Mira Ricarde
In my years at senior levels of government and industry, I have often witnessed how technology is increasingly shaping global power. When I served as Deputy National Security Advisor, ensuring that the United States retained domestic control over the invisible yet indispensable networks that power our phones, businesses, and military was a top priority. As such, it does not surprise me that the reported recent debate inside the Department of Justice’s decision over whether to settle and permit Hewlett Packard Enterprises (HPE) to acquire Juniper Networks is such a hot-button national news item today.
The disposition of this merger and related decisions may affect whether America will lead the digital age—or cede it to China. The stakes could not be higher. China’s Huawei controls 30 percent of the global market for network equipment, leveraging not only Beijing’s subsidies but also its aggressive initiatives to embed its 5G technology across Asia, Africa, and Europe. The reality of the situation—one that the Pentagon and Congress have emphasized—is that Huawei is, for all intents and purposes, an arm of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
building infrastructure that gives the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) both legal and illegal pathways to access data, shape global standards, and export digital authoritarianism. As I experienced firsthand, policymakers are rarely faced with perfect choices. As such, some objectives take second or third place in order to meet urgent national security imperatives. When I oversaw export controls at the Commerce Department, I saw how China’s “Made in China 2025” plan and 5G Belt and Road initiatives were implemented in order to lock entire regions into dependence on Chinese supply chains.
Rural communities, in particular, were vulnerable—unaware that the promise of cheap networks came at the high price of potential predatory network infiltration. Secure networks are the backbone of everything that matters now and in the future: artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, and the weapons systems that keep us safe. If China dominates 5G, it not only gains economic leverage, but benefits from increased control over the flow of critical data and development of some emerging technologies.
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