R. McMaster, 34-year-veteran of the U.S. Army and former U.S. National Security Advisor, and The Hon. Elaine Luria, 20-year-veteran of the U.S. Navy and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives and its Committee on Armed Services. The panel is moderated by CMPP Senior Director Bradley Bowman.

Authoritarian regimes, cybercriminals, and state-backed hackers prey on American individuals and businesses to sow chaos, reap financial gain, and carry out ideological agendas. Three years ago, the congressionally mandated Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC) offered a new strategic approach to combat these threats and defend U.S. national security and economic interests in cyberspace

The Commission’s groundbreaking report and white papers provided more than 116 concrete recommendations to reform U.S. government structures, strengthen norms, promote national resilience, operationalize public-private collaboration, and preserve military instruments of national power. Congress and the White House have adopted many of these recommendations, but cyber threats continue to evolve. How effective is public-private collaboration today? Is the U.S. government effectively organized to defend our national security in cyberspace? What more should the federal government be doing to promote national resilience?

FDD and CSC 2.0 host a conversation with Commission Co-Chairs Sen. Angus King (I-ME) and Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), former National Cyber Director Chris Inglis, and former Executive Director RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, who leads CSC 2.0 and serves as senior director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI). The conversation will be moderated by Maggie Miller, a cybersecurity reporter for Politico. The event will coincide with the release of the third annual assessment report, evaluating the implementation of the Commission’s recommendations.

There is an authentic Iranian revolution underway targeting the Islamic Republic that clings to power in Tehran. Iranians, especially courageous young women, have taken to the streets to speak out against the radical Islamist dictatorship that has ruled — and ruined — their lives. In the year since the murder of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini by Iran’s morality police for alleged improper headscarf wear, FDD has tracked more than 4,000 protests in Iran. The regime has responded brutally, resulting in more than 635 Iranians killed, including 79 minors, and nearly 22,000 arrested. Deliberate and sophisticated chemical attacks have been carried out against schoolgirls at nearly 500 schools.

As the protests continue to rage, Americans must not turn a blind eye to the Iranian people’s courageous demands for dignity, justice, and fundamental rights. What can the United States do to support the Iranian people? What bipartisan steps can be taken to amplify the voices of freedom-seeking Iranians and counter those who seek to silence them?

To answer these questions, Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) and Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) will join FDD Chief Executive Mark Dubowitz for an on-the-record discussion. FDD Senior Fellow Behnam Ben Taleblu will deliver remarks.

The smooth function of America’s economy is critical for national security, military readiness, and geopolitical influence, making it a likely target for an adversary during a conflict. To quickly recover in the event of a widespread cyberattack on multiple industries, Congress directed the president to establish a Continuity of the Economy (COTE) plan. The Biden administration delivered its response to Congress in August 2023, but the final product provides no plan to ensure rapid economic recovery. It asserts that COTE is sufficiently covered by other emergency response plans, and as a result, fails to grapple with important questions: Does the federal government have the information it needs to determine the order of recovery in the wake of a crisis? Can emergency response plans focused primarily on public health and safety work effectively to restart the economy? Who should be responsible for ensuring existing government plans actually get updated to incorporate COTE? And, critically, what role should the private sector – the owners and operators of the U.S. economy – play in COTE planning and implementation?

To address these shortcomings and provide recommendations on how to remedy them, FDD is hosting a virtual discussion with Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection; Tom Fanning, executive chairman of Southern Company; Mark Harvey, former senior director for resilience policy on the National Security Council staff, and RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, former executive director of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission. This panel will be moderated by Dr. Samantha Ravich, chair of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI).

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has undertaken a decades-long quest for global dominance, leveraging a multi-faceted strategy to supplant the current world order. In the economic realm, the CCP bullies companies and governments to follow Beijing’s rules – which benefit China to the detriment of all others. To safeguard U.S. national security interests, global prosperity, and an international system that promises free trade, the West must find ways to resist their illiberal influence.

Axios China reporter Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian recently published a new book, Beijing Rules: How China Weaponized Its Economy to Confront the World, which includes headline-making stories of Western institutions bowing to Beijing’s pressure – and a glimpse of what America’s future may look like should liberal democracy come firmly under the thumb of authoritarian capitalism. To discuss her investigative reporting and the broader policy implications, FDD’s China Program hosts a conversation with Bethany as well as Liza Tobin, Senior Director for Economy at the Special Competitive Studies Project, and F. Scott Kieff, former Commissioner of the U.S. International Trade Commission. The discussion will be moderated by FDD Senior Fellow Craig Singleton.

Nearly two years after the disastrous U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban regime has reconstituted its Islamic Emirate and returned to draconian policies that are in grave violation of fundamental human rights. While President Biden and the Taliban alike claim al-Qaeda is not active in Afghanistan, recent United Nations monitoring shows al-Qaeda leaders are embedded in key Afghan ministries, with the group running training camps, safe houses, and media operations across multiple Afghan provinces. Terror groups such as the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan enjoy free reign, while threats from the Islamic State persist.

To prevent Afghanistan from further collapsing into a hub for terrorism, the West must pursue a clear-eyed security strategy that imposes due costs on the Taliban and eliminates safe havens for Islamic extremists.

To discuss the situation on the ground, barriers to security, and the best path forward for policymakers, FDD will host a live, virtual panel featuring Kathy Gannon, former news director and chief correspondent for the Associated Press, who has covered Afghanistan and Pakistan for 35 years; Edmund Fitton-Brown, former British diplomat and coordinator of the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team concerning the Islamic State, al-Qaeda, and the Taliban; and Bill Roggio, FDD senior fellow and editor of FDD’s Long War Journal. The discussion will be moderated by NBC News national security and global affairs reporter, Dan De Luce.