Just four days after China and the United States entered in a landmark cybersecurity agreement, the nation’s top intelligence official says he’s pessimistic.<\/p>\n
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that he does not believe the agreement will result in China reducing its economic espionage against the U.S.<\/p>\n
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) asked Clapper if he was hopeful about the future of the agreement. \u201cHope springs eternal,\u201d Clapper said. But \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chinese espionage against American economic targets has been called the greatest transfer of wealth in history for the sheer volume and wealth lifted.<\/p>\n
Clapper explained his reason, saying that Chinese theft of American intellectual property is \u201cpretty pervasive,\u201d and \u201cI think there\u2019s a question about the extent to which the government actually orchestrates all of it or not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pessimism reigned throughout the meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cMake no mistake, we are not winning the fight in cyberspace,\u201d McCain said, criticizing the Obama administration\u2019s efforts in the arena.<\/p>\n
Adm. Michael Rogers, the commander of U.S. Cyber Command and director of the National Security Agency, said, \u201cthe demand for our cyber forces far outstrip supply\u201d due to the sheer volume of cyberattacks against American targets.<\/p>\n
The Chinese cyber command has been estimated at 100,000 soldiers, far outstripping the number of American soldiers tasked with cybersecurity efforts.<\/p>\n
Even old-fashioned soldiers and weapons are in danger because \u201cmost of the weapons systems we have now were not built to withstand a concerted cyber threat,\u201d said Deputy Secretary Of Defense Robert Work.<\/p>\n
\u201cCyberthreats are increasing in frequency, scale, and severity of impact,\u201d Clapper said. \u201cOur primary concern are low to moderate cyberattacks from a variety of sources, which will continue and likely expand. These threaten our economic competitiveness and national security.\u201d<\/p>\n