QUESTION: How does #COVID19 impact the families of national security professionals? We asked Jo-Anne Sears @JoAnnePSears , Former Sr. Advisor to the Secretary of the Air Force and Partner, with Velocity Government Relations. Follow this thread for the answer.
ANSWER: "There is a growing challenge adversely affecting Defense Department and Intelligence Community personnel. It is not Russia or China – this time. It is the fact public schools are shuttered for in-person learning due to the #Covid19 pandemic.
This challenge has turned into a crisis for working parents in the region involved in classified programs critical to national security. They have to choose between being at home or protecting the homeland.
Public schools have historically been the quiet backbone of our economy. Schools not only cultivate and produce the next generation of our workforce they also allow parents to work, bring home income, and protect the nation.
When a parent can’t go to work – especially in a highly classified environment – the work is delayed or does not get done in a timely manner.
Thankfully, leadership in the Defense Department and Intelligence Community have been extremely supportive of working parents but...
this is not sustainable over long periods of time.
The solution? Schools need to be creative and safely open for the business of education and for the sake of national security."
QUESTION: What should the Biden administration do about growing frustration from the public over #Kremlin-sponsored cyberattacks on the US? We asked @natsec09 what he’s learned about this. Follow this thread for the answer.
ANSWER: An Intelligence source tells me, "yes, @JoeBiden is facing pressure from pundits and politicos across the country to do something public to show he's punishing Russia for its attacks. But, embarrass Putin publicly, then what?"
This is the key hurdle for the administration. How far can or should it go in publicly punishing Russia? Because, whether Americans want to hear it or not, Russia can also publicly punish the U.S.
QUESTION: Crisis at the US-Mexico border. What's the impact on the safety and security of migrants and asylum seekers? We asked @GCorreaCabrera. Follow this thread for the answer.
ANSWER: "What is happening today at the border is not a new phenomenon; it is a condition that has been repeating itself in the past few years under different ‘political’ circumstances. This so-called “crisis” responds to a broken immigration system in the United States and
to complex structural hemispheric problems that have not been yet resolved. Poverty, inequality and insecurity are at the center of a real humanitarian crisis in the Americas. There is indeed a relevant human problem at the US-Mexico border that is putting unaccompanied minors
QUESTION: How did the recent #Suezblockage impact global security? We asked Brandon Fried @AfAExecDirector. Follow this thread for the answer.
"The Suez situation could not have come at a worse time with global demand for products and an all-time high, and we didn’t need another significant choke point to restrain capacity. Of course, the congestion at the Port of Los Angeles continues to be a big challenge as well.
The containers on these vessels are essential to the global supply chain must be put back into circulation as soon as possible. Without them, cargo sits at the docks, waiting not only for the ships but the metal boxes they carry as well.
QUESTION: Authorities have identified the person believed to be responsible for the massive suicide blast in #Nashville on Christmas Day 2020 as, 63 year old, Anthony Quinn Warner. What was his motive? We asked @stick631 - Follow this thread for the answer.
ANSWER: “The man responsible for the Christmas Day bombing in downtown Nashville has been identified, but his motive for committing suicide in such a spectacular fashion remains a mystery. It does not appear he left behind any sort of statement or manifesto outlining a grievance
narrative that would provide insight into his motive. Because of this, it is hard to classify the suicide by bomb as an act of terrorism. The suspect also provided warning of the impending explosion, allowing the authorities to evacuate people from the area,
QUESTION: How has President Donald Trump's firing of top national security officials impacted the intelligence community and the safety & security of the country? We asked Former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence @suemgordon22. Follow this thread for the answer.
ANSWER: “To begin, there is some overriding good news. The strength of the intelligence and national security communities lies in the expertise, ethos, and tradecraft of the women and men who serve.
Bureaucracies have downsides, but they have the upside of inherent stability over time. That said, leadership matters; and leadership during times of challenge and change matters a lot.
QUESTION: President Donald Trump's knowledge of US secrets and his debt may make him and others targets of foreign spies. We asked @LarryPfeifferDC of the @mvhaydencenter, how significant is this threat? Follow this thread for the answer.
ANSWER: "There’s been a bit of discussion in the media about how the large debt President Donald Trump carries into his post-presidency presents a significant security risk. What’s not discussed is the potential risks posed by those in his inner circle.
This is a president who has demanded loyalty above all—those who remain in his inner circle after 4 years are family and others undoubtedly the most loyal. If President Trump were predisposed to reveal classified or other sensitive US government information to foreign