Cspan will air the coverage from the rural perception royal procession to once westminster abby. Watch on cspan or cspan. Org. Next, a look at the top of Global Threats with adam hayes and scott berrier. They testify before the Senate Armed Services committee on four and intelligence surveillance, the Russia Ukraine were, u. S. Competition with china, and other emerging threats. The hearing is about two and half hours. Morning before we begin today want to take a moment to acknowledge the general this past weekend. General stewart was an inspiring trailblazing served nation, the decades. All the way director of the Intelligence Agency. He committed himself entirely to our nation and his leadership will continue throughout the marine corps and cia. My thoughts are with his wife children and family. Todays hearing, the Committee Meets this one to receive testimony on the worldwide threats facing the United States and its national partners. Id like to welcome to National Intelligence and director of the Intelligence Agency, thank you for joining us gratitude for the men and women Intelligence Unit for their work. At the annual, number of state and nonstate actors as well as health and Environmental Security challenges. Among the wide range of issues, the future of the National Security is tied to the success of competition with china. This competition is every field policy mobility economic, political and ethological and every region of the world for several decades the United States way of war and focuses on covering all technologies and access, artificial intelligence, hypersonics and Nuclear Weapons. The accommodation of military civil against neighbors including coloration, beijing achieves its National Governance while awarding confrontation with the u. S. Military. As the Defense Department joint concept, china since the win without fighting. We do not adapt our approach to be more effective in the United States risks advantage and leverage while preparing for war. The u. S. Without a fight. Just chinese study, we need to study there. With that in mind, i would ask witnesses for their assessment of how china is evolving to better strategies. We appreciate an update on military and nonmilitary most likely to impact decisionmaking with respect to the action against taiwan and other regional partners. Even as we compete with china, the most violent destabilizing, ukrainians have incredible courage defending the same values and freedom that we charge. Ukraine is notable successes, let there be no doubt United States will continue to help ukraine succeed on the battlefield. Americas assistance to ukraine is in our own National Security. I want to commend the leaders of the Intelligence Community the release of intelligence throughout the conference. Routinely expose russias intentions and aid in intelligence officials cautious about revealing insight on adversaries but the strategy has proven highly effective in strengthening International Community response including putin, a great example of competing in the information domain and i hope we will continue to make use of this. With that in mind, russias initial strategy was a failure and it seems to be changing. I would ask your assessment in order complex International Order. I hope you will consent to russia and china under the socalled no limit partnership and implications for National Security. Finally, the continue to push issues like Climate Change and in the program and reportedly seeking precious help to make for the candidate. This is considered throughout the middle east including iraq and syria for the u. S. Military. Most korea connected to doesnt missile tests this year including cvms and has reportedly stopped routine military communications in south korea and i understand the Intelligence Community, change will continue to exacerbate risk of security as issued like rising temperatures pollution, changing patterns and other climate effects likely to lead to an array such as food and water and security and threats to human health. I appreciate witnesses perspectives on each of these jobs thank you for your participation and i look forward to your testimony as a reminder, a closed session immediately following this hearing and the return to ranking members. Thank you, i want to congratulate you on your statement concerning the threats china and russia and i want to join you in observing memorializing life of general stewart in his untimely death. I want to thank our witnesses for being here today, the United States is confronted with the most complex dangerous Global Security since the second world war. Adversaries are growing in their military capabilities engaging provocative destabilizing behavior across the spectrum of competition and conflict actively trying to displace the United States is the Global Leader and longstanding critical alliances partnership. We are at an inflection. , the decisions we make this year will have farreaching applications for the United States military whether its properly positioned to deter our adversaries and in conflict. Regrettably, the budget request lacks urgency this moment requires and fails to make necessary investments in our nations defense. For the third year in a row the defense spending make no mistake, our adversaries are taking notice and i believe on a bipartisan basis we will rectify this failure. Former secretary is in the midst of unprecedented buildup of strategic face symmetric capabilities under the direction of its most powerful ruthless leader. At the same time putins unprovoked attack against ukraine has upended Global Security, cost life and further isolated autocratic regime. Now is not the time to question our commitment for ukrainian partners to take u. S. Interests, we need to provide ukraine with the tools it needs to bring this war to a successful conclusion. Not to be stopped on north korea make now possess defenses and a man inches closer to developing Nuclear Weapons. So chaos across the middle east. Terrorist network. President bidens disastrous chaotic withdrawal from afghanistan emboldened terrorist networks around the world, isis and al qaeda, affiliates across the middle east, africa and south asia are reconstituting capabilities. The recent exposure of classified materials and the impacts disclosure has on military operations and cooperation. Multiple investigations are going, i expect the committee will be fully informed as it becomes available and corrected as actions are taken. The committee deserves answers in a support role able to access and post online classified documents for over a year without detection, over a year. We need to understand whether the department of defense and security procedures failed or simply were not followed. Again, i think the witnesses for being here, thank you, mr. Chairman and look forward to an important discussion. Thank you very much and let me recognize thank you very much. Bring your microphone close as possible. Is that better . Yes. Thank you very much for your kind words, it was he was an intelligent community, a leader, someone who has inspired a lot of our folks over the years and brings together integrity a way that is rare and extraordinary. Thank you for the opportunity to be here alongside my wonderful colleague general and your steadfast support for the men and women of the Intelligence Community who serve our country. Im grateful for the opportunity to present the annual threat assessment and want to acknowledge the many people who have contributed to this work from the collector to the analyst to everyone in between, this assessment is product of their effort and they have our gratitude. This years report during the coming year the United States and allies will face interNational Security environment dominated by two strategic challenges that intersect with each other trying to intensify National Security applications. First great powers, rising regional powers and a way of nonstate actors for influence and impact in the International System including the standards and rules that will shape the global order for decades to come. Second, challenges that transcend borders including Climate ChangeInternational Criminal activity and security and Economic Needs made worse by energy and Food Insecurity as well as russias invasion of ukraine are intensifying and emerges from the covid19 pandemic for the compounding the impact that rapidly emerging technologies on governance, economies, communities around the world. The intersection of these challenges underscore the importance of working together with partners and allies to address the threats we face and how critical it is to counter effort to undermine double forms for principles and mechanisms that promote and underpin National Cooperation which is an implicit being in the threat assessment. It starts with the republic of china as it is increasingly challenging United States economically, technologically, politically, militarily and intelligence view around the world and i spent most of my time on china and russia among Top Priorities and focus on updating our views with the latest rather than repeating the annual threat assessment. We assess the Chinese CommunistParty President xi jinping will to efforts over the next year to achieve his vision of making china laminate power and a major power on the world stage. Was perhaps most concerning is increasingly convinced they only have the vision of the extent of u. S. Power tools of corrosion using demonstrations of strength as well as economic and political coercion to compel government preferences including land, air taiwan the relationship between the United States and china has become more challenging, public reference to americas depression of china in march of this year reflect longstanding distrust of u. S. Goals and United States seeks to contain china. Prc asserted it was in recent transit and meetings to speakers of the house over the past year. Chinas leaders are focused on spurring domestic Economic Growth this year but in the long run, spurring Indigenous Technology innovation is paramount. President xi remains confident beijing can innovate to the technological frontier to the allied restrictions and doing so will give china the competitive advantage crucial to achieving his vision to china as a world power. Nonetheless were likely to see more disdent action out of beijing and welcoming at China Development forum opposed against the pressure on foreign firms and executive investigations of u. S. Firms and clamp down on previous nonsensitive data employees out of china. Chinas era of rapid cap growth is stretching and the debt, demographics and equality and alliance on the domestic con sums remains and ccp may find ways to overcome over the long term and short term, it continues to take an increasingly aggressive approach to external affairs often to bolster its domestic agenda. Chinas leaders are increasing in a world class military and expanding the Nuclear Arsenal and psychoer threat capacity, pursuing Counter Space weapons capable of targeting u. S. And allied satellites, forcing Foreign Companies and coercing Foreign Companies and boosting digital capabilities and continuing to increase Global Supply chain dependencies on china with the possibility of using such dependencies to threaten and cut off Foreign Countries during a cry reporter cch seeking to realign the government and power in china and expanding influence through the exporal of digital repression technologies. Weve observed expanding strategic ties between china and russia as distributed by the chairman and strengthened by the conflict in ukraine. Were now over a year into the war, thats reshaping not only russias global relationships and strategic standing and our own. Strengthening alliance and partnerships in ways that president putin didnt an sis anticipate like linnland and others joining nato. The the area areas are brutal areas of war and fighting over hundreds of meters. They gained less territory in april than the three previous months and offensive to defensive along the front lines and Russian Forces facing significant short falls in munitions and under personnel constraints and continue to lay mine fields and prepare new defensive positions in occupied ukrainian territory. Both sides focusing on potential ukrainian counter offensive this spring or summer designed to push russia out of illegally annexed territory and theyre finalizing priorities, timing and scale of the offensive and western assistance crucial in preparing plans and forces with the support of congress, the United States is doing a great deal to bolster the chances of success. In fact, if russia does not initiate a mandatory mobilization and third Party Supplies beyond existing iran and others and itll be increasingly challenging for them to sustain modest offenses for operations and dependent on external military aid and unlikely able to counter the russian most western military aids we continue to have the link and the long and warming of the dress and strategic scale back of immediate ambitions and the omelet pinatad territory between eastern and occupied territory and pause would provide a respite for Russian Forces before resuming offensive operations in the future while buying time for what he hopes will be an erosion of western support for ukraine. He may be willing to claim and putin may be scaling back his near term am biggss and the prospect for russian concessions to advance negotiations and the conflict continues as the human toll is getting worse and many tens of thousands of casualties suffered by ukrainian russian and more than 8 Million People forced to flee ukraine since russia invaded and more over moscow continue on the assault on ukraine and the Energy Facilities and electrical grid and widespread reporting and russia and the proxy groups with infiltration operations to detain and forcibly deport ukrainian civilians to russia. The ic sen gauged in other parts of the u. S. Government for russia accountable for their actions and and will require years of rebuilding and leave it less capable of imposing conventional and as a result russia and on china and our annual acespedesment covers iran, north carolina, regional challenges we face including in africa and weve seen a recent outbreak of fighting in sudan, which is no stranger to conflict. The fighting in sudan between the Sudanese Armed forces and Rapid Support forces is assessed to be protracted and both sides believe to be there and both sides are seeking external sources of support which if successful likely to intensify the conflict and create a greater potential for spillover chances. And spector of massive refugee flows and the population are approximately 15. 8 people require assistance because of disease outbreak, inflation and localized conflict and internal displacement and weatherized food and insecurity. Throughout the world as i noted state actor challenges in the inventory are working together with other countries with critical and National Threat and and rogue myoand legislative authority of fundamental importance to the Intelligence Community and the work we do and expire at the end of this year if congress does not act. Im referring to section 702 of Foreign Surveillance act and section 702 relied upon in gathering some intelligence that form the basis of this and its hard for the authority of our work more generally and 702 allows the Intelligence Community to collect on the communication of specifically targeted foreign persons who are located outside the United States and in doing so provides unique intelligence at speed and reliability we Kansas City Chi