CIA Director Assesses The US-China Technology Race Will Determine The Future Of His Agency

Memorial Wall in the lobby of CIA00 Headquarters, Virginia. (Wikimedia Commons/CIA photo)

JAKARTA - Director of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) William Burns assessed that the future of the agency he leads is determined by the ongoing technology race between the US and China

Burns' remarks follow the release of the US Intelligence Community's Annual Threat Assessment, which designates China as the greatest national security threat America faces.

The report cited China's use of powerful cyber tactics to police Americans, its success in stealing intellectual property, and its ability to acquire foreign technology.

"I think the revolution in technology is not just a major arena to compete with the People's Republic of China," Burns said, quoted by Reuters, March 10.

"This is also a key determinant of our future as an intelligence service," he continued.

The CIA director spoke during the US Congressional 'Worldwide Threats' hearing session, which was also attended by other heads of the US intelligence community, including Director of the National Security Service Gen. Paul Nakasone, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier and Director of the Bureau of Investigation Federal Christopher Wray.

The intelligence director said Beijing poses various threats to the interests of Uncle Sam's country, including using hackers.

If Beijing fears a major conflict with the United States is imminent, it "will almost certainly consider conducting aggressive cyber operations against critical infrastructure on the US homeland and military assets around the world," the report said.

"Such attacks would be designed to deter US military action by hindering US decision-making, inciting public panic and disrupting US troop deployments."

The report points to the "global expansion of technology-driven authoritarianism" in China, citing its aggressive efforts to control and manipulate the free flow of content globally.

The report also emphasized that China is "almost certain" capable of launching cyberattacks that could shut down critical infrastructure services, including against oil and gas pipelines and rail systems.

Reflecting how Beijing's security apparatus collects vast amounts of health data on its population, US intelligence agencies wrote, China has collected US health and genomic data through cyber breaches and acquisitions of US companies.

Meanwhile, General Nakasone, director of the NSA, testified that China's cyber operations have become increasingly aggressive recently.

"With respect to China, we are seeing an increase in the level of risk-taking they are experiencing in relation to theft of our intellectual property, even increasing their influence operations. This is concerning for us," Nakasone explained.