DOD Authorizes Support to Counter Drug Border Security

Today, Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan authorized the commander of the U.S Army Corps of Engineers to begin planning and executing up to $1 billion in support to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Customs and Border Patrol.  These funds will be used to support DHS’s request to build 57 miles of 18-foot-high pedestrian fencing, constructing and improving roads, and installing lighting within the Yuma and El Paso Sectors of the border in support of the February 15 national emergency declaration on the southern border of the United States.

10 U.S.C. § 284(b)(7) gives the Department of Defense the authority to construct roads and fences and to install lighting to block drug-smuggling corridors across international boundaries of the United States in support of counter-narcotic activities of Federal law enforcement agencies.

United States Attorney Lydon Hosts Discussion on China’s Threat to America’s National Security

Columbia, South Carolina --- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon announced today that she hosted a discussion entitled, “China’s Threat to Our National Security: An Economic and Private Sector Perspective.”  The discussion featured William R. Evanina, Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) in Washington, DC; Douglas Hemminghaus, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of National Security and Cyber in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Columbia field office; and David P. Burns, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Department of Justice’s National Security Division.  In this first-of-its-kind meeting, NCSC and the Justice Department briefed members of the legal and business communities, heads of chambers of commerce, academics, and legislators about China’s threats to our nation’s economic prosperity.

More than 90% of the Department of Justice’s cases alleging economic espionage over the past seven years involved China.  Over two-thirds of the Department’s cases involving thefts of trade secrets are connected to China. The talk aimed to educate attendees about economic threats posed by China, build bridges between law enforcement and law-abiding members of the business community, and ensure that attendees and their employers know that the federal government stands ready to help should they face data breaches, insider threats, or trade secret theft.

 “The Department of Justice and the FBI will use all available tools to respond to China’s economic aggression and the threat that these actions pose to the prosperity and security of the United States and other nations that respect the rule of law,” said U.S. Attorney Lydon.  “Law enforcement cannot fight this battle alone, however.  We need our corporate citizens to be informed and vigilant about protecting themselves from victimization in this area.  The conversation we had today is just the first step in what will be an ongoing dialogue with the business community.”