Cybersecurity & Defense - WestExec Advisors

Nick Rasmussen quoted in The New York Times article, “Killing of Terrorist Leader in Yemen Is Latest Blow to Qaeda Affiliate”

“'AQAP [Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula] remains a significant, lingering concern, in part because the group was so fixated on aviation as a target, and the kind of bomb-making expertise that the group developed was unlikely to have been contained to just a few select individuals,' said Nicholas J. Rasmussen, a former director of the National Counterterrorism Center. “'That kind of knowledge and expertise is of course shareable and transferable — not just within AQAP but beyond to other Al [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-02-24T15:27:21-05:00February 10, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Michèle Flournoy interviewed on the Transition Lab podcast, “The Art of National Security Transitions”

"Former Undersecretary of Defense Michèle Flournoy shares insights from her experience putting together defense transition teams for President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Flournoy also discusses the challenges associated with transitioning during an ongoing conflict, and the underrepresentation of women in national security..." Listen to the full podcast here: Full Podcast

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-02-24T15:16:42-05:00February 7, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Lisa Monaco writes in Lawfare: “The Coronavirus Shows Why the U.S. Must Make Pandemic Disease a National Security Priority”

"In 2018, I published an article with public health expert Vin Gupta sounding the alarm about the failure to prepare adequately for emerging infectious diseases. We were hardly the only ones. Our article, 'The Next Pandemic Will Be Arriving Shortly,' joined many national security and public health experts in using the 100th anniversary of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, which killed 50 million people, to focus attention on the national security imperative that is pandemic disease. From my perspective as the [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-04-08T16:07:53-04:00February 7, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense, Geopolitical Perspectives|

Avril Haines quoted in WGBH article, “Senate Report Faults ‘Paralysis’ By Obama Team On 2016 Russian Election Scheme”

"'The missing details of these interactions are critically important because of what happened next,' [Sen. Ron] Wyden wrote. 'I believe that warning the public about a foreign influence campaign should not depend on the support of both parties, particularly when one of the parties stands to gain politically from that campaign.' Obama's administration did, however, and Wyden quotes then-deputy national security adviser Avril Haines as saying that the absence of a bipartisan condemnation from Congress 'tempered our response options...'" Read the [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-02-24T15:30:59-05:00February 6, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Lisa Monaco quoted in POLITICO article, “Senate Report Faults Obama Administration’s Paralysis on Russian Election Interference”

"Former homeland security adviser Lisa Monaco recalled a conversation with McConnell where he stated, 'You security people should be careful that you're not getting used,' which she interpreted as the GOP leader doubting the intelligence concluding Russia was attempting to interfere..." Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-02-24T15:23:12-05:00February 6, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Lisa Monaco interviewed on Stay Tuned with Preet podcast

"In this Stay Tuned special bonus, national security experts Lisa Monaco and Ken Wainstein discuss the latest news stories that aren't about impeachment: Coronavirus, encryption, and the controversy over Carter Page FISA warrants..." Listen to the full podcast here: Full Podcast

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-02-24T15:18:18-05:00February 4, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Bridge Colby quoted in The New York Times article, “Americans Demand a Rethinking of the ‘Forever War’”

“'One of the very odd pathologies of Washington and the defense establishment is this enthrallment with the Middle East, which just isn’t that important,' said Elbridge Colby, a former senior Pentagon official in the Trump administration. 'America has become energy independent. And we’re not very good at achieving our preferred outcomes in the Middle East.' "Mr. Colby was the main author of the 2018 National Defense Strategy, which recommended turning America’s war-fighting focus to the 'revisionist powers' of China and Russia..." [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-02-24T15:20:53-05:00February 2, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Lisa Monaco quoted in The National Review article, “It’s Time to Reverse the Country’s Scientific Slide”

"According to a recent report by the bipartisan Aspen Cybersecurity Group, technological and scientific innovation isn’t just an economic issue; innovation has national-security and geopolitical implications. 'Will America lead the technology that secures Americans?' Lisa Monaco, co-chair of the Aspen group, asked Axios. 'Will American values be reflected in the technologies of the future?' "This is exactly the sort of question that America’s leaders should be asking..." Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-01-31T16:05:26-05:00January 29, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Dan Shapiro quoted in Vox article, “11 US Troops Were Injured in Iran’s Attack. It Shows How Close We Came to War.”

"'It certainly seems that Iran’s intent was different than earlier estimates,' says Dan Shapiro, who served as the US ambassador to Israel from 2011 to 2017, 'and there was a serious possibility of deaths of US troops.' "It appears the two reasons everyone stayed alive was because of US intelligence and a warning from Iraq to Iran about the incoming missiles that enabled US and Iraqi forces to quickly take precautions, such as hunkering down in bunkers..." Read the full article [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-01-24T08:07:46-05:00January 17, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Michèle Flournoy testifies before the House Armed Services Committee on DOD’s role in the competition with China

Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Thornberry, distinguished members of the House Armed Services Committee, it is truly an honor to testify before you today on the Department of Defense’s role in the United States’ strategic competition with China. U.S.-China Competition Broadly Strategic competition between the United States and China is multi-faceted, with economic, technological, political, ideological, and military dimensions. Any successful approach to this competition must take account of each of these dimensions and neglect none. Therefore, before I outline the [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-01-16T11:04:24-05:00January 15, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense, Geopolitical Perspectives, Press Releases|