If True, This isn't Good

A US Pentagon official recently said he resigned his post because US cybersecurity is allegedly no match for China, calling it 'kindergarten level.' This senior cybersecurity official Nicholas Chaillan said he quit because he thought it was impossible for the US to compete with China on artificial intelligence (AI). He joined the US Air Force as its first chief software officer in August 2018 and worked to equip this branch and the Pentagon with the most secure and advanced software available. The software chief has over 19 years of domestic and international experience with strong technical and subject matter expertise in cybersecurity, software development, product innovation, governance, risk management and compliance. Specifically, these fields include Cloud computing, Cybersecurity, DevSecOps, Big Data, multi-touch, mobile, IoT, Mixed Reality, virtual reality, and wearables. Of interest, he’s a native of France and at age 15, he was recognized as one of France’s youngest entrepreneurs after founding WORLDAKT. Some speculate that the timing of France pulling their ambassador from the US over the Australian submarine controversy may have had an affect on this recent vacancy.

So, on 2 September he up and quit and he is not being quiet. In his departing LinkedIn post, he cited the Pentagon's reluctance to make cybersecurity and AI a priority as a reason for his resignation. He said China was far ahead of the US, saying "We have no competing fighting chance against China in fifteen to twenty years. Right now, it's already a done deal; it is already over in my opinion," he said. The cyber professional went on to say that the AI capabilities and cyber defenses of some government departments were at "kindergarten level," media reported.[1] On 14 October, Chailan began a media campaign with a segment on Newsmax.[2]

Several US departments have been subject to hacking attempts and ransomware attacks in recent years. In April 2020, the US Treasury, Department of Homeland Security, State Department, and Department of Defense were compromised in the SolarWinds hack. Hackers were able to spy on the digital activities of staff and access some of their emails. The former official said that US national security is being compromised by Google's refusal to work with the Pentagon on AI.

Google stopped working with the Pentagon in 2018 after 12 employees quit over a project where Google helped the Pentagon make software that could improve the accuracy of drone strikes. In contrast, Chinese private cyber and AI companies were at the government’s (CCP) beck and call.

China is aiming to becoming the leading AI superpower by 2030, and a March 2021 report from the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence said the US was, "not prepared to defend the United States in the coming artificial intelligence (AI) era." The former Pentagon official said it did not matter whether the US spent three times as much as China on defense because it (the funding) was being allocated to the wrong areas. In the LinkedIn post announcing his departure he claimed frustration with the Pentagon's reluctance to commit to cybersecurity. "I am just tired of continuously chasing support and money to do my job. My office still has no billet and no funding, this year and the next," he wrote. He plans to testify to the US Congress about the threat posed by China.

The Pentagon is not making any statements to date, but a few Pentagon officials have accused him of creating operational and security issues regarding the public comments he’s made, but he rejects their claims. He said, online, he is “getting death threats and stuff because people say I was led by China to say this, which is almost funny.”

Despite the drama, the former software chief said he could return to a government post down the line “under the right conditions.” As of now, he is also considering pursuits in the growing commercial space sector.[3] Chailan is publicly warning that, “time is of the essence.”

Red Sky Alliance is a Cyber Threat Analysis and Intelligence Service organization. For questions, comments or assistance, please contact the office directly at 1-844-492-7225, or feedback@wapacklabs.com

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