The Gertz File

Defense and National Security News


From Washington

By Bill Gertz

National Security Correspondent, The Washington Times


  • Latest articles

  • Emerging defense bill mandates Pentagon study on war with China in 2030
    Dec. 7, 2023

    Congress is ordering the Pentagon to conduct a major study of a U.S. war with China around 2030 under the draft of a compromise defense authorization bill approved by House and Senate conferees this week.
    (...Full story)

    China waging 'cognitive warfare' against the United States, Congress told
    Nov. 30, 2023

    China is waging political warfare to subvert the United States and western nations through extensive propaganda and disinformation operations, a panel of experts told Congress on Thursday.

    (...Full story)

    Facebook takes down thousands of Chinese accounts targeting U.S. elections and politics
    Nov. 30, 2023

    Social media giant Facebook has deactivated thousands of what it says are fraudulent accounts created in China to influence U.S. politics and bilateral relations, according to an investigative report by Facebook parent company Meta.

    (...Full story)

    China defense report links high-altitude spy balloons to hypersonic missile program
    Nov. 30, 2023

    China's high-altitude balloon program is linked to the military's hypersonic missile program and a new command for both systems is prepared to conduct "merciless" attacks in a future conflict with the United States, according to a Chinese defense research report.

    (...Full story)

    China accuses U.S. of 'navigation hegemony' after Navy transit
    Nov. 27, 2023

    China's military accused the Pentagon of engaging in "navigation hegemony" after a U.S. Navy warship conducted a freedom of navigation voyage in the South China Sea last weekend.

    (...Full story)



    Rights group says police ignored attacks on protesters by pro-China activists
    Nov. 20, 2023

    Police in San Francisco failed to halt street attacks on human rights activists who were beaten by pro-Beijing supporters during the visit last week by Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to the group Human Rights in China.
    (...Full story)

    Pentagon turns to press flacks and academics to help fight information wars
    Nov. 18, 2023

    A new U.S. approach to waging information warfare operations states that military and civilian defense organizations will rely on Pentagon public affairs officials with support from academics and non-government organizations to counter Chinese and Russian disinformation.

    (...Full story)

    Defense Secretary Austin affirms U.S. defense commitment to Taiwan in wake of Xi-Biden summit
    Nov. 16, 2023

    The United States is not backing off its defensive support for Taiwan, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday, a day after President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed the future of the island democracy at a summit of Pacific Rim nations in San Francisco.

    (...Full story)

    Talking to Biden, preparing for war -- U.S. panel sees Xi bracing China for conflict to come
    Nov. 14, 2023

    Chinese President Xi Jinping is preparing his military forces for war and directing the rest of the country to prepare for economic hardships that conflict would bring, according to the latest annual report from a congressional commission on China.

    (...Full story)

    Xi Jinping's goals for APEC summit, Biden meeting revealed by China state-controlled outlets
    Nov. 13, 2023

    Chinese President Xi Jinping meets President Biden this week on the sidelines of an international economic summit in San Francisco seeking concessions from the United States on ideology, trade and exports, according to a review of Chinese state media ahead of the meeting.

    (...Full story)

    China hires U.S. scientists for technology; Westerners paid well to shift global innovation power
    Nov. 13, 2023

    China is investing more than $1.4 billion in a new institute run by former scientists at the Los Alamos nuclear weapons laboratory, part of an ambitious program to hire top U.S. scientists and obtain advanced American technology, according to an investigation by The Washington Times.

    (...Full story)

    White House confirms Biden, China's Xi to meet during San Francisco APEC summit
    Nov. 10, 2023

    President Biden will seek to reduce mounting U.S.-China trade and political tensions during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at a summit of Pacific Rim leaders in San Francisco next week, the White House confirmed Friday.

    (...Full story)

    U.S., Canadian warships sail in Taiwan Strait amid PLA war games
    Nov. 2, 2023

    U.S. and Canadian warships transited the tension-filled Taiwan Strait as China flew dozens of aircraft near the island and a Chinese aircraft carrier is deployed east of Taiwan.

    (...Full story)

    Universities close Chinese-backed Confucius Institutes after government pressure, security concerns
    Oct. 31, 2023

    Chinese government-linked language and cultural centers based at U.S. universities and schools largely are closed over congressional security concerns, according to a report by Congress' General Accountability Office.

    (...Full story)

    Chinese generals rattle sabers at U.S. on war over Taiwan
    Oct. 30, 2023

    Chinese generals took aim at the U.S. military on Monday with blunt warnings that foreign forces in a war to take Taiwan will be crushed, but they also held out the prospect of ending a lengthy boycott on direct military-to-military talks with the Pentagon.

    (...Full story)

    Pentagon fails to restart military talks, exchanges that China severed over Pelosi's visit to Taiwan
    Oct. 29, 2023

    The Pentagon is still seeking to restart talks and military-to-military exchanges with China cut off by Beijing last year, but so far the effort has failed to temper mounting animosity toward the American military by the People's Liberation Army.

    (...Full story)

    Pacific Fleet denies Chinese military claim of unsafe warship encounters
    Oct. 27, 2023

    Two recent encounters between a Navy guided missile destroyer and two People's Liberation Army warships in the South China Sea were safe, legal, and not provocative, according to a statement from the Navy's Pacific Fleet that seeks to rebut accusations from Chinese defense officials.

    (...Full story)

    Chinese jet conducts unsafe night intercept of B-52 bomber, Pentagon says
    Oct. 19, 2023

    China responded to recent Pentagon complaints about nearly 200 dangerous aerial jet encounters by flying one of its fighters dangerously close to a U.S. B-52 bomber this week, American defense and military officials said Thursday.

    (...Full story)

    Missing Chinese defense minister formally ousted
    Oct. 24, 2023

    China's Defense Minister Gen. Li Shangfu, who has been missing from public view for several weeks, was formally ousted from his post Tuesday, according to China's official state media.

    (...Full story)

    Pentagon outlines multiple Chinese attack plans for Taiwan
    Oct. 23, 2023

    China's military is building up forces for an attack on Taiwan that could take place in the coming years as part of a campaign by President Xi Jinping for "national rejuvenation," according to the latest Pentagon's annual report on the Chinese military.

    (...Full story)

    China's rapid buildup of nuclear weapons shows no end in sight, Pentagon warns
    Oct. 19, 2023

    China's rapid buildup of missiles, bombers, submarines and nuclear warheads is continuing apace with no announced end goal as part of a drive by the Chinese Communist Party to replace the United States as the world's sole superpower, according to the Pentagon's annual report on Chinese military power.

    (...Full story)

    Commerce adds new controls on computer chip exports to China
    Oct. 17, 2023

    The Commerce Department announced new rules Tuesday to limit exports of advanced equipment in a bid to prevent China from using U.S. technology for its military buildup.

    (...Full story)

    Pentagon warns risky and coercive China air encounters could trigger a war
    Oct. 17, 2023

    China is engaged in a systematic program of military intimidation and coercion involving dangerous jet intercepts of U.S. and allied aircraft that could trigger a U.S.-China conflict, the Pentagon's senior policymaker for Asia said Tuesday.

    (...Full story)

    U.S. warplane flies over Taiwan Strait
    Oct. 12, 2023

    The Navy's Seventh Fleet dispatched a P-8 maritime patrol aircraft through the disputed Taiwan Strait on Thursday in a bid to counter expansive Chinese claims over the 100-mile-wide waterway.

    (...Full story)

    U.S. nuclear forces will be unable to deter Russia and China, bipartisan Hill panel warns
    Oct. 12, 2023

    The U.S. military will soon be unable to deter the strategic nuclear threat posed by both Russia and China and must expand the American arsenal rapidly, according to a bipartisan congressional commission.

    (...Full story)

    Focus on Israel-Gaza war raises fears of China attack on Taiwan
    Oct. 11, 2023

    The emergence of a second conflict outside the Asia-Pacific region is fueling more concerns that China will exploit the distraction of the West to launch an anticipated military operation against Taiwan, according to two congressional leaders and security analysts.

    (...Full story)

    Schumer faults China for initial failure to condemn Hamas' attacks
    Oct. 9, 2023

    Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized China during a visit to Beijing Monday for initially failing to condemn the murder of hundreds of civilians in the recent Hamas attack in Israel.

    (...Full story)

    Defense bill talks continue despite House speaker drama
    Oct. 5, 2023

    Negotiations on resolving differences between the House and Senate versions of the fiscal 2024 defense authorization bill are moving ahead despite the ouster of Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy, according to congressional aides.

    (...Full story)

    TikTok blocks Beijing critics, State Department report says
    Oct. 3, 2023

    The popular video app TikTok is working with the Chinese government to restrict people critical of Beijing from sharing their views on the platform, according to a report by the State Department's counter-disinformation office.

    (...Full story)

    'Long March': Beijing escalates use of disinformation as propaganda tool
    Sept. 28, 2023

    China's government is engaged in a massive global campaign to promote its communist system and counter dissenting voices, according to a U.S. government report.

    (...Full story)

    Electronic GPS 'spoofing' behind civilian jet navigation failures over Iraq
    Sept. 28, 2023

    False electronic signals imitating satellite data from Global Position System satellites recently caused complete navigation failures for 12 aircraft flights near Iran, according to a private aircraft security group.

    (...Full story)

    U.S. strategic oil reserve at lowest level in decades, even as tensions with China mount
    Sept. 26, 2023

    The Biden administration has sharply reduced oil stocks in the national Strategic Petroleum Reserve to the lowest levels in decades while China bolsters its oil reserves and ratchets up tensions over a potential conflict with Taiwan.

    (...Full story)

    Voice of America director resigns amid congressional corruption probe at broadcaster
    Sept. 22, 2023

    The acting director of the troubled Voice of America resigned abruptly this week amid a congressional investigation into corruption allegations at the official U.S. global broadcaster.

    (...Full story)

    State Department IT contractor charged with spying for Ethiopia
    Sept. 21, 2023

    A State Department information technology contractor who had access to secret U.S. intelligence reports was arrested last month on espionage charges for selling secrets to Ethiopia, the Justice Department disclosed Thursday.

    (...Full story)

    Pentagon warns ending strategic ambiguity on Taiwan will trigger a Chinese attack
    Sept. 19, 2023

    The United States will keep its policy of strategic ambiguity on whether American forces will defend Taiwan from Chinese attack over fears a shift in the doctrine would set off an invasion by Beijing, a Pentagon official told Congress on Tuesday.

    (...Full story)

    Chinese military conducts massive dispatch of jets near Taiwan
    Sept. 18, 2023

    China's military stepped up its provocative military operations around Taiwan over the weekend, flying over 100 military aircraft near the island democracy it has vowed one day to take over.

    (...Full story)

    Pentagon to build space weapons, new strategy reveals
    Sept. 15, 2023

    The Pentagon will develop and deploy new space weapons to battle Chinese and Russian space forces in a future conflict, according to a strategy report.

    (...Full story)

    Stepped-up Chinese aerial intercepts may lead to a global crisis, U.S. Pacific command warns
    Sept. 15, 2023

    China's military is increasing the use of dangerous aerial intercepts of American and allied aircraft in Asia that could lead to loss of life and an international crisis, according to a legal analysis by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

    (...Full story)

    NSA, FBI warn of expanding use of 'deepfakes' in new report
    Sept. 14, 2023

    Criminals and intelligence services are expected to increase the use of "deepfakes" -- manipulated and misleading audio and video images -- to target government and the private sector for disinformation operations or financial gain, according to a new joint intelligence report.

    (...Full story)

    A new era: Construction of strategic lithium processing plant kicks off
    Sept. 6, 2023

    THACKER PASS, Nevada -- Construction crews are getting to work on a lithium processing plant here at an open pit mine in northern Nevada that mine owners say will -- finally -- soon produce vital material for electric vehicle batteries, a key part of the Biden administration climate change agenda.

    (...Full story)

    Chinese electronic spies target Taiwan, Microsoft report claims
    Aug. 28, 2023

    A group of state-sponsored Chinese hackers carried out attacks against dozens of organizations in Taiwan as part of a sophisticated cyber-espionage operation, according to a report by computer software giant Microsoft.

    (...Full story)

    Chinese nanotechnology fueling advanced bio, cyber weapons, electronic warfare tools, study warns
    Aug. 26, 2023

    The Chinese military is building sophisticated biological weapons and small-scale electronic tools made with nanotechnology that could be used in covert warfare, a major study warns.

    (...Full story)

    China's military working on AI weapons and systems for warfighting and 'overthrowing regimes'
    Aug. 22, 2023

    China's military is working on artificial intelligence weapons and technical systems that the Communist Party-ruled government in Beijing hopes will boost the People's Liberation Army's war-fighting capabilities.

    (...Full story)



    China holds large war games in response to Taiwan VP's U.S. visit
    Aug. 21, 2023

    China has carried out war games around Taiwan involving battleships and scores of aircraft during recent days in what a Chinese military spokesman declared was a saber-rattling political message to Taipei opposing the recent U.S. visit by Taiwanese Vice President William Lai.
    (...Full story)

    Pentagon ill-prepared for bio warfare attacks from adversaries such as China, Russia
    Aug. 18, 2023

    The Pentagon needs to improve defenses and readiness against biological weapons attacks and is ill-prepared for germ warfare attacks from China or other adversaries, according to a biodefense posture report.

    (...Full story)

    General: China military threats drive missile defense buildup on Guam
    Aug. 17, 2023

    The Pentagon is engaged in a crash program to build up missile defenses on Guam based on growing concerns of possible missile attacks from China, the Army general in charge of missile defense for the Indo-Pacific command said Thursday.

    (...Full story)

    No let-up in China nuclear weapons expansion, Stratcom general says
    Aug. 16, 2023

    China is showing no let-up in the rapid expansion of its nuclear forces and now joins Russia in posing a dual threat to American strategic deterrence of a nuclear conflict, the commander of the U.S. Strategic Command said Wednesday.

    (...Full story)

    China adopts interim AI rule requiring technology to back the communist system
    Aug. 15, 2023

    China on Tuesday implemented a new interim regulation requiring providers of artificial intelligence services to support the communist system and prevent the technology from subverting state power, according to the text of the administrative measure.

    (...Full story)

    Taiwan braced for new Chinese military moves following vice president's U.S. visit
    Aug. 14, 2023

    Taiwan's military said it is preparing for Chinese military operations around the island in the coming days as an expected saber-rattling response to the U.S. visit by Taiwan Vice President William Lai, the front-runner ahead of next year's presidential vote.

    (...Full story)

    Intelligence chief releases strategy urging sharper focus on China, Russia
    Aug. 10, 2023

    The government's lead intelligence agencies are retooling to deal with rising threats posed by China and Russia while also adopting hiring policies aimed at making spy services more inclusive and diverse, according to a new strategy outline from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

    (...Full story)

    Threat from China prompts major military buildup by Japan, including long-range strike weapons
    July 28, 2023

    A security "crisis" mainly posed by threats from China is behind Japan's largest military buildup since World War II, including new strike weapons and asymmetric warfare arms, according to a defense strategy report made public Friday.

    (...Full story)

    U.S. intelligence agencies say China helping Russia evade sanctions, export controls
    July 27, 2023

    China has become a major economic supporter of Russia since the invasion of Ukraine and is assisting Moscow in evading economic sanctions and export controls on technology, according to a U.S. intelligence assessment made public Thursday.

    (...Full story)

    General tapped for Space Command chief declines to endorse DEI policies
    July 27, 2023

    The three-star general nominated to head the U.S. Space Command declined to endorse the Biden administration's diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies in the military at a Senate hearing on Wednesday.

    (...Full story)

    U.S. general: China likely to send more spy balloons over U.S.
    July 26, 2023

    China's dispatch of a suspected surveillance balloon over the United States earlier this year is likely to be repeated, the nominee to lead the Pentagon's Northern Command told Congress on Wednesday.

    (...Full story)

    Outspoken Chinese foreign minister purged by Xi Jinping
    July 25, 2023

    China's government removed Foreign Minister Qin Gang from his post on Tuesday with no explanation after the minister's mysterious disappearance from public view last month, state media reported.

    (...Full story)

    Beijing vows to thwart renewed U.S. spying after CIA Director Burns' remarks
    July 24, 2023

    China will prevent the CIA from conducting intelligence operations in the country after CIA Director William Burns said last week the agency has made progress in rebuilding lost agent networks, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Monday.

    (...Full story)

    White House adviser calls on China to hold nuclear arms talks
    July 21, 2023

    China's buildup of nuclear missiles and other strategic weapons requires that Beijing begin nuclear talks with the U.S., White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Friday.

    (...Full story)

    CIA rebuilding spy networks in China a decade after losing agents, director reveals
    July 20, 2023

    The Central Intelligence Agency is working to rebuild spy networks in China after a devastating counterintelligence loss of its recruited-agent networks there more than a decade ago, CIA Director William Burns disclosed Thursday.

    (...Full story)

    U.S. uses sanctions to deny China tools for brain warfare, toxin weapons
    July 20, 2023

    The U.S. government is employing sanctions and export controls to limit China's military buildup, including development of brain warfare and toxin weapons, a senior Commerce Department official told Congress on Thursday.

    (...Full story)

    'Impossible' to transform China, Kissinger told on Beijing visit
    July 19, 2023

    Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger visited China this week for meetings with senior officials and was told that any Western effort to transform China or encircle the country was "impossible."

    (...Full story)

    U.S. stumped by mysterious absence of Chinese foreign minister
    July 19, 2023

    Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang is missing from public view and his whereabouts are a mystery to the U.S. government, a senior Biden administration official said.

    (...Full story)

    White House Asia policy chief: Communism drives new Xi policies
    July 17, 2023

    Chinese communist ideology has become the driving force behind President Xi Jinping's campaign to make the regime the world's dominant power, according to the White House's most senior China affairs policymaker.

    (...Full story)

    Trump adviser targeted in Chinese-funded plot to push pro-Beijing policies, U.S. says
    July 11, 2023

    A dual U.S.-Israeli citizen who once lived in Maryland has been indicted for serving as a Chinese agent and working with Beijing in a 2016 plot to recruit a senior adviser to President-elect Donald Trump to push pro-China policies.

    (...Full story)

    China's military is leading the world in brain 'neurostrike' weapons: Report
    July 6, 2023

    China's People's Liberation Army is developing high-technology weapons designed to disrupt brain functions and influence government leaders or entire populations, according to a report by three open-source intelligence analysts.

    (...Full story)

    Vietnam bans Barbie movie over pro-Chinese map of disputed S. China Sea
    July 3, 2023

    Vietnam's communist government has banned domestic screenings of the forthcoming film "Barbie" over a scene from the movie that shows a map of China's expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea, according to reports from Asia.

    (...Full story)

    Space Force urgently needs counterspace weapons to deter war with China, new study finds
    June 29, 2023

    The Space Force needs new offensive weapons and more sophisticated defenses to counter China's rapid deployment of multiple space arms that would pose major dangers for the U.S. military in a conflict, according to an extensive study.

    (...Full story)

    House bill directs Pentagon to study wartime naval blockade of China
    June 27, 2023

    The House version of a major defense authorization bill now working its way through Congress would order Pentagon planners to study the feasibility of imposing a U.S. naval blockade of China to prevent oil shipments from reaching the country in the event of a future conflict.

    (...Full story)

    China's ties to Putin, Kremlin shaken by mercenary uprising
    June 26, 2023

    China's leadership is closely watching recent events in Russia, concerned that a similar military revolt may erupt in Beijing, a senior White House official said Monday.

    (...Full story)

    Blinken's visit to China fails to restart military-to-military talks
    June 20, 2023

    A key Biden administration goal for averting a future war with China through greater military-to-military exchanges went unmet as Chinese officials refused to reopen the communications channel during recent top-level talks in Beijing.

    (...Full story)

    China conducts nighttime bomber sorties around Taiwan
    June 19, 2023

    China's military this week carried out nighttime bomber missions around Taiwan, flights that coincided with the visit to Beijing by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Chinese state media reported Monday.

    (...Full story)

    Navy at risk of losing submarine edge to advanced undersea defenses by China and Russia
    June 8, 2023

    Advances in undersea warfare and defenses by China and Russia are endangering the key strategic ability of U.S. Navy nuclear attack submarines to deter a war in the Taiwan Strait or track adversarial missile submarines, according to a report by two experts on American defense capabilities.

    (...Full story)

    New Cold War? U.S., China defense chiefs square off in Singapore
    June 6, 2023

    U.S. and Chinese military leaders squared off at a major security conference in Singapore: Beijing asserted that its forces are ready for war over Taiwan, while U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin chided China for its increasingly aggressive military actions in the region.

    (...Full story)

    U.S. halts Russian arms inspections, data exchange on missile launches
    June 1, 2023

    Russian arms inspections under the New START arms accord were halted by the Biden administration Thursday in response to Moscow's suspension of the treaty, the State Department said.

    (...Full story)

    Xi tells Communist Party security organs to prepare for 'worst-case' scenarios
    June 1, 2023

    Chinese President Xi Jinping urged top security officials of the ruling Communist Party this week to modernize the country's national security system and warned them to be ready for "worst-case" scenarios amid growing tensions with the United States.

    (...Full story)

    Indo-Pacific commander warns China's leader on cost of war
    May 31, 2023

    Adm. John Aquilino, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific command, recently warned Chinese President Xi Jinping that any attempt to take Taiwan by force would result in massive losses of "blood and treasure" for China.

    (...Full story)

    Guardians of diversity? State Department seeks gender equality, inclusion in space
    May 30, 2023

    The State Department unveiled a new space diplomacy strategy on Tuesday in a bid to counter efforts by China and Russia to militarize space and challenge U.S. power.

    (...Full story)

    U.S. sanctions Chinese, Mexicans over scheme to make fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills
    May 30, 2023

    The U.S. government on Tuesday imposed sanctions on 17 entities from China and Mexico for their alleged role in producing illicit fentanyl that has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans through drug overdoses.

    (...Full story)

    China's growing arsenal boosts risk of nuclear war, study says
    May 29, 2023

    China's rapid large-scale buildup of nuclear missiles, submarines, bombers, including an orbiting nuclear strike weapon, is increasing the danger of nuclear war, according to a study.

    (...Full story)



    China dismisses Biden statement on a coming thaw in U.S.-China relations
    May 18, 2023

    China's government has rejected President Biden's assertion that a thaw in tense U.S.-China relations is coming soon, with Beijing demanding an end to sanctions on Chinese officials and companies, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
    (...Full story)

    China arrests stand-up comedian for joke about its military
    May 18, 2023

    China's military can't take a joke. The Communist government in Beijing took action against a stand-up comic who made fun of the People's Liberation Army during a recent comedy routine, according to reports from Asia.

    (...Full story)

    NORAD says Russian nuclear bombers tracked near Alaska were not a threat
    May 17, 2023

    The U.S.-Canadian air defense command is downplaying two recent Russian military encounters near Alaska as nonthreatening -- despite one intrusion that included nuclear-capable bombers.

    (...Full story)

    China sentences U.S. citizen to life in prison on espionage charges
    May 15, 2023

    A 78-year-old U.S. citizen has been sentenced to life in prison on espionage charges, Chinese state media reported Monday.

    (...Full story)

    China expands targeting of U.S with Russian-style covert influence operations
    May 12, 2023

    China's government is expanding the use of covert influence operations targeting the United States and is expected to exploit the White House-congressional clash over the debt limit crisis as part of growing anti-U.S. activities, the director of national intelligence said.

    (...Full story)

    Taiwan ambassador: China a threat, but island still open for business
    May 9, 2023

    Taiwan's democracy is confronting both military and "gray zone" information warfare threats from China and is adopting asymmetric weapons to defend itself, the country's unofficial ambassador to the United States said in an interview.

    (...Full story)

    Risk of war with China over Taiwan is real, intel leaders warn
    April 25, 2023

    Threats from China and the potential of a war over Taiwan pose real dangers for the U.S., two top intelligence officials said during an annual briefing to Congress on Thursday.

    (...Full story)

    U.S. to protect Philippines navy, coast guard ships from China under defense pact
    May 1, 2023

    U.S. forces will defend Philippines coast guard vessels used to resupply an unusual sea base in the disputed South China Sea under a U.S.-Philippines defense treaty, the State Department said.

    (...Full story)

    U.S. nuclear missile sub seen in Guam on possible trip to South Korea
    April 27, 2023

    A U.S. Navy Ohio-class nuclear submarine arrived at the U.S. island of Guam recently and could be the first such submarine to sail to South Korea since the 1980s, under an agreement announced by Seoul and Washington on Wednesday.

    (...Full story)

    Second House panel investigating China's U.S. police stations
    April 25, 2023

    The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee wants the FBI and Department of Homeland Security to provide more information on suspected Chinese government police stations and other malign activities by Beijing in the United States.

    (...Full story)

    Pentagon leak says China conducted first operation with new helicopter carrier
    April 24, 2023

    Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were briefed on intelligence regarding a new Chinese helicopter aircraft carrier that is poised to be a significant tool for Beijing's plan to project power in the region, according to a leaked Pentagon document.

    (...Full story)

    Treasury Secretary Yellen extends olive branch with China policy speech
    April 21, 2023

    The Biden administration's top voice on economic policy called this week for a return to policies of greater economic and other engagement with China, despite Beijing's shift from market reforms and rising anti-U.S. sentiment in Beijing.

    (...Full story)

    U.S. admiral: Risk of war with China is growing
    April 18, 2023

    The risk of a conflict with China is increasing as a result of aggressive activities by Beijing, the admiral in charge of U.S. forces in the Pacific told Congress on Tuesday.

    (...Full story)

    U.S. Navy warship transits Taiwan Strait, in first passage since major Chinese drills
    April 17, 2023

    A U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Monday a week after Beijing announced its coast guard dispatched a large ship to inspect vessels in the disputed waterway.

    (...Full story)

    Russian space war prowess showcased in Ukraine conflict
    April 14, 2023

    Russia's military has deployed several cutting-edge space warfare tools during its nearly 15-month war in Ukraine, using its space assets for intelligence operations and to limit the Ukrainian military's battlefield command and control, according to a new report.

    (...Full story)

    China's 'united front' influence operations seek to undermine American society, report warns
    April 14, 2023

    China's ruling Communist Party is engaged in systematic efforts to undermine American and Western societies through the operations of a party organ called the United Front Work Department, according to an extensive new think tank report.

    (...Full story)

    Navy conducts warship passage in South China Sea amid Beijing tensions
    April 10, 2023

    A U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer sailed through a disputed area of the South China Sea on Monday, pushing back against territorial claims by China amid rising bilateral tensions, the 7th Fleet said in a statement.

    (...Full story)

    Russian defector describes Putin as a paranoid war criminal
    April 9, 2023

    Russian President Vladimir Putin gets his information from intelligence reports and does not use a handheld device for communications, according to a former Federal Guard Service engineer who recently defected from Russia.

    (...Full story)

    Military expert warns China is waging low-level war on America
    April 7, 2023

    Chinese military forces increased aerial and warship activity near Taiwan on The United States urgently needs to counter an ongoing, undeclared political war being waged by China, according to a new book by a retired Marine colonel and China expert.

    (...Full story)

    China steps up incursions near Taiwan prior to Tsai-McCarthy meeting
    April 4, 2023

    Chinese military forces increased aerial and warship activity near Taiwan on Tuesday, one day before House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is set to meet the island's president in California, according to Taiwan defense authorities.

    (...Full story)

    Protecting farmland: America pressed to weed China out of U.S. agriculture acreage
    April 2, 2023

    China's government is systematically buying U.S. farmland as part of a strategy to meet soaring domestic demand and bolster an agricultural sector beset by decreasing arable land and polluted water.

    (...Full story)

    China poses 'existential' threat more dangerous than Soviet Union during Cold War: Report
    April 2, 2023

    The United States is engaged in a new Cold War with China and needs to counter the "existential" threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party to the United States and the world order it leads, according to a major new report by the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank.

    (...Full story)

    White House Indo-Pac point man Campbell says China ties enter new phase of competition
    March 30, 2023

    Heightened tensions between the United States and China reflect a new phase of relations between the two powerful states, a senior White House official said Thursday.

    (...Full story)

    State Department rejects Russian suspension of New START nuclear arms treaty
    March 17, 2023

    The State Department is rejecting Russia's suspension of the last Cold War nuclear arms treaty, saying the Kremlin's move is illegal.

    (...Full story)

    Chinese military commanders refuse talks with U.S. admiral
    March 16, 2023

    Two Chinese military commanders are refusing to consult with the commander of the Pentagon's Indo-Pacific Command amid rising tensions between the two militaries, Adm. John C. Aquilino, the U.S. Pacific commander said Thursday in Singapore.

    (...Full story)

    China, Russia deploying space weapons to attack U.S. satellites, warns Space Force chief
    March 14, 2023

    China's military has deployed 347 satellites, including 35 launched in the past six months, to target U.S. forces in a future conflict, the commander of the Space Force told a Senate hearing on Tuesday.

    (...Full story)

    U.S., Britain commit to deploying nuclear subs to Australia with a eye to China's growth
    March 13, 2023

    The United States and Britain will deploy nuclear-powered attack submarines to Australia as part of the mini-alliance known as AUKUS, and Australia will buy up to five of the Navy's frontline Virginia-class nuclear submarines in the coming years, the Biden administration disclosed on Monday.

    (...Full story)

    China outpacing U.S. in hypersonic missiles, Defense Intelligence Agency warns
    March 10, 2023

    China's military is deploying ultra-high-speed missiles at a rate that poses an increasing threat of nuclear and conventional attacks on the United States, a senior Defense Intelligence Agency official told Congress on Friday.

    (...Full story)



    Pentagon says Russia supplying fuel for Chinese nuclear warheads
    March 8, 2023

    The Pentagon expressed concern Wednesday that Russia is supplying uranium for Chinese reactors that are producing plutonium for warheads as part of Beijing large-scale nuclear build-up.
    (...Full story)

    Chinese foreign minister warns U.S. policies pushing countries toward war
    March 7, 2023

    China's foreign minister said Tuesday that U.S. efforts to contain and pressure his country will lead to confrontation and conflict unless Washington changes its policies.

    (...Full story)

    Construction begins on Nevada lithium mine despite fierce legal battles
    March 4, 2023

    A construction firm has pushed aside legal roadblocks and begun work on what is being called America's largest lithium mine, a project backed by the Biden administration but opposed by leftist environmentalist groups and some American Indians.

    (...Full story)

    Code Pink protesters disrupt inaugural House China committee hearing
    Feb. 28, 2023

    Two Code Pink activists attempted to disrupt the inaugural hearing of a House select committee on the Chinese Communist Party and were escorted out by security officials.

    (...Full story)

    Hill Republicans fault Biden administration efforts to meet China threats
    Feb. 28, 2023

    The Commerce Department approved sales of sensitive U.S. technology to China worth $23 billion during a six-month period last year, despite an announced policy by the Biden administration to prevent American know-how from being used to bolster the Chinese military.

    (...Full story)

    Navy intel chief warns the U.S. is naive about threat from China
    Feb. 27, 2023

    American political leaders and the general population are suffering from "China blindness," failing to understand the nature of the threat to U.S. security posed by the communist regime, according to the admiral in charge of naval intelligence.

    (...Full story)

    Attacks on U.S. electric power grid expected to grow
    Feb. 23, 2023

    Service-disrupting attacks on the U.S. electrical power grid are expected to increase in the coming years, a new report by a leading industry group is warning.

    (...Full story)

    Pompeo's memoir details dramatic shift in U.S. policy toward China
    Feb. 21, 2023

    Chinese President Xi Jinping is the world's "most dangerous" leader and ultimately wants to rule the world, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo writes in a new memoir detailing his four years as a top intelligence and diplomatic voice in the Trump administration.

    (...Full story)

    Russian suspension of New START latest blow to Biden's arms control hopes
    Feb. 21, 2023

    President Vladimir Putin's announcement Tuesday that Russia was "suspending" its adherence to the New START arms treaty is the latest blow to the Biden administration's battered arms control agenda.

    (...Full story)

    Biden administration backs curbs on military artificial intelligence uses
    Feb. 16, 2023

    The Biden administration on Thursday announced a proposed arms control agreement to limit the use of artificial intelligence and autonomy for the world's military forces and weapons systems.

    (...Full story)

    Rising red threat as China now outpaces U.S. in intercontinental-ballistic missile launchers
    Feb. 12, 2023

    Senior Republicans on the House and Senate Armed Services committees disclosed last week that China's rapidly expanding nuclear forces now exceed the number of U.S. intercontinental-ballistic missile launchers, with little indication that Beijing plans to slow the buildup of its strategic forces.

    (...Full story)

    Chinese military confirms snub of U.S. Defense Secretary Austin's call over balloon
    Feb. 9, 2023

    China's Defense Ministry acknowledged Thursday it refused to accept a phone call from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin following the shootdown of a surveillance balloon over the Atlantic last week.

    (...Full story)

    Balloons serve multiple roles in Chinese warfare
    Feb. 6, 2023

    China's People's Liberation Army plans to use high-altitude balloons to counter long-range U.S. drones, launch psychological warfare operations and gather intelligence, a review of Chinese military and technical writings reveals.

    (...Full story)

    China: U.S. violated 'international practice' in shooting down spy balloon
    Feb. 5, 2023

    China expressed outrage Sunday over the U.S. military's shooting down a day earlier of a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina, as the Navy began retrieving wreckage from the Atlantic Ocean and the political rhetoric ramped up in Washington.

    (...Full story)

    White House calls Chinese balloon flight over U.S. 'unacceptable' violation of sovereignty
    Feb. 3, 2023

    The Biden administration on Friday said China's dispatch of a high-altitude surveillance balloon over American airspace violated U.S. sovereignty and was "unacceptable," brushing aside a Chinese apology and Beijing's claim that the high-altitude aerostat was an errant weather balloon.

    (...Full story)

    China held Taiwan war council in October, general's memo reveals
    Feb. 2, 2023

    The four-star Air Force general who predicted a likely war with China within two years also revealed in his memo that Chinese President Xi Jinping has convened a "war council" of senior military leaders on Taiwan.

    (...Full story)

    U.S. says Russia violating last major arms treaty
    Jan. 31, 2022

    The Biden administration on Tuesday formally accused Russia of violating the New START arms treaty over what it said was Moscow's failure to allow inspections of weapons sites or agree to meetings on treaty disputes.

    (...Full story)

    Global militaries go on shopping spree at U.S. arms expo, spurred by threats from China and Russia
    Jan. 23, 2022

    Russia's war in Ukraine and China's growing threats against Taiwan have sent militaries from both regions on shopping sprees in an unlikely locale: the No. 1 gambling destination in the U.S.

    (...Full story)

    No kickbacks: A high-tech recoilless rifle could be in the Army's future
    Jan. 19, 2022

    LAS VEGAS -- Army troops in the future may very well go into combat armed with a high-technology rifle that produces almost no kick and can be outfitted with electronics capable of seeing around corners, according to the co-inventors.

    (...Full story)

    Nimitz carrier strike group sails in disputed South China Sea
    Jan. 13, 2022

    An aircraft carrier strike group led by the USS Nimitz is conducting operations in the disputed South China Sea, including practice strike missions by aircraft, the Navy disclosed Friday.

    (...Full story)

    China's military threatens Taiwan takeover in music video
    Jan. 13, 2022

    China's military released a music video this week highlighting stepped-up operations by Chinese warplanes and warships around Taiwan.

    (...Full story)

    U.S. defeats China in simulated war over Taiwan, but costs are high, says new study on risks
    Jan. 9, 2022

    A sophisticated new study of a simulated war between China and the U.S. over Taiwan reveals Chinese forces would be defeated in the conflict but with a high cost in casualties and heavy losses of U.S. and allied large ships and aircraft, according to a think tank report made public Monday.

    (...Full story)

    How China pirated U.S. technology to rapidly expand its nuclear weapon arsenal
    Jan. 5, 2022

    Beijing's rapid buildup of nuclear forces has been assisted by American nuclear and missile technology obtained by Chinese spies and through U.S. space and nuclear cooperation in the 1990s, according to a review of Chinese technology records and internal U.S. government documents.

    (...Full story)

    U.S. Navy warship sails through Taiwan Strait amid rising tensions
    Jan. 5, 2022

    A U.S. Navy warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Thursday in what Pentagon officials said was a demonstration of the U.S. commitment to keep the waterway that separates Taiwan from mainland China open to international traffic.

    (...Full story)

    U.S. rejects China's claim American pilot to blame for near collision over South China Sea
    Jan. 3, 2023

    The Chinese military jet pilot who nearly collided with a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft last month was solely responsible for the dangerous encounter, a spokesman for the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said Tuesday

    (...Full story)

    China's nukes use U.S. technology
    Jan. 3, 2023

    Beijing's rapid buildup of nuclear forces has been assisted by American nuclear and missile technology obtained by Chinese spies and through U.S. space and nuclear cooperation in the 1990s, according to a review of Chinese technology records and internal U.S. government documents.

    (...Full story)

    Once-secret files reveal new details of CIA's divisive defector dispute
    Jan. 1, 2023

    Once-secret government documents reveal long-hidden details on one of the CIA's most prominent Cold War controversies, involving defecting Soviet intelligence agents and U.S. counterspy programs targeting the Kremlin's strategic deception operations against the West.

    (...Full story)

    A red threat lurking beneath the sea: China dramatically ramping up submarine fleet
    Jan. 1, 2023

    China's military is building up its submarine forces as a priority for its large-scale military modernization, according to the latest annual Pentagon report on the Chinese military.

    (...Full story)

    China sanctions former State Department official, congressional aide
    Dec. 22, 2022

    China on Friday slapped sanctions on two Americans, a former senior State Department official and a congressional aide, according to state media.

    (...Full story)

    How China has been thrust into the crosshairs of U.S. intelligence agencies
    Dec. 18, 2022

    The 2023 fiscal intelligence authorization bill now in the final stages in Congress includes many provisions related to China, including a requirement for U.S. intelligence agencies to produce an annual report on Chinese influence operations in the United States.

    (...Full story)



    Indictment reveals details of alleged aircraft carrier pilot training for China by ex-Marine
    Dec. 15, 2022

    A former Marine Corps and Navy pilot was charged with illegally providing aircraft carrier flight training to Chinese military pilots, according to court papers in the case of Daniel Duggan.
    (...Full story)

    NSA warns of Chinese state hackers targeting
    Dec. 13, 2022

    The National Security Agency sent companies a warning notice Tuesday that Chinese state-linked cyberspies are targeting the multinational cloud-computing firm Citrix.

    (...Full story)

    Navy denies curtailing warships, reconnaissance in South China Sea
    Dec. 12, 2022

    The Navy is not cutting back on warship passages or aerial and naval reconnaissance operations in the South China Sea, according to a spokeswoman for the Pacific Fleet, despite new claims by Chinese press outlets.

    (...Full story)

    Virus hunter for EcoHealth Alliance says COVID-19 leaked from Chinese lab
    Dec. 11, 2022

    A scientist who once worked at the U.S. nongovernmental organization involved in risky virus research in China says he believes the COVID-19 pandemic began as the result of a leak from a controversial Wuhan laboratory.

    (...Full story)

    China nuclear force exceeds U.S. arsenal in some areas, Strategic Command warns
    Dec. 8, 2022

    The commander of the U.S. Strategic Command recently notified Congress that China's military has passed the U.S. in at least one of three areas -- the number of nuclear warheads, strategic missiles or launchers, according to a letter from lawmakers to the chief of America's nuclear arsenal.

    (...Full story)

    Pentagon urged to build advanced defenses against growing cruise, hypersonic missile threats to U.S.
    Dec. 5, 2022

    Rapid advances in Chinese hypersonic missiles and Russian cruise missiles pose major threats to critical infrastructure in the United States and the Pentagon needs to prepare better defenses for the homeland, according to a new report by the Pentagon's Defense Science Board.

    (...Full story)

    Space race 2.0: China is building weapons to attack U.S. 'ground, sea, or air targets from orbit'
    Dec. 4, 2022

    China is rapidly building a large force of space weapons, including sophisticated anti-satellite missiles, lasers, jammers, orbiting killer robots and cybertools, to "blind and deafen" a war enemy, the U.S. military is warning.

    (...Full story)

    China rapidly building space arms to 'blind and deafen' U.S. military, Pentagon says
    Dec. 1, 2022

    China's military is rapidly building a large force of space weapons, including sophisticated anti-satellite missiles, lasers, jammers, orbiting killer robots and cyber tools, designed to "blind and deafen" the American military in a future war, the U.S. military is warning.

    (...Full story)

    Drones will now be 'uncrewed,' not 'unmanned' in Pentagon shift
    Nov. 30, 2022

    The Pentagon is subbing out the use of the term "unmanned" in a nod to political correctness and will henceforth refer to "uncrewed" drones and other autonomous weapons. The change appears in the Pentagon's latest annual report to Congress on the Chinese military made public this week.

    (...Full story)

    Navy warship sails near advanced Chinese weapons outpost in South China Sea
    Nov. 29, 2022

    A U.S. Navy warship sailed near some of the Chinese military's most advanced weapons outposts in the South China Sea on Tuesday, drawing a sharp rebuke from Beijing.

    (...Full story)

    China on pace to match U.S. nuclear stockpile by 2035, Pentagon warns
    Nov. 29, 2022

    The Chinese military's rapid buildup is on pace to reach 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035 - nearly the number of current U.S.-deployed warheads, the Pentagon said in a survey of Chinese military power revealed Tuesday.

    (...Full story)

    China doubles down on harsh COVID controls and tries to end protests
    Nov. 29, 2022

    China's government on Tuesday signaled that it is not backing down in the face of angry nationwide protests against President Xi Jinping's strict zero-COVID policies, the country's state media reported Tuesday.

    (...Full story)

    China hones skills to rival U.S. as cyber superpower, 10 times more troops than U.S. Cyber Command
    Nov. 17, 2022

    China's cyberspace operations were once considered "sloppy," but its online capabilities have grown rapidly over the past decade into a dangerous threat regarded as equal to U.S. military digital skills, a congressional report warns.

    (...Full story)



    Tough talk: China tells U.S. to take a hike when it comes to Taiwan
    Nov. 17, 2022

    President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping presented sharply diverging views on the future of U.S.-Chinese relations during three hours of closed-door talks Monday. The dynamic of the meeting, preceded by a warm handshake, quickly became clear: The American president sought a return to greater bilateral engagement while the Chinese leader bluntly warned the United States to back off and not to cross its "red lines" regarding Taiwan and other issues.
    (...Full story)

    British spy chief says Chinese engaged in long-term agent recruitment
    Nov. 17, 2022

    Britain's domestic intelligence chief warned this week that Chinese intelligence agents are grooming British citizens as spies as part of influence operations that can stretch over years and even decades.

    (...Full story)

    Commission report reveals China's plan for war on Taiwan
    Nov. 15, 2022
    China is increasing plans for military, economic and political warfare against Taiwan, and the U.S. government needs to step up preparations and planning to respond to a future war across the Taiwan Strait, according to a report by a congressional China commission.

    (...Full story)

    Biden pushes engagement as Xi hails 'new era' of Chinese power
    Nov. 14, 2022
    President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping presented sharply diverging views on the future of U.S.-Chinese relations during three hours of closed-door talks Monday. The dynamic of the meeting, preceded by a warm handshake, quickly became clear: The American president sought a return to greater bilateral engagement while the Chinese leader bluntly warned the United States to back off and not to cross its "red lines" regarding Taiwan and other issues.

    (...Full story)

    DNI: China expands use of cyber repression to control population
    Nov. 10, 2022
    China is using cyberattacks, influence operations and mass data theft to extend repressive authoritarian controls over its population and throughout the world, according to a newly declassified U.S. intelligence report.

    (...Full story)

    Major conflict with China 'is coming,' outgoing Strategic Command chief warns
    Nov. 7, 2022
    China is increasing its nuclear forces more rapidly than American analysts anticipated, according to the outgoing commander of the Pentagon's Strategic Command, who warns that Beijing is in the midst of a "breakout" buildup of forces.

    (...Full story)

    Biden strategy shift limits role of nuclear arms as China, Russia expand arsenals
    Oct. 27, 2022
    The Biden administration has quietly reduced the role of nuclear weapons in American defense strategy by eliminating a decades-long policy of using nuclear arms to hedge against future developments and threats.

    (...Full story)

    Senate GOP report backs Wuhan lab leak as COVID-19 origin
    Oct. 27, 2022
    The COVID-19 virus most likely originated from a government laboratory in Wuhan, China, and not from a wild animal, according to a new report by Republicans on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

    (...Full story)

    New British prime minister vows to counter Chinese communist threats
    Oct. 25, 2022
    Britain's new prime minister says that China poses the largest threat to the country and the world, and has outlined plans to shut down controversial Chinese cultural institutes that critics say are used to promote Beijing propaganda and influence activities.

    (...Full story)

    Threat to undersea cable in Hawaii highlights danger of future internet disruptions
    Oct. 22, 2022
    HONOLULU -- Federal security officials working an investigation on the Dark Web made an alarming discovery last April. A hacker obtained login credentials for a server at a telecommunications company in Hawaii with access to an undersea communications cable.

    (...Full story)

    Former Chinese leader removed from Party congress
    Oct. 22, 2022
    Former Chinese President Hu Jintao was escorted out of a major session of the Chinese Communist Party on Saturday in a humiliating display of internal tensions within the ruling communist regime in Beijing.

    (...Full story)

    U.S. military bases in Hawaii without water after water main break
    Oct. 20, 2022
    HONOLULU -- Several U.S. military bases here, including the headquarters of the Indo-Pacific Command, are without water after a water main break disrupted service to more than 90,000 service members and family, according to military officials. The water main broke Friday and repairs to the 36-inch pipe are expected to last a week.

    (...Full story)

    Pacific Fleet admiral: No ambiguity in U.S, allies' ability to defend Taiwan
    Oct. 19, 2022
    The commander of the world's largest naval force component says there should be no ambiguity about the operational capabilities of the U.S. Navy's warships and other naval forces to defend Taiwan from a Chinese attack.

    (...Full story)

    Beijing police mobilize as rare public protest mars preparations for Xi-dominated party congress
    Oct. 13, 2022
    Police in Beijing mobilized after a rare public protest against Chinese President Xi Jinping Thursday, as officials stepped up internet censorship days before a major Chinese Communist Party conference.

    (...Full story)

    British intel chief: China threatens democratic order with fear, coercion and technology
    Oct. 11, 2022
    China is using a combination of fear, coercion and advanced technology to reshape the world according to its anti-democratic system, the head of Britain's electronic spy agency warned Tuesday.

    (...Full story)

    U.S. sensors unable to track Chinese, Russian hypersonic missiles, says congressional report
    Oct. 11, 2022
    U.S. radars are unable to track Chinese and Russian high-speed missiles until late in their flight, even as new systems are being developed as part of the Pentagon's accelerated hypersonic missile defense program, according to a congressional report.

    (...Full story)

    Chairman Xi? Party congress set to hand Chinese leader unprecedented power
    Oct. 9, 2022
    Xi Jinping has amassed unchecked power in the past decade. Now a Communist Party congress that opens Sunday in Beijing is poised to grant the Chinese president and party general secretary an unprecedented third five-year term in office despite a slowing economy and mounting domestic unrest over his zero-COVID health restrictions.

    (...Full story)

    Chinese Embassy tries to silence Pompeo broadcasts into China
    Oct. 4, 2022
    China's government is seeking to silence former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for comments critical of the ruling Communist Party made during a new series of broadcasts that seek to speak directly to the Chinese people.

    (...Full story)

    San Francisco celebrates Chinese communism in flag-raising to honor founding of nation
    Oct. 3, 2022
    San Francisco's government raised the Chinese flag over city hall last week to mark the founding of the People's Republic of China 73 years ago.

    (...Full story)

    Chinese police post U.S. sites to coerce nationals
    Oct. 3, 2022
    China has developed a network of overseas "police stations" to conduct covert operations aimed at forcing Chinese nationals, mostly political dissidents wanted by Beijing, to return to China, according to a report by a human rights group.

    (...Full story)

    Chinese espionage, cyber programs pose major counterintelligence threat, Senate report warns
    Oct. 2, 2022
    China's human spying, cyber espionage and more recently covert disinformation operations are a "600-pound gorilla in the room" of foreign counterintelligence threats, according to a Senate report on the growing problem of adversary spying.

    (...Full story)

    Chinese, Russian warships spotted sailing near Alaskan island
    Sept. 26, 2022
    Chinese and Russian warships conducted a joint patrol near Alaska last week and prompted a Coast Guard cutter and C-130 transport to monitor the ship movements, Coast Guard officials have revealed.

    (...Full story)

    Former Los Alamos nuclear scientists aid China's advanced weapons, private study says
    Sept. 22, 2022
    The Chinese government targeted scientists at the Los Alamos nuclear laboratory for recruitment, with more than 160 researchers returning to China over more than three decades to help nuclear and other advanced weapons programs there, according to a new report by a private security and intelligence firm.

    (...Full story)



    House Republican seeks Treasury reports on 'millions' paid by Chinese company to Biden family
    Sept. 22, 2022
    A senior House Republican wants the Treasury Department to turn over all suspicious activity reports on dealings between President Biden and his family and a Chinese business linked to the government.
    (...Full story)

    U.S. Pacific fleet commander warns expanding Chinese military could now blockade Taiwan
    Sept. 20, 2022
    China now boasts a large navy with enough surface warships to blockade rival Taiwan, according to the commander of the U.S. Navy's frontline fleet.

    (...Full story)

    State Department watchdog gives failing grade to new counter-disinformation center
    Sept. 19, 2022
    The State Department unit devoted to countering disinformation and propaganda is failing to take the lead on government-wide efforts to expose foreign lies and deception, according to a new survey by the department's internal inspector general.

    (...Full story)

    U.S. commanders wary of growing nuclear alliance between China and Russia
    Sept. 18, 2022
    The growing ties between China and Russia are sparking new fears among U.S. war planners that the nuclear powers will soon pose a unified nuclear threat, the Air Force general nominated to head the nation's nuclear deterrence arsenal told Congress.

    (...Full story)

    Xi, Putin pledge unity to fight U.S. dominance
    Sept. 15, 2022
    Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to forge closer ties during a summit in Central Asia on Thursday that included a discussion of Chinese support for Russia's troubled invasion of Ukraine and Russian support for Beijing’s claims to Taiwan.

    (...Full story)

    Space Force nominee warns Chinese weapons can destroy U.S. satellites
    Sept. 14, 2022
    China's military has developed space weapons capable of disrupting and destroying American satellites in all orbits, the nominee for senior leader of the Space Force warned Congress.

    (...Full story)

    Russia flies reconnaissance aircraft in restricted zone near Alaska, NORAD planes scrambled
    Sept. 12, 2022
    Russia's military marked the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks by dispatching two military reconnaissance aircraft near Alaska on Sunday, the U.S. and Canadian militaries disclosed Monday.

    (...Full story)

    Pentagon tests multi-warhead ICBM after delays
    Sept. 8, 2022
    The Air Force has flight-tested a Minuteman III ballistic missile that practiced launching multiple nuclear warheads, after twice delaying the exercise amid tensions with global rivals.

    (...Full story)

    U.S. indicts two Marshall Islands nationals in China-linked bribery scheme
    Sept. 6, 2022
    Two Marshall Islands nationals of Chinese descent were indicted by the Justice Department on charges of bribing government officials of the Pacific island-state with funds from China.

    (...Full story)

    China shuts down counter-drug talks with U.S., fueling fears of more overdose deaths
    Aug. 31, 2022
    China's decision to suspend counternarcotics cooperation with the United States to protest a high-profile congressional visit to Taiwan is fueling fears of a sharp increase in overdose deaths from Chinese-supplied stocks of fentanyl.

    (...Full story)

    Taiwan Strait war could lead to undersea internet cables cutoff, costly shipping disruptions: Report
    Aug. 29, 2022
    War between China and Taiwan could lead to a break of undersea communications cables and costly delays in moving shipping containers through the region, according to a think tank report made public Monday.

    (...Full story)

    State Department: China using artificial intelligence programs to blunt criticism of Uyghur policies
    Aug. 24, 2022
    China is engaged in a global influence and disinformation campaign, including the use of artificial intelligence-generated fake images, aimed at countering reports of repression against minority Uyghurs, according to a State Department report made public Wednesday.

    (...Full story)

    Commerce sanctions Chinese aerospace companies for military ties
    Aug. 23, 2022
    Seven Chinese aerospace companies were added to the Commerce Department blacklist Tuesday for ties to China's large-scale military modernization program.

    (...Full story)

    Navy awards $4.4 billion contract to Johns Hopkins physics lab
    Aug. 22, 2022
    The Pentagon announced on Monday that the Navy awarded a $4.4 billion contract to the Advanced Physics Laboratory (APL) at Johns Hopkins University for defense and strategic systems work.

    (...Full story)

    China ramps up pressure on Taiwan after controversial U.S. visits
    Aug. 22, 2022
    Chinese naval forces showed no signs of let-up Monday against Taiwan, flying warplanes again close to the self-ruled island days after a pair of controversial U.S. congressional visits that infuriated Beijing.

    (...Full story)

    VOA cancels Chinese-language programs on Taiwan
    Aug. 18, 2022
    Voice of America is canceling two Chinese-language programs focused on the standoff between China and Taiwan in a move critics say signals a softening of the broadcaster's coverage of communist China.

    (...Full story)

    U.S. Indo-Pacific commander warns about Chinese nuclear buildup
    Aug. 16, 2022
    The commander of American military forces in the Pacific is pushing back against Chinese government claims that a three-nation pact to build nuclear submarines for Australia poses a danger of nuclear weapons proliferation.

    (...Full story)

    China renews war games around Taiwan after congressional delegation's visit
    Aug. 15, 2022
    China's military is continuing provocative military exercises that U.S. officials say are intended to coerce and intimidate Taiwan, a key regional ally.

    (...Full story)

    Chinese companies probed by U.S. to delist from New York Stock Exchange
    Aug. 12, 2022
    Five major Chinese state-owned companies, including oil producers Sinopec and PetroChina, announced Friday they will no longer list their stock for trading with the New York Stock Exchange amid U.S. investigations of their audit and disclosure policies.

    (...Full story)

    China's Wuhan institute studied deadly bioterrorism agent, Congress told
    Aug. 9, 2022
    China's Wuhan Institute of Virology, where the COVID-19 pandemic may have started, conducted work on a deadlier virus with a 60% lethality rate, according to recent Senate testimony.

    (...Full story)

    China's 'breathtaking' nuclear arms push a rising challenge, Stratcom chief says
    July 28, 2022
    China is expanding its nuclear forces at a "breathtaking" pace, the commander of the U.S. Strategic Command warned in urging for strengthened U.S. nuclear deterrence against the danger.

    (...Full story)

    U.S. Army reboots, reorients to confront China, back allies in region
    July 27, 2022
    The U.S. Army is building up forces and international ties throughout the Indo-Pacific region to counter growing Chinese aggression and strengthen nervous regional allies, the commander of the U.S. Army Pacific said in an interview.

    (...Full story)

    Biden administration preps Taiwan for Chinese attack after Ukraine invasion
    July 22, 2022
    ASPEN, Colo. -- The Biden administration is bolstering U.S. arms production to sustain the war in Ukraine and to support Taiwan in preparing to fend off a future Russian-style invasion from China, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said.

    (...Full story)

    Russia tests U.S. air defenses in midst of Ukraine war
    July 22, 2022
    ASPEN, Colo. -- Two Russian maritime patrol aircraft tested the U.S. and Canadian air defense zone two weeks ago in a show of force in the midst of Moscow's military operation in Ukraine and nuclear saber-rattling, the commander of the Northern Command said Friday.

    (...Full story)

    Western nations grow alarmed at China's increasing threats
    July 21, 2022
    ASPEN, Colo. -- Britain's storied MI6 foreign intelligence service has retooled its operations with a major focus on the threat posed by China, the agency's director said in rare public remarks Thursday.

    (...Full story)

    British intelligence retools for spying on China
    July 21, 2022
    Britain's MI6 foreign intelligence service has retooled the storied spy agency with a major focus on the threat posed by China, the agency's director said in rare public remarks Thursday.

    (...Full story)

    CIA chief: China set for takeover of Taiwan in next few years
    July 21, 2022
    Chinese President Xi Jinping is determined to take control of Taiwan but is studying the lessons of Russian military shortfalls in Ukraine before taking action, CIA Director William Burns said Wednesday.

    (...Full story)

    China is not the Soviet Union, Beijing's ambassador tells security conference
    July 20, 2022
    The Chinese Communist Party is not like its predecessor in the Soviet Union and thus there should be no new Cold War between the United States and China, China's ambassador to the United States said Wednesday.

    (...Full story)



    U.S., China clash again over territorial disputes in South China Sea
    July 18, 2022
    A Navy guided-missile destroyer conducted a second freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea three days after sailing near disputed islands in the northern part of the sea, the Navy's Seventh Fleet said.
    (...Full story)

    Navy warship marks S. China Sea ruling anniversary
    July 13, 2022
    A U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer this week helped mark the sixth anniversary of a landmark international tribunal ruling declaring the South China Sea to be international waters and not a Chinese lake.

    (...Full story)

    Indictment reveals new details of Chinese targeting of dissidents
    July 11, 2022
    China's government used American private investigators to harass dissidents in the United States, according to a federal indictment of five people made public last week.

    (...Full story)

    China steps up influence operations of state, local officials, U.S. agency's report says
    July 7, 2022
    China is increasingly targeting American state and local officials in influence operations designed to further the objectives of the ruling Communist Party, according to a new report by a U.S. counterintelligence agency.

    (...Full story)

    Hill panel OKs funding ban for U.S. group linked to Chinese lab at center of COVID controversy
    July 5, 2022
    A House appropriations panel has approved an amendment to a major spending bill working its way through Congress that would ban funding for work in China by a New York-based group linked to suspect virus research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

    (...Full story)


    Articles by Bill Gertz from 2022


    Articles by Bill Gertz from 2021


    Articles by Bill Gertz from 2020


    Articles by Bill Gertz from 2018 to 2019


    Articles by Bill Gertz from 2010 to 2017


    Articles by Bill Gertz from 2002 to 2009


  • Biographical information


  • Links:
    The Washington Times
    Drudge Report
    Fox News
    Epoch Times
    National Pulse
    Radio Free Asia
    Associated Press
    Reuters
    Agence France Presse
    Google News
    Yahoo News
    Wikipedia
    Defense Department
    House Select Committee on the CCP
    U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission
    Project 2049 Institute
    International Assessment and Strategy Center
    Andrew Erickson, China analysis from original sources
    World Tribune.com
    Geostrategy-Direct
    Daily NK - news on North Korea National Security Archive documents

  • Inside the Ring
    Notes from the Pentagon

    Pentagon says Chinese claims to disputed South China Sea shoal are 'illegal'

    The Hawaii-based Indo-Pacific Command has published a legal report on a hotly disputed shoal in the South China Sea arguing that all Chinese claims to own the submerged reef are illegal.

    Also, Pentagon scientists recommend key areas for building tech superiority; China space nukes go from triad to strategic 'quad.'(Dec. 7, 2023)


    Gertz File logo'


    Now Online! Listen to the new podcast Victory Over Communism with Bill Gertz

    Gertz takes on Marxism-Leninism with Chinese Characteristics and American Marxism, offering a reasoned critique and faith-based counterproposal to these destructive ideologies

    Gertz VoC logo


    Search The Gertz File



    China's Communist Party committed a crime against humanity

    Now get the inside story on how the deadly Wuhan virus was unleashed upon the world

    E-book now on sale!

    Buy How China CCP Made the World Sick


  • America is at war... but most Americans don't know it. Find out now.

    Now on sale! Buy the new book on information warfare by Bill Gertz

    Buy 'iWar'


    Now on Sale!

    Trade secrets on the news business from one of America's most experienced news reporters -- Bill Gertz

    Buy 'Covering Washington'


    Now in paperback!

    The inside story of the out-of-control government bureaucracy by Bill Gertz

    Buy 'Failure Factory'




    Bill Gertz interview on Fox's Hannity and Colmes


    The Failure Factory is an important book exposing the worst excesses of an out-of-control government bureaucracy, including the highly politicized National Intelligence Estimate on Iran, the failure to wage a war of ideas against Islamist extremism, and the undermining of America's security by unelected officials with their own agenda operating deep inside the State Department, White House, Pentagon and U.S. intelligence community.

    Book review in The Washington Times: Bureaucrats be afraid

    News media: To schedule interviews with Bill Gertz, please contact Samantha Choy, Crown Publishing Group-Random House, 212-572-6027.


    Protect First Amendment Press Freedom


    Have Bill Gertz as a speaker for your next event



    The blockbuster book by Bill Gertz

    Buy 'Enemies'


    Bill Gertz on The Rush Limbaugh Show, September 29


    Miami Herald: Turncoat analyst an effective spy for Cuba, book says

    Excerpts of Enemies from The Washington Times

    Part 1: Fumbled China spy probe an intelligence failure
    Part 2: North Korea: Criminal State
    Part 3: Countering the Terrorist Threat


    Highlights from Enemies:

  • How FBI informant Katrina Leung and her FBI handler J.J. Smith helped China obtain vital secrets on U.S. electronic eavesdropping.
  • New details on the technical intellignece-gathering spy ring of Tai Mak and Chi Mak, two brothers arrested for supplying China with vital defense technology.
  • How information compromised to China allows Beijing to track U.S. Virginia-class submarines.
  • How the CIA was informed in 1999 that at least three of its clandestine service officers were on the payroll of Chinese intelligence, but the agency failed to find the spies.
  • How China has established a special, ultra-secret intelligence unit tasked with planting spies inside the U.S. government.
  • How China ran a high-level penetration agent inside the U.S. government code-named "Mother."
  • How the FBI mistakenly hounded CIA counterintelligence officer Brian Kelley and his family for nearly two years, while the real target of the mole hunt, FBI Agent Robert Hanssen, operated freely and passed secrets to Moscow.
  • How Russia has dispatched scores of intelligence operatives to the United States, rivaling Cold War levels of spying.
  • How weak counterintelligence has allowed terrorists to infiltrate the U.S. military gain access to U.S. secrets.
  • How North Korea conducted intelligence-related abductions of Japanese nationals.
  • How Cuba penetrated the Defense Intelligence Agency and other agencies with high-level mole Ana Montes, who spied to help Nicaragua's Sandinistas and then became Cuba's most important agent.
  • How British military intelligence penetrated the terrorist Irish Republican Army with an agent code-named Stakeknife.

    Buy the updated paperback of Treachery

    Buy 'Treachery'



    Buy 'Treachery'

    Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, from Treachery:

    “Over the coming decade, depending on how the world community conducts itself, there could be another five nuclear powers. There could be several more countries with chemical and biological programs, and there could be additional countries with the ability to deliver those capabilities long distances. The effect of that, to the extent that those countries are not democracies, but rather countries on the terrorist list— is to make the world a more dangerous place.”


    With friends like these
    Washington Times book review by Gary Anderson


    Excerpts from Treachery
    Part 1: French connection armed Saddam

    Part 2: Libyan sincerity on arms in doubt

    Part 3: U.N. nuclear agency asleep at the switch

    Praise for Treachery:

    "Treachery with its reams of classified and other insider information, reveals how our nation's enemies obtain weapons from China, Russia, France, Germany and other supposed friends. The book is must-reading if you want to know the confidential story of the growing danger of global arms proliferation."

    -- Rowan Scarborough, Pentagon reporter, Washington Times, and bestselling author of Rumsfeld's War

    "Two big factors will determine America's national security over the next twenty years. The first is the capability of our military weapons as determined by the health of our defense industrial base. And, second, the extent to which our adversaries are able to buy or steal advanced military technology from the U.S. and our allies. Bill Gertz focuses superbly on the hemorrhaging of critical military technology to our enemies. Treachery should be read by all our policymakers."

    -- Congressman Duncan Hunter of California, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee

    "Bill Gertz has written a bone-chilling expose about what has been done behind our backs. Can we ever be safe? You must read this."

    -- Greta Van Susteren, host of Fox News's On the Record with Greta Van Susteren

    "Bill Gertz gets it! Treachery brilliantly exposes our allies who have become our enemies in the War on Terror just because the U.N., France, Germany, and Russia looked at Iraq and other rogue states as trading partners rather than enablers of terrorism. This is a major piece of work in the War on Terror."

    -- Lt. Gen. Thomas G. McInerney, USAF (Ret.), bestselling author of Endgame.

    "Mr. Gertz's articles are liable to have two types of consequences that I can only regret: In the short term, Mr. Gertz may succeed in rekindling the flame of French-bashing, which might provide short-term satisfaction to Mr. Gertz but will not help solve the difficult situation we face in Iraq. French-bashing in the United States as well as anti-American sentiments in Europe are both dangerous trends that we must all do our best to combat."

    -- Jean-David Levitte, French ambassador to the United States


    Revised and Updated Softcover Edition

    Buy 'Breakdown'


    Excerpts from
    Breakdown: The Failure of American Intelligence to Defeat Global Terror

    Part 1: Military analyst's terror warning fell on deaf ears

    Part 2: Legal concerns make the CIA 'risk averse'

    Part 3: Too much focus on being cops



    Click Here To Buy a Copy of the hardcover edition of
    'Breakdown: How America's Intelligence Failures Led to September 11'
    at a 30 Percent Discount
    from Amazon.com

    Buy 'Breakdown'

    Praise for Breakdown:

    "Bill Gertz has written a first-rate analysis of the most serious problem to confront the nation since the Cold War, and it reads like a thriller. You won't be able to put it down. But when you do, send it to your congressman or senator."
    -- Richard Perle, Fellow, American Enterprise Institute, and former Assistant Secretary of Defense.

    "A deeply disturbing account of how America's intelligence agencies failed to discern the elaborate plots of Osama bin Laden's men were planning against us. Exciting. Upsetting. Strongly recommended."
    -- Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, Leavey Professor of Government, Georgetown University, and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

    "Bill Gertz, one of America's most accomplished and credible investigative reporters, offers a compelling analysis of our nation's intelligence problems, including their historical roots, and provides a comprehensive prescription for correcting the deficiencies and improving national security."
    -- Edwin Meese III, former Attorney General of the United States.

    "A great read."
    -- John McLaughlin, host, "One on One"


    Eyes Wide Shut
    Washington Times book review by Joshua Sinai

    'Breakdown': A Catastrophic Failure to Think the Unthinkable
    New York Times book review by Sam Roberts

    Intelligence: A smarter route
    By Edwin J. Feulner


    CNN/Time Poll:
    Did U.S. Intelligence Agencies Fail on 9/11?

    September 2002
    Yes: 65 percent
    No: 31 percent

    September 2001
    Yes: 55 percent
    No: 38 percent

    (Poll conducted August 28-29, 2002 Sampling error: +/-3% pts)



    Available in both hardcover and soft cover edition

    Click here to purchase 'The China Threat: How the People's Republic Targets America'
    at a 30 Percent Discount from Amazon.com

    Buy 'The China Threat'

    Excerpts from 'The China Threat'
    in The Washington Times

    Part I: Beijing's spies gain access to secrets
    Part II: Clinton critic says he was targeted
    Part III: China prepares for war with U.S. over Taiwan

    The New Cold War
    Washington Times book review by Steven Mosher

    Wire stories about 'The China Threat'

    Reviews:

    "There is no Churchill in America today. Where are they to turn then, those patriots in our security services who understand what the fecklessness, stupidity and corruption of the Clinton administration are costing us? It would not be very surprising if they were to seek out a sympathetic journalist, in the slim hope that the American public might take their eyes away from Hollywood and Wall Street long enough to pay attention. If so, their contact of choice would be Bill Gertz, defense reporter for the Washington Times."
    -- John Derbyshire, National Review, Dec. 4, 2000

    "The China Threat is especially strong in piecing together the larger pattern of modernization in the Chinese military and the looming U.S.-China confrontation over Taiwan."
    -- Tom Donnelly, The Weekly Standard, Dec. 4, 2000

    "Sheer fabrication out of ulterior motives, with which we express our strong dissatisfaction. It must be pointed out that there are always some people in the United States who cling to the Cold War mentality and have prejudice of and hostility against China... We demand those who have plotted the so-called 'China Spy Case' see clearly the trend of history and immediately stop their despicable acts of wantonly attacking China."
    -- Sun Yuxi, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, People's Republic of China, Nov. 16, 2000




    Available in both hardcover and soft cover edition

    Click here to purchase 'Betrayal: How the Clinton Administration Undermined American Security'
    from Amazon.com at a 30 Percent Discount

    Buy 'Betrayal'

    Praise for Betrayal
    "This will be the Clinton administration's least favorite book on its foreign policy. But the rebuttals are likely to be long on adjectives and short on refutation, for these tough charges are backed, the Gertz way, by fact after fact after fact."
    -- R. James Woolsey, former CIA Director

    "Mr. Gertz has performed a signal service by writing this thorough, frightening, and sad chronicle of how we fell from our ability to provide leadership in the quest for peace without appeasement."
    -- The Honorable Caspar Weinberger, former Secretary of Defense, Chairman of Forbes magazine

    "I know of no national security reporter in the U.S. who is better sourced or more respected for accuracy than Bill Gertz. His reporting is essential reading for those who wish to stay in the know. An so is Betrayal."
    -- James Webb, former Secretary of the Navy, author of Fields of Fire and The Emperor's General



  • Contact Bill Gertz at 202-636-3000




    © 2023 Bill Gertz
    All images and content presented on this website are property of Bill Gertz unless otherwise stated, and may not be copied or used in any way without expressed written consent.