How Gamers Eclipsed Spies as an Intelligence Threat

April 17, 2023 | Jon Askonas

This piece was originally published in Foreign Policy. The recent leaks of classified U.S. military documents on the Russian-Ukrainian war count among the worst Western intelligence failures in recent history. Veteran intelligence officials, however, are shocked for a different reason: The particular way the top-secret documents spread—and the apparent motivation for the leaker. The information
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Written Testimony for House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies

April 14, 2023 | Samuel Hammond

Click here to download a full PDF of the testimony. Chairman Hal Rogers, Ranking Member Cartwright, and Members of the Subcommittee:             Thank you for the opportunity to testify. My name is Samuel Hammond, and I am Senior Economist at Lincoln Network, a nonprofit organization focused on promoting innovation, improving governance, and strengthening national security.
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Congress Should Act on Bill to Protect US Farms from Foreign Interference

March 28, 2023 | Lars Schönander

This piece was originally published in The Hill. Last week, Sens. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) introduced the Protecting America’s Agricultural Land from Foreign Harm Act of 2023, marking an important step in keeping U.S. farmland safe from malign foreign influence by reforming how the United states tracks foreign investment in agriculture.  The law would reform
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Who Owns the Farm in the U.K.?

March 6, 2023 | Lars Schönander

As U.S.-China competition heats up, lawmakers are realizing the extent to which Chinese companies and investments threaten U.S. national security. But this isn’t just an American issue; British policymakers should be aware of similar risks to their own country. In particular, the U.K. has a chance to learn from the latest U.S. area of focus:
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Testimony to the House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies

March 4, 2023 | Lars Schönander

Today, I submitted written testimony to the House Committee on Appropriations’s Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. I encouraged the subcommittee to protect U.S. postsecondary institutions from malign foreign influence by directing the Department of Education to enforce compliance with Section 117 of the Higher Education Act. Click here to download a
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These Are Not Your Drones

January 25, 2023 | Lars Schönander

This piece was originally published in the American Mind. A growing concern in debates over U.S.-China competition and decoupling has been the U.S. usage of Chinese drones. Drones made in China by Chinese companies have been used by federal agencies for tasks ranging from fighting fires to agricultural research and by the FBI and Secret Service for security purposes. As
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New Data Sheds Light on Foreign Energy Investment Data

October 21, 2022 | Lars Schönander

In a time of pronounced volatility in energy markets as a result of the Russia-Ukraine war and recent production cuts by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC+), it’s important that we have reliable data on the operations of energy companies. Thanks to a successful Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, we’re one step
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TikTok, You Are Technically Correct, the Worst Kind of Correct

October 11, 2022 | Mike Wacker

This piece was originally published in the Burner Files. In a line from the cartoon Futurama that later became a viral meme, Hermes won a promotion to a grade 37 bureaucrat for uncovering a form that had been incorrectly stamped only four times. The head bureaucrat said, “You are technically correct, the best kind of correct.” When it comes
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This Land is Beijing’s Land

October 11, 2022 | Lars Schönander

This piece was originally published in the American Mind. Foreign ownership of American farmland has raised bipartisan concern from all levels of government, from governors like Ron DeSantis of Florida to senators such as Iowa’s Chuck Grassley and Michigan’s Debbie Stabenow. Foreign ownership of American farmland went from 1 percent in 2000 to 2.9 percent in 2020, a 290 percent
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Foreign Influence in American Higher Education: The Case for Additional Transparency and Enforcement

October 11, 2022 | Lars Schönander

By Lars Schönander and Dan Lips Click here to download a PDF version of the paper. Executive Summary There is growing bipartisan recognition that American higher education is vulnerable to foreign influence and exploitation. During the 117th Congress, the House of Representatives and Senate passed legislation that would have strengthened Section 117 of the Higher Education Act
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A Bipartisan Effort to Protect America’s Farms

October 11, 2022 | Lars Schönander

This piece was originally published in The Hill. The 117th Congress will be remembered as a polarized time, but a recent bipartisan effort to protect U.S. agriculture from foreign investments offers a reminder of the potential for cooperation across the aisle. Recent months have seen prominent Republicans and Democrats alike recognize the importance of knowing what
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The Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act: Recommendations for Improving Transparency

September 8, 2022 | Lars Schönander

Click here to download a PDF version of the paper. Executive Summary The Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA) requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to collect data on foreign investor ownership of American agricultural land. However, data collection has long been crippled by poor management and compliance. Decades of neglect of the AFIDA program have
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Don’t Trust TikTok’s Plan to Secure Americans’ Data

July 5, 2022 | Dan Lips

By Zach Graves and Dan Lips TikTok is one of the fastest growing social media apps, with more than 80 million U.S.-based active users, including an astounding 70 percent of all American teenagers. Through its rise in popularity, the app has been plagued by a series of security and privacy concerns related to its parent company, ByteDance, and its
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In War, the Economic Weapon Is No Silver Bullet

April 18, 2022 | Lars Schönander

Some books are timely because their authors felt a need to address a specific issue at a specific moment. Other books are timely because history just so happened to make the subject matter relevant. Nicholas Mulder’s The Economic Weapon: The Rise of Sanctions as a Tool of Modern War falls into the latter category. Mulder sets to
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Lincoln Announces New Fellowship on Emerging Technologies

September 22, 2021 | Zach Graves

FACET — Fellowship on Advancing Critical Emerging Technologies Lincoln Network is excited to announce a new resident fellowship program at the intersection of national security and emerging technologies. Fellows will spend a year working with our team in Washington, DC to translate academic ideas to actionable policies that advance American innovation. The program will focus
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Congress Is Warning That the Federal Government Remains Vulnerable to Cyberattacks

September 14, 2021 | Dan Lips

Over the past year, Russia and the People’s Republic of China conducted successful cyber espionage campaigns against federal agencies, compromising some of the United States’ most sensitive information. The American public may wonder why federal networks remain vulnerable to serious data breaches despite the government spending billions on cybersecurity programs. But new reports from key
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How Congress and NIST Can Help Organizations Better Manage Cyber Risk

September 14, 2021 | Dan Lips

On Aug. 25, the Biden administration announced a new public-private initiative to improve the nation’s cybersecurity. The White House directed the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) to partner with industry and other stakeholders to develop a new framework to “improve the security and integrity of the technology supply chain.”  The White House’s announcement
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On Bitcoin and Border Security

August 26, 2021 | Dan Lips

How El Salvador’s plan to make crypto legal tender might change the “push”and “pull” factors  The crisis at the U.S. southern border continues unabated with Customs and Border Protection reporting a more than three-fold increase in encounters at the border compared to last year. While 2020 was a down year for illegal border crossings (perhaps
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Coalition Urges US Senate to Investigate American Tech Firms in China

June 1, 2021 | Dan Lips

On Tuesday, Lincoln Network and representatives of eight organizations sent a letter to Chairman Bob Menedez and Ranking Member Jim Risch of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee requesting a hearing on American tech firms supporting digital authoritarianism. The letter cited recent media reports about Apple’s business practices in the People’s Republic of China and the
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Before Investing More in R&D, We Must Secure Research Institutions From Outside Threats

May 26, 2021 | Dan Lips

There’s a chance for bipartisan legislation that would do so, but universities are resistant to potential restrictions on international students. The Senate is expected to pass the United States Innovation and Competition Act of 2021 before breaking for the Memorial Day recess. The bipartisan package would authorize large funding increases for federal research and development. While the
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Expert Advice for the Biden Administration’s Approach to Semiconductor Policy

January 28, 2021 | Alexiaa Jordan

Over the past four years, the semiconductor industry has focused on U.S. trade policy with China. Congress and the Trump Administration strengthened federal laws to restrict foreign investment, control technology transfer, and established new federal research incentives. This pattern looks to be continuing as President Biden’s nominee to lead the Department of Commerce committed to
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Questions for Biden’s Choice for Homeland Security

January 20, 2021 | Dan Lips

Alejandro Mayorkas, President-elect Joe Biden’s choice to be secretary of homeland security, brings significant experience to the role, having worked as deputy secretary during the Obama administration after serving as director of Citizenship and Immigration Services. But his confirmation to that office came while he was under inspector general investigation for allegations of preferential treatment
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It’s Time for Change at the Department of Homeland Security

August 10, 2020 | Dan Lips

Congress must refocus DHS’s missions and address dysfunctional oversight   The following article was co-authored by Keith Ashdown and Dan Lips. The Trump Administration’s decision to send hundreds of federal law enforcement officers to Portland to protect federal buildings and confront (and beat up) protesters and rioters highlights longstanding problems with the Department of Homeland
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FCC Moves to Ban Huawei and ZTE from Receiving Federal Subsidies—But More Action Is Needed

June 30, 2020 | Alexiaa Jordan

Today the Federal Communications Commission formally designated Chinese telecommunication firms Huawei Technologies Company and ZTE Corporation—and their parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries—as posing national security threats. This move prohibits the use of the $8.3 billion Universal Service Fund, to acquire or maintain equipment from these companies. The FCC’s move to finalize this designation is an important
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We can do better than a parking lot for that temporary hospital

March 31, 2020 | Dan Lips

Creating temporary medical centers in a pandemic Co-authored by Jonathan Butcher, a senior policy analyst in the Center for Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation. Coming soon to a parking lot near you — a hospital. Federal and state officials are rushing to create temporary medical centers to help patients during the pandemic. The White
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Answering China’s Sharp Power

November 20, 2019 | Dan Lips

The Federal Communications Commission will soon consider a proposal to prevent U.S. companies from using Universal Service Fund dollars to purchase equipment or services from companies deemed to present a national security threat, including Huawei and ZTE Corporation.  Writing in the Wall Street Journal, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai made the case for his proposal: “Thanks
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