FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE
Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Jay Carney Aboard AF1 en route Raleigh, NC, 1/15/2014
Aboard Air Force One
En Route Raleigh, North Carolina
10:25 A.M. EST
MR. CARNEY: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome aboard Air Force One for the first outing of the New Year. I hope you look forward to it as I do. I just wanted to say a couple of things about where we’re going and the event the President will participate in.
Today the President will visit Vacon, a company that manufactures AC drives, which are used to control the speed of electric motors to maximize energy efficiency. At 11:35 a.m. the President will tour the R&D facility, accompanied by Dan Isaksson, Vacon vice president, and Secretary Moniz. At 1:00 p.m. at North Carolina State University, the President will announce new steps with the private sector to strengthen the manufacturing sector, boost advanced manufacturing, and attract good jobs with good wages that a growing middle class requires.
The President will announce the selection of a North Carolina headquartered consortium of businesses and universities led by North Carolina State University to lead a manufacturing innovation institute for next generation power electronics.
President Obama has declared the year 2014 a “Year of Action.” And while he will continue to work with Congress on new measures to create jobs and grow the economy, he will also use his executive authority to get things done. After shedding jobs for a decade, our manufacturers have added 568,000 jobs over the past nearly four years, including 80,000 over the past five months. Manufacturing production has grown since the end of the recession at its fastest pace in over a decade. The President is committed to building on that progress.
With that, I’ll take your questions.
Q: Could you respond to some of the criticisms that Judge Bates made of recommendations regarding surveillance? He objects, for example, to the appointment of a special advocate to a rigorous procedure for national security letters, and so on.
MR. CARNEY: Mark, as you know, we are in the final stages of wrapping up the administration’s review of our signals intelligence programs. As we’ve been saying, we’re not going to discuss decisions and outcomes while the review is ongoing, and we wouldn’t discuss observations or assessments by others about recommendations that the President himself is considering as he makes final decisions prior to his remarks at the Justice Department on Friday.
Q: What about the New York Times story today that the NSA is using radio waves to tap into computers around the world and monitor them?
MR. CARNEY: As you know, I won’t discuss specific tools or processes. But the NSA operates under heavy oversight and is focused on discovering and developing intelligence about valid and foreign intelligence targets, such as terrorists, human traffickers, and drug smugglers. They are not interested in the personal information about ordinary Americans, nor do they use foreign intelligence capabilities to steal the trade secrets of foreign companies on behalf of, or give intelligence that we collect to U.S. companies to enhance their international competitiveness or increase their bottom line.
Q: Do you have anything to add to your statement last night about the unemployment insurance? Who is to blame for this?
MR. CARNEY: I think if you look at my statement, we’re very disappointed that Republicans blocked a common-sense, compromise solution that would have extended unemployment insurance benefits to the 1.3 million Americans and their families who have been cut off from this emergency assistance.
It’s very frustrating when, again, the previous President, a Republican, signed similar extensions five times without offsets. And Majority Leader Senator Reid has gone quite a distance to try to accommodate the concerns of Republicans who have shown a desire and an interest in extending these benefits when it comes to offsets and when it comes to offering amendments.
So we’re going to continue to work with congressional leaders, with Senate leaders to move this forward. The need is urgent. It should not be tied up in ideological or partisan debate. The Americans who need this assistance are Republicans, they're Democrats, they're independents, they're unaffiliated -- they're Americans. And Congress should act.
Q: Will the President address the vote or the lack of votes in the Senate in his remarks today?
MR. CARNEY: He might bring it up in his remarks, but it’s certainly not the focus of his remarks.
Q: Agenda for his meeting with Senate Democrats? What’s at the top of the agenda?
MR. CARNEY: Well, it’s basically to sync our watches on the policy agenda that the President has been putting forward and will add to in his State of the Union address. So there will be a broad array of topics, including -- as you heard him say yesterday at the Cabinet meeting -- efforts we’re undertaking to work with Congress legislatively to move the country forward and efforts that he can undertake using the unique authorities and powers that a President has to make advances on behalf of the middle class and the American economy. And today’s event in North Carolina is a perfect example of the President using that power and that authority.
Q: Jay, speaking of today’s event, these manufacturing institutes, as you know, were an initiative announced at the State of the Union last year, and here we are two weeks before this year’s State of the Union. Is there any frustration that it’s taken him close to a year to announce the establishment of the first one of what’s supposed to eventually be 45 of these institutes?
MR. CARNEY: Not at all. I mean, I think if we had announced everything in a week, you would have said it wasn’t serious, it wasn’t real, and the assessments made about where to launch these initiatives weren’t vigorous and substantive.
I think that we have seen extremely positive growth in our manufacturing sector. We’ve seen areas with huge potential for further growth, especially in advanced manufacturing, in technologies and businesses that the United States can dominate, and by doing so can create high-paying jobs that support middle-class families here at home.
This is something the President is very committed to, and he’s very excited about today’s event.
Q: “Year of Action” -- his economic issues can we see -- expect action on more health care actions, immigration, other issues on the President’s domestic agenda?
MR. CARNEY: The answer is, yes. I think the point that the President has been making and others have made on his behalf is that in many ways the American economy, as it has emerged from the recovery, has grown steadily and created 8.2 million jobs, is on a precipice of even greater strides forward. And we want to do everything we can, using our authorities, the President's authorities to take action through the executive and through the power of the pen and the power of the phone, as well as take action through and with Congress legislatively on immigration reform and so many other issues that we can work together on.
It bears notice that, despite all of our differences, despite our disappointment and frustration with the decision by Republicans to block UI benefits thus far, that there has also been steady progress on the omnibus legislation that is the product of a bipartisan compromise on a budget deal. And that omnibus legislation, that funding bill protects some of the President's key priorities, including in manufacturing, SelectUSA, including in early childhood education and others.
So there's a lot of positive things that can happen and are happening on behalf of the economy and the middle class and the American people, and we just need to keep moving forward. So the President is going to talk a lot about, in the days ahead and in the State of the Union address, ways that we can use all the tools available to us to grow the economy and create jobs that middle-class families can depend on.
Q: Can you talk about the significance of the phrase “Year of Action” compared to previous years, which seemed were also years of action? Why are you pointing out that this year is a year of action?
MR. CARNEY: Well, that’s a profound question, Zack. The fact of the matter is this President has throughout his time in office utilized the tools available to him. But we're going to reinvigorate that process. We're going to continue to look for creative and innovative ideas to do things like advance the cause of developing high-tech and other advanced manufacturing centers across the country; to expand access to early childhood education; to move forward with rebuilding our infrastructure.
One other positive outcome of the omnibus legislation that’s moving through the Congress now is that it provides significant funds for TIGER investments -- for TIGER grants. And that goes right to the infrastructure needs that we have in this country. And as you know, investment in infrastructure, as had been recognized by both Democrats and Republicans over the years, provide an immediate jolt to the economy, immediate job creation, as well as long-term positive benefits because of improved infrastructure.
Q: Jay, can I ask about Iran? As you know and have reacted to, Iran's foreign minister laid a wreath at the grave of a Hezbollah leader who was involved in a terrorist attack against Americans. And we spoke yesterday about these reports of a Russian-Iran oil-for-goods deal. You’ve made the case repeatedly of why you think Congress should wait and give diplomacy a chance. Are you concerned that events like these, which you can't control, could have a negative effect and sort of weaken the argument that you're making with folks on the Hill that, look, you need to give us a window of time to try to get a deal done?
MR. CARNEY: Well, I’d say a couple things. On the matter of the Iranian foreign minister honoring Imad Mugniyah, the United States condemns the decision taken by the Iranian foreign minister to place a wreath at the grave of a former leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah responsible for heinous acts of terrorism that killed hundreds of innocent people, including Americans. The inhumane violence that Mugniyah perpetrated and that Lebanese Hezbollah continues to perpetrate in a region with Iran’s financial and materiel support has had profoundly destabilizing and deadly effects for Lebanon and the region.
The decision to commemorate an individual who has participated in such vicious acts and whose organization continues to actively support terrorism worldwide sends the wrong message and will only exacerbate tensions in the region.
Now, I think this speaks to the fact that through the P5-plus-1 and the agreements that have been negotiated, and the process moving forward, we are addressing with our international partners the profound and important challenge of ensuring that Iran does not develop and obtain a nuclear weapon. There are a host of vital national security interests at stake here, as well as the national security interests of our allies and friends.
Even as we pursue that and do it in a way that demands transparency and verifiability from the Iranians, we do not let up in our views and our positions when it comes to other activities, including the support of terrorist organizations that Iran engages in.
On the matter of the reports about the oil-for-goods deal with Iran that Russia may be engaged in, we've been very clear that we're concerned about that. When we saw those reports, press reports, it was immediately raised at the highest levels by Secretary Kerry, with Foreign Minister Lavrov. And I can tell you that if that deal moves forward it would raise serious concerns as it would be inconsistent with the terms of the P5-plus-1 agreement with Iran and could potentially trigger U.S. sanctions against the entities and individuals involved in any such transactions.
So our disposition has not changed on these matters. And that's why it’s so important to be clear that the actions that Iran takes, the steps it takes to either comply with or not comply with commitments it makes are what we judge Iran by -- not by statements meant for a domestic audience or by promises rather than action. So we’re going to press forward.
When it comes to the need to implement the Joint Plan of Action and engage in negotiations through the P5-plus-1 with the Iranians, it is absolutely the right thing to do to test whether or not we can resolve the challenge posed by Iran’s nuclear program peacefully.
The President retains all options, including military options, to fulfill his policy goal. But it is absolutely preferable to him, to the American people, and to all those who demand that Iran forsake nuclear weapons that this be resolved peacefully.
Q: The Senate Intelligence Committee has released a declassified report on Benghazi that found that -- or concluded that the attacks there were preventable and based on known security shortfalls, and the explanations for what caused the attack were -- inaccurately referred to the protests without sufficient eyewitness accounts or intelligence to base that on. Is there any response to those findings today?
MR. CARNEY: Well, you know the administration has made extraordinary efforts to work with seven different congressional committees investigating what happened before, during, and after the Benghazi attacks, including testifying at 13 congressional hearings, participating in 50 staff briefings, and providing over 25,000 pages of documents.
Today’s report largely reaffirms the findings reached by the independent Benghazi Accountability Review Board, and a number of the recommendations are consistent with the work the State Department has taken to improve diplomatic security, including upgrading security cameras, improving fire-protective equipment, and increasing Marine security guard presence.
I’d refer you to the State Department for the status on implementing each of those recommendations. But as you know, the administration is focused on two pieces: bringing to justice those responsible for the deaths of four Americans; and making sure that we take the steps necessary to improve the security at vulnerable facilities so that our men and women serving overseas in diplomatic positions are -- rather, to improve their security, as I said.
So I think this reinforces what other investigations have found, which is that there was not enough security to protect the four Americans who lost their lives and that there are things that we must do and that we are doing to ensure that we do everything we can to protect the security of Americans serving overseas, often in difficult circumstances and dangerous circumstances.
Q: Jay, any details on the First Lady's 50th birthday party?
MR. CARNEY: No, I don’t have anything on that. I’d refer you to the East Wing.
Q: No Jay-Z, Beyoncé dance party? (Laughter.)
Q: Are you going?
MR. CARNEY: Again, I'd refer you to the East Wing.
Q: Have you been invited?
MR. CARNEY: I'd refer you to the East Wing. (Laughter.)
Q: Do you dance?
MR. CARNEY: I do. Anybody else?
Q: One other thing. Can you confirm that the President is going to nominate Maria Contreras-Sweet to head the SBA?
MR. CARNEY: I can. The President will do that this afternoon --
Q: In his remarks?
MR. CARNEY: No, upon return to the White House. And I think if you look at her remarkable career, you will see that she is an excellent candidate for this position. And the President is grateful that he will be able to nominate her today.
Q: One more for you. What do the lobbying efforts look like from the White House on the fast-track TPA bill?
MR. CARNEY: It’s a priority of the President’s, his entire trade agenda, and we’re working with Congress to move that forward.
Q: Thank you.
MR. CARNEY: Thanks.
END
Showing posts with label NSA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NSA. Show all posts
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Sunday, January 5, 2014
READOUT: NSA ADVISOR'S CALL WITH IRAQI NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR AL-FAYYAD
FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE
January 05, 2014
Readout of Deputy National Security Advisor Blinken's Call with Iraqi National Security Advisor Faleh al-Fayyad
Deputy National Security Advisor Blinken spoke with Iraqi National Security Advisor Faleh al-Fayyad today. Blinken expressed the United States' support for ongoing operations by the Iraqi Security Forces in coordination with local and tribal movements in Anbar province to combat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Fayyad affirmed the Iraqi government's commitment to work cooperatively with local leaders and communities in Anbar province, as well as national leaders from all political blocs, to isolate ISIL from the population and respond to the urgent needs of the Iraqi people in areas affected by terrorism. Both confirmed the strong U.S.-Iraq security partnership under the Strategic Framework Agreement, and the need for greater cooperation among Iraq’s neighboring countries to combat the regional terrorist threat. Senior officials from the White House, the State Department, and the United States Embassy in Baghdad remain in regular communication with a wide range of Iraqi officials to support ongoing efforts against ISIL, and to encourage coordination between Iraqi Security Forces and the people they serve.
January 05, 2014
Readout of Deputy National Security Advisor Blinken's Call with Iraqi National Security Advisor Faleh al-Fayyad
Deputy National Security Advisor Blinken spoke with Iraqi National Security Advisor Faleh al-Fayyad today. Blinken expressed the United States' support for ongoing operations by the Iraqi Security Forces in coordination with local and tribal movements in Anbar province to combat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Fayyad affirmed the Iraqi government's commitment to work cooperatively with local leaders and communities in Anbar province, as well as national leaders from all political blocs, to isolate ISIL from the population and respond to the urgent needs of the Iraqi people in areas affected by terrorism. Both confirmed the strong U.S.-Iraq security partnership under the Strategic Framework Agreement, and the need for greater cooperation among Iraq’s neighboring countries to combat the regional terrorist threat. Senior officials from the White House, the State Department, and the United States Embassy in Baghdad remain in regular communication with a wide range of Iraqi officials to support ongoing efforts against ISIL, and to encourage coordination between Iraqi Security Forces and the people they serve.
Monday, November 25, 2013
PRESIDENT OBAMA'S REMARKS AT DCCC EVENT IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE
November 25, 2013
Remarks by the President at DCCC Event -- Seattle, WA
Private Residence
Seattle, Washington
7:24 P.M. PST
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you! Thank you, guys. (Applause.) Sit down. You already did that. Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Have a seat. Have a seat.
Well, first of all, let me just thank Jon for the second time for his incredible hospitality. And I think it’s fair to say that between Nancy and me and Steve Israel, we do a lot of events. I will say that this particular space is one of the more spectacular venues for an event. (Applause.) And we couldn’t have a more gracious host. The only problem when I come to Jon’s house is I want to just kind of roam around and check stuff out, and instead I’ve got to talk. (Laughter.) But Jon, thank you for your friendship. We’ve very grateful.
A few other people I want to acknowledge. First of all, our once Speaker and soon to be Speaker again, Nancy Pelosi. We are thrilled to be with her. (Applause.) Someone who has an incredibly thankless job, but does it with energy and wisdom -- and I was going to say joy, but I’m not, I don’t want to kind of overdo it -- (laughter) -- but is doing an outstanding job -- Steve Israel, who is heading up the DCCC. Thank you so much, Steve, for the great job that you’re doing. (Applause.)
We’ve got some outstanding members of Congress here. Congressman Rick Larsen is here. Where’s Rick? There he is.(Applause.) Congresswoman Suzan DelBene is here. (Applause.) Congressman Derek Kilmer is here. Where’s Derek? There he is -- (applause) -- who just informed me that his four-year-old at the Christmas party is going to sing me at least one patriotic song. (Laughter.) And I’m very excited about this. She has a repertoire of five songs, and we’re trying to hone in on what one song she is going to do.
And you’ve got a former outstanding member of Congress, who now is doing a great job as the Governor of this great state -- Governor Jay Inslee is here. (Applause.) And Trudi, who’s keeping him in line at all times. (Applause.) And I want to thank John Frank, who also spent a lot of time on this event. Thank you so much. (Applause.)
Now, the great thing about these kinds of events is I spend most of my time in a conversation with you, as opposed to just making a long speech. Let me make a couple of observations. Number one, Jay claims he arranged it, but when we landed, we were flying over Mt. Rainier -- pulled into the airport, came off the plane, and the sunset was lighting the mountain. And it was spectacular, and reminded me of why it is that I love the Pacific Northwest so much.
Now, part of it -- I was saying to somebody, part of it may also be that I always feel the spirit of my mom here, because I graduated from Mercer Island High. (Applause.) But you guys have got a good thing going here, and it’s not just the Seahawks. I just want to make that point. (Applause.)
Point number two, obviously, there are such enormous challenges that we face all across this country and internationally, and this year we’ve seen issues ranging from the tragedy of Sandy Hook to disclosures at the NSA to the shutdown and the potential of default to continuing issues surrounding the Middle East and peace there. And so it’s understandable, I think, that sometimes people feel discouraged or concerned about whether or not we can continue to make progress. And one thing that I always try to emphasize is that if you look at American history, there have been frequent occasions in which it looked like we had insoluble problems -- either economic, political, security -- and as long as there were those who stayed steady and clear-eyed and persistent, eventually we came up with an answer; eventually we were able to work through these challenges and come out better on the other end.
And that’s true today as well. After seeing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, we’ve now seen 44 straight months of job growth. We’ve doubled our production of clean energy. We are actually importing less oil than ever before, producing more energy than ever before. We’ve reduced the pace of our carbon emissions in a way that is actually better than the vast majority of industrialized nations over the last five years.
We’ve been able to not only create the possibility of all people enjoying the security of health care, but we’ve also been driving down the cost of health care, which benefits people’s pocket books, their businesses. Our institutions of higher learning continue to be the best in the world. And you’re actually -- because of the productivity of our workers, we’re actually seeing manufacturing move back to America in ways that we haven’t seen in decades.
A lot of the reason that we’re making progress is because of the inherent resilience and strength of the American people, but a lot of it is because folks like Nancy Pelosi and some of the members of Congress, or even former members of Congress who are here made some tough decisions early on in my administration. And we’re starting to see those bear fruit and pay off.
And so I’m incredibly optimistic about our future. But I’m also mindful of the fact that we have some barriers, some impediments to change and progress. And the biggest barrier and impediment we have right now is a Congress -- and in particular, a House of Representatives -- that is not focused on getting the job done for the American people, but is a lot more focused on trying to position themselves for the next election or to defeat my agenda.
And that’s unfortunate, because that’s not what the American people are looking for right now. And the truth is, is that there are a lot of ideas -- things like early childhood education, or rebuilding our infrastructure, or investing in basic science and research -- there are a whole range of -- immigration reform -- a whole range of ideas that if you strip away the politics, there’s actually a pretty broad consensus in this country.
I’m not a particularly ideological person. There are some things, some values I feel passionately about. I feel passionate about making sure everybody in this country gets a fair shake. I feel passionate about everybody being treated with dignity and respect regardless of what they look like or what their last name is or who they love. I feel passionate about making sure that we’re leaving a planet that is as spectacular as the one we inherited from our parents and our grandparents. I feel passionate about working for peace even as we are making sure that our defenses are strong.
So there are values I care about. But I’m pretty pragmatic when it comes to how do we get there -- and so is Nancy, and so is Jay. And so more than anything, what we’re looking for is not the defeat of another party; what we’re looking for is the advancement of ideas that are going to vindicate those values that are tried and true, and that have led this country to the spectacular heights that we’ve seen in the past.
But to do that we’re going to need Nancy Pelosi as Speaker, because there’s just a lot of work to be done right now. Between now and next November, I’m going to do everything I can and look for every opportunity to work on a bipartisan basis to get stuff done. There will not be a point in time where I’ve got an opportunity to get something done where I don't do it simply because of politics. But those opportunity have been few and far between over the last several years, and the American people can’t afford to wait in perpetuity for us to grow faster, create more jobs, strengthen our middle class, clean our environment, fix our immigration system.
And so if we don't have partners on the other side, we’re going to have to go ahead and do it ourselves. And so the support that you’re providing today and the support that you’ve provided time and again is making all the difference in the world. And it’s part of what gives me confidence that we’re going to be successful over the long term.
So thank you. We appreciate it.
And with that, let me take some questions. (Applause.)
November 25, 2013
Remarks by the President at DCCC Event -- Seattle, WA
Private Residence
Seattle, Washington
7:24 P.M. PST
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you! Thank you, guys. (Applause.) Sit down. You already did that. Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Have a seat. Have a seat.
Well, first of all, let me just thank Jon for the second time for his incredible hospitality. And I think it’s fair to say that between Nancy and me and Steve Israel, we do a lot of events. I will say that this particular space is one of the more spectacular venues for an event. (Applause.) And we couldn’t have a more gracious host. The only problem when I come to Jon’s house is I want to just kind of roam around and check stuff out, and instead I’ve got to talk. (Laughter.) But Jon, thank you for your friendship. We’ve very grateful.
A few other people I want to acknowledge. First of all, our once Speaker and soon to be Speaker again, Nancy Pelosi. We are thrilled to be with her. (Applause.) Someone who has an incredibly thankless job, but does it with energy and wisdom -- and I was going to say joy, but I’m not, I don’t want to kind of overdo it -- (laughter) -- but is doing an outstanding job -- Steve Israel, who is heading up the DCCC. Thank you so much, Steve, for the great job that you’re doing. (Applause.)
We’ve got some outstanding members of Congress here. Congressman Rick Larsen is here. Where’s Rick? There he is.(Applause.) Congresswoman Suzan DelBene is here. (Applause.) Congressman Derek Kilmer is here. Where’s Derek? There he is -- (applause) -- who just informed me that his four-year-old at the Christmas party is going to sing me at least one patriotic song. (Laughter.) And I’m very excited about this. She has a repertoire of five songs, and we’re trying to hone in on what one song she is going to do.
And you’ve got a former outstanding member of Congress, who now is doing a great job as the Governor of this great state -- Governor Jay Inslee is here. (Applause.) And Trudi, who’s keeping him in line at all times. (Applause.) And I want to thank John Frank, who also spent a lot of time on this event. Thank you so much. (Applause.)
Now, the great thing about these kinds of events is I spend most of my time in a conversation with you, as opposed to just making a long speech. Let me make a couple of observations. Number one, Jay claims he arranged it, but when we landed, we were flying over Mt. Rainier -- pulled into the airport, came off the plane, and the sunset was lighting the mountain. And it was spectacular, and reminded me of why it is that I love the Pacific Northwest so much.
Now, part of it -- I was saying to somebody, part of it may also be that I always feel the spirit of my mom here, because I graduated from Mercer Island High. (Applause.) But you guys have got a good thing going here, and it’s not just the Seahawks. I just want to make that point. (Applause.)
Point number two, obviously, there are such enormous challenges that we face all across this country and internationally, and this year we’ve seen issues ranging from the tragedy of Sandy Hook to disclosures at the NSA to the shutdown and the potential of default to continuing issues surrounding the Middle East and peace there. And so it’s understandable, I think, that sometimes people feel discouraged or concerned about whether or not we can continue to make progress. And one thing that I always try to emphasize is that if you look at American history, there have been frequent occasions in which it looked like we had insoluble problems -- either economic, political, security -- and as long as there were those who stayed steady and clear-eyed and persistent, eventually we came up with an answer; eventually we were able to work through these challenges and come out better on the other end.
And that’s true today as well. After seeing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, we’ve now seen 44 straight months of job growth. We’ve doubled our production of clean energy. We are actually importing less oil than ever before, producing more energy than ever before. We’ve reduced the pace of our carbon emissions in a way that is actually better than the vast majority of industrialized nations over the last five years.
We’ve been able to not only create the possibility of all people enjoying the security of health care, but we’ve also been driving down the cost of health care, which benefits people’s pocket books, their businesses. Our institutions of higher learning continue to be the best in the world. And you’re actually -- because of the productivity of our workers, we’re actually seeing manufacturing move back to America in ways that we haven’t seen in decades.
A lot of the reason that we’re making progress is because of the inherent resilience and strength of the American people, but a lot of it is because folks like Nancy Pelosi and some of the members of Congress, or even former members of Congress who are here made some tough decisions early on in my administration. And we’re starting to see those bear fruit and pay off.
And so I’m incredibly optimistic about our future. But I’m also mindful of the fact that we have some barriers, some impediments to change and progress. And the biggest barrier and impediment we have right now is a Congress -- and in particular, a House of Representatives -- that is not focused on getting the job done for the American people, but is a lot more focused on trying to position themselves for the next election or to defeat my agenda.
And that’s unfortunate, because that’s not what the American people are looking for right now. And the truth is, is that there are a lot of ideas -- things like early childhood education, or rebuilding our infrastructure, or investing in basic science and research -- there are a whole range of -- immigration reform -- a whole range of ideas that if you strip away the politics, there’s actually a pretty broad consensus in this country.
I’m not a particularly ideological person. There are some things, some values I feel passionately about. I feel passionate about making sure everybody in this country gets a fair shake. I feel passionate about everybody being treated with dignity and respect regardless of what they look like or what their last name is or who they love. I feel passionate about making sure that we’re leaving a planet that is as spectacular as the one we inherited from our parents and our grandparents. I feel passionate about working for peace even as we are making sure that our defenses are strong.
So there are values I care about. But I’m pretty pragmatic when it comes to how do we get there -- and so is Nancy, and so is Jay. And so more than anything, what we’re looking for is not the defeat of another party; what we’re looking for is the advancement of ideas that are going to vindicate those values that are tried and true, and that have led this country to the spectacular heights that we’ve seen in the past.
But to do that we’re going to need Nancy Pelosi as Speaker, because there’s just a lot of work to be done right now. Between now and next November, I’m going to do everything I can and look for every opportunity to work on a bipartisan basis to get stuff done. There will not be a point in time where I’ve got an opportunity to get something done where I don't do it simply because of politics. But those opportunity have been few and far between over the last several years, and the American people can’t afford to wait in perpetuity for us to grow faster, create more jobs, strengthen our middle class, clean our environment, fix our immigration system.
And so if we don't have partners on the other side, we’re going to have to go ahead and do it ourselves. And so the support that you’re providing today and the support that you’ve provided time and again is making all the difference in the world. And it’s part of what gives me confidence that we’re going to be successful over the long term.
So thank you. We appreciate it.
And with that, let me take some questions. (Applause.)
Saturday, September 28, 2013
OFFICIALS APPEAR BEFORE SENATE COMMITTEE TO DISCUSS INTELLIGENCE PROGRAMS
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Officials Discuss Intelligence Programs at Senate Hearing
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2013 - At a hearing yesterday before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander, commander of U.S. Cyber Command and director of the National Security Agency, and Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. discussed a NSA-managed classified intelligence program, one of two made public by a security leak in June.
Joining Alexander and Clapper was Deputy Attorney General James Cole. All were called to testify about both programs leaked to the press by former NSA systems administrator Edward Snowden -- Section 215 of the Patriot Act, also known as NSA's 215 business records program, and Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA.
In the months since the leaks, media reports have said the programs involve secret surveillance by NSA of phone calls and online activities of U.S. citizens, and revealed unauthorized disclosures of information by NSA, generating distrust of the agency and calls for an end to the programs.
Section 702 of FISA and Section 215 of the Patriot Act both were authorized by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, first approved by Congress in 1978.
Section 702 authorizes access, under court oversight, to records and other items belonging to foreign targets located outside the United States. Section 215 broadens FISA to allow the FBI director or other high-ranking officials there to apply for orders to examine telephone metadata to help with terrorism investigations.
In 2012, these programs resulted in the examination of fewer than 300 selectors, or phone numbers, in the NSA database, Alexander said during a congressional hearing in July.
In his remarks, Cole described the 215 program, explaining that it involves collecting only metadata from telephone calls.
"What is collected as metadata is quite limited. ... It is the number a telephone calls ... It doesn't include the name of the person called," Cole said. "It doesn't include the location of the person called. It doesn't include any content of that communication. It doesn't include financial information ... It is just the number that was called, the date and the length of the call."
"If you want any additional information beyond that, you would have to go and get other legal processes to find that information and acquire it," he added.
Such metadata can only be looked at when there is a reasonable, articulable suspicion for a specific phone number to be queried in the database, Cole said.
"Otherwise," he said, "we do not and cannot just roam through this database looking for whatever connections we may think are interesting or in any way look at it beyond the restrictions in the court order."
Only a small number of analysts can make such a determination, and that determination must be documented so it can be reviewed by a supervisor and later reviewed for compliance purposes, Cole added. The program is conducted according to authorization by the FISA Court, which must reapprove the program every 90 days.
"Since the court originally authorized this program in 2006, it has been reapproved on 34 separate occasions by 14 individual Article Three judges of the FISA Court," Cole said. "Each reapproval indicates the court's conclusion that the collection was permissible under Section 215 and satisfied all constitutional requirements."
Article Three of the U.S. Constitution establishes the judicial branch of the federal government.
Oversight of the 215 program involves all three branches of government, including the FISA Court and the Intelligence and Judiciary Committees of both houses of Congress, Cole said. Every 90 days, the Department of Justice reviews a sample of NSA's queries to determine whether the reasonable articulable requirement has been met.
DOJ lawyers meet every 90 days with NSA operators and with the NSA inspector general to discuss the program's operation and any compliance issues that may arise, Cole explained.
With respect to Congress, "we have reported any significant compliance problems, such as those uncovered in 2009, to the Intelligence and Judiciary Committees of both houses," he said.
"Those documents have since been declassified and released by the DNI to give the public a better understanding of how the government and the FISA court respond to compliance problems once they're identified," Cole said.
In his testimony, Alexander told the panel that NSA's implementation of Section 215 of the Patriot Act focuses on defending the homeland by linking foreign and domestic threats.
Section 702 of FISA focuses on acquiring foreign intelligence, he said, including critical information concerning international terrorist organizations, by targeting non-U.S. persons who are reasonably believed to be outside the United States.
NSA also operates under other sections of the FISA statute in accordance with the law's provisions, Alexander said.
"To target a U.S. person anywhere in the world, under the FISA statute we are required to obtain a court order based on a probable cause showing that the prospective target of the surveillance is a foreign power or agent of a foreign power," he explained.
"As I have said before, these authorities and capabilities are powerful," Alexander said. "We take our responsibility seriously."
NSA stood up a directorate of compliance in 2009 and regularly trains the entire workforce in privacy protections and the proper use of capabilities, he said.
"We do make mistakes," Alexander noted.
"Compliance incidents, with very rare exceptions, are unintentional and reflect the sorts of errors that occur in any complex system of technical activity," he said.
The press has claimed evidence of thousands of privacy violations but that is false and misleading, Alexander said.
"According to NSA's independent inspector general, there have been only 12 substantiated cases of willful violation over 10 years. Essentially one per year," he said. "Several of these cases were referred to the Department of Justice for potential prosecution, and appropriate disciplinary action in other cases. We hold ourselves accountable every day."
Of 2,776 violations noted in the press, he said, about 75 percent were not violations of court-approved procedures but rather were NSA's detection of valid foreign targets that traveled to the United States. The targets are called roamers and failure to stop collecting on them as soon as they enter the United States from a foreign country is considered a violation that must be reported.
"NSA has a privacy compliance program that any leader of a large, complex organization would be proud of," Alexander said. "We welcome an ongoing discussion about how the public can, going forward, have increased information about NSA's compliance program and its compliance posture, much the same way all three branches of the government have today."
NSA's programs have contributed to understanding and disrupting 54 terrorism-related events, Alexander told the panel, with 25 in Europe, 11 in Asia, five in Africa, and 13 in the United States.
"This was no accident. This was not coincidence. These are the direct results of a dedicated workforce, appropriate policy, and well-scoped authorities created in the wake of 9/11, to make sure 9/11 never happens again," Alexander said.
In the week ending 23 Sept., he said, there were 972 terrorism-related deaths in Kenya, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and Iraq. Another 1,030 people were injured in the same countries.
"The programs I've been talking about -- we need these programs to protect this nation, to ensure that we don't have those same statistics here," Alexander said.
With respect to reforms, he said, on Aug. 9 President Barack Obama laid out specific steps to increase the confidence of the American people in the NSA foreign intelligence collection programs.
"We are always looking for ways to better protect privacy and security," Alexander said. "We have improved over time our ability to reconcile our technology with our operations and with the rules and authorities. We will continue to do so as we go forward and strive to improve how we protect the American people, their privacy and their security."
In his remarks to the panel, Clapper said that over past 3 months he's declassified and publicly released a series of documents related to Section 215 Section 702.
"We did that to facilitate informed public debate about the important intelligence collection programs," he said. "We felt in the light of the unauthorized disclosures, the public interest in these documents far outweigh the potential additional damage to national security. These documents [allow them to] see the seriousness, thoroughness and rigor with which the FISA Court exercises its responsibilities."
Even in these documents, Clapper said, officials had to redact some information to protect sensitive sources and methods such as particular targets of surveillance.
"We'll continue to declassify more documents. It's what the American people want," he said. "It's what the president has asked us to do. And I personally believe it's the only way we can reassure our citizens that the intelligence community is using its tools and authorities appropriately."
But, Clapper said, "we also have to remain mindful of potentially negative long-term impact of over-correcting to the authorizations granted to the intelligence community."
Clapper added, "As Americans we face an unending array of threats to our way of life -- more than I've seen in my 50 years in intelligence. We need to sustain our ability to detect these threats. We welcome a balanced discussion about civil liberties but it's not an either-or situation. We need to continue to protect both."
Officials Discuss Intelligence Programs at Senate Hearing
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2013 - At a hearing yesterday before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander, commander of U.S. Cyber Command and director of the National Security Agency, and Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. discussed a NSA-managed classified intelligence program, one of two made public by a security leak in June.
Joining Alexander and Clapper was Deputy Attorney General James Cole. All were called to testify about both programs leaked to the press by former NSA systems administrator Edward Snowden -- Section 215 of the Patriot Act, also known as NSA's 215 business records program, and Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA.
In the months since the leaks, media reports have said the programs involve secret surveillance by NSA of phone calls and online activities of U.S. citizens, and revealed unauthorized disclosures of information by NSA, generating distrust of the agency and calls for an end to the programs.
Section 702 of FISA and Section 215 of the Patriot Act both were authorized by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, first approved by Congress in 1978.
Section 702 authorizes access, under court oversight, to records and other items belonging to foreign targets located outside the United States. Section 215 broadens FISA to allow the FBI director or other high-ranking officials there to apply for orders to examine telephone metadata to help with terrorism investigations.
In 2012, these programs resulted in the examination of fewer than 300 selectors, or phone numbers, in the NSA database, Alexander said during a congressional hearing in July.
In his remarks, Cole described the 215 program, explaining that it involves collecting only metadata from telephone calls.
"What is collected as metadata is quite limited. ... It is the number a telephone calls ... It doesn't include the name of the person called," Cole said. "It doesn't include the location of the person called. It doesn't include any content of that communication. It doesn't include financial information ... It is just the number that was called, the date and the length of the call."
"If you want any additional information beyond that, you would have to go and get other legal processes to find that information and acquire it," he added.
Such metadata can only be looked at when there is a reasonable, articulable suspicion for a specific phone number to be queried in the database, Cole said.
"Otherwise," he said, "we do not and cannot just roam through this database looking for whatever connections we may think are interesting or in any way look at it beyond the restrictions in the court order."
Only a small number of analysts can make such a determination, and that determination must be documented so it can be reviewed by a supervisor and later reviewed for compliance purposes, Cole added. The program is conducted according to authorization by the FISA Court, which must reapprove the program every 90 days.
"Since the court originally authorized this program in 2006, it has been reapproved on 34 separate occasions by 14 individual Article Three judges of the FISA Court," Cole said. "Each reapproval indicates the court's conclusion that the collection was permissible under Section 215 and satisfied all constitutional requirements."
Article Three of the U.S. Constitution establishes the judicial branch of the federal government.
Oversight of the 215 program involves all three branches of government, including the FISA Court and the Intelligence and Judiciary Committees of both houses of Congress, Cole said. Every 90 days, the Department of Justice reviews a sample of NSA's queries to determine whether the reasonable articulable requirement has been met.
DOJ lawyers meet every 90 days with NSA operators and with the NSA inspector general to discuss the program's operation and any compliance issues that may arise, Cole explained.
With respect to Congress, "we have reported any significant compliance problems, such as those uncovered in 2009, to the Intelligence and Judiciary Committees of both houses," he said.
"Those documents have since been declassified and released by the DNI to give the public a better understanding of how the government and the FISA court respond to compliance problems once they're identified," Cole said.
In his testimony, Alexander told the panel that NSA's implementation of Section 215 of the Patriot Act focuses on defending the homeland by linking foreign and domestic threats.
Section 702 of FISA focuses on acquiring foreign intelligence, he said, including critical information concerning international terrorist organizations, by targeting non-U.S. persons who are reasonably believed to be outside the United States.
NSA also operates under other sections of the FISA statute in accordance with the law's provisions, Alexander said.
"To target a U.S. person anywhere in the world, under the FISA statute we are required to obtain a court order based on a probable cause showing that the prospective target of the surveillance is a foreign power or agent of a foreign power," he explained.
"As I have said before, these authorities and capabilities are powerful," Alexander said. "We take our responsibility seriously."
NSA stood up a directorate of compliance in 2009 and regularly trains the entire workforce in privacy protections and the proper use of capabilities, he said.
"We do make mistakes," Alexander noted.
"Compliance incidents, with very rare exceptions, are unintentional and reflect the sorts of errors that occur in any complex system of technical activity," he said.
The press has claimed evidence of thousands of privacy violations but that is false and misleading, Alexander said.
"According to NSA's independent inspector general, there have been only 12 substantiated cases of willful violation over 10 years. Essentially one per year," he said. "Several of these cases were referred to the Department of Justice for potential prosecution, and appropriate disciplinary action in other cases. We hold ourselves accountable every day."
Of 2,776 violations noted in the press, he said, about 75 percent were not violations of court-approved procedures but rather were NSA's detection of valid foreign targets that traveled to the United States. The targets are called roamers and failure to stop collecting on them as soon as they enter the United States from a foreign country is considered a violation that must be reported.
"NSA has a privacy compliance program that any leader of a large, complex organization would be proud of," Alexander said. "We welcome an ongoing discussion about how the public can, going forward, have increased information about NSA's compliance program and its compliance posture, much the same way all three branches of the government have today."
NSA's programs have contributed to understanding and disrupting 54 terrorism-related events, Alexander told the panel, with 25 in Europe, 11 in Asia, five in Africa, and 13 in the United States.
"This was no accident. This was not coincidence. These are the direct results of a dedicated workforce, appropriate policy, and well-scoped authorities created in the wake of 9/11, to make sure 9/11 never happens again," Alexander said.
In the week ending 23 Sept., he said, there were 972 terrorism-related deaths in Kenya, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and Iraq. Another 1,030 people were injured in the same countries.
"The programs I've been talking about -- we need these programs to protect this nation, to ensure that we don't have those same statistics here," Alexander said.
With respect to reforms, he said, on Aug. 9 President Barack Obama laid out specific steps to increase the confidence of the American people in the NSA foreign intelligence collection programs.
"We are always looking for ways to better protect privacy and security," Alexander said. "We have improved over time our ability to reconcile our technology with our operations and with the rules and authorities. We will continue to do so as we go forward and strive to improve how we protect the American people, their privacy and their security."
In his remarks to the panel, Clapper said that over past 3 months he's declassified and publicly released a series of documents related to Section 215 Section 702.
"We did that to facilitate informed public debate about the important intelligence collection programs," he said. "We felt in the light of the unauthorized disclosures, the public interest in these documents far outweigh the potential additional damage to national security. These documents [allow them to] see the seriousness, thoroughness and rigor with which the FISA Court exercises its responsibilities."
Even in these documents, Clapper said, officials had to redact some information to protect sensitive sources and methods such as particular targets of surveillance.
"We'll continue to declassify more documents. It's what the American people want," he said. "It's what the president has asked us to do. And I personally believe it's the only way we can reassure our citizens that the intelligence community is using its tools and authorities appropriately."
But, Clapper said, "we also have to remain mindful of potentially negative long-term impact of over-correcting to the authorizations granted to the intelligence community."
Clapper added, "As Americans we face an unending array of threats to our way of life -- more than I've seen in my 50 years in intelligence. We need to sustain our ability to detect these threats. We welcome a balanced discussion about civil liberties but it's not an either-or situation. We need to continue to protect both."
Friday, September 20, 2013
HOX GENES AND OUR FUTURE
FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Understanding how our genes help us develop
Hox genes are the master regulators of embryonic development for all animals, including humans, flies and worms. They decide what body parts go where. Not surprisingly, if something goes wrong with these genes, the results can be disastrous.
In Drosophila, the fruit fly, a Hox mutation can produce profound changes--an extra pair of wings, for example, or a set of legs, instead of antennae, growing from the fly's head.
"The job of the Hox genes is to tell cells early on in embryonic development what to become--whether to make an eye, an antenna or wings," says Robert Drewell, associate professor of biology at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, Calif. "Just a single mutation in the Hox gene can produce these dramatic anomalies."
Humans have Hox genes too. For this reason, Drewell is trying to understand the molecular function of Hox genes in the fruit fly, including what happens when they work properly and what happens when they don't, in order to learn more about their behavior in humans.
Genetically, humans and fruit flies are very much alike; in fact, many known human disease genes have a recognizable match in the genetic code of the fruit fly. Thus, the information researchers gain from studying flies could provide insights into certain birth defects, such as extra ribs and extra digits, and potentially serious diseases.
"We have exactly the same genes, and use them in exactly the same way," he says. "By understanding them in Drosophila, we can understand them in humans."
Drewell is conducting his research under a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award, which he received in 2009. The award supports junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education, and research within the context of the mission of their organization. He is receiving about $600,000 over five years.
Hox genes have been entirely conserved throughout animal evolution, meaning "since around 530 million years ago, when many complex animal life forms appeared, they had Hox genes," Drewell says.
Fruit flies are model organisms for studying genetics since they have a short lifespan--several generations can be studied in a matter of weeks--and are small and easy to grow. More importantly, they can provide a wealth of information for computational analysis because scientists have deciphered their entire genetic blueprint.
"We live in this post-genomic era, so we can do comparisons across species to look at exactly how the regulatory regions at Hox genes are changing over time," Drewell says.
Drewell's lab uses several different approaches, applying biology, genetics and computational methods to learn more about the behavior of Hox genes.
"We make what are called 'reporter' genes," he says. "We construct these artificial genes in the lab, then reintroduce them back into Drosophila. This allows us to measure what is happening to those genes. The genes we are putting in are combinations of fragments from Hox genes--different DNA regions--and we are testing if these different regions are responsible for regulating when and where the Hox gene is turned on and off."
Through their experiments, "We can look at what genes are turned on and off, and can detect exactly which DNA elements regulate the process, and how they regulate it."
Because the fruit fly's genome is available, "we are able to do comparisons across species to look at exactly how these regulatory regions are changing over time," using computational biology methods, he says. Moreover, "through that process, we can essentially start to get a handle on the role that Hox genes play in controlling cell identify in the developing embryo. We can do this in all animals, including humans."
The educational component of his CAREER grant has allowed Drewell to incorporate new elements to the curriculum, including mathematical and computational approaches, and provides undergraduate students the opportunity to conduct research that typically would not be available to them.
"Harvey Mudd doesn't have a graduate program, so all the research, essentially, is done by undergraduates," Drewell says. "They get an opportunity to do something they might not otherwise get to do. Each student is fully encouraged to take ownership of his or her own project. In this way, this often exposes them to a research field for the very first time and establishes a great foundation for their future endeavors in research."
-- Marlene Cimons, National Science Foundation
Understanding how our genes help us develop
Hox genes are the master regulators of embryonic development for all animals, including humans, flies and worms. They decide what body parts go where. Not surprisingly, if something goes wrong with these genes, the results can be disastrous.
In Drosophila, the fruit fly, a Hox mutation can produce profound changes--an extra pair of wings, for example, or a set of legs, instead of antennae, growing from the fly's head.
"The job of the Hox genes is to tell cells early on in embryonic development what to become--whether to make an eye, an antenna or wings," says Robert Drewell, associate professor of biology at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, Calif. "Just a single mutation in the Hox gene can produce these dramatic anomalies."
Humans have Hox genes too. For this reason, Drewell is trying to understand the molecular function of Hox genes in the fruit fly, including what happens when they work properly and what happens when they don't, in order to learn more about their behavior in humans.
Genetically, humans and fruit flies are very much alike; in fact, many known human disease genes have a recognizable match in the genetic code of the fruit fly. Thus, the information researchers gain from studying flies could provide insights into certain birth defects, such as extra ribs and extra digits, and potentially serious diseases.
"We have exactly the same genes, and use them in exactly the same way," he says. "By understanding them in Drosophila, we can understand them in humans."
Drewell is conducting his research under a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award, which he received in 2009. The award supports junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education, and research within the context of the mission of their organization. He is receiving about $600,000 over five years.
Hox genes have been entirely conserved throughout animal evolution, meaning "since around 530 million years ago, when many complex animal life forms appeared, they had Hox genes," Drewell says.
Fruit flies are model organisms for studying genetics since they have a short lifespan--several generations can be studied in a matter of weeks--and are small and easy to grow. More importantly, they can provide a wealth of information for computational analysis because scientists have deciphered their entire genetic blueprint.
"We live in this post-genomic era, so we can do comparisons across species to look at exactly how the regulatory regions at Hox genes are changing over time," Drewell says.
Drewell's lab uses several different approaches, applying biology, genetics and computational methods to learn more about the behavior of Hox genes.
"We make what are called 'reporter' genes," he says. "We construct these artificial genes in the lab, then reintroduce them back into Drosophila. This allows us to measure what is happening to those genes. The genes we are putting in are combinations of fragments from Hox genes--different DNA regions--and we are testing if these different regions are responsible for regulating when and where the Hox gene is turned on and off."
Through their experiments, "We can look at what genes are turned on and off, and can detect exactly which DNA elements regulate the process, and how they regulate it."
Because the fruit fly's genome is available, "we are able to do comparisons across species to look at exactly how these regulatory regions are changing over time," using computational biology methods, he says. Moreover, "through that process, we can essentially start to get a handle on the role that Hox genes play in controlling cell identify in the developing embryo. We can do this in all animals, including humans."
The educational component of his CAREER grant has allowed Drewell to incorporate new elements to the curriculum, including mathematical and computational approaches, and provides undergraduate students the opportunity to conduct research that typically would not be available to them.
"Harvey Mudd doesn't have a graduate program, so all the research, essentially, is done by undergraduates," Drewell says. "They get an opportunity to do something they might not otherwise get to do. Each student is fully encouraged to take ownership of his or her own project. In this way, this often exposes them to a research field for the very first time and establishes a great foundation for their future endeavors in research."
-- Marlene Cimons, National Science Foundation
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
NSA MAKES CASE FOR ATTACKING SYRIA
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
National Security Advisor Makes Case for Action in Syria
By Amaani Lyle
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sept. 9, 2013 - National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice today explained the objectives of punitive military strikes under consideration in response to the use of chemical weapons by the Bashar Assad regime against Syrian civilians.
In a speech at the New America Foundation, Rice said President Barack Obama's administration has collaborated with the United Nations, Congress and other allies to isolate the Assad regime, deny its resources, bolster civilian and military opposition and secure diplomatic agreement with other key countries.
"We can and we will stand up for certain principals in this pivotal region," Rice said. "We seek a Middle East where citizens can enjoy their universal rights, live in dignity, freedom and prosperity, choose their own leaders and determine their own future, free from fear, violence and intimidation."
The military action, Rice said, is by no means the sum total of the U.S. policy toward Syria. "Our overarching goal is to end the underlying conflict through a negotiated political transition in which Assad leaves power," she added.
But to this end, the national security advisor said, all parties must be willing to negotiate to avoid more direct action in the region.
"Only after pursuing a wide range of nonmilitary measures to prevent and halt chemical weapons use did President Obama conclude that a limited military strike is the right way to deter Assad from continuing to employ chemical weapons like any conventional weapon of war," she said.
Rice said the lack of a response to the Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons would present several risks.
"Failing to respond means more and more Syrians will die from Assad's poisonous stockpiles," she said. "Failing to respond makes our allies and partners in the region tempting targets of Assad's future attacks."
Risks also include opening the door to other weapons of mass destruction and emboldening those would use them, she said.
"We cannot allow terrorists bent on destruction, or a nuclear North Korea, or an aspiring nuclear Iran to believe for one minute that we are shying away from our determination to back up our long-standing warnings," Rice said. "Failing to respond to this brazen attack could indicate that the United States is not prepared to use the full range of tools necessary to keep our nation secure."
Rice also said inaction could undermine the United States' ability to rally coalitions and lead internationally. "Any president, Republican or Democrat, must have recourse to all elements of American power to design and implement our national security policy, whether diplomatic, economic or military," she said.
The sarin gas used in the Syrian regime's Aug. 21 chemical attack is an odorless and colorless poison undetectable to its victims until it's too late, Rice said, and which targets the body's central nervous system, making every breath a struggle and causing nausea and uncontrollable convulsions.
"The death of any innocent in Syria or around the world is a tragedy, whether by bullet or landmine or poisonous gas," the national security advisor said. "But chemical weapons are different -- they are wholly indiscriminate. Gas plumes shift and spread without warning."
Chemical weapons kill on a scope and scale that is entirely different from conventional weapons, Rice said, adding that their effect is immense and the torturous death they bring is unconscionable.
The Syrian regime has one of the largest stockpiles of chemical weapons in the world, and Assad, Rice said, has been struggling to clear neighborhoods in Damascus and drive out the opposition amid an ever-waning conventional arsenal.
"Assad is lowering his threshold for use while increasing exponentially the lethality of his attacks," Rice said.
Unaddressed, she said, the unrest creates even greater refugee flows and raises the risk that deadly chemicals would spill across borders into neighboring Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq, as well as the closest U.S. ally, Israel.
"Every time chemicals weapons are moved, unloaded and used on the battlefield, it raises the likelihood that these weapons will fall into the hands of terrorists active in Syria, including Assad's ally Hezbollah and al-Qaida affiliates," Rice said. "That prospect puts Americans at risk of chemical attacks, targeted at our Soldiers and diplomats in the region and even potentially our citizens at home."
Every attack also serves to unravel the long-established commitment of nations to renounce chemical weapons use, Rice said, specifically 189 countries representing 98 percent of the world's population, which now prohibit development, acquisition or use of these weapons.
National Security Advisor Makes Case for Action in Syria
By Amaani Lyle
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sept. 9, 2013 - National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice today explained the objectives of punitive military strikes under consideration in response to the use of chemical weapons by the Bashar Assad regime against Syrian civilians.
In a speech at the New America Foundation, Rice said President Barack Obama's administration has collaborated with the United Nations, Congress and other allies to isolate the Assad regime, deny its resources, bolster civilian and military opposition and secure diplomatic agreement with other key countries.
"We can and we will stand up for certain principals in this pivotal region," Rice said. "We seek a Middle East where citizens can enjoy their universal rights, live in dignity, freedom and prosperity, choose their own leaders and determine their own future, free from fear, violence and intimidation."
The military action, Rice said, is by no means the sum total of the U.S. policy toward Syria. "Our overarching goal is to end the underlying conflict through a negotiated political transition in which Assad leaves power," she added.
But to this end, the national security advisor said, all parties must be willing to negotiate to avoid more direct action in the region.
"Only after pursuing a wide range of nonmilitary measures to prevent and halt chemical weapons use did President Obama conclude that a limited military strike is the right way to deter Assad from continuing to employ chemical weapons like any conventional weapon of war," she said.
Rice said the lack of a response to the Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons would present several risks.
"Failing to respond means more and more Syrians will die from Assad's poisonous stockpiles," she said. "Failing to respond makes our allies and partners in the region tempting targets of Assad's future attacks."
Risks also include opening the door to other weapons of mass destruction and emboldening those would use them, she said.
"We cannot allow terrorists bent on destruction, or a nuclear North Korea, or an aspiring nuclear Iran to believe for one minute that we are shying away from our determination to back up our long-standing warnings," Rice said. "Failing to respond to this brazen attack could indicate that the United States is not prepared to use the full range of tools necessary to keep our nation secure."
Rice also said inaction could undermine the United States' ability to rally coalitions and lead internationally. "Any president, Republican or Democrat, must have recourse to all elements of American power to design and implement our national security policy, whether diplomatic, economic or military," she said.
The sarin gas used in the Syrian regime's Aug. 21 chemical attack is an odorless and colorless poison undetectable to its victims until it's too late, Rice said, and which targets the body's central nervous system, making every breath a struggle and causing nausea and uncontrollable convulsions.
"The death of any innocent in Syria or around the world is a tragedy, whether by bullet or landmine or poisonous gas," the national security advisor said. "But chemical weapons are different -- they are wholly indiscriminate. Gas plumes shift and spread without warning."
Chemical weapons kill on a scope and scale that is entirely different from conventional weapons, Rice said, adding that their effect is immense and the torturous death they bring is unconscionable.
The Syrian regime has one of the largest stockpiles of chemical weapons in the world, and Assad, Rice said, has been struggling to clear neighborhoods in Damascus and drive out the opposition amid an ever-waning conventional arsenal.
"Assad is lowering his threshold for use while increasing exponentially the lethality of his attacks," Rice said.
Unaddressed, she said, the unrest creates even greater refugee flows and raises the risk that deadly chemicals would spill across borders into neighboring Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq, as well as the closest U.S. ally, Israel.
"Every time chemicals weapons are moved, unloaded and used on the battlefield, it raises the likelihood that these weapons will fall into the hands of terrorists active in Syria, including Assad's ally Hezbollah and al-Qaida affiliates," Rice said. "That prospect puts Americans at risk of chemical attacks, targeted at our Soldiers and diplomats in the region and even potentially our citizens at home."
Every attack also serves to unravel the long-established commitment of nations to renounce chemical weapons use, Rice said, specifically 189 countries representing 98 percent of the world's population, which now prohibit development, acquisition or use of these weapons.
Monday, July 1, 2013
NSA LEADER WARNS OF CYBER ATTACKS AT CYBER SYMPOSIUM
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE,
Nation Must Defend Cyber Infrastructure, Alexander Says
By Claudette Roulo
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, June 28, 2013 - The United States must have a transparent debate on how it will protect itself in cyberspace, the director of the National Security Agency said yesterday.
"It is a debate that is going to have all the key elements of the executive branch -- that's DHS, FBI, DOD, Cyber Command, NSA, and other partners -- with our allies and with industry," Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander told an audience at the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association International Cyber Symposium in Baltimore.
Everyone involved must figure out how to work together as the cyber threat grows, said Alexander, who also commands U.S. Cyber Command.
In August, the Saudi Aramco oil company was hit with a destructive attack that destroyed the data on more than 30,000 systems, he said. In September, distributed denial of service attacks began on the U.S. financial sector, and a few hundred disruptive attacks have occurred since.
In March, destructive cyberattacks took place against South Korea, the general said.
"If you look at the statistics and what's going on, we're seeing an increase in the disruptive and destructive attacks. And I am concerned that those will continue," he said. "As a nation, we must be ready."
Over the past few years, there has been a convergence of analog and digital data streams, Alexander said. Now, everything is on one network -- information sent by terrorists, soldiers and school teachers travels through the same digital pipelines.
The cyber world is experiencing an exponential rate of change, he said. "It's wonderful," he added. "These capabilities, I think, are going to help us solve cancer. This is a wonderful opportunity."
But, he said, cyberspace also has vulnerabilities. "We're being attacked," Alexander said. "And we've got to figure out how to fix that."
The key to the nation's future in cyber is a defensible architecture, he said, embodied for the Defense Department by the Joint Information Environment. In that environment, mobile devices will securely connect with fixed infrastructure across the services in a way that allows the department to audit and take care of its data much better than it could do in the legacy systems, Alexander said.
The need to create one joint integrated cyber force is "a great reason for having NSA and Cyber Command collocated," Alexander said. Both are based on Fort Meade, Md.
"We can leverage the exceptional talent that the people at NSA have to help build that force," he added, "and that's superb."
Nation Must Defend Cyber Infrastructure, Alexander Says
By Claudette Roulo
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, June 28, 2013 - The United States must have a transparent debate on how it will protect itself in cyberspace, the director of the National Security Agency said yesterday.
"It is a debate that is going to have all the key elements of the executive branch -- that's DHS, FBI, DOD, Cyber Command, NSA, and other partners -- with our allies and with industry," Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander told an audience at the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association International Cyber Symposium in Baltimore.
Everyone involved must figure out how to work together as the cyber threat grows, said Alexander, who also commands U.S. Cyber Command.
In August, the Saudi Aramco oil company was hit with a destructive attack that destroyed the data on more than 30,000 systems, he said. In September, distributed denial of service attacks began on the U.S. financial sector, and a few hundred disruptive attacks have occurred since.
In March, destructive cyberattacks took place against South Korea, the general said.
"If you look at the statistics and what's going on, we're seeing an increase in the disruptive and destructive attacks. And I am concerned that those will continue," he said. "As a nation, we must be ready."
Over the past few years, there has been a convergence of analog and digital data streams, Alexander said. Now, everything is on one network -- information sent by terrorists, soldiers and school teachers travels through the same digital pipelines.
The cyber world is experiencing an exponential rate of change, he said. "It's wonderful," he added. "These capabilities, I think, are going to help us solve cancer. This is a wonderful opportunity."
But, he said, cyberspace also has vulnerabilities. "We're being attacked," Alexander said. "And we've got to figure out how to fix that."
The key to the nation's future in cyber is a defensible architecture, he said, embodied for the Defense Department by the Joint Information Environment. In that environment, mobile devices will securely connect with fixed infrastructure across the services in a way that allows the department to audit and take care of its data much better than it could do in the legacy systems, Alexander said.
The need to create one joint integrated cyber force is "a great reason for having NSA and Cyber Command collocated," Alexander said. Both are based on Fort Meade, Md.
"We can leverage the exceptional talent that the people at NSA have to help build that force," he added, "and that's superb."
Sunday, June 23, 2013
NSA DIRECTOR TOLD CONGRESS SURVEILLANCE PROGRAMS FOILED 50 TERROR PLOTS
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
NSA Chief: Surveillance Stopped More Than 50 Terror Plots
By Nick Simeone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, June 18, 2013 - The director of the National Security Agency told Congress today more than 50 terrorist plots worldwide have been prevented since the 9/11 attacks through the classified surveillance programs the government uses to gather phone and Internet data, programs he said are legal and do not compromise the privacy and civil liberties of Americans.
Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander, who also commands U.S. Cyber Command, told the House Intelligence Committee he plans as early as tomorrow to provide lawmakers with classified details about the plots that were foiled in an effort to show how valuable the programs are to national security.
Alexander and other senior U.S. officials were called to testify in response to unauthorized disclosures to the media by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, who revealed details about the agency's gathering of telephone numbers and the monitoring of Internet activity by foreigners overseas, leaks that Alexander said have caused irreversible and significant damage to the security of the United States and its allies.
Testifying alongside Alexander, Deputy FBI Director Sean Joyce discussed two terrorist plots that he said the surveillance programs helped to prevent. In one, emails intercepted from a terrorist in Pakistan helped to stop a plot to bomb New York City's subway system. Another involved a failed attempt by a known extremist in Yemen who conspired with a suspect in the United States to target the New York Stock Exchange. Both cases led to arrests and convictions, Joyce said.
"These programs are immensely valuable for protecting our nation and the security of our allies," Alexander said, and added that they may have helped to prevent the 9/11 attacks themselves if the government had the legal authority, as granted by the Patriot Act, to use them at the time.
The disclosure of the NSA programs has generated a nationwide debate over what techniques the government can legally use to monitor phone and Internet data to prevent terrorism without violating the privacy and civil liberties of Americans. Alexander and other senior U.S officials emphasized that the gathering of phone numbers that already are being collected by service providers as well as the tracking of U.S-based Internet servers used by foreigners are legal and repeatedly have been approved by the courts and Congress.
"These programs are limited, focused and subject to rigorous oversight," and their disciplined operation "protects the privacy and civil liberties of the American people," Alexander said.
The details of the foiled terror plots that he plans to provide to Congress will remove any doubt about the usefulness of the surveillance in keeping the homeland safe, the NSA director told the House panel.
"In the 12 years since the attacks on Sept. 11, we have lived in relative safety and security as a nation," he said. "That security is a direct result of the intelligence community's quiet efforts to better connect the dots and learn from the mistakes that permitted those attacks."
To prevent another damaging leak such as the breach caused by Snowden's disclosures, Alexander told lawmakers, the NSA is looking into where security may have broken down and for ways to provide greater oversight for the roughly 1,000 or so system administrators at NSA who have access to top secret information.
NSA Chief: Surveillance Stopped More Than 50 Terror Plots
By Nick Simeone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, June 18, 2013 - The director of the National Security Agency told Congress today more than 50 terrorist plots worldwide have been prevented since the 9/11 attacks through the classified surveillance programs the government uses to gather phone and Internet data, programs he said are legal and do not compromise the privacy and civil liberties of Americans.
Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander, who also commands U.S. Cyber Command, told the House Intelligence Committee he plans as early as tomorrow to provide lawmakers with classified details about the plots that were foiled in an effort to show how valuable the programs are to national security.
Alexander and other senior U.S. officials were called to testify in response to unauthorized disclosures to the media by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, who revealed details about the agency's gathering of telephone numbers and the monitoring of Internet activity by foreigners overseas, leaks that Alexander said have caused irreversible and significant damage to the security of the United States and its allies.
Testifying alongside Alexander, Deputy FBI Director Sean Joyce discussed two terrorist plots that he said the surveillance programs helped to prevent. In one, emails intercepted from a terrorist in Pakistan helped to stop a plot to bomb New York City's subway system. Another involved a failed attempt by a known extremist in Yemen who conspired with a suspect in the United States to target the New York Stock Exchange. Both cases led to arrests and convictions, Joyce said.
"These programs are immensely valuable for protecting our nation and the security of our allies," Alexander said, and added that they may have helped to prevent the 9/11 attacks themselves if the government had the legal authority, as granted by the Patriot Act, to use them at the time.
The disclosure of the NSA programs has generated a nationwide debate over what techniques the government can legally use to monitor phone and Internet data to prevent terrorism without violating the privacy and civil liberties of Americans. Alexander and other senior U.S officials emphasized that the gathering of phone numbers that already are being collected by service providers as well as the tracking of U.S-based Internet servers used by foreigners are legal and repeatedly have been approved by the courts and Congress.
"These programs are limited, focused and subject to rigorous oversight," and their disciplined operation "protects the privacy and civil liberties of the American people," Alexander said.
The details of the foiled terror plots that he plans to provide to Congress will remove any doubt about the usefulness of the surveillance in keeping the homeland safe, the NSA director told the House panel.
"In the 12 years since the attacks on Sept. 11, we have lived in relative safety and security as a nation," he said. "That security is a direct result of the intelligence community's quiet efforts to better connect the dots and learn from the mistakes that permitted those attacks."
To prevent another damaging leak such as the breach caused by Snowden's disclosures, Alexander told lawmakers, the NSA is looking into where security may have broken down and for ways to provide greater oversight for the roughly 1,000 or so system administrators at NSA who have access to top secret information.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
ANNIVERSARY OF THE SIGABA CIPHER MACHINE
Photo: SIGABA Cipher Device. Credit: Wikimedia Cryptologists Reunite at NSA's 60th Anniversary
By Amaani Lyle
American Forces Press Service
FORT MEADE, Md., Nov. 8, 2012 - Many intelligence analysts and historians contend the SIGABA cipher device is one of the most important encryption systems the U.S. military has ever known.
Yesterday, it was also a time machine.
The unusual contraption first brought two young cryptologists together during World War II, and nearly 60 years later it has reunited them, sparking memories of their critical work.
The National Security Agency's National Cryptologic Museum in Fort Meade, Md., recognized Helen Nibouar and Marion Johnson during a ribbon cutting ceremony unveiling a new exhibit entitled, "60 Years of Cryptologic Excellence."
"We not only break codes, but we make codes ... and we stand on the shoulders of giants," NSA Deputy Director Chris Inglis said of Nibouar and Johnson. "When we celebrate Marion and Helen's return to the scene of their early work, we're actually celebrating a long legacy of the history of the National Security Agency."
As the United States stepped up its search to fill non-combat positions in support of World War II, Nibouar and Johnson initially interviewed for typist-clerk positions. On the day of her interview in the Signal Corps building, Nibouar, while at a water fountain, met a woman who encouraged her to give cryptology a try.
She did, but confessed to having no prior familiarity with the field. Johnson said she took a similar path to cryptology, although she was more outspoken during her interview.
"The [hiring officials] asked me if I liked to do crossword puzzles and I said, 'No, I hate them!'" Johnson said. "But they hired me anyway."
Nibouar trained at Morrison Field in West Palm Beach, Fla., where she met Johnson, and the two became fast friends, with no idea they were forging their place in history by obscuring troop movements and other classified material.
"What was really, really difficult was all the messages came in five random letter groups separated by spaces," Nibouar said. And though she typed about 100 words per minute, putting code to tape was considerably more painstaking.
"You couldn't type very fast because you couldn't make a mistake or it would mess up the message," Nibouar said.
After Florida, Nibouar's cryptology journey took her to California, Hawaii and even Japan. And though Johnson worked in different locations, the women wrote letters to keep in touch.
All the while, a shrouded, arduous work life and extended time apart from family became the norm for the two women. A single message could take hours to process. They often received messages so secret that even they were excluded from seeing them.
"The first thing the message would say is 'eyes only,' and we had to stop, not hit another key, get up and go somewhere," Nibouar said. "And an officer in charge came and decoded the message, taking it by hand straight to Gen. [Douglas] MacArthur."
When asked what she thought the messages might have said, Nibouar quipped, "It might have been to have a party."
Transition back into normal life couldn't come too soon for the women, they said.
"I just wanted to go home and get married," Johnson said.
Nibouar also wed, had three children, became a teacher and spent a great deal of time volunteering -- which, at age 91, she continues to this day.
She marvels at modern intelligence technology, but describes SIGABA developer Frank Rowlett as a genius for the machine's simple design and complex capabilities.
National Cryptologic Museum Curator Patrick Weadon said the SIGABA derives from an earlier randomizing system, Enigma, developed by the U.S. Army's Signals Intelligence Service Director William Friedman.
During World War II, people frequently used electro-mechanical devices to communicate securely, Weadon said.
"Enigma was thought to be utterly secure by the Germans because it produced permutations and possibilities of 3x10114 which made it theoretically impossible to crack," he said.
But the Allies did crack Enigma -- as early as 1940 -- prompting the Signals Intelligence Service to develop SIGABA, Weadon said.
SIGABA designers looked at the shortcomings and the frailties of Enigma and designed a machine that had the power of Enigma without its shortcomings, Weadon said.
SIGABA's distinctive ability to advance rotors with another set of rotors made it impenetrable, Weadon explained.
"It was never cracked, it was a perfect machine from the moment it was put on line and it was perfect the day that they took it off," he said. "You're talking about a perfect encryption machine, which many people even today believe is practically impossible [to crack]," he added.
Weadon said he's sure the courage and bravery of U.S. and Allied troops won the war, but the ability to communicate securely on a more consistent basis than the Axis powers ultimately cinched victory.
"When you're reading the other guys traffic and they can't read yours -- you got 'em," he said
Monday, October 8, 2012
NSA AND U.S. CYBERSECURITY
 |
| From: U.S. Department of Defense |
U.S. Should Lead Cybersecurity Efforts, NSA Director Says
By Amaani Lyle
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Oct. 4, 2012 - Analyzing and solving the challenge of cybersecurity is critical to the global economy, the National Security Agency director said during the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Cybersecurity Summit here today.
U.S. Army Gen. Keith Alexander, who also heads U.S. Cyber Command and the Central Security Service, discussed the costs and consequences of cybersecurity issues on commerce during his keynote address at the summit.
Well-known, seemingly invulnerable companies such as Symantec, L3, Sony, Google, Visa and even the U.S. Chamber of Commerce itself have been hacked, Alexander said, noting that even the military and government agencies have fallen prey to hackers.
"Either you know you've been hacked, or you've been hacked and you don't know you've been hacked," Alexander said. The greatest threats stem from theft of intellectual property, and disruptive attacks, Alexander said, citing examples since May 2007 that include attacks against Estonia, Georgia, Latvia and Lithuania.
"Distributed denial of service attacks ... are gaining in momentum, intensity and frequency," he said, emphasizing the urgency of defending the United States from attacks and exploitation.
Industry partnership with government agencies such as the Defense Department, Department of Homeland Security, and Federal Bureau of Investigation to counter threats will be a critical component of fortifying cybersecurity, Alexander said, noting that U.S. should develop the solution.
"Our country ... built this Internet and all the stuff that goes with it, and it is absolutely superb," Alexander said. "We're the nation that developed the Internet; we ought to be the first to secure it."
According to Alexander, last year, the average number of emails sent per day was 419,000 billion, or about 70 emails per person. Additionally, there were 4.7 billion Google searches per day and still billions of steadily increasing bytes of global traffic, the general explained.
From a commerce perspective, the growth of new major companies in less than a decade demonstrates the importance of protecting intellectual property and proprietary information, Alexander said. The general offered compelling examples of growth and how quickly it could have been stymied if privileged information had been compromised.
In 2002, he said, Amazon was worth $851 million, compared to $12.83 billion today. Apple, worth $5.7 billion in 2002, is now worth a staggering $148 billion today. Google, worth $3.1 billion in 2004, is now valued at $43 billion in 2012, he said. "The value ... is extraordinary," Alexander said, adding that the government depends on similar networks to defend the country.
"If we've all been hacked, that means that we can all be attacked, and if we can be attacked, we have a vulnerability that ... is critical to the operation of this country," the general said.
Education, training and a defensible architecture such as cloud computing, however, can help steel government networks from such vulnerabilities, Alexander explained. "The cloud ... has tremendous opportunities for a more defensible architecture," Alexander said. "So ... the Defense Department and the [intelligence] community moving to a thin, virtual client approach makes a lot of sense."
Alexander also noted the importance of military, government and industry developing a common view of cyberspace issues and their solutions. "We have to have that understanding, especially when you talk to your [chief executive officers] and others about the solutions that you're trying to put in there," he said.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
PARTNERSHIP KEY TO CYBERSECURITY
 |
| General Keith B. Alexander |
U.S. Leaders Cite Partnership as Key to Cybersecurity
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2, 2012 - As the cyber threat intensifies over time from exploitation to disruption to destruction, responsible U.S. agencies and industries can fight back using cooperation and transparency, the commander of U.S. Cyber Command said here yesterday.
Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander, who also serves as director of the National Security Agency, was part of a panel on cybersecurity at the Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars.
"For the last 10 years, what we've seen on our networks has been essentially exploitation, [such as] theft of intellectual property and crime," the general said. "Over the last few weeks, we've seen distributed denial-of-service attacks, so we're seeing the threat grow from exploitation to ... disruption, and my concern is it's going to go from exploitation and disruption to destruction."
He defined destruction as physical harm to computer devices on a network that would cause the networks to fail, or the loss of a significant amount of data that would impair the ability of a company -- a stock exchange or a power grid -- to operate.
"I believe that's coming our way," Alexander said. "We have to be out in front of this for a whole host of reasons. The Defense Department's reason is that we depend on critical infrastructure to do our jobs. We depend on the power grid, [and] we depend on the Internet to operate."
For industry, the general gave examples of companies that have experienced serious losses as a result of destructive cyberattacks. In August, a viral attack on computers at Saudi Arabia's government-owned oil company, Aramco, lost data from up to 30,000 workstations. According to news reports, a malicious virus replaced data on a third of the computers of the world's largest oil producer with an image of a burning U.S. flag.
"Think about a company that loses all that data from their systems," Alexander said. "That doesn't mean you just go to backup systems -- it's gone. And if that data had important information, you can never recover it. From our perspective, that's a significant problem."
He also mentioned RSA, a U.S. computer security company that in March 2011 experienced a cyberattack that news reports said cost the company $66 million. That month, the company released an open letter to employees and customers describing the attack, its likely consequences and the company's response.
Companies that do business exclusively online are particularly vulnerable, Alexander said. One of these was DigiNotar, a Dutch certificate authority owned by VASCO Data Security International that went bankrupt within 30 days after a September 2011 security breach that resulted in the fraudulent issuing of certificates.
DigiNotar worked with Google and other online firms, Alexander added. Certificates allow people to communicate securely online, and the breach was devastating to the company.
"I do think we have to get out in front of [such cyber destruction]," the general said, "really for the operation of our government and our country, and it will also have a significant economic impact."
The solution to cyber-related intellectual property theft and destructive attacks, Alexander said, is information sharing by responsible organizations and working together in a transparent way.
"The cyber team that our government needs," the general said, includes the Homeland Security Department as the entry point for working with industry, and the FBI, National Security Agency and Cyber Command working together to help on the technical front.
The FBI would have the lead for law enforcement and identifying attackers, NSA on foreign intelligence and Cyber Command on defending the nation, Alexander said. "Together, that team is what I think the American people hold us accountable for doing," he added.
"What we're asking industry to do is to look for certain kinds of bad things going on, and if they see these things, let the government know right away. It's just like pulling a fire alarm," he said. "Call us and we'll respond. Otherwise, we don't need to know what traffic is transiting [the network]."
Alexander said he thinks it's the correct thing to do to have a civilian agency in the lead for cybersecurity, especially if the FBI, NSA and Cyber Command can do their jobs on the technical side. Such a configuration "allows for the transparency that I think the American people need in this area," he added. "Cyber is so important to all of us. They want to know we're doing it right, and the way to do that is to be transparent."
Cybersecurity also was the subject of a proclamation issued yesterday by President Barack Obama, who said in declaring October as National Cybersecurity Awareness Month that the U.S. digital infrastructure is a strategic national asset that everyone has a role in protecting.
"By bringing together federal, state and local governments and private industry partners, we have made great progress in securing cyberspace for business, education, entertainment and civic life," Obama said.
"In November 2011," he added, "we released the Blueprint for a Secure Cyber Future, a strategic plan to protect government, the private sector and the public against cyber threats today and tomorrow."
Saturday, March 24, 2012
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LEON PANETTA MEETS WITH NSA CYBER COMMAND
The following excerpt is from a U.S. Department of Defense e-mail:
Panetta Visits NSA, Cyber Command Leadership
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
American Forces Press Service
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, March 24, 2012 - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta met today with the leader of the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command, said Pentagon Press Secretary George Little.
"Today Secretary Panetta visited the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command at Fort Meade, Maryland, where he met with General Keith Alexander, commander, U.S. Cyber Command, and director, National Security Agency, Central Security Service, and the organizations' leadership," Little said.
Little said Panetta observed technology demonstrations and received briefings about key issues in the cyber arena.
Panetta's "discussions focused on efforts to enhance information sharing across the Defense Department and the intelligence community," Little said.
According to Little, Panetta said he was deeply impressed by team efforts to defend America against cyber attack.
"The secretary acknowledged the critical and important work that the Cyber Command and NSA team are accomplishing, and continues to stress the importance of developing cyber capabilities to meet emerging cyber threats," Little said.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)