On the recordOctober 22, 2019
I rise to highlight my concerns about ongoing Russian information warfare operations against the American people, including the upcoming 2020 Presidential elections, the lack of a unified strategy from the administration to counter and deter these attacks, and steps that must be taken in the near term to be better prepared in the future. I will explain how statements by the President soliciting foreign governments to investigate political rivals for his personal benefit are part of a disturbing pattern of behavior that reinforces Russian disinformation narratives and has implications for our national security and the integrity of our democracy. It has been almost 3 years since Russia interfered in our democracy during the 2016 Presidential election with hybrid warfare and malign influence operations. These hybrid warfare tactics, including information warfare, which I will focus on today, are not simply opportunistic meddling by Russia. Russia's purpose is to further its strategic interests. Russian President Vladimir Putin knows that, for now, Russia cannot effectively compete with the United States through conventional military means and win. Instead, Putin seeks to use tools from his hybrid warfare arsenal to divide the United States from our allies and partners in the West and weaken our institutions and open societies from within.…
Source
govinfo.gov




