In this episode of the Shawn Ryan Show, General Robert Spalding sounds the alarm on China's growing threat to critical US infrastructure like the power grid and water systems. He warns of China's aggressive military posturing and ambition to annex Taiwan, as well as its efforts to exert global influence through social media platforms like TikTok.
Spalding and host Shawn Ryan delve into China's alleged tactics of stealing US technology and intellectual property. They also explore potential solutions, such as decentralized, user-owned 5G networks resilient to hacking attempts and empowering individuals to control their data. The conversation underscores the urgency in securing US infrastructure against vulnerabilities that China could potentially exploit.
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According to Robert Spalding, the US power grid faces extreme vulnerabilities, with most high-power transformers manufactured in China and susceptible to malware attacks. The grid's reliance on software systems increases its exposure. Spalding also highlights risks to water systems, citing past hacking incidents.
Robert Spalding believes China is motivated to annex Taiwan and rebuild a great Chinese empire. He claims China has a history of stealing US tech and IP and is preparing for conflict through initiatives like the Belt and Road projects. Spalding warns of China's military buildup, potentially outmatching the US in the region and enabling an overwhelming assault on Taiwan.
Spalding and Shawn Ryan express concerns over TikTok and other platforms manipulating narratives and behaviors to serve Chinese interests. For example, TikTok has promoted contacting Congress against divestiture. Spalding likens ByteDance's data collection aims to Silicon Valley companies' methods. Pervasive data gathering through phones/apps allows tracking individuals and identifying potential security risks.
Spalding advocates for a shift from centralized systems to software-enabled decentralized 5G networks where users own private networks controlling their data. He details innovations like hardened cellular equipment resilient against hacking and EMPs, affordable for community deployment to maintain reliable communication during disruptions. Partnerships enable classified communication over secure commercial devices.
1-Page Summary
Spalding raises alarms about the potential threats to the United States’ critical infrastructure, focusing specifically on the vulnerabilities in the power grid and water systems, which could be linked to China's influence and cyber capabilities.
The US power grid's security has become an increasing concern. According to Spalding, the vulnerabilities of the grid are extreme, rating it at the highest level of concern.
It's revealed that most high-power transformers, critical components of the power grid infrastructure, are manufactured in China; perhaps as much as 88% or more. Moreover, these pieces of equipment are not quickly produced; they require a two to three-year timeframe to build.
Another significant vulnerability lies in the modernization of the grid, which now relies heavily on software and network systems rather than manual control. The skill of using walkie-talkies and manual adjustments seems to be a bygone practice, as engineers today depend on automated processes. Previously, engineers would manually adjust loads on different parts of the grid to recover service, but now software systems are in control.
Spalding draws attention to reports of malware in products from companies like Cisco, which have infiltrated the power grid. This malware is poised to compromise SCADA systems that manage the grid's operations. The possibility that malware has already been planted within the grid is concerning, as it implies that an adversary could, in theory, cripple the system with the metaphorical flip of a switch.
Spalding also points to the United States' water ...
China's threat to US critical infrastructure
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has strategically ingrained the notion that Taiwan is an inseparable part of China, despite historical inaccuracies. Robert Spalding and others believe that the annexation of Taiwan is essential to the CCP's narrative of restoring a great Chinese empire, which the Party promotes to its population.
During the Trump administration's first year, significant trade negotiations were discussed, reflecting concern over Chinese manufacturing and its effects on the global market. However, according to Robert Spalding, China signaled that it was preparing for conflict, not cooperation, by tearing up a trade agreement in late 2017. China's success has been partly attributed to its access to US technology, talent, and capital, which was supposed to be based on mutual benefit—a relationship Spalding suggests never truly existed. He references the Section 301 investigation, which documented China's detrimental practices to the US economy, including the theft of technology and intellectual property.
Spalding discusses China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) which includes infrastructure projects like railroads, bridges, dams, and factories, as a means to extend China's global influence. These projects are reportedly executed with the CCP's interest at the forefront. China is also constructing a world in its image, possibly as part of its strategy to build resilient banking relationships that could help withstand Western sanctions, similar to what Russia faced post-Ukraine invasion.
The BRI's infrastructure projects are seen as a means of securing and preparing the country against potential confrontations or economic sanctions. A meeting with international bankers to simulate US sanctions highlighted China's strategies to circumvent such financial obstacles.
The strategic control of Taiwan is crucial for China as it could hinder the US from defending allies such as Japan, Korea, and the Philippines by cutting off the first island chain. Spalding suggests that the absence of ...
China's motivation and strategy for expanding global influence and preparing for war
Robert Spalding and Shawn Ryan explore concerns surrounding Chinese influence operations through technology, particularly highlighting issues with TikTok and data collection that affect societal behavior and privacy.
Spalding and Ryan bring into focus the role of social media platforms, particularly TikTok, in serving the interests of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). They mention TikTok as a potential spy apparatus that undermines intelligence levels in the US. Discussions indicate a belief that TikTok is utilized for narrative and behavior manipulation in line with Chinese state interests.
TikTok has been involved in a campaign urging users to contact Congress in opposition to a bill requiring ByteDance to divest from it. The CCP sees such platforms as means of influence, capable of shaping perceptions and behavior. Spalding compares how ByteDance may aim to make citizens better socialists with how Silicon Valley uses data to make people better consumers.
Evidence of TikTok's influence includes messages promoting CCP policies presented in diverse settings appealing to different audiences. Furthermore, TikTok's involvement in societal values and patterns is discussed, noting that the app lacks usage restrictions in the US, unlike in China, pointing to a manipulative erosion of the US value system.
Spalding asserts that China's ambition to dominate AI is fueled by access to vast amounts of data, which ByteDance's algorithms can potentially use to manipulate global narratives in favor of Chinese interests.
Spalding raises concerns about pervasive data collection, particularly through phones and apps. He describes how software development kits for applications collect metadata, allowing for the tracking and behavioral profiling of individuals. An example is given of military bases being observed to determine operational patterns, which in turn could lead to the identification of individuals based on their device's location history.
Protecting society, data, and privacy from Chinese influence operations
Robert Spalding discusses the need for a transition from a highly centralized communication system to a more resilient, software-based, and decentralized architecture, which is essential for maintaining reliable communication during natural disasters and in the face of physical or cyber attacks.
Spalding describes a future where individuals can own a private network that allows them to control their data, likening the product to both a data center and a network. He speaks on the potential for decentralized architectures to support and extend existing cellular networks, serving government missions and civilian life in emergencies. The aim is to create infrastructure that links various technologies, including 5G, to increase flexibility and connectivity.
Spalding presents a solution that moves away from traditional hardware components to software running on servers. The shift to software diminishes vulnerability by not dispersing code across different locations and keeping the network local, ensuring its operation even if other parts are compromised. The proposed product is affordable enough for community purchase and setup in underserved areas, essentially creating mini Silicon Valleys with considerable technological infrastructure capabilities.
The conversation also touches on innovations to make cellular equipment user-friendly, resembling the ease of setting up a Wi-Fi router. Mentioned is a decentralized architecture that supports and extends the centralized public networks, keeping communication alive when conventional services are disrupted. Spalding discusses the development of hardened commercial cellular networks tha ...
Building secure, resilient communication infrastructure
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