Intel Chiefs: Issue Warning to Congress of Global Threat in Fragile World Order

L-R: DIA; FBI; CIA; DNI; NSA; State Cyber Research

TIME has a story that is very concerning and worrisome at the same time with this their article headline:

“U.S. Intel Chiefs Warn of Threats to Increasingly Fragile World Order”

U.S. intelligence leaders warned on Monday (March 11) that the country faces an “increasingly fragile world order” as it navigates a range of global threats exacerbated by adversaries' use of emerging technologies like AI. 

The hearing represents an annual opportunity for lawmakers to publicly question the country’s top intelligence chiefs. In addition to DNI Haines also on the panel were: CIA Director William Burns; FBI Director Christopher Wray; Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research Brett Holmgren; NSA Director Lt. Gen. Timothy Haugh; and the head of the DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency), Lt. Gen Jeffrey Kruse, all appeared before the Senate panel.

Ms. Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) told the Senate Intelligence Committee at its annual hearing on the top threats to the nation that: “The threat of malign actors exploiting these tools and technology to undercut U.S. interests and democracy is particularly potent as voters go to the polls in more than 60 elections around the globe this year.”

U.S. intelligence agencies are focused on China's efforts to manipulate the 2024 presidential election and the potential for bad actors to use AI tools to create and amplify disinformation campaigns.

In the overall intelligence community’s new 40-page unclassified report on worldwide threats, they wrote: “The U.S. is facing an ambitious but anxious China, a confrontational Russia, some regional powers such as Iran, and more capable non-state actors [who] are challenging longstanding rules of the international system as well as U.S. primacy within it.”

Here are some of the threats covered in the hearing:

China may target the 2024 U.S. elections: Officials assess that China “may attempt to influence the U.S. elections in 2024 at some level because of its desire to sideline critics of China and magnify US societal divisions,” according to their 40-page report.

DNI Director Haines said: “Under President Xi Jinping, Chinese leaders believe it is essential to project power globally in order to be able to resist U.S. pressure. Xi's focus on boosting China’s economy may temper any election interference, which would jeopardize the relationship with the U.S. and potentially damage China’s ability to attract foreign investment.” 

TikTok under fire: Lawmakers from both parties raised concerns about the popular social-media app, which is mentioned briefly in the intelligence report.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said: “China uses the TikTok data from Americans to basically read your mind and predict what videos you want to see. The problem is the algorithm that powers it is controlled by a company in China that must do whatever the Chinese Communist Party tells them to do.”

In the report, U.S. spy chiefs noted that China is “demonstrating a higher degree of sophistication in its influence activity, including experimenting with generative AI.”

TikTok accounts run by a Chinese propaganda arm reportedly targeted both Democrat and Republican candidates from during the 2022 U.S. midterm elections.

There is bipartisan agreement that TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company, ByteDance, poses a national security threat.

A House bill that would require the company to divest from the massively popular platform, which has about 170 million U.S. users, or face a ban is expected to come to a vote in the House this week.

The bill requires ByteDance to sell TikTok within six months or be banned from Apple, Google, and other U.S. app stores and web-hosting services. The measure is sponsored by Republicans, but has significant bipartisan support.

President Joe Biden, whose campaign recently created its own TikTok account, told reporters: “If they pass it, I’ll sign it.”

High risk of escalation in the Middle East: The war in Gaza and the resulting humanitarian crisis has galvanized Arab countries in the region, where there is rising “public sentiment against Israel and the United States for the death and destruction,” the intelligence officials say in their report.

DNI Haines also told lawmakers at the hearing, which was repeatedly interrupted by anti-war protestors inspired by Hamas: “That terrorist groups including al-Qaeda and ISIS have directed supporters to conduct attacks against Israeli and American interests as the war drags on. While it is too early to tell, it is likely that the Gaza conflict will have a generational impact on terrorism.”

Read More Here: Inside the Israel-Hamas Information War.

The Intelligence report also states that the U.S. intelligence community assesses that: “Iranian leaders did not orchestrate nor had foreknowledge of Hamas’ October 7 assault on Israel, attacks by Iranian-backed groups are threatening to destabilize Lebanon, Iraq, the Gulf, and the Red Sea. The risk of escalation into direct interstate conflict, intended or otherwise, remains high.”

U.S. support for Ukraine remains critical:  As the war in Ukraine enters its third year, U.S. intelligence chiefs emphasized the importance of continued U.S. military support.

CIA Director Burns told the panel: “The Ukrainians are not running out of courage and tenacity, they're running out of ammunition. And we're running out of time to help them,” then he added: “If the U.S. is seen as walking away from support for Ukraine, not only is that going to feed doubts amongst our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific, it's going to stoke the ambition of Chinese leadership.”

Intelligence leaders noted the challenge posed by Russia's strengthening ties with China, Iran, and North Korea, which they said was bolstering its defense production and economy.

DNI Haines also told the panel: “Putin's strategic goals remain unchanged. He continues to see NATO enlargement and Western support for Ukraine as reinforcing his long-held belief that the United States and Europe seek to restrict Russian power and undermine him.”

More on this story at the link provided above and here.

Directly related to TikTok is this GOP House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on banning TikTok seen here.

My 2 Cents: We must stay alert, vigilant, and smart to see and detect, avoid, and report any nonsense in the upcoming 2024 election cycle ... which may end up worse than 2020, and more so if Trump loses again which I honestly think he will and by much larger margin than his loss to Joe Biden in 2020. 

The above Intel agency’s report is alarming and noteworthy and especially as it relates to China, Russia, and Iran activities and their massive disinformation campaigns which are ongoing right now. 

Our right to vote in a free, fair, safe, and secure election is the number one priority of our country that keeps us who we are: free and democratic – nothing nor no one can be seen to hamper that right. 

Thanks for stopping by.