In his latest op-ed, “Protecting Supply Chains and Critical Infrastructure Are Urgent State Priorities,” published by Real Clear Policy, Michael Lucci, the founder and CEO of State Armor, argues that state leaders must undertake a new role in defending our homeland against security threats, particularly from China.
In his op-ed, Michael writes:
States should waste no time in conducting a Pacific Conflict Stress Test to analyze their vulnerabilities and secure critical assets ahead of disruption. Should hostilities erupt, the consequences for U.S. supply chains would be catastrophic, and notably worse than what states managed during covid. Furthermore, attacks on critical infrastructure would be concurrent to supply chain failures.
Decoupling from CCP-controlled supply chains reduces vulnerabilities. A number of states, for example, use Lenovo computers, which the Department of Defense Inspector General declared to be “known cybersecurity risks” that were previously discovered to have recorded data and transmitted it back to China. States should also catalogue sanctioned Huawei hardware that is littered across their communications systems, and cut off land purchases by CCP-linked entities, particularly in proximity to military installations.
Most importantly, contingency plans should be developed in case China severs critical pharmaceutical and power transformer supply chains.
China will likely target critical infrastructure in the event of a conflict. Water supply, electrical power delivery systems, telecommunications networks, and transportation systems could all be targets. In fact, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan wrote a March 18th letter warning governors of China-sponsored attacks on water treatment facilities. State lawmakers should be transparent about the general risks the state faces while building confidential solutions to specific threats.
Read the full version of Protecting Supply Chains and Critical Infrastructure Are Urgent State Priorities at Real Clear Policy.
