The United States faces threats from foreign adversaries on multiple fronts as geopolitical tensions escalate, according to a new counterintelligence strategy.
“Our nation is facing significant and complex threats from aggressive and capable foreign intelligence adversaries—including Russia, the People’s Republic of China, Iran, and North Korea,” President Joe Biden said as he signed the National Counterintelligence Strategy on Aug. 1.
The newly approved strategy sets out intelligence objectives to address escalating foreign intelligence threats and guides the counterintelligence community for the next three years.
According to the strategy, the foreign intelligence threats to the United States are unprecedented as these foreign adversaries target a wide range of entities using many different approaches.
The strategy identifies the Chinese communist regime and Russia as the “most significant intelligence threats.” It notes that these major adversaries are increasingly collaborating, which heightens the risks to the United States.
“An expanding array of actors are attempting to steal national secrets, sensitive data, intellectual property, and technical and military capabilities, and undermine and disrupt U.S. foreign policy and intelligence operations,” it warns.
“[Foreign intelligence entities] are positioning themselves to compromise or damage infrastructure critical to U.S. health, safety, and economic activity, and are attempting to influence U.S. policy and public opinion and undermine our democracy.”
The document highlights that foreign intelligence adversaries are trying to gather information from nearly every level of U.S. government, including federal, state, and local entities. They also target commercial businesses, defense contractors, think tanks, and academic institutions.
These adversaries seek both classified and publicly available information to support their political, economic, military, and influence goals, as well as “their attempts to target U.S. persons, supply chains, and critical infrastructure,” the strategy states.
Additionally, foreign intelligence operatives see commercial entities as crucial in supporting their espionage activities. Along with utilizing advanced technology, these operatives use top-notch cyber intrusion tools from commercial firms to aid their cyber attacks.
A few days ago, the intelligence community warned that the Chinese communist regime has collaborated with Chinese tech firms to enhance its influence operations targeting the upcoming U.S. elections.
The strategy has raised significant concerns about the risks of foreign economic and industrial espionage to U.S. critical technology and economic security, especially from the Chinese communist regime.
It warns that foreign intelligence actors are using cyber espionage, embedded researchers, and front companies to target innovative U.S. firms and research institutions.
Their goal is to quickly build up their own countries’ economic and technological capabilities and make their firms more competitive against U.S. rivals.
According to NCSC, the strategy’s mission is to “identify, understand, and neutralize foreign intelligence threats and protect U.S. interests, assets, and people at home and abroad from espionage, sabotage, assassination, or other foreign intelligence activities or operations.”
The strategy aims “to outmaneuver and constrain foreign intelligence entities, protect America’s strategic advantages, and invest in the future to meet tomorrow’s threats,” said NCSC Director Michael Casey.
Last week, the U.S. National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) warned that Chinese investors might take advantage of early-stage investments in U.S. technology startups to steal sensitive data and intellectual property, posing a threat to U.S. economic and national security.
Several high-profile cases of Chinese espionage have emerged. Earlier this year, a Chinese-born researcher was arrested for allegedly stealing technology used to detect nuclear missile launches and track ballistic and hypersonic missiles.
In 2017, four hackers linked to the Chinese military breached Equifax, compromising the personal information of approximately 145 million Americans.
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