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Monday, July 17, 2023

US Senate Leader Schumer Wants to Sanction China Over Fentanyl, Cyber Warfare Authorization

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat



U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will push to include in upcoming defense policy legislation, the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a bipartisan amendment to sanction China over its alleged role in producing the synthetic opioid fentanyl. It would also declare fentanyl trafficking a national emergency, which allows for increased federal resources, funding and.

Schumer blamed China for much of the fentanyl that US authorities say is responsible for the overdose deaths of tens of thousands of Americans. He said the drug comes from production sites in China "with the total acceptance and acquiescence of the Chinese government."

"I will push an amendment - bipartisan - into the defense bill that will include major fentanyl stopping and sanction empowering legislation, and we will bring that bill to the floor this week," Schumer told a news conference in New York.

"I hope it will pass. I believe that will pass with strong bipartisan support. And it should. It must. We have learned the sad fact of the matter is that we know where this starts and predominantly comes from, and that is China, and the Chinese government does nothing about it," Schumer said.

The amendment that would include sanctions has bipartisan support in the Senate. A reconciled version of the NDAA must be passed by the Senate and House and signed by the president before becoming law. The Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., was not immediately available for comment.


Narco Cyber Warfare

A provision in the SASC version of the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act authorizes the Secretary of Defense with developing a strategy to use cyber warfare tactics to disrupt illicit activity occurring across the border. It would allow the Pentagon, along with other federal agencies and in consultation with the Mexican government, to “conduct detection, monitoring, and other operations in cyberspace to counter Mexican transnational criminal organizations that are engaged in a variety of activities that cross the southern US border."

Such activities include smuggling of illegal drugs and controlled substances, human trafficking, and weapons trafficking, according to the bill. The legislation was approved by the committee at the end of June, but the bill’s full text wasn’t released until this past week.

The committee places this activity under existing authority that places the Department of Defense as the single lead US agency for the detection and monitoring of aerial and maritime transit of illegal drugs into the country, along with broader authorities to conduct military cyber operations.

The provision states that the authority “may be used to counter Mexican transnational criminal organizations, including entities cited in the most recent National Drug Threat Assessment published by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.”

As part of the provision, Senators also want a strategy within 60 days of the law’s enactment for conducting operations in cyberspace to combat this activity. As well as quarterly briefings to update lawmakers on the various operations and the nations they were conducted in.

The strategy should include, among other things, a description of the cyber presence and activities of the organizations, a description of any previous cyber actions taken by the DOD against such groups, and descriptions of security cooperation agreements and work with the Mexican government.

Clarifying Existing Authority

According to Herb Lin, a senior research scholar for Cyber Policy and Security at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation, the bill’s provision is just clarifying the existing authority that the Pentagon already has to conduct such operations.

“As far as I can tell, it clarifies existing authority. It explicitly gives DOD authority to do something that I think that they could’ve done without it [authorization],” he told DefenseScoop. “It’s not a directive that they should do things, it gives them explicit legislative authority to do that. The language says [the secretary of defense] MAY conduct detection, monitoring, and other operations in cyberspace to counter Mexican transnational criminal organizations, but it does not say MUST.”

Other cyber experts say it helps further codify US Cyber Command’s roles within the government. “I don’t see it as a tacit approval for the use of force — maybe they feel like they could grow into that. It seems like they’re just formalizing Cybercom’s role in the monitoring, looking at the communications and maybe disrupting the communications of these groups,” Gary Brown, a professor at National Defense University and formerly the first senior legal counsel for Cybercom, told DefenseScoop.

Since Cybercom’s inception, it has straddled a line between military operations and intelligence efforts given it was co-located with the National Security Agency, which is responsible for conducting foreign intelligence.

Erica Lonergan, an assistant professor and a former senior director on the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, noted that the National Defense Strategy priorities the US military deterring major conflict and aggression from nation-states in a return to so-called 'great power competition,' identifying China as the “pacing threat.”

While cyberspace will play a key role in the future, with limited resources, DOD should be prioritizing, and Mexican drug cartels are relatively low on that priority list, she said. “The reality is that Mexican drug cartels are likely to present an easier target, and demonstrable successes in this area will make it tempting to shift even greater resources toward counter-drug trafficking and away from strategic threats, especially because peer- and near-peer nation-state competitors are harder (and therefore more frustrating) targets than most non-state actors,” she added.

It is also possible, in part, that the provision and its requirements for reporting on its operations to the committee is an effort for increased transparency in providing information to the politicians. Several Republican US Senators have requested information and explanations for certain decisions from various agencies, namely the DEA, in their efforts against drug cartels trafficking in fentanyl. 

28 comments:

  1. The fear mongering continues. Jesus Christ, the U.S Elites live in paranoia.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 157 smoke some fentanilo and screw off. One day you will know someone that has od'd and perhaps your tiny brain will change its mind.

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    2. 1:57
      Chinese intelligence operatives are in the US in droves, they get jobs with Google, Meta, Tesla, and try to move up so they can send sensitive information back to China. Some female operatives hit local city councils, honey trapping men, gleaning as much useful info as possible. This is only the tip of the iceberg.

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    3. Gangs in Arizona have already started killing off Chinese precursor dealers

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    4. 4:02 until the communist party falls and the democratic party rises in China. Communist China will always be a failure.

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    5. They are blaming everyone except their own American junkies, bizarre spectacle.

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    6. MSS (China security and inteligence agency) using British trafficking techniques from the Opium wars

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    7. I have had 15 friends od from fent so fucking what. My 15 friends as dope as they were they made the choice to use it so o well. No one cares that people die every day we all Still use it every day and will continue to use it. You KNOW what happens when people die off drugs people want more. So stay on your high horse and wait for a few dumb busts that may net a few players and some product but you know what's gonna happen a new organization will fill the void and do it all over again. Go USA running in circles for 30 years. Maybe this time will be the one. Damn what happen when they got chapo, lol nothing just more cool drugs and crazy Twitter videos. People are litterly fans of cartels. People fight over cds and cjng on here like there involved, like there fav nba team. Come on let's waste another 10 years on this. Bye the time they beat fent there will already be something new. Just shut up amd deal with it. You want guns, I want drugs we are AMERICA!

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  2. They need to worry about who brought the cociane in the White House. Leave China alome

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    Replies
    1. Tosh. China needs her wings clipped.

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    2. They already worried about that. Next.

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    3. All white house and Senate staffers are coke heads nothing new they happen to drop it on their to the restroom doesn't matter what party they work for that's why all Republican Maga cheerleaders are paranoid about illegals because they don't get their Ounces in time when they call their contact.

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  3. What’s wrong with Chuck Tumor ?

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  4. I feel like the word sanction is just losing its meaning

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  5. All bd more control and spying on everyone Increase debt and make everyone pay .

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  6. I’m az they are killing Chinese business men who are the dealers for the precursor chemicals one guy thrown off the talking stick balcony ties to CDS and CCP

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    Replies
    1. Yeah another guy was shot in the head in his apt, fued over Chinese precurser mules from mainland china. confession note left. Killed by CDS cell in Nogales

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  7. China produces all the fentanyl for Mexico to produce, yet we supply all the guns to Mexico.
    I know it's much more complicated than that, but the irony amazes me🐙

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Today was so hot I wore shorts, it amazes me the sun is hotter than usual. My legs are now in sunburn pain.
      I don't 🤔 think it's feasible to where shorts, I am switching to lighter pants.

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    2. 9:17 that's koo foo

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    3. @9:17 UPF+50 long pants.

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    4. Ak 47s are not made in usa. 30% of mexican armed forces weapons are sold to criminals. Not all guns in mexico come from usa.

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  8. Can't wait to not serve in this stupid war that is about to happen. I'll just watch us send soldier s to die on TV no big deal. Lol our gov is a fucking joke!

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  9. This guy never lost an election and did never serve his country. Shame on him. He is doing the tough talk while other people pay for his speeches.

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  10. The beginning of WWIII

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  11. US Senate Leader Schumer Wants to Sanction China Over Fentanyl Funny. United States prescription deaths have surpassed cocaine and heroin deaths and all the drug related articles talk about fighting drug war in another country. United States needs to clean house here at home now.

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  12. These good old boys with silver spoon needs to retire. They only care about their selves. Stop bull sitting Americans. All they care about is money. Make better gun laws. Stop raising everything. We are struggling

    ReplyDelete

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