Joshua Burgin urges greater collaboration at all levels to stop foreign cyberattacks

As alliances in the West face growing strain, a global think tank leader told Florida TaxWatch attendees that enemies are working as close as ever.

Joshua Burgin, founder of The Alliance for Global Security, stressed the actions of international entities hostile to America’s interests.

He noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin has convened meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and other nations adversarial to the U.S. more often than Western leaders unite.

“They’ve met face-to-face 40 times in the last seven years. Meanwhile, in the West, we clap like schoolchildren when heads of state for NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) countries meet,” he said.

“That’s okay on one hand. It says that our systems, which are more diverse, don’t have to meet and collaborate at the top level at the frequency that they are. But the fact that they’ve met 40 times in the past seven years says, as some of our military analysts are saying, that this alliance is stronger than any axis alliance we’ve seen since World War II.”

Burgin stressed the need for government at all levels to pay more attention to Social Security. Ransomware attacks, which at times cripple local governments, almost always come from overseas, usually from Russia. The nature of American government, he noted, can make communities especially vulnerable.

He put up a chart that showed the separation of powers in the U.S. government, including splits between judicial, executive and legislative branches, but also in federal, state and local duties.

“We have an enormous degree of separation in our political powers,” he said. “It’s incredibly important to keep this in mind, because it’s both our strength and that’s our weakness.”

He has tried to convene local leaders in Florida together often with federal officials to share stories of cyberattacks, matters he said are too often “cloaked in shame,” following human error that exposed some vulnerability. He said a culture of sharing needs to be restored in government.

He noted foreign powers openly scheme to weaken the U.S. economically, and often unfold plans over decades.

“They’re playing for keeps, and it’s time for us to wake up to protect our future, our children and grandchildren,” he said.