China: PLA carries out beach-grabbing and landing exercises
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Nicolas Chaillan pulled no punches in his very first interview since he quit the US Department of Defense (DoD) in September. The cybersecurity expert said he left his post in protest as he believes the US military was not advancing technologically enough to keep pace with China. Mr Chaillan, who was the first software officer for the US Air Force, warned it is a matter of time before Beijing secures global dominance.
He claimed China’s grasp of artificial intelligence, machine learning and cyber capabilities have set the nation on a path towards victory.
The 37-year-old said: “We have no fighting chance against China in 15 to 20 years.
“Right now, it’s already a done deal; it is already over in my opinion.”
Mr Chaillan worked with the Pentagon for three years, working to bolster the US’s cybersecurity measures.
He announced his decision to resign early in September, claiming his efforts were being hindered by a lack of funding.
In his resignation letter, which was published by US media, he said he was “tired” of having to chase for “support and money to do my job”.
Mr Chaillan wrote: “My office still has no billet and no funding, this year and the next.”
He joined the Department of Defense in 2018 where he was tasked with development, security, and operations as chief software officer or CSO.
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However, he noted in his resignation his office was left “unempowered to fix basic IT issues”.
He has now spoken to the Financial Times in his first interview since leaving the DoD.
Mr Chaillan argued cyber warfare will play a much bigger role in future battlefields than next-generation fighter jets ever will.
And he fears the US’s cyber defence measures are presently at “kindergarten level”.
Earlier this year, Congress was told China was on track to surpass the US as an “AI superpower”.
Mr Chaillan said he intends to testify before Congress about the issues.
The US presently spends three times as much on defence as China, but the former CSO said the money was being spent in the wrong areas.
He also blamed the slow rate of technological innovation and the US’s reluctance to work with tech giants like Google on artificial intelligence.
A March report published by the US National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence determined AI will play a major role in “the pursuit of power”.
The report reads: “Americans have not yet grappled with just how profoundly the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution will impact our economy, national security, and welfare.
“Much remains to be learned about the power and limits of AI technologies.
“Nevertheless, big decisions need to be made now to accelerate AI innovation to benefit the United States and to defend against the malign uses of AI.”
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