On Friday’s broadcast of “CNN News Central,” Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) reacted to two Navy sailors being charged for sharing secret information with China by stating that “low-level folks in the military have access to too much classified or protected or sensitive information,” and the Department of Defense needs to do more to safeguard American secrets.
Krishnamoorthi stated that while he has a high degree of confidence that the U.S. can defend its interests in the Pacific, China is trying to get information about American operations in the Pacific, and it is “absolutely trying to get more of this information, and then, on the flip side, we have to do more to protect that information. And, quite frankly, I think it continues a pattern where I am concerned that low-level folks in the military have access to too much classified or protected or sensitive information, and that’s a separate issue that we have to tackle as well.”
He added, “I think they’re doing everything they can to target members of our military. They have 110,000 people in their equivalent of our CIA, which is called the Ministry of State Security, the MSS. And these people, around the world, are trying to go after targets, trying to recruit people like these individuals who were indicted recently. It’s a good thing that we uncovered this particular plot. But, going forward, obviously, we have to continue to be vigilant, because these folks, the CCP, are hell-bent on getting an information advantage on us.”
Co-host Boris Sanchez then asked, “Do you think the Pentagon is adequately protecting its secrets?”
Krishnamoorthi answered, “I think it could do more. I think it’s doing a decent job, but it needs to do more. What we know about the CCP is that roughly two-thirds of cyberattacks in the United States, just generally, come from the PRC. And, on top of that, they have recently been found to be planting malware in critical infrastructure related to military bases. I’m talking about power, water, and communications lines. They are, obviously, also trying to go after secrets within the Pentagon and at our federal contractors. And so, to that extent, we have to do a better job of promoting cybersecurity, not only at the Pentagon, but also in the private sector and making sure that those who are subject to attacks or victims of attacks are willing to share the information about it so we can all be protected.”
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