Dakota Carey
Appearances
To Catch a Thief: China’s Rise to Cyber Supremacy
Ep 9: The New Frontline
By 2049, the Taiwan question is meant to have been resolved. How that question is resolved is not part of public communications. It's not an explicit line to say that there will be either a political or military solution to the question. only to say that Xi Jinping has tied reunification with Taiwan to this 2049 goal of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese people.
To Catch a Thief: China’s Rise to Cyber Supremacy
Ep 9: The New Frontline
We do know from public statements by U.S. government officials that a diktat has been issued to be prepared to take Taiwan by 2027. And I think it's really important to note that 2027 is the 100-year anniversary of the People's Liberation Army. And when you zoom out and you go, well, at 100 years, what should a military be able to do for China and specifically for Xi Jinping?
To Catch a Thief: China’s Rise to Cyber Supremacy
Ep 9: The New Frontline
He thinks that after 100 years of being in service, the military should be able to cross a body of water and take an island that is near to its periphery.
To Catch a Thief: China’s Rise to Cyber Supremacy
Ep 9: The New Frontline
And this week, Taiwan's defense ministry cited 2027 as a year of a potential Chinese invasion for the first time.
To Catch a Thief: China’s Rise to Cyber Supremacy
Ep 9: The New Frontline
Based on what we know about what Salt Typhoon accessed, it's the type of system that is the coin of the realm in intelligence and counterintelligence games on the street.
To Catch a Thief: China’s Rise to Cyber Supremacy
Ep 9: The New Frontline
When you think about the people who are asked to protect US secrets or go identify and collect secrets from foreign governments, it comes down to actual people who are doing that work in and outside of allied and adversarial countries. And their safety is at risk when those people are identified.
To Catch a Thief: China’s Rise to Cyber Supremacy
Ep 9: The New Frontline
And some of the information that was accessed through Salt Typhoon allegedly would help those individuals and would help the Chinese state identify known and unknown intelligence officers that are operating in the U.S. And when you access that type of information, people's safety can be at risk.
To Catch a Thief: China’s Rise to Cyber Supremacy
Ep 9: The New Frontline
When we consider what is an appropriate target in cyber operations, one of the key distinctions when we talk about operations against foreign adversaries or foreign militaries is that when considering attacks on critical infrastructure, the US would require that critical infrastructure be supporting a military asset.
To Catch a Thief: China’s Rise to Cyber Supremacy
Ep 9: The New Frontline
For example, an electrical grid attached to a military base or electrical grid on the military base itself. We have very distinct targeting requirements for what would count as acceptable use in both cyber operations, but also in kinetic operations. A lot of the public, shall we say, attention drawing to Volt Typhoon on part of the US government
To Catch a Thief: China’s Rise to Cyber Supremacy
Ep 9: The New Frontline
I believe, is because China is pre-positioning on civilian critical infrastructure that does not serve a direct military purpose. And in doing so, our government is trying to, I think, at the track one and two level in direct communication with China has communicated that attacks on civilian infrastructure that do not serve military purposes is unacceptable.