The first day of the GovSec 2014 and FOSE 2014 was interesting. The Keynote Speaker was Tom Donilon, former
National Security Advisor to President Obama.
Donilon outlined a series of national security
challenges and economic opportunities facing the United States. He addressed a
wide range of national security topics, including:
• Cyber Security – Donilon
said threats are becoming “more sophisticated and pervasive” as people and
companies increasingly conduct their lives and business online. He encouraged
the audience to practice good “cyber hygiene” by taking responsibility for their
property online. Donilon also warned that cyber-enabled economic theft, such as
theft of intellectual property by nations or groups, is becoming a critical
threat, with China serving a principle home base for these threats. “You can’t
have a $500 billion economic relationship without addressing that threat,”
Donilon said of the U.S.-China relationship.
• War on Terror – Donilon noted several successes in the
war on terror, including homeland defense and disaster resiliency. He also
cited the government’s aggressive efforts to dismantle terrorist networks,
stating that the core of Al Qaida – the network responsible for the attacks of
September 11, 2001 – has been “dramatically weakened and put on the road to
defeat.” However, Donilon warned that threats continue to evolve, ranging from
Al Qaida on the Arabian Peninsula and threats in Africa to the large number of
Jihadi fighters gathering in Syria.
• Crisis in the Ukraine – Donilon
said, “the post-war order is at stake” in Ukraine and that balance of power is
a very real concept to President Putin. Donilon believes that the United States
has an obligation to its NATO allies and noted that allies, who share a border
with Ukraine, particularly Poland, have serious security concerns. He also
stated that the Ukrainian crisis is prompting European countries to reconsider
their energy dependence on Russia and to explore ways to build out their own
energy infrastructure.
• Edward Snowden’s National Security Revelations – Donilon acknowledged that Edward Snowden’s leaks of classified
documents were “tremendously damaging to our bilateral relations with other
countries, such as Russia and Brazil.” He also expressed concern for the impact
the revelations would have on U.S. technology companies, which need to
establish trust with foreign governments in order to expand business overseas.
• Asia “Pivot” – Donilon
said the Obama Administration determined in its first term that the U.S. was
substantially underinvested in Asia and needed to rebalance. The Trans Pacific
Trade Partnership, currently under negotiation, is the U.S.’s most important
economic priority in the region, he noted. He also said that the U.S.-China
relationship is defined both by areas of partnership and competition. The
relationship is anchored by a $500 billion in economic ties and that both
countries must work cooperatively within that framework.
I have written about this Asia Pivot when President Obama was traveling to
Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and the Philippines in order to reaffirm America's commitments to that part of the world.
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