Rebecca Skoryanc, Author at WestExec Advisors

Nick Rasmussen quoted in NBC News article, “Iran’s Options for Retaliation Against the U.S. and Americans Span the Globe”

"Nick Rasmussen, former director of the National Counterterrorism Center and an NBC News contributor, said Iran's overseas capabilities can be viewed as three concentric circles. "In its immediate neighborhood, Iran could put together a response almost immediately, such as this week's assault on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. In the broader Middle East, it might take Iran more time, but its proxies could still threaten U.S. personnel, business people or tourists, Rasmussen said. In the rest of the world, including Southeast [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-01-16T21:32:26-05:00January 3, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Lisa Monaco quoted in the CNN article, “U.S. Authorities Prepare as Iran Vows Revenge For Soleimani Strike”

"'We need to be at an increased security posture to protect against threats to our people in Baghdad and more broadly, we should consider risks beyond the immediate region given the penchant for proxies abroad,' said Lisa Monaco, homeland security and counterterrorism adviser to President Barack Obama..." Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-01-16T21:33:34-05:00January 3, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Bridge Colby interviewed in The Asahi Shimbun, “U.S. Needs ‘Denial Defense’ to Thwart Chinese Action in Taiwan”

"Elbridge Colby, former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development, recently spoke with The Asahi Shimbun about China’s military ambitions, particularly over Taiwan, and what he believes neighboring countries, including Japan, should do to prepare for such security threats..." Read the full transcript here: Full Transcript

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-01-16T21:38:04-05:00December 27, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Julie Smith quoted in The New York Times article, “Blocked in U.S., Huawei Touts ‘Shared Values’ to Compete in Europe”

“'The Chinese have started brazenly claiming that it is China, not the United States, that shares more values with Europe,' said Julianne Smith of the German Marshall Fund in Washington. “'Chinese scholars and officials also frequently remind European audiences that unlike the United States, China believes in climate change and multilateralism, a message that is especially powerful in a place like Germany,' she said..." Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-01-16T21:39:27-05:00December 27, 2019|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Michèle Flournoy on PBS Newshour, “What’s the Outlook for U.S. Foreign Policy As A Tumultuous Decade Ends?”

"The past ten years have seen both transformation and inertia in global politics. In many countries, as heads of government have changed, authoritarian leadership has not. Nick Schifrin sits down with the Hudson Institute’s Rebeccah Heinrichs, the American Enterprise Institute’s Kori Schake and Michèle Flournoy of WestExec Advisors to discuss why the decade is concluding with a year of protest..." Read the full transcript here: Full Transcript

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-01-16T21:35:17-05:00December 25, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Dennis Ross writes with Dana Stroul in Foreign Policy: “The United States Can Offer the People of Lebanon and Iraq Something Tehran Can’t”

"Protests and upheaval are sweeping Iraq and Lebanon. The wrath of demonstrators in the streets is being directed against their own political classes and at Iran’s government. Citizens in Lebanon and Iraq are not only fed up with economic mismanagement, ineffective governance, and entrenched corruption of political elites at home, but they also directly link their dismal situation to Tehran’s corrupting influence and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’s exploitation of their countries to fund and arm militias unaccountable to their countries. [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-01-16T21:36:46-05:00December 24, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense, Geopolitical Perspectives|

Bob Work quoted in Wired article, “Washington Must Bet Big on AI or Lose Its Global Clout”

"'Both the Russians and the Chinese have concluded that the way to leapfrog the US is with AI,' says Bob Work, a distinguished senior fellow at CNAS who served as deputy secretary of defense under Presidents Obama and Trump. Work says the US needs to convince the public and that it doesn’t intend to develop lethal autonomous weapons, only technology that would counter the work Russia and China are doing..." Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-01-16T21:44:43-05:00December 17, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Julie Smith quoted in Newsweek article, “Will China Be NATO’s Next Challenge? Alliance Eyes Beijing’s Rise While Mired In Infighting”

"Julianne Smith, a former national security adviser to Vice President Joe Biden, told Newsweek it is premature to talk about a post-Russia NATO. 'This is not an alliance looking for more to do,' she explained. 'It still has to focus on its core mission of enhanced deterrence in central and eastern Europe.' "... The alliance isn't united on China, Smith said, 'which is why it's important for NATO to start talking about the challenge. Portugal and Greece look at China much [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-01-16T21:47:23-05:00December 17, 2019|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Liz Rosenberg writes with Jordan Tama in Defense One: “Add Economic Policy to Deterrence Planning”

"American defense leaders have adapted over the years to shifts in technology and conflict — for example, accepting space and cyber as principal warfighting domains and integrating them into planning and thinking about deterrence and escalation. But national security policymakers are overdue to incorporate economic instruments, such as sanctions and trade controls, into planning for conflicts and crises. "From Russia and North Korea to Iran and Venezuela, U.S. presidents and lawmakers have long employed varying levels of economic pressure to alter [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-01-16T21:43:19-05:00December 16, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense, Economy & Trade|

Bridge Colby quoted in The Washington Post article, “U.S. Tests Missile After Withdrawing From 1987 Treaty”

"Elbridge Colby, who led the team that helped develop the Pentagon’s military strategy to counter China and Russia, said the new missile would be an important addition to the U.S. non-nuclear arsenal. “'It is an important step forward in strengthening our conventional posture, especially in Asia,' said Mr. Colby, who left the Pentagon last year. "The new land-based weapon, Mr. Colby said, would present the Chinese military with more U.S. systems to worry about and would also be more cost-effective for [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-01-16T21:45:50-05:00December 12, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense|

About Rebecca Skoryanc