Ex-DoD Security Chief: China is Winning—it’s ‘A Done Deal’
The former chief software officer for the U.S. Air Force, Nicolas Chaillan, says the U.S. is falling far behind China in cybersecurity. In a no-holds-barred interview, he unloads his frustrations, built up over three years of inept bungling at the Pentagon.
He quit his job last month, in disgust. “We are setting up critical infrastructure to fail,” Chaillan warned. And now Defense Department officials will be bracing themselves for more criticism as he vows to testify to Congress.
Lauren Knausenberger now holds the poisoned chalice. In today’s SB Blogwatch, we plan to fail.
Your humble blogwatcher curated these bloggy bits for your entertainment. Not to mention: Fruit salad word salad.
Beijing Back Better
What’s the craic? Katrina Manson reports—“Chaillan speaks of ‘good reason to be angry’ as Beijing heads for ‘global dominance’”:
Kindergarten level”
In his first interview since leaving the post at the Department of Defense a week ago, Nicolas Chaillan told [me] the failure of the US to respond to Chinese cyber and other threats was putting his children’s future at risk. “We have no competing fighting chance against China in 15 to 20 years. Right now, it’s already a done deal; it is already over in my opinion,” he said.
…
Chaillan, 37, who spent three years on a Pentagon-wide effort to boost cyber security and as first chief software officer for the US Air Force, said Beijing is heading for global dominance because of its advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning and cyber capabilities. He argued these emerging technologies were far more critical to America’s future than hardware such as big-budget fifth-generation fighter jets such as the F-35.
…
Senior defence officials have acknowledged they “must do better” to attract, train and retain young cyber talent. … Chaillan announced his resignation in a blistering letter at the start of September, saying military officials were repeatedly put in charge of cyber initiatives for which they lacked experience, decrying Pentagon “laggards” and absence of funding.
…
Chaillan said he plans to testify to Congress about the Chinese cyber threat to US supremacy, including in classified briefings, over the coming weeks. … He added US cyber defences in some government departments were at “kindergarten level.”
Ouch. Bill Bostock bangs the drum—“A Pentagon official said he resigned because US cybersecurity is no match for China”:
At Beijing's beck and call”
Nicolas Chaillan joined the US Air Force as its first chief software officer in August 2018. He worked to equip it and the Pentagon with the most secure and advanced software available.
…
A number of US departments have been subject to hacking attempts and ransomware attacks in recent years. … In China, Chaillan said, private cyber and AI companies were at Beijing’s beck and call.
tl;dr? American Economic Liberties Project wonk @MatthewStoller cuts to the chase:
Most of the U.S. defense budget is wasted on expensive and outdated hardware, and China will soon easily be able to defeat us.
Yeah, yeah. Eclectic Man has heard it all before:
Claim the credit”
Seems like he speaks for most people involved in large government IT procurements. The bosses seem to think that actually understanding the nature of IT and procurement is almost a disqualification for the job.
…
How would you like it if your underlings understood their jobs better than you did and you had to let them get on with it? I mean they might actually get stuff done for which you could not claim the credit.
And ceoyoyo doesn’t sound surprised:
Thirty years ago jocks were shoving geeks in lockers. China, and other places in the developing world, are becoming STEM leaders because they value STEM education and people who have it.
Fnord. Are you getting that uneasy, confused feeling yet? Here’s u/82jon1911:
They won't work together on the common defense”
I’m torn on this. He’s definitely right, the Pentagon does not prioritize cyber. But I feel like there would have been a better route than quitting. If you’re one of the only people sounding the alarm and then you just walk away—now there’s no one sounding the alarm.
Testifying before Congress is useless. Half of them can’t work their email, most of them are in the pockets of the military industrial complex, and they’re all fighting amongst themselves to the point they won’t work together on the common defense—the thing the government is literally there for.
But Cybersaber is not so polite:
Faulty”
[It] comes off as sour grapes to me—regardless of whether it has merit. … It basically reads, “I know best, and they didn’t listen to me, so of course their decisions must be faulty.”
O RLY? “DC think-tanker” @RitaKonaev feels similarly:
Sorry”
This article is an embarrassment, and with all due respect, entirely colored by his particular, clearly bitter experience. There’s no argument DoD has challenges … but this type of defeatist & more importantly, just wrong rhetoric is useless, sorry.
Meanwhile, Noah Draper drowns his sorrows: [You’re fired—Ed.]
So maybe we learn from China this time? And the US could get over its insecure jealousy. … We have a lot to gain by learning from those who are more successful than us.
And Finally:
You have been reading SB Blogwatch by Richi Jennings. Richi curates the best bloggy bits, finest forums, and weirdest websites … so you don’t have to. Hate mail may be directed to @RiCHi or [email protected]. Ask your doctor before reading. Your mileage may vary. E&OE. 30.
Image sauce: Manoj Kumar Kasirajan (via Unsplash)
