News / Commentary

PERSPECTIVE: U.S. Infrastructure Security Challenged by Misuse of ITC Authority

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This article, by Phil Stupak, originally appeared in RealClearDefense on July 29, 2021.

The recent announcement of a bipartisan infrastructure deal, also known as the BIF, is exciting not just for repairing America’s roads and bridges but also for the rapid expansion of broadband access to the nation. The BIF funds broadband infrastructure at $65B. 

American policymakers have been trying to expand rural broadband access for the last 40 years. One of the key challenges has been laying copper and fiber optic lines in all parts of the nation. The key to avoiding a Charlie Brown football moment will be … Read More

CGA Founding Partner Jake Braun Appointed by President Biden as Senior Advisor at DHS Management

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February 24, 2021 (Washington, DC) – This week, Cambridge Global Advisors (CGA) was honored to announce that Jake Braun, founding Partner and former CEO of the firm was appointed by President Biden to be Senior Advisor to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Management Directorate. The move marks Jake’s second time serving in the federal government. He previously served as the DHS-White House Liaison during the Obama Administration.

In 2013, Jake founded CGA as a bipartisan national security strategic advisory firm with former federal government officials Christopher Burnham and Jane Holl Lute. He brought with him experience from DHS … Read More

GCPW Advisory Board Member, Douglas Lute, to Join BGR Group as Chairman

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It was announced today that Global Cyber Policy Watch advisory board member, Ambassador Douglas Lute, is joining BGR Group as Chairman of the firm’s international and defense practices.

A retired three-star general and former Ambassador to NATO (during the Obama Administration), Lute brings extensive expertise to the position: “Ambassador Lute’s familiarity with American foreign policy and today’s policymakers gives him the unique ability to help clients understand the Biden team’s approach to international security challenges and opportunities, and America’s relationships with its allies and partners.”

Get to know more about what Ambassador Lute will bring to the BGR Group team … Read More

COMMENTARY: Jake Braun — Serious cyberthreats to consider for Election Day

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In the lead up to the 2020 general election, Jake Braun, Executive Director of at the University of Chicago’s Cyber Policy Initiative and author of “Democracy in Danger: How Hackers and Activists Exposed Fatal Flaws in the Election System,” offered commentary on the state of mail-in-voting, the possibilities of online voting, and election security.

In an interview with co-host of CyberHub Engage James Azar, and Synack co-founder Mark Kuhr, Braun said, “We need to bring together democratic countries to fight against [election interference] and publicly call it out so when this happens in France or Germany, all of the democratic … Read More

PERSPECTIVE: Should the U.S. Government Own America’s 5G Network?

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This article, by Christoper Burnham, originally appeared in Real Clear Defense on October 19, 2020.

The Department of Defense (DoD) recently issued a Request for Information (RFI) exploring the creation of a government-owned and operated 5G network, tapping its mid-band spectrum currently used for naval operations. While there is a new national imperative for this prime 5G spectrum—to provide 5G networking and communications to the entire country—there is nothing good (and much bad) that would come from the government owning America’s 5G network.

The U.S. government has been auctioning off spectrum since 1994 to the private sector. From this, … Read More

COMMENTARY: Jake Braun – The two most serious vulnerabilities lie in voter registration databases and election night returns data

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In a recent discussion with Virginia’s WTKR, Jake Braun, Executive Director at the University of Chicago’s Cyber Policy Initiative and author of “Democracy in Danger: How Hackers and Activists Exposed Fatal Flaws in the Election System,” offered his insights into the state of cybersecurity for the upcoming 2020 presidential election.

“Braun says the two most serious vulnerabilities lie in voter registration databases and election night returns data. He says the hacking of either could cause chaos at the polls or spawn conspiracy theories about the election’s outcome.

‘We’re already seeing ransomware attacks on databases and we’re already seeing things … Read More

PERSPECTIVE: Critical National Security Implications in ITC’s 5G Patent Review

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The following article, by Christopher Burnham, former Under Secretary General for Management of the United Nations, originally appeared in Homeland Security Today on July 29, 2020.

In March, the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) was asked to investigate an obscure patent complaint by a recently created foreign company that has the potential to stall American advancement in the race to 5G and provoke significant national security repercussions. Given that the development of 5G could transform the global distribution of power by stimulating the fourth technological revolution, the United States has every incentive to dedicate their extensive resources to … Read More

COMMENTARY: Nate Snyder Joins Experts in Highlighting a Major Consequence of The Trump Administration’s Unbalanced Response to Recent Protests

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Nate Snyder, a former counterintelligence senior official at the Department of Homeland Security, joins experts in a Vanity Fair article criticizing the Trump administration’s asymmetric approaches to recent social unrest. In it, they address Trump’s aggressive responses against racial-justice protests in Portland and link the absence of those concerning state-shutdown order protests to the growing prominence of white nationalist groups. 

Snyder, now a Senior Advisor at Cambridge Global Advisors, helps shed light on how the administration’s lack of response to extremist activities could be seen as a sign of public endorsement to fringe right-wing groups like the Proud Boys and … Read More

COMMENTARY: General Francis Taylor – Homeland security is critical as hurricane season makes waves

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General Francis Taylor, a Global Cyber Policy Watch advisory board member, proposes several critical reforms to better prepare the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to address the evolving threats to American security in a new op-ed for The Hill. 

As Former Undersecretary for Intelligence and Analysis at DHS, General Taylor is well-versed in security and counterterrorism issues. In his article, he illustrates the ways in which the history and design of DHS prevents it from rapidly adapting to address challenges other than terrorism. General Taylor suggests that DHS implement overarching reforms to gain greater control over its departments, construct … Read More

COMMENTARY: Jake Braun – A Perfect Storm of Vulnerabilities Could Determine the 2020 Election

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Jake Braun, former White House Liaison to the Department of Homeland Security, outlines the four greatest weaknesses of our election ecosystem in a new article for the Boston Review. 

As the Director of the Cyber Policy Initiative at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, Mr. Braun specializes in cyber, national, and election security. In his article, he explains that flawed infrastructure, conspiracies, vulnerability to system hacks, and susceptibility to trolls all dangerously compound the effect of one another. Rather than confront each of these threats individually, he offers a number of recommendations to address the vulnerabilities … Read More