Good morning. Here’s your Daily Situational Awareness for Thursday, 09 December 2021. You can receive this daily briefing by signing up at https://forwardobserver.com/daily-sa
TODAY’S BRIEFING:
- U.S. investigates “crimes against humanity” in Xinjiang
- Veterans Administration succumbs to supply chain woes
- Australian power grid attacked by China, millions at risk
- Human rights concerns stop arms sales to Cambodia
- Poland to buy Abrams tanks for European front
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY: The House voted 428-1 to ban the import of goods from China using slave labor. The bill (HR1155). The Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force and State Department will determine if the treatment of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang “constitute crimes against humanity or genocide” within 90-days of enactment Companies trading on U.S. exchanges will also be required to disclose their engagement with any entity using slave labor or mass surveillance programs. (AC: Apple, Coca-Cola, and Nike lobbied against the bill heavily. China is likely to be found committing crimes against humanity. The law would empower consumers with the information to decide to engage with businesses that are complicit in genocide. The Senate’s version passed last month unanimously, but it is unclear whether President Biden will sign the bill. China is likely to respond by further disrupting supply chains and hiding their use of slavery. – D.M.)
AUSTRALIA POWER GRID HACK: Australian energy company CS Energy revealed it was hit by Chinese hackers in late November in a hack that nearly shut down the power grid for millions of Australians. According to CS Energy’s CEO, the hackers penetrated the corporate network and were in the process of compromising the networks of two coal-fired power plants that serve over 3 million homes and businesses. The hack was traced back to unnamed threat actors in China. Australia has seen a significant increase in cyberattacks since it became involved in major trade and diplomatic disputes with China after publicly questioning China’s involvement in the COVID-19 pandemic. (Analyst comment: Cyberattacks are a key component in hybrid, multi-domain warfare. China’s unrestricted warfare strategy uses these types of gray zone activities to undermine and shape its adversary’s economic and political policies. – M.M.)
VETERANS: The Department of Veterans Affairs published an announcement that reads they are unable to send “notification letters to Veterans and claimants” on time due to “supply chain and staffing shortages” within the vendor “contracted by the Government Publishing Office to provide printing services for the Department of Veterans Affairs.” As a result, the Veterans Benefits Administration is extending response periods by 90 days for claimants that may have or currently are being affected by these issues. (AC: Failure by the Department of Veterans Affairs to carry out its basic duties as a result of supply chain shortcomings illustrates the sheer magnitude to which our supply chain is facing challenges. – T.W.)
CAMBODIA: The U.S. government imposed an arms embargo on Cambodia Wednesday over complaints about human rights, corruption and coordinated activities with China there. The U.S. Departments of State and Commerce initiated the embargo on “less sensitive military items and defense material” to Cambodia’s military and intelligence services. In November the U.S. sanctioned two Cambodian officials that allowed a U.S.- funded naval base to be renovated for China’s use as a new PLA Navy base. (Analyst comment: Cambodia’s leader Hun Sen is one of China’s closest partners in Asia. The sleight of hand over the U.S. funded naval base, which previously hosted U.S. – Cambodian exercises, is an example of the corruption that is rampant in Cambodia.- M.M.)
POLAND: Poland is exploring the purchase of 250 Abrams tanks from the U.S. to counter a potential Russian invasion. The deal would cost roughly $3 billion or 21% of Poland’s military budget. During the Reagan National Defense Forum, an unnamed U.S. defense official said, “So, we’re in the process of working through the details of what that might look like, what their options are. But I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to sort of move forward into the next part of the discussion with them in the next few months.” (AC: Approval of the sale is likely to bolster NATO’s perceived strength in Europe, but will face harsh criticism from Russia & Belarus. Increased arms sales will lend credence to Putin’s claims of NATO aggression toward Russia and its interests. NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence missions include around 5,000 U.S. Cavalry soldiers, largely at the behest of Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak.- D.M.)
Polish Defense Minister Błaszczak speaks to the importance of NATO cooperation to resist Russian territorial aggression. Credit: Forward Observer
HAZARDS/WX:
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