The Department of Homeland Security concluded its first “Internal Threat Assessment,” a comprehensive report designed to inform the public about the biggest threats facing the country. The report, first received through CBS News, highlights the threats posed through China and Russia. and identifies white supremacists as the “most persistent and fatal threat” of all domestic violent extremist groups.
In an exclusive interview, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf said the report “touches all the major risk currents I observe on one basis. “
In September, a senior DHS official alleged in a whistleblowing complaint that Wolf had told him to withhel intelligence notification of Russian activities because it “made the president look bad,” and claimed that senior Trump administration officials suggested analysts minimize the risk of white violence. Supremacy. . . But Wolf told CBS News on Monday that the National Threat Assessment lost political influence.
“I’m well aware of those complaints,” he said. I think if you look at the document, Russia talks somewhere in the document between 30 and 40 times, so if we tried to minimize Russia, we didn’t do a very smart job, I would say. it is mentioned in particular there when we talk about elections, possible electoral interference or misinformation. . . We’re very direct. “
These are the main topics that are derived from the report.
The report cited potential risks from China, warns that the country “already poses a significant cyberspionage risk to the homeland and that Beijing’s cyberattack functions will expand. “
He also said China was a “particularly persistent” source of counterfeit medical materials during the coronavirus pandemic, claiming that more than one million FDA-banned COVID-19 control kits and 75,000 counterfeit masks had been seized from illicit Chinese manufacturers. it was tracking shortages in U. S. medical supply chains and said China could simply exploit shortages to force the government to adopt more pro-Chinese policies.
Wolf told CBS News that he believed that “the maximum long-term strategic risk to Americans to the homeland and to our way of life would be China’s risk. “
“It intersects with a variety of other risks, from the cyber risks we see, from foreign influence, to chain of origin security, the operation of our university and visa systems, foreign investment here in the United States, industry policy violations, etc. over and over and over again. . . “He said. ” In all areas, risk after risk, we see that China plays a very vital and strengthened role in seeking to harm the United States in the long run. “
The report highlighted Russia’s efforts to influence the 2020 U. S. presidential election by exacerbating existing social and political tensions in an effort to “influence perceptions of American voters. “
The report did not imply a Russian preference for an express candidate, but noted an effort to undermine Joe Biden’s campaign: “Russia has divisive measures to disrupt the electoral procedure, adding by denigrating former Vice President Biden and what he considers an anti-Russian “establishment” – as a component of a broader effort to divide and destabilize the United States. Array says the report.
Wolf told CBS News that, despite foreign attempts to influence the election, he does not believe that an electoral infrastructure has been compromised.
“What we do know now is that none of these countries aim for electoral infrastructure, at least it has done so successfully,” he said. “It’s different from what we saw in 2016 at the time, before the election. “
The report also highlighted Russia’s experience in cyberespionage and cyberattacks, warns that the country probably has the ability to cause attacks that would last hours or even days, and develops the ability to produce “more debilitating” attacks.
The report found that the maximum terrorist risk to the United States comes from “isolated criminals and ideologically motivated small groups,” and domestic violent extremists pose the “primary terrorist risk” within the United States. white supremacist extremists (WSE), will remain the ultimate persistent and fatal risk.
Teams of white supremacists have killed more people than any other national violent extremist group, according to the report. But Wolf told CBS News that the report “is also very transparent about anarchist threats. “
“. . . if you just look at the deaths, and you don’t look at the damage to assets, insurance claims and all the other social factors, and you just look at the deaths, then yes, white supremacist extremists are more sensitive “That category,” Wolf said. “But as we have noticed in recent months, the civil movements and unrest we have noticed here in the United States, while not lethal, have lasting implications for the homeland and pose a risk to the homeland. . ” The report states that “DHS law enforcement officials suffered more than three hundred injuries and were attacked with masses, commercial-grade fireworks, stones, steel pipes, improvised explosive devices, etc. “in relation to violence perpetrated through “anarchist extremists”.
The report referred to a number of other threats, adding Iran and Korea to the Norte. Si or the report notes that cyber capabilities in any of the countries are lower than those of China and Russia, warns that countries can simply expand the capacity to bring out disruptive attacks
While the report said U. S. counter-terrorism efforts have reduced the likelihood of a foreign terrorist attack on U. S. soil, it warned that terrorist teams “can temporarily adapt and resurface,” and said Iran will “continue to expand and maintain terrorist capabilities” to deter the United States from “regime action” or retaliation contrary to such activity. The report made it clear that the founding precept of the fight against terrorism “will be a precedent for the Department of Homeland Security. “
The report also cites illegal immigration, stating that while the vast majority of migrants pose a security risk, “routes taken through migrants to the United States have been exploited by risky actors. “
The report concluded by pointing to record hurricane and wildfire seasons that have caused billions of dollars in damage this year. Although the report cited active land control as a forward-looking solution for forest chimneys, it did not mention climate replacement in any of the segments, despite the fact that experts have connected the intensity of hurricane and wildfire seasons with global warming.