The Gertz File

Defense and National Security News


From Washington

By Bill Gertz

National Security Correspondent, The Washington Times


  • Latest articles

  • Biden administration quietly seeks to renew expired tech agreement with China
    Oct. 10, 2024

    The Biden administration and China's government are quietly working to renew a 44-year-old science and technology agreement that congressional Republicans say should be permanently killed because it is assisting the Chinese military buildup and undermining American security.
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    China sought own deal to avoid Houthi rebel ship attacks, rejecting U.S. coalition, diplomat says
    Oct. 8, 2024

    China's government turned down an American request to join an international naval armada to protect cargo ships in the Red Sea after the waterway came under attack from Yemen's Houthi rebel forces, Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell revealed recently, as Beijing sought to cut its own deal with the Iran-backed rebels to protect its own shipping interests.

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    China plans upgrade of information attacks on U.S. social media with AI tools, new report argues
    Oct. 4, 2024

    China's military and the ruling Communist Party have turned to artificial intelligence to boost the impact of propaganda and influence operations through American social media platforms, according to a new study of Beijing's covert operations.

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    China's nuclear arsenal may surpass U.S. estimates, expert warns
    Oct. 4, 2024

    China's rapid buildup of nuclear assets could be much larger than current U.S. government assessments, according to former Pentagon strategic affairs analyst Mark B. Schneider.

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    Replicator drones to bolster deterrence at Pacific flash points; Pentagon rolls out secret program
    Oct. 1, 2024

    The Pentagon program to rapidly deploy tens of thousands of low-cost drone weapons is paying off in bolstering deterrence against China in the Indo-Pacific region, military sources say.
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    Sunken Chinese submarine was a new hybrid nuclear-conventional attack boat, U.S. says
    Sept. 30, 2024

    China's naval buildup now includes a new class of attack submarine that employs both conventional and nuclear propulsion, according to defense officials.

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    Taiwanese military report says China lacks full invasion force
    Sept. 20, 2024

    An annual military report produced by the Taiwanese Defense Ministry concludes that the Chinese military has improved capabilities for conducting offensive landing operations on the island, but the People's Liberation Army still lacks sufficient forces to invade, according to a copy of the report obtained by Japan's Yomiuri newspaper.

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    China's military buildup proceeds despite economic downturn
    Sept. 27, 2024

    China's economic problems have slowed Beijing's major military buildup, although the difficulties have led to minor cutbacks in some armaments, according to a knowledgeable military source.

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    Danger of nuclear war with North Korea greater than ever, U.S. expert warns
    Sept. 20, 2024

    The danger that North Korea will set off a nuclear war in Northeast Asia poses the most serious threat to peace in the region since the end of the Korean War, said a former American diplomat and retired CIA officer who may know Pyongyang better than any other U.S. official alive.

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    Israeli attacks on Hezbollah devices signal shift to nonkinetic warfare
    Sept. 20, 2024

    Under international criticism for high civilian casualties during military operations against Hamas, the Israeli military is shifting to more targeted, nonkinetic warfare, according to a military affairs analyst.

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    China adds hundreds of satellites for use in war; Russia building nuke to destroy enemies' assets
    Sept. 17, 2024

    China's military is rapidly building up space capabilities, including more than 970 recently deployed satellites that would support attacks on U.S. aircraft carriers, expeditionary forces and air wings during a conflict, a Space Force intelligence report says.

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    Hawk vs. hawk: Harris, Trump tangle over who will be tougher toward China
    Sept. 16, 2024

    Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris disagree on many things, but both say they will pursue tough and confrontational policies toward China if elected president in November.

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    China restrictions pass House, still must pass Senate
    Sept. 13, 2024

    The House this week passed several legislative measures that members said targeted threats posed by China.

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    Rubio warns of China's economic threat
    Sept. 13, 2024

    Sen. Marco Rubio published a report this week revealing the successes and failures of China's global campaign to obtain technology and dominate critical markets called "Made in China 2025."

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    U.S. Pacific commander tells Chinese general to halt 'dangerous' incidents in South China Sea
    Sept. 10, 2024

    The head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific command, in the first direct communications in years with a senior Chinese general in charge of regional forces, warned Beijing was engaged in "dangerous" incidents in the South China Sea, U.S. officials said Tuesday.

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    Counterspies raise 'insider leaks' awareness; workplaces urged to watch out for phishing, vishing
    Sept. 6, 2024

    Those who leak classified information are the targets of a national Insider Threat Awareness Month, according to the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, which warns that counterspies are stepping up efforts to address the problem in government and private-sector workplaces.

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    Space Force general warns of China, Russia threat to satellites
    Sept. 6, 2024

    Military forces in China and Russia are closely watching U.S. programs to protect satellites and space systems and could counter those measures with a large-scale attack, according to a senior Space Force general.

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    Australian ambassador derails U.S. plan for Pacific police initiative
    Sept. 6, 2024

    Australia's ambassador to the United States, Kevin Rudd, torpedoed American plans to set up a multinational policing initiative with strategic Pacific island nations, an initiative meant to blunt growing Beijing security influence in the region.

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    N.Y. governor sought expulsion of Chinese diplomat linked to influence scandal
    Sept. 4, 2024

    New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, whose former senior aide has been accused in an alleged major Chinese influence operation, said Wednesday that she asked the State Department to expel a senior Chinese diplomat involved in the scandal, only to find he had left the country without incident just days ago.

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    Former aide to N.Y. governor arrested as Chinese agent; FBI says Sun, husband rewarded for influence
    Sept. 3, 2024

    The former deputy chief of staff to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was arrested by the FBI on Tuesday and charged with working as an influence agent for the Chinese Communist Party, prosecutors disclosed in an unsealed indictment..

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    In the skies, on the seas and into the courts: U.S. confronts Chinese 'lawfare'
    Aug. 30, 2024

    China's military is engaged in aggressive and dangerous behavior in the Asia-Pacific region, employing international law as a pretext, leading the U.S. military to step up its own "counter-lawfare" defenses, the Navy captain and lawyer in charge of the program told The Washington Times.

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    Former analyst decries CIA politicization of intelligence, new levels of activism under Biden
    Aug. 30, 2024

    Politicization of intelligence at the CIA reached new levels of activism under President Biden, according to an academic analysis of recent political influence within the agency.

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    Sullivan promotes Harris in meeting with Chinese leaders as Beijing visit concludes
    Aug. 29, 2024

    White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan sought to assure China's top leaders of U.S. policy continuity if Vice President Kamala Harris is elected president, wrapping up an unusually long three-day stay in Beijing for President Biden's senior security aide.

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    U.S. military has no carriers in Indo-Pacific waters for first time in decades
    Aug. 27, 2024

    The U.S. military for the first time in decades has no aircraft carrier strike groups in the Indo-Pacific region, despite mounting tensions with China over disputed South China Sea islands, the Taiwan Strait, and a recent Chinese air incursion near Japan.

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    U.S. sends destroyer through Taiwan Strait as China steps up warplane incursions around island
    Aug. 23, 2024

    A U.S. Navy destroyer sailed through the increasingly militarized Taiwan Strait on Thursday after Chinese forces stepped up their own warplane and warship activities around the island this week.

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    Military exercise advances global missile defense
    Aug. 22, 2024

    U.S. and allied military forces recently conducted joint exercises in Hawaii that further advanced regional integrated air and missile defenses.

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    U.S. military unprepared for nuclear escalation in war with China, Pentagon-funded study warns
    Aug. 20, 2024

    U.S. military forces are not ready to respond to tactical nuclear weapons strikes by China in a protracted war, a recent Pentagon-funded study said.

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    Democrats' policy platform pitches what it calls 'tough but smart' U.S.-China policy that avoids war
    Aug. 20, 2024

    A Kamala Harris administration would continue America's policy of managing strategic competition with China to avoid war, according to a key plank of the Democrats' 2024 policy platform made public this week.

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    Wary China officially finds little to love in either U.S. presidential candidate
    Aug. 16, 2024

    China's communist leadership expects few policy changes from either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris as U.S. president.

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    U.S. keeps artificial intelligence away from nuclear control; China, Russia uncertain
    Aug. 13, 2024

    U.S. strategic forces prohibit the use of artificial intelligence to authorize nuclear weapons operations even though nuclear-armed adversaries China and Russia may not, the commander of Strategic Command said Tuesday.

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    Mystery surrounds Hamas leader's assassination
    Aug. 8, 2024

    As the Middle East braces for a possible war between Israel and Iran, mystery surrounds the spectacular Israeli intelligence operation to assassinate the political leader of Hamas.

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    Growing Chinese threat makes Taiwan world's most dangerous flashpoint, defense analysts warn
    Aug. 6, 2024

    The growing threat of a Chinese military attack makes Taiwan one of the most dangerous global flash points for years to come, according to a think tank report.

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    China takes foreign spy hostility to new levels; proactive strategy proposed for U.S.
    Aug. 2, 2024

    Spying and technology theft by Chinese intelligence operatives pose the most significant threat by hostile foreign spy services, according to a national counterintelligence strategy made public recently.

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    Chinese communist, military writings reveal plans for strategic influence operations through TikTok
    Aug. 1, 2024

    The Chinese Communist Party and military view TikTok as one of several strategic tools for political influence operations and military support actions, according to an open-source intelligence report recently made public.

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    Pentagon signals move to offensive counterintelligence posture
    July 31, 2024

    Testimony from President Biden's nominee for the key post of undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security is shedding some light on one of the Pentagon's most closely guarded secrets -- the nation's approach to countering foreign spies.

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    Hamas, Muslim Brotherhood network feared; report finds groups engage in ideological attacks on U.S.
    July 30, 2024

    The Palestinian militant group Hamas operates an extensive network of supporters in the U.S. linked to the international Muslim Brotherhood jihadist group, according to a report by a former federal counterterrorism expert.

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    U.S. intel agencies blocked disclosure of spy balloon gear
    July 26, 2024

    The Biden administration went along with U.S. intelligence agencies that recommended against releasing details to the public of a Chinese surveillance balloon that transited the United States unimpeded in early 2023 before being shot down by an Air Force jet fighter over the South Carolina coast.

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    China and Russia in first-ever joint patrol near Alaska seen as test of U.S. resolve, focus
    July 24, 2024

    Chinese and Russian nuclear-capable bombers intercepted by jet fighters near Alaska were engaged in an unprecedented joint strategic patrol near the U.S. coast, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday. But the Pentagon chief said U.S. and allied forces were prepared for the challenge.

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    Pentagon outlines strategy to deploy forces to counter China and Russia in the Arctic
    July 23, 2024

    China and Russia are increasing their economic and security activities in the Arctic and U.S. military forces are preparing multiple types of operations to counter any threats in the region, according to the Pentagon's new strategy on the Arctic.

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    U.S. would defeat China in a war over Taiwan, Joints Chiefs head says
    July 22, 2024

    The U.S. fields the most powerful army in the world and would defeat China if war breaks out over Taiwan, according to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

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    China, Russia hold joint military drills in Pacific as partnership grows
    July 15, 2024

    Chinese and Russian naval forces launched joint military exercises this week that will include live-fire drills, in what U.S. intelligence officials have described as the latest sign of an expanding and troubling Beijing-Moscow military alliance.

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    Chinese press sees Trump assassination attempt as a failure of democracy
    July 15, 2024

    A Chinese state-linked media outlet reported Monday that the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump is an example of escalating political violence under the U.S. democratic system — a major propaganda theme of Beijing as it promotes its socialist system as an alternative.

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    Chinese warships intrude into Alaska's economic zone days before NATO summit
    July 12, 2024

    Four Chinese warships intruded into the U.S. economic exclusion zone near Alaska's far western Aleutian Islands just two days before NATO leaders met in Washington and added China to its list of security threats.

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    Focused on Ukraine, NATO leaders strike a nerve in China
    July 11, 2024

    China came under direct NATO criticism for the first time this week as a result of its support to Russia's war in Ukraine and other policies, including its nuclear expansion and continuing cyberattacks.

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    Taiwan gets new official U.S. representative
    July 11, 2024

    Raymond F. Greene this week took over as director of the American Institute in Taiwan, the official U.S. government representative office on the democratic-ruled island that remains a major political target of China.

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    Chinese official warns of increased likelihood of attack on Taiwan
    July 11, 2024

    An influential Chinese government official and academic is warning that the People's Liberation Army may soon launch a military assault on Taiwan as part of Beijing's drive to take over the self-ruled island.

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    Foreign spies likely knew of Biden's age-related decline, former NSA counterspy says
    July 10, 2024

    Intelligence operatives from China, Russia and Iran are targeting White House secrets on President Biden's health and likely informed their governments on his apparent declining mental acuity, according to a former National Security Agency counterintelligence official.

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    Media agency chief refuses to answer questions from Congress on report of corruption at VOA
    July 9, 2024

    The chief executive in charge of overseeing official U.S. broadcast outlets declined to answer questions about corruption at the Voice of America that House Foreign Affairs Committee investigators say they uncovered during a probe of the agency.

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    U.S., allied intelligence agencies issue rare joint warning on Chinese state hacking group
    July 9, 2024

    Security services from the United States and six allied nations issued an unprecedented multinational security warning identifying a Chinese intelligence-linked hacking group that broke into computer networks in Australia, the United States and worldwide.

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    Key Senate Republican Risch urges U.S., NATO to step up efforts to confront threats from China
    July 9, 2024

    The United States and its NATO allies need to step up efforts to counter threats posed by China and should reject Beijing’s efforts to broker a peace deal in Ukraine over concerns Beijing will seek greater control there, according to a report by a leading Senate Republican voice on foreign affairs.

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    Top Chinese security officials latest target of Xi's corruption purge
    June 27, 2024

    The Chinese Communist Party formally has expelled two former defense ministers who had earlier been dismissed from their posts and for the first time revealed that financial corruption was the reason they were sacked, state media reported Thursday.

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    Chinese Embassy lobbies Hill against DNI report on leaders' corruption
    June 27, 2024

    A Chinese Embassy official recently wrote to Congress to lobby against legislation requiring Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines to produce a report on corruption and hidden wealth held by Chinese leaders through their relatives, including President Xi Jinping.

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    Former Navy captain tells Congress of decadeslong U.S. intelligence failures on China
    June 26, 2024

    U.S. intelligence agencies are guilty of multiple failures to address threats posed by China over the past 40 years, resulting in current existential dangers to American security, a former Navy intelligence director told Congress on Wednesday.

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    GOP defense bill draft targets 'woke' Pentagon policies, spurs Biden veto threat
    June 25, 2024

    The Republican-drafted House version of the fiscal 2025 defense appropriations bill would ban the Pentagon from spending any funds on what critics say are woke Biden administration military policies, including climate initiatives and diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

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    White House says Beijing rejects call to restrict AI use in nuclear weapons use
    June 24, 2024

    China's government does not accept a Biden administration policy that restricts the use of artificial intelligence for using nuclear weapons, a senior White House official disclosed Monday.

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    U.S. protested China's latest clash with the Philippines in South China Sea, State official reveals
    June 24, 2024

    The Philippine government has adopted a cautious approach to aggressive Chinese coast guard actions in the South China Sea, and the Biden administration has filed formal diplomatic protests with Beijing, a senior State Department official said on Monday.

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    Xi echoes Mao in urging communist political control over PLA 'guns'
    June 20, 2024

    China's supreme leader this week urged the People's Liberation Army to maintain Chinese Communist Party political control over the "guns" of the nation, an echo of the country's late ruler, Mao Zedong.

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    Answers prove elusive as scientists weigh lab leak or animal source for COVID
    June 18, 2024

    More than four years after the COVID-19 pandemic first emerged in Wuhan, China, the origin of the virus behind the global pandemic remained a topic of heated debate and frustrating uncertainty at a Senate hearing Tuesday, with Republicans and Democrats accusing the Chinese and U.S. governments of covering up critical details of the outbreak.

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    Intelligence bill eyes commission on Havana syndrome
    June 14, 2024

    House lawmakers are proposing to create a commission to investigate debilitating brain-related injuries caused during incidents against U.S. government personnel posted abroad, known formally as anomalous health incidents. A section of the current House intelligence authorization bill now being debated would set up a National Security Commission on Anomalous Health Incidents.

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    Indo-Pacific commander plans 'hellscape' for China's military in Taiwan Strait
    June 14, 2024

    The new commander of the Hawaii-based Indo-Pacific Command is warning China's military to expect a "hellscape" response to any potential military assault on Taiwan. Adm. Samuel Paparo said one scenario designed to dissuade the Chinese from invading is the creation of a network of U.S. and allied drones to swarm the Taiwan Strait that would prevent a rapid takeover of the self-ruled island China claims as its territory.

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    China can't hide war preparations for potential Taiwan attack, Hill panel told
    June 13, 2024

    Stepped-up activities within China's transportation network will provide American military planners with clear signs of impending military action against Taiwan, a congressional commission was told on Thursday.

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    Top Biden China adviser Campbell says U.S. not seeking regime change for communist China
    June 12, 2024

    The Biden administration is not seeking to replace China's communist system as it pursues better relations with Beijing, Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said Wednesday.

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    House committee finds 'corruption' kept Persian news chief on job at Voice of America
    June 12, 2024

    The federal agency in charge of nearly $1 billion in funding for government broadcasting sought to cover up improper activities by a fired Voice of America manager who was rehired under the Biden administration, according to a three-year investigation by a House oversight panel.

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    Israel joins China and Russia in deploying jet-launched ballistic missile
    June 11, 2024

    Israel unveiled an air-launched ballistic missile capable of defeating advanced air defenses and delivering precision strikes, the state aerospace company announced.

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    Chinese senior leaders use relatives to hide wealth and corruption, says congressional report
    June 9, 2024

    Senior Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping, are engaged in corruption and hiding hundreds of millions of dollars in wealth by using relatives to disguise their activities, according to a report by the Congressional Research Service.

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    Beijing racing to deploy domestic Starlink
    June 6, 2024

    China is working to copy Elon Musk's Starlink system of small satellites that enable easy access to the internet from remote locations.

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    Tiananmen's legacy at 35: Protests spurred Communist Party toward total control
    June 4, 2024

    Members of Congress and Chinese pro-democracy dissidents gathered on Capitol Hill on Tuesday to mark the 35th anniversary of the day some 200,000 Chinese troops launched a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters occupying Tiananmen Square.

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    NSA chief says China readying destructive cyberattacks on critical infrastructure
    June 3, 2024

    China's cyber operatives have infiltrated computer networks used to control critical U.S. infrastructure in preparation for future attacks to disrupt American society during a conflict, the director of the National Security Agency warned.

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    Tensions mark Air Force debate on how to use new B-21 bomber
    May 31, 2024

    The Air Force this week made public the first photos of its new sixth-generation strategic bomber, the B-21 Raider, and military planners are divided over how best to use what will be one of America's most powerful warplanes.

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    Japanese jets scramble after Chinese dual-use spy and attack drone enters air defense zone
    May 28, 2024

    Japanese fighter jets were scrambled to intercept a Chinese military drone flying over the East China Sea spotted for the first time, Tokyo's defense ministry disclosed this week.

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    Chinese war games near Taiwan show new details of attack plans
    May 26, 2024

    The Chinese military's simulated attacks on Taiwan in recent days included mock missile strikes and joint operations, revealing details of Beijing's plan to reach a promised goal of taking over the island democracy, military affairs analysts said.

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    House GOP to press spy agencies for report on corruption among China's leaders
    May 23, 2024

    A group of House Republicans plans to give Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines an additional 90 days to submit an overdue report on corruption among Chinese communist leaders and to testify publicly on the matter.

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    Putin, on Beijing visit, seeks to deepen 'strategic' ties to challenge U.S.
    May 16, 2024

    Russian President Vladimir Putin held a day of talks Thursday in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a visit meant to forge closer strategic ties and portray the United States as an aggressive Cold War hegemon attempting to destabilize the world.

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    House panel faults intelligence agencies on response to Chinese influence operations
    May 14, 2024

    The nation's intelligence agencies are not doing enough to counter large-scale Chinese information operations in the U.S., a House committee investigating Beijing's information warfare said in letters sent to senior intelligence officials.

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    Without firing a shot: China focuses on non-military ways to take Taiwan, reports warn
    May 13, 2024

    China is engaged in information warfare across multiple sectors of Taiwan and plans a takeover of the self-ruled island through political coercion and cyber spying influence operations, with military force a key option, according to two new think tank reports.

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    Lawmakers urge more hardened U.S. aircraft shelters in Asia as China bulks up
    May 9, 2024

    U.S. military aircraft in the Indo-Pacific region are vulnerable to missile attacks from China, which has constructed hundreds of hardened aircraft bunkers in apparent preparation for war, a group of Republican lawmakers said in urging stronger aircraft defenses by the Air Force and Navy.

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    China joins U.S. climate leftists to undercut American energy security, Heritage report warns
    May 7, 2024

    China is working with American leftists to undercut U.S. energy security by seeking to control green energy sources, according to a new report by The Heritage Foundation.

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    China's gray-zone operations 'illegal, coercive, aggressive, deceptive,' Paparo says
    May 6, 2024

    China's increasingly aggressive military activities in Asia are illegal, coercive and deceptive, according to the new commander of the Indo-Pacific command.

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    Greater instability and military coercion by China coming, intel chief Haines tells lawmakers
    May 2, 2024

    China's leaders are planning for greater instability in relations with the United States and Chinese military forces are expected to continue aggressive actions in the Asia Pacific region, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a Senate hearing on Thursday.

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    U.S. group used federal funds for dangerous virus research in China, House report says
    May 1, 2024

    The virus research group EcoHealth Alliance was engaged in dangerous experimental virus work in China that was funded by the federal government, according to a newly released report by a special House panel on the COVID-19 pandemic.

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    BlackRock in China: Nuclear buildup underwritten in part by leading Wall Street firm, report says
    April 30, 2024

    BlackRock, a major Wall Street firm, is investing millions of dollars in an estimated 30 Chinese military-linked companies sanctioned by the U.S. government, according to a think tank report prepared for Congress.

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    Rising threat environment could prompt 'nuclear reconsideration' in Asia, top State official warns
    April 24, 2024

    Asian governments are increasingly concerned by growing nuclear threats posed by China, North Korea and Russia, and a U.S. extended deterrence is key to preventing the emergence of new nuclear-armed states in the region, Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said on Wednesday.

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    Chinese military's work on marine toxins raising new fears of biological warfare weapons
    April 23, 2024

    China's military is conducting research on sea-based neurotoxins, raising fears among U.S. officials and analysts that Beijing is secretly developing deadly biological weapons for use in conflict.

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    Pentagon speeding up work on first new nuclear warhead in 40 years
    April 18, 2024

    The United States is building the first new nuclear warhead in 40 years but will do so without nuclear testing, Energy Department officials told Congress on Wednesday.

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    Beijing waging political warfare against government, business, experts tell House oversight panel
    April 17, 2024

    China's communist government is engaged in large-scale political warfare and influence efforts it calls united front operations that are seeking to subvert all sectors of the United States, according to an investigation by the House oversight committee.

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    Chinese government linked to illicit fentanyl trade
    April 16, 2024

    Beijing's communist government is supporting illicit trade in deadly fentanyl by offering tax rebates and other incentives to manufacturers in China, according to a bipartisan report by the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.

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    Pentagon chief Austin urges China to respect international waters, airspace
    April 16, 2024

    Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told his Chinese counterpart Tuesday that U.S. forces will continue to fly and sail in international waters, including the disputed South China Sea.

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    Failed deterrence: Iran attack on Israel a second failure of Biden administration to stop conflict
    April 16, 2024

    President Biden and his administration knew for days that Iran was preparing a major military strike on Israel, but they were unable to stop it.

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    Pentagon two weeks from decision on China-focused joint military task force sought by Congress
    April 11, 2024

    The Pentagon is close to completing an assessment into setting up a congressionally mandated joint military force for the Pacific that lawmakers say is needed to prepare for war with China, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Congress this week.

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    China sends high-level delegation to North Korea
    April 11, 2024

    Amid growing North Korea-Russia ties, China's government this week dispatched a high-level delegation to Pyongyang in an apparent effort to woo the regime of Kim Jong Un back into its orbit, according to published reports in Beijing.

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    China could invade Taiwan in less than a decade, former Navy intel chief warns
    April 10, 2024

    China's military forces are preparing for an invasion or blockade of Taiwan and could take action in less than a decade, the former admiral in charge of U.S. Navy intelligence warned recently.

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    U.S. in danger of losing the space race to China, Pentagon experts warn
    April 8, 2024

    The U.S. risks losing a new space race with China unless American and allied space industries are strengthened and bureaucratic logjams reduced, according to a study by Pentagon space experts made public Monday.

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    U.S., China military officials resume direct talks in Hawaii after lengthy break
    April 5, 2024

    U.S. and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii this week for the first meeting in three years of a group set up to improve communications and avoid military misfortunes in the Asia-Pacific region, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said Friday.

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    Chinese weapons found in Gaza, report claims
    April 4, 2024

    The war between Israel and Hamas has revealed extensive Chinese support for Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups that the U.S. and Israel consider terrorist organizations, according to strategic analyst Guermantes Lailari.

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    New heights of warfare: Marines train in mountainous, arctic conditions
    April 3, 2024

    MARINE MOUNTAIN WARFARE TRAINING CENTER, Calif. -- U.S. Marines are an elite fighting force known for tenacious amphibious combat from ships to shores, but they are now training for missions far from any coastline -- in mountains, snow and ice to be ready to fight battles in places near China, Russia or the Arctic.

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    Biden, China's Xi speak by phone in latest bid to address bilateral tensions
    April 2, 2024

    President Biden held telephone talks Tuesday with Chinese President Xi Jinping that included what the White House described as "candid and constructive" discussions on Chinese coercion of Taiwan and growing tensions between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea.

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    Biden administration sanctions Chinese hacking firm for cyberattacks on U.S. infrastructure
    March 25, 2024

    The U.S. government imposed new economic sanctions Monday on a Chinese company linked to Beijing's Ministry of State Security spy service, accusing the firm of conducting cyberattacks against critical U.S. infrastructure, the Treasury Department announced.

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    U.S. Indo-Pacific commander warns of growing danger of war over Taiwan
    March 25, 2024

    China's "massive" military buildup shows no signs of slowing down and the U.S. military in the region needs more money to better deter a war with Beijing, the outgoing commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific warned in testimony before Congress this week.

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    House oversight panel launches wide-ranging probe into Chinese influence operations in U.S.
    March 14, 2024

    The House committee in charge of government oversight is launching a large-scale investigation into what lawmakers say is a "political warfare" campaign against the federal government and the entire American system by Beijing.

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    West Point deletes 'duty, honor, country' from mission statement
    March 13, 2024

    The U.S. Military Academy at West Point has removed the words "Duty, Honor, Country" from its mission statement in what some critics say reflects the deepening politicization within the military services under President Biden

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    China now leads the world in nuclear and conventional hypersonic missiles, U.S. intelligence warns
    March 13, 2024

    China now boasts the world's largest arsenal of hypersonic missiles, which can hit U.S. targets with both nuclear and conventional warheads, a senior U.S. intelligence analyst told Congress on Tuesday.

    (...Full story)

    Intel chief: China's economic woes increase danger of war
    March 11, 2024

    China’s significant economic problems are increasing the danger Beijing will strike out in a conflict against Taiwan or another regional adversary, the Biden administration's director of national intelligence warned in a threat assessment made public Monday.

    (...Full story)

    China building new generation of mobile ICBMs
    March 6, 2024

    China is developing a new generation of mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles, part of a large-scale buildup of its nuclear arsenal, the commander of the U.S. Strategic Command recently disclosed to Congress.

    (...Full story)

    China to boost defense spending by 7.2% this year despite economic woes
    March 5, 2024

    China will increase spending on defense by 7.2% in 2024 as part of a large-scale military buildup as even the ruling Communist Party is dialing back expectations for economic growth.

    (...Full story)

    'Breathtaking': Stratcom general warns of China's expansion of nuclear weapons
    Feb. 29, 2024

    China is showing no signs of slowing the furious pace of its program to develop nuclear weapons delivery systems, a sign that Beijing is shifting away from a strategy of minimum deterrence, the commander of the U.S. Strategic Command told Congress on Thursday.

    (...Full story)



    Two high-ranking Chinese leaders lose more power in ongoing party purge
    Feb. 27, 2024

    The ruling Chinese Communist Party took action this week against two former senior leaders who disappeared suddenly several months ago, as part of an apparent political purge by President Xi Jinping.
    (...Full story)

    China adopts 'space coercion' as strategic weapon in plan to attack U.S. satellites
    Feb. 26, 2024

    The Chinese military has adopted a strategy for a conflict with the United States that calls for "space coercion" as an element of deterrence, according to a U.S. Air Force think tank report.

    (...Full story)

    U.S. engaged in 'battle of ideas' with communist China, U.S. ambassador says
    Feb. 26, 2024

    The United States is locked in a war of ideas with China, which wants to replace the American model of democracy around the world with its communist system, U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns says.

    (...Full story)

    U.S. urged to do more to counter China's growing censorship system
    Feb. 20, 2024

    China's communist government has sharply increased censorship and information controls under President Xi Jinping, posing a growing threat to U.S. security and the free flow of information globally, according to a report by a congressional China commission.

    (...Full story)

    Beijing engaged in 'critical buildout' of offensive cyber tools, FBI Director Wray warns
    Feb. 19, 2024

    Chinese hackers are stepping up efforts to get inside networks used to control critical U.S. infrastructure in preparation for future sabotage, according to FBI Director Christopher A. Wray.

    (...Full story)

    Angela Chao, sister of former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, dies in Texas car accident
    Feb. 14, 2024

    Angela Chao, chief executive of a major shipping company and former board member of the state-owned Bank of China, died in a car accident in Texas on Sunday, according to her family and multiple published reports.

    (...Full story)

    Air Force, Space Force unveil major retooling to confront a rising China
    Feb. 13, 2024

    The U.S. Air Force combat wings will be turned into "units of action" designed to better fight a war with China under a major reorganization of the service and its new sub-service, the Space Force, announced by senior service leaders this week.

    (...Full story)

    U.S. venture capital firms bankrolling the Chinese military, aiding rights abuses, panel says
    Feb. 12, 2024

    Five U.S. venture capital companies have invested an estimated $3 billion in Chinese advanced technology that congressional investigators say is bankrolling the Chinese military and fueling human rights abuses.

    (...Full story)

    Chinese-born engineer arrested for theft involving missile sensor technology
    Feb. 8, 2024

    FBI agents in California arrested a suspected technology spy for China this week, charging him with stealing some 3,600 files from a defense contractor that includes sensitive information on advanced sensors used to detect missile launches.

    (...Full story)

    Congress sounds alarm on sealift shortfalls for potential Pacific clash
    Feb. 7, 2024

    Amid growing tensions with China, the U.S. military lacks adequate sealift capabilities to support a war in the Indo-Pacific, according to the chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.

    (...Full story)

    Pacific Command legal office prepares military forces for future fight with China
    Feb. 6, 2024

    If the United States goes to war with China in the future, the Indo-Pacific Command legal office has prepared reports defining the legal basis for future American military action in places like the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea.

    (...Full story)

    List of Chinese military-linked firms in U.S. surges in latest Pentagon accounting
    Jan. 31, 2024

    Under pressure from Congress, the Pentagon on Wednesday released an updated and expanded list of nearly 50 Chinese military companies currently operating in the United States. The list includes several key weapons makers such as the Aviation Industry Corp. of China Ltd. and China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp. Ltd.

    (...Full story)

    Biden will speak to Xi Jinping soon, White House adviser says
    Jan. 30, 2024

    President Biden will soon hold a telephone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping as part of the new Biden administration policy of seeking to stabilize relations, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Tuesday night.

    (...Full story)

    China linking with Russia, Iran and North Korea poses dangerous threat to U.S., former leaders warn
    Jan. 30, 2024

    The threat posed by China and its anti-U.S. allies like Russia, Iran and North Korea is more dangerous today than ever, two former high-ranking administration leaders told Congress on Tuesday.

    (...Full story)

    Lawmakers press Pentagon watchdog on federal funds to COVID-linked Wuhan lab
    Jan. 25, 2024

    Two key lawmakers are pressing for more answers as the Pentagon inspector general prepares to investigate funding of risky virus research in China, a probe mandated under the defense authorization law signed last month by President Biden.

    (...Full story)



    With an assist from Russia, China's plutonium reactors fuel strategic arms buildup
    Jan. 23, 2024

    China is building two advanced nuclear reactors with Russian assistance that will produce plutonium for Beijing's rapid buildup of nuclear weapons, according to a new Air Force think tank study.
    (...Full story)

    China expected to step up coercion, provocations after Taiwan election rebuke
    Jan. 23, 2024

    China is expected to increase its pressure campaign and military provocations against Taiwan as it digests the election of another pro-independence president in the island democracy, according to the commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific.

    (...Full story)

    No breakthroughs seen as Pentagon-China direct talks resume after freeze
    Jan. 10, 2024

    The Pentagon said it hoped the resumption of direct military talks this week after a lengthy freeze will help prevent conflict with China, as People's Liberation Army officials demanded a reduction in U.S. military operations in the South China Sea. But the relatively low level of representation from both sides signaled the exchanges have not yet returned to prior levels of engagement.

    (...Full story)

    China makes preparations for a war that the Pentagon says is not inevitable
    Jan. 9, 2024

    China is preparing for a conflict with the United States by taking steps that include military reforms and drills, a stockpiling of oil and food, increased spying and military appointments.

    (...Full story)

    U.S. intelligence agencies ill-suited for China competition, study warns
    Jan. 6, 2024

    U.S. intelligence agencies are not structured to address threats and challenges posed by China and need urgent reforms, according to a report by a national security think tank.

    (...Full story)

    China space warfare includes cyberattacks, jamming and on-orbit grappling, intel survey says
    Jan. 4, 2024

    China's plans for space warfare include the use of cyberattacks and electronic jamming to disrupt and disable U.S. satellite systems, while the Chinese military in the future will have small robot satellites for grabbing or crushing U.S. military space sensors, according to a report by a senior U.S. intelligence official.

    (...Full story)

    Congress, Pentagon at odds over Pacific task force needed to prep for China war
    Dec. 20, 2023

    Congress and the Pentagon are battling over a legal requirement to create a joint military task force in the Pacific needed for a possible future conflict with China, but so far the military is slow-rolling the mandate with a lesser force, according to lawmakers and congressional aides.

    (...Full story)

    Pentagon urged to send Taiwan truck-launched anti-ship missiles and long-range guided bombs
    Dec. 18, 2023

    The Pentagon must rapidly convert existing missiles and bombs into new weapons that can effectively counter growing threats of a Chinese attack on Taiwan, the chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party warned in a letter to the Pentagon on Monday.

    (...Full story)

    Network of current, former intel officials boosts leftist agendas, says ex-CIA agent
    Dec. 12, 2023

    Current and former American intelligence officials jettisoned objectivity as part of leftist political policies implemented under former President Barack Obama, waging political warfare against then-candidate Donald Trump in the run-up to the 2016 election, according to a new book by a former CIA agent detailing what he says was a clear politicization of the mission of the nation's premier intelligence agency.

    (...Full story)

    Increased military exercises with Pacific allies seek to deter China, top U.S. admiral says
    Dec. 15, 2023

    U.S. forces in the Pacific are increasing multinational military exercises amid mounting fears among regional states over Chinese aggression, according to the admiral in charge of the Navy's largest fleet.

    (...Full story)

    Bipartisan congressional report urges reset, higher tariffs to meet China economic threat
    Dec. 12, 2023

    China is waging "economic aggression" against the U.S. and the nation needs a new policy toward Beijing to halt the flow of American technology to the communist superpower, according to a bipartisan report by a select congressional committee made public Tuesday.

    (...Full story)

    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)


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  • Inside the Ring
    Notes from the Pentagon

    U.S. identifies Beijing's mayor and current, past politburo members in Xi Jinping's inner circle

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and chairman of its Central Military Commission, has emerged in the past two years as the country's most powerful ruler since Mao Zedong.

    Also, Images of Xi replacing Jesus in Chinese Christian churches; Chinese coast guard fires water cannon at Philippine government vessels.(Oct. 10, 2024)


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    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


  • 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




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