Cybersecurity & Defense - WestExec Advisors

Lisa Monaco quoted in CNN article, “Trump Learns Age-Old Lesson with Busted Afghan Initiative”

"Lisa Monaco, who was a homeland security and counterterrorism adviser for President Barack Obama, warned that such impulsive decision-making was a recipe for geopolitical confusion. "'What is the strategy here?' she asked. "'That is really turning a national security process completely on its head,' she said on CNN, warning that the President was not getting the full range of necessary advice on such a sensitive issue..." Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-09-19T14:35:31-04:00September 10, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Bob Work quoted in Foreign Policy article, “American Bases in Japan Are Sitting Ducks”

“Simulations of these attacks are nauseating. In a 2017 report for the Center for a New American Security, Tom Shugart and Javier Gonzales conclude that the missile defense systems of every single American air and naval base in Japan would be overwhelmed by the PLA Rocket Force’s very first volley. They estimate that more than 200 aircraft, almost all fixed American command centers, every U.S. runway, and most of the American fleet at berth would be destroyed—tens of billions of dollars [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-09-19T14:47:07-04:00September 4, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Michèle Flournoy writes with Kingston Reif in CNN: “If Trump Ends Another Nuclear Treaty, It Will Be the Height of Folly”

"During his first two and a half years in office, President Donald Trump and his administration have laid waste to numerous international agreements originally designed to strengthen U.S. security, bolster U.S. alliances, and constrain U.S. adversaries. The toll has been particularly high with respect to deals concerning nuclear arms control and nonproliferation. "Over the past 14 months, the administration has withdrawn from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and abandoned the 1987 Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Both of these valuable [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-08-26T15:43:45-04:00August 19, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense, Economy & Trade, News|

Nick Rasmussen quoted in The Washington Post article, “Trump Announces Shakeup at Top of U.S. Intelligence”

"'Joe [Maguire] is a terrific leader who cares deeply about the men and women of the intelligence community,' said Nick Rasmussen, who held Maguire’s job at the counterterrorism center under Bush and President Barack Obama. 'He’s someone who has always accepted the call to serve his country in whatever way is required. This is no different...'” Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-08-22T13:42:27-04:00August 8, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense, News|

Lisa Monaco and Nick Rasmussen quoted in The Washington Post article, “Rise of Far-Right Violence Leads Some to Call for Realignment of Post-9/11 National Security Priorities”

"Protecting the public from the most pressing terrorist threat 'has been our governing principle for many years now,' said Lisa Monaco, who served as the top counterterrorism adviser to President Barack Obama. Given the surge in attacks linked to the far right, she said, 'we need to prioritize our resources and focus on this threat.' "...Nicholas Rasmussen, who served three years as director of the National Counterterrorism Center, said that attacks linked to al-Qaeda or the Islamic State — including the [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-08-22T12:35:28-04:00August 5, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense, News|

Nick Rasmussen on MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports

"Just three days before the mass shooting in El Paso, the former FBI Assistant Director for Counter Intelligence warned in a New York Times op-ed that President Trump was fanning the flames of race-based terrorism. Frank Figliuzzi, who wrote that opinion piece, joins Andrea Mitchell to discuss alongside Jane Murguia, President and CEO of UnidosUS, Nick Rasmussen, a former director of the national counterterrorism center, and Charlie Sykes, editor in chief of The Bulwark..." Watch the full interview here: Full Interview

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-08-22T12:35:37-04:00August 5, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense, News|

Lisa Monaco cited in Fifth Domain article: “State Election Offices Made for an Easy Target for Russian Hackers”

"Lisa Monaco, a former homeland security adviser, told the committee that DHS found some states didn’t have their voter databases encrypted or backed up. Others in industry agreed that state security officials often failed to follow basic advice..." Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-08-22T12:33:46-04:00July 28, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense, News|

Lisa Monaco quoted in Foreign Policy article, “Scope of Russian Election Hacking Remains Unclear”

"It also unclear whether the federal government was able to collect the data that it needed to make firm conclusions about the nature of Russian hacking. 'Law enforcement and the intelligence community is going to be significantly reliant on what the holders and owners and operators of the infrastructure sees on its system and decides to raise their hand,' Lisa Monaco, Obama’s top homeland security advisor, told investigators. "Monaco’s skepticism about whether the state and local governments that operate American elections [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-08-22T12:36:30-04:00July 25, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense, News|

Nick Rasmussen quoted in The Daily Beast article, “At Aspen Security Forum, National Security Leaders Admit, ‘We Have Been Lazy On Hate’”

"'We often ended up bucketing international and domestic terrorism into two separate buckets,' said panelist Nick Rasmussen, who formerly helmed the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC). 'One of the things I hope you leave here today with is maybe some sense that that may not be the right way to think about it.' "Rasmussen said that during his time in government, when dealt with terrorist threats at the highest levels, he couldn’t remember having a single conversation about hate-based domestic terrorism, including [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-08-22T12:36:48-04:00July 21, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense, News|

Bob Work and Eric Schmidt write in War on the Rocks: “In Search of Ideas: The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence Wants You”

"Americans don’t want to grow old wondering what happened to their country’s place in the world. U.S. global leadership has fostered international institutions, strengthened human rights in international relations, and helped make what President Woodrow Wilson sought more than a century ago: a world 'safe for democracy.' But Americans should not take those features of the global order for granted. "After a briefer-than-expected period of unchallenged power and two longer-than-expected unconventional wars, the United States once again finds itself facing state [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-08-22T12:37:06-04:00July 18, 2019|Cybersecurity & Defense, News|