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Cipher Brief Highlights and
Exclusives
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OPEN SOURCE COLLECTION -- It's been a busy
few days in the U.S. coming off the Thanksgiving holiday. Here's a
look at some of the stories you may have missed that impact global
security:
China is suspending U.S. Navy visits to
Hong Kong
in what is seen as retaliation over U.S. support for pro-democracy
protests in Hong
Kong; NATO announced late last week
that will decrease
the U.S.' contribution
to the central budget ahead of a gathering of NATO members in London this week; What has the world
learned about the hypersonic
missile
tested by Russia in November; and the search for
a successor is on in Iraq after the country's Prime Minister resigned on Friday amid weeks of
protests that have resulted in nearly 400 deaths.
Ge deeper on
today's Open Source Collection stories below.
THE FUTURE OF NATO
-- The Cipher Brief will
be focusing this week on the future of the organization as its members
gather in London.
CIPHER BRIEF
TWITTER POLL --
What do you think? Do you support the U.S.' move to reduce it's
contribution to NATO's budget? Vote here.
ICYMI -- THE DEAD
DROP -- Here's
a sneak peek at a few of the stories that made the cut for the Dead Drop
on Friday:
- LOSING
CONFIDENCE: Secretary of Defense Mark Esper recently told
Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer that he had lost
confidence in him and would like him to shove
off. In explaining his move against Spencer, Esper told
reporters it was NOT because of Spencer’s stance about the wisdom of
a group of SEALs considering yanking convicted Chief Petty Officer
Eddie Gallagher’s SEAL trident pin. No, Esper says it was
because he was stunned to discover that Spencer was having back
channel discussions with the White House. Esper recommended that a
retired reserve Navy rear admiral be the next Secretary of the
Navy. But our sources tell us that Braithwaite was already in
the neighborhood – and that he was at a recent U.S. Naval
Academy football game sharing insights about his new role
before it had been announced.
- TRUMP
AND FRIENDS: The Daily Beast,
citing sources, says that President Trump is considering going on
the campaign trail with some of the servicemen he recently pardoned
for alleged war crimes. “Two people tell The Daily
Beast they’ve heard Trump talk about how he’d like to have the
now-cleared Clint Lorance, Matthew Golsteyn, or Edward Gallagher
show up at his 2020 rallies, or even have a moment on stage at his
renomination convention in Charlotte next year.”
**ATTENTION CIPHER
BRIEF MEMBERS -- If you haven't yet requested your seat at the country's
new premiere national security conference - the one that
leaves politics at the door and actively engages the private sector in
addressing future threats - know that we expect to be sold out well
before the March 22-24 conference date. To request
your seat at the table, go to www.tcbconference.com.
**GIFT YOURSELF: The holidays are coming
up, so treat yourself for just $10/month to a year full of national
security insights and expert analysis in The Cipher Brief. Be sure
to visit the website to
access all of our expert national security content.
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The
next Cipher
Brief Threat Conference is March 22-24, 2020 at The
Cloister Resort in Sea Island, GA.
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Because it seems harder than ever
today to find relevant headlines on what's happening outside of
Washington D.C., The Cipher Brief is pleased to share our latest open
source information on the stories that impact national security.
The Lead
China Suspends U.S. Navy Visits to
Hong Kong. On Monday China announced they would suspend U.S. Navy
visits to Hong Kong, and sanction multiple U.S. pro-democracy and human
rights groups. The move comes after the U.S. signed into law new
legislation supporting the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Associated Press
Asia
China: Government Trying to “Break”
Detained Aussie. Detained Australian writer and democracy advocate
Yang Hengjun has been cut off from contacting his family and undergoing
daily interrogations in an effort to “break” him, according to Yang’s
attorneys. The Chinese government believes Yang to be a spy and
have detained him since January. Tensions between China and
Australia are high as Australian intelligence investigates Chinese
attempts to manipulate the government including an alleged plot to install
a Chinese agent in Australian Parliament. Bloomberg The Guardian The New York Times
North Korea: Two
Rockets Launched. South Korea said Thursday
North Korea launched two rockets from Yonpo, a city on its east
coast. The rockets traveled approximately 236 miles before
splashing into waters between North Korea and Japan. “The volley
test-fire aimed to finally examine the combat application of the
super-large multiple launch rocket system proved the military and
technical superiority of the weapon system and its firm reliability,” the
North Korean Central News Agency said. Military Times Stars and Stripes
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