US Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) wants to “redefine national security.”
Warner, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, spoke at an Front Page event on Thursday, co-hosted by RBC Capital Markets, as part of a series of events on the 2024 elections bringing in speakers from both parties.
National security can “no longer” be determined by “who has the most tanks and planes and guns,” Warner argued. “National security now is a technology race with China.”
That race and competition with China—taking place in the economic, energy, technology, and minerals domains—is just one of the risks the next president will have to face during their time in office, Warner explained.
Below are highlights from the conversation, moderated by CNBC Anchor and Senior National Correspondent Brian Sullivan, where the senator outlined five risks he said the future administration would need to watch closely.
Risks abound
- In addition to the tech race with China, Warner said that the ongoing political crisis in Venezuela needs more attention. “If we don’t make some changes, we could see another mass of Venezuelans leaving, which would put additional strain on the border,” he said. After Nicolás Maduro again declared victory in the country’s latest elections despite ample evidence that he lost handily, Warner said that it might be time to set up a new international contact group for Venezuela.
- Third, the next administration will need to prove it cares about Africa, Warner said, especially as the crisis in Sudan continues. “There are more people dying every day in Sudan than Gaza, Lebanon, and Ukraine,” he said. “A little bit of effort” on the part of the United States “would go a heck of a long way.”
- Fourth, Warner said that wars in the Middle East present their own risks, but there’s also a “geopolitical move” underway in the region in which Middle Eastern countries are transforming their economies. This provides an opportunity as those countries are considering turning away from China and Russia and instead to the United States for its technology and partnerships.
- Finally, Warner pointed to the risk of waning partnerships with Pacific island countries that are playing an “increasing role” on the world stage because of their access to and control of rare earth minerals that lie below the ocean.
- “We have ignored these nations,” Warner warned, saying that the United States is now trying to increase connectivity with them by supporting the installation of undersea cables. “This is literally pennies on the dollar in terms of American investment,” he said, but it is the “next frontier.”
Watch the event
The China challenge
- To compete with China and counter its dominance in processing rare earth minerals, Warner said that the United States needs to get its “act together.” “We’re also going to have to do the processing,” he said, adding that would require new facilities to do so, considering how the United States often sends its extracted minerals to China for processing. “Even the Democrats have got to realize we’ve got to build stuff again in this country.”
- “Even if we’re not going to do all the processing here, we need to do it with our friends and allies around the world, and I think this is a huge opportunity,” he said.
- Warner argued that China’s Belt and Road Initiative is starting to leave participant countries dissatisfied. “The quality of the workmanship was pretty crummy in a lot of areas and still they’re deep in debt,” he said.
- That presents an opportunity for the United States and its partners to close deals—such as for building small modular nuclear reactors. But “we need our own regulatory process to move quicker,” for that to happen, and the Export-Import Bank and Development Finance Corporation need to “take a few more risks,” he said.
Drawing the line
- On artificial intelligence (AI), Warner cautioned that Chinese companies, specifically BGI Group, are exploring how the technology can be used to have an impact on biology, drawing data from DNA banks. “You combine AI and DNA mapping, and some of this gets spooky, in terms of like super soldiers,” he said.
- On whether the United States will pass some form of AI regulation, Warner cautioned “don’t hold your breath no matter which person wins” the presidency. “Do you do what the Europeans have overdone? We’ve done nothing. There is somewhere in the middle where I think [there’s] smart regulation.”
- Warner said that if Vice President Kamala Harris wins the presidency, she should look to not only tackle the China challenge but also ensure that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not successful in Ukraine. “We, along with our allies, have to draw the line against authoritarian regimes,” he said.
- The next president may possibly face a post-Putin Russia; Warner said he would like to see the country become more open, but “we have to be prepared for both circumstances,” he cautioned. “You could actually see Russia move further to the right or further authoritarian.”
Katherine Walla is an associate director of editorial at the .
Watch the full event
Image: Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) speaks at an Front Page event on October 10, 2024.
