Former White House National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster stated that U.S. counterintelligence capabilities have not kept pace with threats from China and Russia. During a House Intelligence Committee hearing, McMaster described the situation as 'extraordinarily negligent' since the September 11 attacks. He indicated that the focus on counterterrorism has diverted attention from state-sponsored threats, allowing adversaries to exploit vulnerabilities in U.S. defenses.
McMaster noted that Russia and China are capitalizing on the U.S. focus on terrorism, with China leveraging its economic rise to enhance its military and intelligence operations. He expressed concern about the infiltration of U.S. companies by Chinese actors seeking to extract intellectual property and technical expertise.
Other experts at the hearing echoed McMaster's concerns, suggesting that institutions established post-9/11 remain overly focused on terrorism and are not adequately prepared to address espionage and cyber operations from hostile nations. Seth G. Jones, a national security expert, emphasized that many state and local entities lack the knowledge to identify these threats. Frank Cilluffo, director of the McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security, called for improved coordination between the government and private sector to address modern counterintelligence challenges. The hearing was part of a bipartisan review of the 9/11 Commission's recommendations regarding the intelligence community's readiness for evolving threats.