American Global Strategies March Newsletter (2024)

What’s Happening in National Security, Technology, Defense & Maritime

Vol. 3, Issue 27

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AGS UPDATES

• Earlier this month, AGS Chairman Ambassador Robert C. O’Brien and CEO Alexander Gray announced several new additions to the firm. Anthony Ruggiero is joining as a Senior Vice President and Mark Youngblood is joining as the Director of Security. Additionally, Major General Lee Levy, USAF (Ret.) and Dr. James L. Regens have joined the firm as Senior Advisors who will support AGS’ clients firm-wide from the Oklahoma City office.Read the full announcement here.
• Gray visited Taiwan with the Global Taiwan Institute to discuss China’s malign activity and American support for Taiwan with President Tsai, Foreign Minister Wu, Digital Minister Tang and other senior ROC officials.

• Gray delivered remarks at the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) 5th Tokyo Global Dialogue.
• Gray addressed The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan (FCCJ) on Indo-Pacific security issues.
• AGS Senior Vice President Anthony Ruggiero testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Europe to discuss Russian nuclear energy.

WHAT WE ARE SAYING

• O’Brien joined Larry Kudlow to discuss the importance of peace through strength.
• O’Brien’s latest op-ed in The National Interest, co-authored with Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, discusses how the US can maintain a military edge over adversaries like China.
• AGS Non-Executive Vice Chairman Scott Morrison joined the One Decision Podcast to discuss AUKUS and U.S. policy towards China.
• Gray spoke with The Japan Times about what U.S. Indo-Pacific policy could look like in a second Trump Administration.
• O’Brien joined The Larry Kudlow Show to discuss the Israel-Hamas War.
• O’Brien spoke with Jason Chaffetz on Hannity about U.S. national security challenges.

• O’Brien & AGS Senior Advisor Shigeru Kitamura discuss in the The National Interest, the geopolitical risks that accompany digital regulatory proposals like the EU’s Digital Markets Act.
• O’Brien joined Sunday Morning Futures to discuss the importance of deterring Chinese aggression.
• Ruggiero joined The John Batchelor Show to discuss European dependence on Russia’s nuclear energy.
• AGS Senior Vice President Brian Cavanaugh for Real Clear Defense: The Urgent Need to Deploy C-UAS Technology Domestically
• Gray discussed renewing the Compacts of Free Association with Voice of America.
• Cavanaugh joined Stefania Cox on NTD to discuss the Key Bridge collapse and infrastructure policy.

WHAT WE ARE READING

Maritime

• Breaking Defense: Navy’s new 30-year shipbuilding plan sketches 2 paths for future manned ship fleet
• Bloomberg: Ships, Not Chips, Could Offer China an Edge
• Foreign Policy: Europe Yearns to Be an Indo-Pacific Player
• Business Insider: US naval drones have spent 60,000 hours at sea helping the Navy spy on and defeat malicious threats in Middle Eastern waters
• Seapower Magazine: Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro Hosts Maritime Industry Roundtable
• State Scoop: Foreign states, ransomware threaten U.S. ports, says maritime security analyst
• The Maritime Executive: Secretary of the Navy Invites Korea’s Shipbuilders to Come to America

Defense Industrial Base

• Defense One: General Atomics’ ‘robot wingman’ makes first flight
• Forbes: Capitalism Can Revive The Defense Industrial Base
• Aviation Week: China’s Defense Industrial Base Seen Edging Ahead Of U.S.
• The Wall Street Journal: America’s Strategic Posture Is Slouching
• Voice of America: Zelenskyy Says Ukraine Will Boost Defense Production
• Financial Times: Kyiv calls on west to fund Ukraine’s domestic defence production
• Defense News: EU sprinkles $560 million over defense firms to grow ammunition output
• Foreign Policy: The U.S. Military Is Running Short on Ammunition—and So Is Ukraine
• The Wall Street Journal: Taiwan’s Tough Call on How to Stop China: Bigger Weapons or Lots of Cheap Ones

National Security & International Affairs

• Foreign Affairs: Geopolitics in the C-Suite
• Reuters: China drops ‘peaceful reunification’ reference to Taiwan
• BBC: Life in jail for treason under new Hong Kong security law
• Jamestown Foundation: Nine Things Western Analysts Got Wrong About Russia and Its Invasion of Ukraine
• Foreign Affairs: Playing Both Sides of the U.S.-Chinese Rivalry
• The New York Times: What China Is Saying About the TikTok Furor in Washington
• The Wall Street Journal: Ukraine’s Impossible Choice: Conceding Territory or Lives
• The Washington Post: Blinken boosts U.S. ties to Philippines amid China maritime aggression
• Reuters: US-Israel relations stumble on deepening rift over Gaza
• Axios: In Tanzania, Beijing is running a training school for authoritarianism

Technology & Cyber

• Radio Free Europe: Chinese-Made Surveillance Cameras At Romanian Military Sites Raise Security Concerns
• The New York Times: Saudi Arabia Plans $40 Billion Push Into Artificial Intelligence
• Forbes: The Importance Of Early Readiness In The Era Of Artificial Intelligence
• Nikkei Asia: China vows to pull out all the stops for EV supply chain buildup
• The New York Times: Malaysia Rises as Crucial Link in Chip Supply Chain
• Nikkei Asia: Intel to receive up to $8.5bn in U.S. CHIPS Act grant
• Fortune: TikTok is in trouble in the U.S. and Europe–but American social apps could be next
• Axios: Senators get “shocking” look at TikTok’s spy potential

U.S. Politics

• The Washington Examiner: The TikTok bill proves Congress can get serious about national security
• Defense One: Biden, Pentagon urge Congress to pass national security funding bill
• Politico: Ukraine loan gains traction in GOP
• Forbes: China Could Meddle In 2024 U.S. Elections, Intelligence Report Alleges
• The Guardian: Joe Biden came out swinging at his State of the Union address – will it be enough?

UPCOMING EVENTS

• April 16, 2024: 3rd Annual AGS National Security Conference
• May 7, 2024 – May 9, 2024: Defense Industrial Base Conference (DIBCON)
  “DIBCON exists to foster an environment for manufacturers to engage directly with Pentagon leaders and key decisionmakers. We welcome manufacturers of all sizes, whether you are already involved in contracting with the Department of Defense; have been trying unsuccessfully to grow your defense business; or have never considered this huge opportunity.”
• July 15, 2024 – July 18, 2024: Republican National Convention
• July 16, 2024 – July 19, 2024: Aspen Security Forum
  “The Aspen Security Forum (ASF) is the premier national security and foreign policy conference in the United States. ASF has provided a nonpartisan public venue for domestic and global leaders to discuss the key national security and foreign policy issues of the day for the past 14 years.”
• August 19, 2024 – August, 22, 2024: Democratic National Convention
• September 16, 2024: 1st 2024 Presidential Debate
• September 25, 2024 2024 Vice-Presidential Debate
• October 1, 2024: 2nd 2024 Presidential Debate
• October 9, 2024, 3rd 2024 Presidential Debate
• November 22, 2024 – November 24, 2024: Halifax International Security Forum
  “Halifax International Security Forum is recognized globally for its cozy and confident convening.  Only at Halifax International Security Forum do the entrepreneurs who drive our economies, the writers who challenge and influence the world’s thinking and the decision-makers tasked with tough choices share the stage with the very individuals who are on the ground facing consequential local threats.”