The head of the CIA: "We are in competition with China for the use of new technologies in the activity of espionage"

The CIA is competing with China for the use of new technologies in espionage, especially since the Asian republic poses the greatest threat to the United States in the long term, says CIA chief William J. Burns in an article published by Foreign Affairs in which emphasizes the transformation of the institution he leads in the current global situation.

William Burns states: "The rise of China and the revanchism of Russia pose daunting geopolitical challenges in a world of intense strategic competition in which the United States no longer enjoys undisputed primacy and in which climate threats are increasing. On top of the complicated geopolitical situation, we are also witnessing a technological revolution, bigger than the industrial revolution or the beginning of the nuclear age. From microchips to artificial intelligence to quantum computing, emerging technologies are transforming the world, including the secret services. In many ways, these developments make the CIA's job harder than ever, giving adversaries powerful new tools to confuse, evade, and spy on us. And yet, as much as the world changes, espionage remains an interaction between people and technology. There will continue to be secrets that only humans can collect and clandestine operations that only humans can run. (...) To be an effective 21st century intelligence service, the CIA must combine a mastery of emerging technologies with the interpersonal skills and individual daring that have always been at the heart of our profession. That means equipping operations officers with the tools and equipment needed to conduct espionage in a world where technological surveillance is a constant, and providing analysts with sophisticated AI-based models that can synthesize vast amounts of information."

The CIA chief believes 2024 will be the toughest year on the battlefield in Ukraine as Putin regenerates Russia's defense production - with key components from China, as well as weapons and ammunition from Iran and North Korea.

William Burns also offers solutions: "The key to success lies in keeping Western aid to Ukraine. At less than five percent of the US defense budget, this support is a relatively modest investment, with significant geopolitical payoffs for the United States and notable returns for US industry. Maintaining the flow of arms will put Ukraine in a stronger position if an opportunity for serious negotiations arises. (...) If the US were to withdraw from the conflict at this crucial moment and cut off support for Ukraine, this would have consequences of historic proportions."

In all this context, the head of the CIA shows that the Chinese leaders are closely watching the support provided by the US to the authorities in Kiev and states: "China remains the only rival of the US both with the intention to reshape the international order and with economic, diplomatic, military and technology to do so. The problem is not China's rise itself, but the threatening actions that increasingly accompany it. (...) One of the surest ways to reignite Chinese perceptions of American indifference and fuel Chinese aggression would be to abandon support for Ukraine. Continued material support for Ukraine is not at the expense of Taiwan, but sends an important message from the US regarding support for Taiwan. (...) Competing with China will remain Washington's top priority, but that doesn't mean it can avoid other challenges. It just means that the United States must navigate with care and discipline, avoid adversarial interactions, and use its influence wisely. (...) While Russia is an immediate challenge, China is the biggest long-term threat, and so in recent years the CIA has reorganized to reflect that priority. I started by acknowledging an organizational fact I learned a long time ago: priorities aren't real unless budgets reflect them. Accordingly, the CIA devoted substantial resources to data collection, operations, and analysis of China-related intelligence received from around the world."

William Burns notes that in an era of smart cities, with video cameras on every street and increasingly widespread facial recognition technology, espionage has become much more difficult, and that for a CIA agent working in a hostile country to monitor constant represents an acute threat. That is why the CIA chief concludes by saying that the agency he leads is competing with its global rivals in the use of emerging technologies.