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.
Because of uniqueness of the discipline and the particular role of intelligence and national security in America and the world, leaders must have understanding of, and responsibility to, their craft.
Precipitous firing of what are typically professional officials carries three risks: that the newly installed leaders won’t understand the nuance of the craft and will inadvertently undermine it in an effort to support policy;
that they will issue guidance that damages organizational capability and credibility internally and externally; and that in abrupt transition, something critical will be missed.
And perhaps the greatest impact would be to morale and belief in the mission that has been the foundation of our national success."
You can read more about @suemgordon22 here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_M._…
If you have a question about national security, follow @NatSecAnswers, send us your question and we'll get the answer. @threadreaderapp unroll #A12 @mvhaydencenter @GenMhayden

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with NatSecAnswer Desk

NatSecAnswer Desk Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @NatSecAnswers

13 Nov
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
Read 8 tweets
10 Nov
QUESTION: How have the 2020 election results impacted U.S. allies? We asked Ellen Laipson, Director of the Master's in International Security degree program at the @ScharSchool @GeorgeMasonU. Follow this thread for the answer.
ANSWER: "US allies around the world have expressed genuine relief at the news of Joe Biden's electoral victory over President Donald Trump. In Europe in particular NATO allies and other close security partners had grown deeply troubled by Trump's disdain for the substance and
the formal rituals of alliance relations. He had treated NATO and South Korea as business transactions, and spent years trying to negotiate more favorable financial terms, rather than engage those countries on shared threat perceptions and joint decisions about strategy.
Read 8 tweets
26 Oct
QUESTION: Why are women and girls are more essential than ever to U.S. national security? We asked @GirlSecurity_ to lay out the reasons. Follow this thread.
ANSWER: "National security is the most important common cause, but norms, bias, and discrimination continue to shape the roles girls and women play in security, despite women’s longstanding contributions.
Women remain underrepresented in national security. While increasing the number of women in national security alone will not remedy shortcomings or shortfalls across sectors, it creates a stronger foundation upon which long-needed advancements can succeed.
Read 10 tweets
13 Oct
QUESTION: Recently, the US government & @Microsoft disabled -probably temporarily -"Trickbot" one of the world’s largest hacking operations, for fear it would interfere with the U.S. election.

What is Trickbot? Our friends at @NCSC explained. Follow this thread for the answer.
ANSWER: "Trickbot is an established banking trojan used in cyber attacks against businesses and individuals in the UK and overseas. Trickbot attacks are designed to access online accounts, including bank accounts, in order to obtain personally identifiable information
In some cases, Trickbot is used to infiltrate a network. Once inside it can be used to deploy other malware, including ransomware and post-exploitation toolkits. Trickbot targets victims with well-crafted phishing emails, designed to appear as though sent from trusted commercial
Read 9 tweets
30 Sep
QUESTION: Who are the "Proud Boys"? We asked Scott Stewart @stick631. Follow this thread for the answer.
ANSWER: First, they are a group with an organized national and regional structure. Second, they are not classified as white supremacists as many press reports claim. While some Proud Boy members have links to white supremacists,
the Proud Boys group has members of different ethnicities and its current leader, Enrique Tarrio, is a Cuban. The group is self-avowedly “western chauvinist” meaning that they believe western civilization is superior to others.
Read 8 tweets
28 Sep
ALERT: @FBI & @CISAgov have sent out an alert warning the public about FALSE CLAIMS OF HACKED VOTER INFORMATION: "Foreign actors and cyber criminals are spreading false and inconsistent information through various online platforms in an attempt to...
to manipulate public opinion, discredit the electoral process, and undermine confidence in U.S. democratic institutions. These malicious actors could use these forums to also spread disinformation suggesting successful cyber operations have compromised election infrastructure and
facilitated the “hacking” and “leaking” of U.S. voter registration data. In reality, much U.S. voter information can be purchased or acquired through publicly available sources. While cyber actors have in recent years obtained voter registration information,
Read 8 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!