Rebecca Skoryanc, Author at WestExec Advisors

Nick Rasmussen quoted in The Washington Post article, “Trump Plans to Nominate Special Forces Veteran to Head Counterterrorism Center Amid Uncertainty About Its Future”

"'I’m encouraged that the administration is turning to a career national security professional for this job as opposed to picking a career politician or some known ideologue,' said Nicholas Rasmussen, who led the NCTC from 2014 to 2017. "'What’s important is whether Chris Miller or any nominee can do what needs to be done most — which is to preserve the integrity and independence of the NCTC as an intelligence organization,' he said..." Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-03-30T11:39:14-04:00March 18, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Liz Rosenberg quoted in Slate article, “Would Lifting Sanctions Really Help With Iran’s Coronavirus Crisis?”

"At this point, it’s probably not enough for the U.S. to say that companies are allowed to sell drugs and medical equipment to Iran to help battle the coronavirus—they’re already technically allowed to sell those things. But that doesn’t mean the U.S. can just sit back. 'There are small and large steps the United States can take to try to speed aid to Iran,' says Elizabeth Rosenberg, a former Treasury Department official who is now a senior fellow at the Center [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-03-24T11:33:37-04:00March 18, 2020|Economy & Trade|

Lisa Monaco quoted in The Atlantic article, “We Were Warned”

"We were warned in 2017, a week before inauguration day, when Lisa Monaco, Barack Obama’s outgoing homeland-security adviser, gathered with Donald Trump’s incoming national-security officials and conducted an exercise modeled on the administration’s experiences with outbreaks of swine flu, Ebola, and Zika. The simulation explored how the U.S. government should respond to a flu pandemic that halts international travel, upends global supply chains, tanks the stock market, and burdens health-care systems—all with a vaccine many months from materializing. 'The nightmare scenario [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-04-10T09:27:05-04:00March 18, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Julie Smith quoted in The Wall Street Journal article, “Trump’s Coronavirus Travel Ban Deepens Tensions With European Allies”

"'There’s considerable friction between Europe and the United States on many fronts,' said Julianne Smith, who served as deputy national security adviser to former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic front-runner in the race to face Mr. Trump in the November election. "'One of the things that’s irritating the Europeans the most, though, is the administration’s failure to consult with our European allies on a number of issues,' said Ms. Smith, a geopolitics expert at the German Marshall Fund..." Read the [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-03-30T11:41:20-04:00March 13, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Julie Smith quoted in Newsweek article, “Trump’s Coronavirus European Flight Freeze Will Create ‘Grave Uncertainty’ For Americans In EU, Expert Warns”

"'In some ways Europeans have become accustomed to not being consulted,' she explained. Nonetheless, she said the European perception has generally been that in a time of real crisis the administration would still look to collaborate with allies. "'But alas, what we saw last night was the president intent on issuing another ban, essentially for political gain, it enables him to say that this is a foreign threat...' "'There's so much we could be learning right now from Italy's experience, from [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-03-13T15:57:00-04:00March 12, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Lisa Monaco interviewed on CNN’s “Cuomo Prime Time”

"[In Fauci's testimony to Capitol Hill] he was asked, 'is this going to get worse?' and he was clear as he could be: yes, it is absolutely going to get worse. But how much worse? That will depend on how aggressive we are right now. Why did he say that? Because he's trying to set the conditions to flatten the curve and he's trying to prepare us..." "[Trump] talked about this being an unforeseen challenge. That's not true. It absolutely was [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-03-13T15:33:29-04:00March 12, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Lisa Monaco quoted in Axios article, “Countries Meet the Coronavirus Unprepared and On Their Own”

"Lisa Monaco, who served as Barack Obama's former Homeland Security adviser (2013–2017), tells Axios the U.S. squandered the time bought by China's aggressive (if belated) containment efforts and the travel restrictions Trump imposed on China. "'As we saw this coming out of China in December, there should have really been ramping up,' says Monaco, who was warning that a pandemic like this one might strike long before it did. “'If you’re thinking about a worst-case scenario here, you would be thinking, [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-03-13T15:23:39-04:00March 12, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Bob Work on CBS’ “Intelligence Matters” podcast

"We don't know how AI and 5G and quantum and synthetic biology are all going to go to work. But they all have the capabilities to provide a step function in the way we fight wars. And the competitor who gets there first is going to have an enormous advantage. So if you're a force designer, you're happy. Because you're buying new capabilities. This is a time of enormous foment inside the department. And it's a pretty exciting time... "[T]he competition [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-03-13T15:35:07-04:00March 11, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Lisa Monaco interviewed by Axios

"Live from Washington, D.C., Axios politics and White House editor Margaret Talev hosts a conversation on cybersecurity and the future of tech policy, featuring Sen. Angus King, Rep. Mike Gallagher, Homeland Security CISA Director Christopher Krebs and former Obama Homeland Security adviser Lisa Monaco..." Watch the full interview here: Full Interview

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-03-13T15:53:33-04:00March 9, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Dennis Ross quoted in the Boston Herald article, “In the Middle East, the Las Vegas Rules Don’t Apply”

"Asked what the next president’s priority should be in the Mideast, Ross doesn’t hesitate. It is, he says, 'adopting policies with those who have been our partners to improve their governance. Poor governance spawns rage and extremist ideologies.' Countries where the risks of failing to improve governance converge with opportunities to do so are Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco, the Emirates and Bahrain. "At the same time, Ross says, the United States is strategically obliged and well-served to 'contest those who [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-03-13T15:55:45-04:00March 9, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

About Rebecca Skoryanc