With recent developments in Washington, fears over national security and these cuts are growing rapidly. Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is ramping up to impose these kinds of sweeping changes to a dozen or more federal agencies. Consequently, the disruption presents a rare, golden opportunity for our adversaries such as Russia and China. They will be able to exploit this opportunity further by enticing potential informants to provide sensitive information.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative holds critical data on trade negotiations that could allow foreign adversaries to undercut the United States. At the same time, the Department of Energy is charged with protecting some of the country’s most guarded nuclear secrets. In addition, Pentagon databases are filled with sensitive information about U.S. military capabilities.
The risk of espionage is at an all-time high. Presidential candidate and former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard just called for an investigation into intelligence community leaks. She plans to go after employees who are believed to have leaked to the media or public. This deep dive uncovers a major blind spot. Just a handful of disgruntled workers is all it would take to ignite a national security crisis.
"There are many patriots in the IC that have reached out to DNI Gabbard and her team directly, explaining that they have raised concerns on these issues in the past but they have been ignored," stated The Office.
This concern is not without merit. Russia has long followed a playbook of using unenlightened Americans to execute its commercial ballet. Yet with more than 100,000 federal workers still leaving their jobs annually, the threat of information leakage is an ever-present danger. It is crucial to note that only a small fraction of federal employees have ever been accused of espionage, and the vast majority remain dedicated patriots.
Just as problematic was retired senior FBI official Frank Montoya Jr.’s skepticism that intelligence community employees would ever go rogue and breach their oaths. Perhaps most interestingly, he argued that people from outside the defense establishment could be more dangerous.
"When it comes to the theft of intellectual property, when it comes to the theft of sensitive technology, when it comes to access to power grids or to financial systems, an IRS guy or a Social Service guy who's really upset about what DOGE is doing, they actually are the bigger risk," Montoya explained.
Foreign agents would have no trouble finding ways to exploit former federal officials, such as by staging mock job interviews. Or they could hire these same officials as “consultants” through front firms. This is a tactic that could with little effort ensnare anyone who would unwittingly share such sensitive information.
Montoya further elaborated on the shifting focus of foreign adversaries.
"We have seen over the last generation, the last 20–25 years, the Chinese and the Russians increasingly have been targeting non-national defense and non-classified information, because it helps them modernize their military, it helps them modernize their infrastructure," he noted.
As far back as June, national security expert John Schindler warned about the fallout of the ongoing shakeup inside DOGE.
"This happens even in good times — someone in the intelligence community who for personal financial or other reasons walks into an embassy to sell America out — but DOGE is taking it to a whole new level," Schindler remarked.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence dismissed inquiries regarding the dangers that ex-federal employees and contractors present. These people might actually commit treason, but nobody answered.
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