By Lauren C. Williams
May 12, 2021
President Joe Biden s pick to lead the Defense Department s intelligence and security office, Ronald Moultrie, appears to have a smooth path to Senate confirmation thanks in large part to his cybersecurity experience.
Moultrie, the nominee for undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security, fielded multiple questions about the recent ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline, which delivers nearly half of the East Coast s fuel, that resulted in a shutdown Friday and is having an impact of gas availability and pricing.
Moultrie called the attack extremely concerning during the Senate Armed Services Committee nomination hearing May 11, saying that such intrusions likely occur much more frequently than what we know.
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The Week That Will Be
Event Announcements (More details on the Events Calendar)
Monday, May 10, 2021, at 3:00 p.m.: The House Administration Committee will hold a hearing titled, Oversight of the January 6th Attack: United States Capitol Police Threat Assessment and Counter-Surveillance Before and During the Attack. The committee will hear testimony from Michael Bolton, inspector general of the Capitol Police.
Tuesday, May 11, 2021, at 9:30 a.m.: The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on the nominations of Ronald Moultrie to be undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security and Michael McCord to be comptroller of the Defense Department.
Tuesday, May 11, 2021, at 10:00 a.m.: The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution will hold a hearing on ghost guns. The committee will hear testimony from Michael Harrison, commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department; Joshua Shapiro, attorney general of Pennsylvania; Nicholas Suplina, managing directo
Where did he go?: Among Braithwaite’s trips was a $232,000 excursion in January to the South Pacific s Wake Island to record a farewell message to the Navy and Marine Corps.
The island is essentially a refueling stop and emergency landing strip thousands of miles from Hawaii where no sailors or Marines are stationed, Navy spokesman Capt. Jereal Dorsey told the outlet.
Braithwaite also flew to Norway, Italy, Greece, Japan and India, as well as several trips to Hawaii and a more than $24,000 flight to attend the Army-Navy football game with his family.
Braithwaite’s response: Braithwaite defended his travels in a statement to USA Today, claiming they were necessary to strengthen the Navy after recent crises, likely alluding to the scandal surrounding the coronavirus outbreak aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier.