|
Best Of: China Ramps Up Navy to Challenge U.S. Dominance
|
|
Photo:
Keith Tsuji/Getty Images
According to CNBC,
sources “with direct knowledge of U.S. intelligence reports”
say China has installed long-range anti-ship and surface-to-air missiles
on three of its artificial islands in the region—and the deployment in
just the past 30 days.
In our Friday
‘Best of’ series, we lay out the big picture for you by
bringing you Expert Cipher Brief analysis on China’s considerable
progress in developing advanced naval and force projection capabilities:
- As
part of its ambitious strategy to evolve into a leading global power
by 2050,
China has spent considerable resources upgrading its naval
capabilities. Through such undertakings, China has significantly
enhanced its force projection in East Asia, where it has staked
claim to disputed islands and waters as a means of expanding its
sovereignty and procuring additional resources.
- China
has used its enhanced naval capabilities to project maritime power
in East Asia at the expense of U.S. strategic interests and the territorial
integrity of U.S. regional allies. Through its naval might,
China has laid claim to various disputed outposts in the South and
East China Seas and threatens the freedom of navigation in these
contested waterways.
- China’s
commitment to boosting its naval capacity represents a growing
challenge to U.S. naval supremacy in the Pacific Ocean and beyond. Although the U.S.
government has worked to formulate a strategy to ensure that its
Navy maintains its competitive advantage on the high seas, China’s
rapidly evolving naval capabilities present an alarming cause for
concern.
Read more
on China’s developing naval and force projection capabilities.
|
|
|
|
Our Annual Threat Report
provides an insider look at the complex global security
landscape with Cipher Brief expert perspectives on the world’s
most-pressing threats.
With a network of more than 75 national security experts and over 900
contributors worldwide, The Cipher Brief is committed to bringing you the
highest levels of analysis on the leading risks and opportunities facing
policymakers and business executives in the coming year.
|
|
Opinion: Banning Transgender Soldiers Will Damage National
Security
|
|
Today’s column is written by “Jenny Hall,” the pseudonym
of an active duty officer of the CIA. “Jenny” argues
that a return to the enforcement of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” would be
disastrous for the U.S. military and intelligence community:
- “‘Who
is a Homo?’ ponders an internal CIA document written in 1980 to help investigators
identify and purge gay CIA officers. ‘The homosexual is a complex,
intelligent, interesting, and mixed-up individual,’ the document
warns. ‘He may not consider himself queer,” and “may accept his
psychological deviation from the normal.’”
- “On
March 23rd, the Department of Defense (DOD) released a 44-page
defense of
a revised ban on transgender military service after the courts froze
the original ban tweeted by the President last July. Its authors
rely on a familiar script to justify discrimination. They should
know that decades do not remove the stain.”
- “So
how did DOD go so terribly astray? The unnamed and
uncredentialed authors have yet to defend their work in public, and
it is obvious why. They ignored the American Psychiatric Association’s
determination that gender dysphoria is not a mental disorder… They
misrepresented the medical literature to make damning judgments
about all trans recruits, calling them suicide risks, prone to high
costs, and unable to deploy… They mis-cited studies to manufacture
doubt in the medical benefits of gender transition.”
|
|
Your Weekly Intelligence Gossip
|
|
It's Friday...and
we're here to catch you up on all the intel gossip and rumors you missed throughout
the week.
From this week's
Dead Drop:
- RUSSIA
ATTACKS NATO (CAFETERIA): Putin’s mouthpiece, Sputnik News, served up a
story over the weekend headlined: “Forget Russia: NATO Officials Say
Bad Canteen Food Among Alliance’s Big Problems.” It is good to know
that Sputnik is worried about the quality of the cuisine in
Brussels. According to the article, officials at NATO say the chow
at their new $1.23 B headquarters is so bad the caterers “could end
up in The Hague.” Sputnik’s source was Politico.eu which quoted an
official as saying the cafeteria contractor is “…the Blackwater of the
catering world.” Man, that must be some gross grub.
|
|
|
