Federal Cybersecurity Research And Development Strategic Plan: Fill & Download for Free

My view: Both will develop along the lines of which applications they see as their priorities. China will probably focus more on manufacturing, e-finance, and transportation. China has a fairly well-organized plan on what they plan to do. The US seems less organized. The US, maybe similar, but could involve a broader spectrum of applications because of its entrepreneurial approach. Our plan seems to be altruistic nothingness.Having said that, I think China will fund AI better than the US because the government stands behind this sector as a place China wants to be in the future. Our government, except for the military, doesn’t.“United StatesUnlike other countries, the US government does not have a coordinated national strategy to increase AI investment or respond to the societal challenges of AI. During the final months of Barack Obama’s presidency, the White House laid the foundation for a US strategy in three separate reports. The first report, Preparing for the Future of Artificial Intelligence, made specific recommendations related to AI regulations, public R&D, automation, ethics and fairness, and security. Its companion report, National Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Strategic Plan, outlined a strategic plan for publicly funded R&D in AI, while the final report, Artificial Intelligence, Automation, and the Economy, examined in further detail the impact of automation and what policies are needed to increase the benefits of AI and mitigate its costs.President Trump’s White House has taken a markedly different, free market-oriented approach to AI. In May 2018, the White House invited industry, academia, and government representatives to a summit on AI. In a speech at the conference, Michael Kratsios, Deputy Assistant to the President for Technology Policy, outlined the President’s approach to AI. He announced the government has four goals: (1) maintain American leadership in AI, (2) support the American worker, (3) promote public R&D; and (4) remove barriers to innovation. To achieve these objectives, Kratsios announced a new Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence to advise the White House on interagency AI R&D priorities and to consider the creation of Federal partnerships with industry and academia. He also specified that the government will focus on removing regulatory barriers to innovation so that American companies have the flexibility to innovative and grow.It is unclear how much the government invests in AI R&D. In the 2016 Research and Development Strategic Plan, the report specified that the government invested $1.1 billion in unclassified AI-related R&D projects in 2015. The summary document that the White House released after the May Summit announced that the Government’s investment in unclassified R&D for AI and related technologies has grown by over 40% since 2015, but it is unclear where the growth in R&D has come from. One likely answer is the military. According to a report by Govini, in its 2017 unclassified budget, the Pentagon spent approximately $7.4 billion on AI and the fields that support it, such as big data and cloud computing. This is up from $5.6 billion in 2012. The US military also invest billions more in classified R&D, but it is unknown how much this figure is. In June 2018, the Pentagon announced a new Joint Artificial Intelligence Center that will have oversight over the majority of service and defence agency AI efforts.”An Overview of National AI Strategies – Politics + AI – Medium“ChinaChina announced its ambition to lead the world in AI theories, technologies, and applications in its July 2017 plan, A Next Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan. The plan is the most comprehensive of all national AI strategies, with initiatives and goals for R&D, industrialization, talent development, education and skills acquisition, standard setting and regulations, ethical norms, and security. It is best understood as a three step plan: first, make China’s AI industry “in-line” with competitors by 2020; second, reach “world-leading” in some AI fields by 2025; and third, become the “primary” center for AI innovation by 2030. By 2030, the government aims to cultivate an AI industry worth 1 trillion RMB, with related industries worth 10 trillion RMB. The plan also lays out the government’s intention to recruit the world’s best AI talent, strengthen the training of the domestic AI labour force, and lead the world in laws, regulations, and ethical norms that promote the development of AI. The latter includes the intent to actively participate in and lead the global governance of AI.Since the release of the Next Generation Plan, the government has published the Three-Year Action Plan to Promote the Development of New-Generation Artificial Intelligence Industry. This plan builds on the first step of the Next Generation plan to bring China’s AI industry in-line with competitors by 2020. Specifically, it advances four major tasks: (1) focus on developing intelligent and networked products such as vehicles, service robots, and identification systems, (2) emphasize the development AI’s support system, including intelligent sensors and neural network chips, (3) encourage the development of intelligent manufacturing, and (4) improve the environment for the development of AI by investing in industry training resources, standard testing, and cybersecurity. In addition, the government has also partnered with national tech companies to develop research and industrial leadership in specific fields of AI and will build a $2.1 billion technology park for AI research in Beijing.”An Overview of National AI Strategies – Politics + AI – Medium

Sigh. My opinion? Ok, you asked for it: If there's a dumber argument to have than how many executive orders a President has signed, I can't think of one.And yes, I've seen both Democrats and Republicans fall for this, many times. I saw Democrats rail against President G. W. Bush for all his EOs, and I saw Republicans fulminate against the number (again, not any particular one, just the number!) of President Obama's.Now, if I wanted to be petty, I could point out that Donald Trump signed more executive orders per year than any President since Jimmy Carter[1]. But here's the thing: the executive branch is enormous. The bulk of the Federal government is operated or supervised by executive branch agencies.Of course, you have the cabinet-level departments, and then within those departments, you have all these subdivisions:Administration for Children and FamiliesAdministration for Community LivingAdministration for Native AmericansAgency for Healthcare Research and QualityAgency for Toxic Substances and Disease RegistryAgricultural Marketing ServiceAgricultural Research ServiceAlcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade BureauAnimal and Plant Health Inspection ServiceAntitrust DivisionArmed Forces Retirement HomeArms Control and International SecurityBonneville Power AdministrationBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and ExplosivesBureau of Consular AffairsBureau of Economic AnalysisBureau of Engraving and PrintingBureau of Indian AffairsBureau of Industry and SecurityBureau of International Labor AffairsBureau of Justice StatisticsBureau of Labor StatisticsBureau of Land ManagementBureau of Ocean Energy ManagementBureau of PrisonsBureau of ReclamationBureau of Safety and Environmental EnforcementBureau of the Fiscal ServiceBureau of Transportation StatisticsCenter for Food Safety and Applied NutritionCenter for Nutrition Policy and PromotionCenters for Disease Control and PreventionCenters for Medicare and Medicaid ServicesCivil Rights Division, Department of JusticeCollege of Information and CyberspaceCommunity Oriented Policing ServicesComputer Emergency Readiness TeamCourt Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of ColumbiaCybersecurity and Infrastructure Security AgencyDefense Acquisition UniversityDefense Advanced Research Projects AgencyDefense Commissary AgencyDefense Contract Audit AgencyDefense Contract Management AgencyDefense Counterintelligence and Security AgencyDefense Finance and Accounting ServiceDefense Finance and Accounting Service Debt and Claims Management CenterDefense Health AgencyDefense Information Systems AgencyDefense Intelligence AgencyDefense Logistics AgencyDefense Security Cooperation AgencyDefense Technical Information CenterDefense Threat Reduction AgencyDrug Enforcement AdministrationDwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource StrategyEconomic Development AdministrationEconomic Growth, Energy, and the EnvironmentEconomic Research ServiceElder Justice InitiativeEmployee Benefits Security AdministrationEmployment and Training AdministrationEnergy Information AdministrationEnergy Star ProgramEnglish Language Acquisition OfficeExecutive Office for Immigration ReviewFarm Credit System Insurance CorporationFarm Service AgencyFederal Accounting Standards Advisory BoardFederal Aviation AdministrationFederal Bureau of InvestigationFederal Consulting GroupFederal Emergency Management AgencyFederal Energy Regulatory CommissionFederal Executive BoardsFederal Highway AdministrationFederal Housing AdministrationFederal Law Enforcement Training CenterFederal Motor Carrier Safety AdministrationFederal Protective ServiceFederal Railroad AdministrationFederal Student Aid Information CenterFederal Transit AdministrationFederal Voting Assistance ProgramFish and Wildlife ServiceFood and Drug AdministrationFood and Nutrition ServiceFood Safety and Inspection ServiceForeign Agricultural ServiceForeign Claims Settlement CommissionForest ServiceGovernment National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae)Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards AdministrationHealth Resources and Services AdministrationHolocaust Memorial MuseumIndian Health ServiceInstitute of Education SciencesInternal Revenue ServiceInternational Trade AdministrationJob CorpsJoint Board for the Enrollment of ActuariesJoint Chiefs of StaffJoint Fire Science ProgramJoint Forces Staff CollegeJoint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological DefenseMaritime AdministrationMarketing and Regulatory ProgramsMiddle East Broadcasting NetworksMilitary Postal Service AgencyMine Safety and Health AdministrationMinority Business Development AgencyMissile Defense AgencyMultifamily Housing OfficeNational Agricultural Statistics ServiceNational Cancer InstituteNational Cemetery AdministrationNational Defense UniversityNational Flood Insurance ProgramNational Geospatial-Intelligence AgencyNational GuardNational Health Information CenterNational Heart, Lung, and Blood InstituteNational Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationNational Indian Gaming CommissionNational Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin DiseasesNational Institute of CorrectionsNational Institute of Food and AgricultureNational Institute of JusticeNational Institute of Mental HealthNational Institute of Occupational Safety and HealthNational Institute of Standards and TechnologyNational Institutes of HealthNational Intelligence UniversityNational Interagency Fire CenterNational LaboratoriesNational Library of AgricultureNational Nuclear Security AdministrationNational Ocean ServiceNational Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationNational Park ServiceNational Passport Information CenterNational Pesticide Information CenterNational Prevention Information NetworkNational Reconnaissance OfficeNational Security AgencyNational Technical Information ServiceNational Telecommunications and Information AdministrationNational War CollegeNational Weather ServiceNatural Resources Conservation ServiceNOAA FisheriesOak Ridge National LaboratoryOccupational Safety and Health AdministrationOffice for Civil Rights, Department of EducationOffice for Civil Rights, Department of Health and Human ServicesOffice of Career, Technical, and Adult EducationOffice of Child Support EnforcementOffice of Community Planning and DevelopmentOffice of Cuba BroadcastingOffice of Disability Employment PolicyOffice of Economic AdjustmentOffice of Elementary and Secondary EducationOffice of Environmental ManagementOffice of Fair Housing and Equal OpportunityOffice of Fossil EnergyOffice of HousingOffice of Immigrant and Employee RightsOffice of Investor Education and AdvocacyOffice of Justice ProgramsOffice of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency PreventionOffice of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy HomesOffice of Manufactured Housing ProgramsOffice of Minority HealthOffice of Natural Resources RevenueOffice of Nuclear EnergyOffice of Policy Development and ResearchOffice of Postsecondary EducationOffice of Refugee ResettlementOffice of Scientific and Technical InformationOffice of Servicemember AffairsOffice of Special Education and Rehabilitative ServicesOffice of Surface Mining, Reclamation and EnforcementOffice of the Assistant Secretary for Research and TechnologyOffice of the Comptroller of the CurrencyOffice of the Federal RegisterOffice of the Pardon AttorneyOffice of Violence Against WomenPentagon Force Protection AgencyPipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety AdministrationPolitical AffairsPower AdministrationsPresident's Council on Fitness, Sports and NutritionPretrial Services Agency for the District of ColumbiaPrisoner of War and Missing in Action Accounting AgencyPublic and Indian HousingPublic Diplomacy and Public AffairsRadio Free AsiaRadio Free Europe and Radio LibertyRehabilitation Services AdministrationRisk Management AgencyRural Business and Cooperative ProgramsRural DevelopmentRural Housing ServiceRural Utilities ServiceSaint Lawrence Seaway Development CorporationScience OfficeSeafood Inspection ProgramSecret ServiceSoutheastern Power AdministrationSouthwestern Power AdministrationSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services AdministrationTaxpayer Advocacy PanelTransportation Security AdministrationU.S. AbilityOne CommissionU.S. Access BoardU.S. Air ForceU.S. Air Force Reserve CommandU.S. ArmyU.S. Army Corps of EngineersU.S. Census BureauU.S. Central CommandU.S. Citizenship and Immigration ServicesU.S. Coast GuardU.S. Commission on International Religious FreedomU.S. Customs and Border ProtectionU.S. Election Assistance CommissionU.S. European CommandU.S. Fire AdministrationU.S. Fleet Forces CommandU.S. Geological SurveyU.S. Immigration and Customs EnforcementU.S. Marine CorpsU.S. Marshals ServiceU.S. Military Academy, West PointU.S. MintU.S. Mission to the United NationsU.S. National Central Bureau - InterpolU.S. NavyU.S. Northern CommandU.S. Pacific CommandU.S. Parole CommissionU.S. Patent and Trademark OfficeU.S. Postal Inspection ServiceU.S. Southern CommandU.S. Special Operations CommandU.S. Strategic CommandU.S. Transportation CommandU.S. Trustee ProgramUnified Combatant CommandsUniformed Services University of the Health SciencesUSAGovVeterans Benefits AdministrationVeterans Health AdministrationVeterans' Employment and Training ServiceVoice of AmericaWage and Hour DivisionWashington Headquarters ServicesWeights and Measures DivisionWestern Area Power AdministrationWomen's BureauThat's a lot of ground to cover. Of course, the President doesn't micromanage these agencies directly, but I wanted to drive home the point that there's a lot of stuff handled by the alphabet soup in the chief executive's purview.Now, look, I'm not saying that all executive orders are benign or wise; look at Trump's “Muslim travel ban” as an example of a particularly heinous one. But it's the content of the orders that matters, not the quantity.Some people seem to see executive orders simply as an arcane way for the President to make an end-run around Congress (and to be fair, some Presidents have used EOs to do things that Congress wasn't on board with). But in the main, executive orders are the way that the President runs things. It wouldn't be very fair to hold the President responsible for scandals or failures within their administration if they had no ability to control the operation of these departments, would it?And there's absolutely no excuse for vaguely mumbling about EOs in the abstract. The Federal Register publishes all of them online. They're easy to find and easier to read than a lot of law and legislation. Here's a great example:Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch PersonnelThis one does have a bit more legalese than most, but it's not difficult to get the gist of it. Biden is instructing all executive agencies to require new appointees to sign a legally enforceable ethics contract, which, among other things, fills in some loopholes and omissions in existing ethics rules preventing government employees from being given gifts or sinecures related to their government service, preventing them from interfering in legal proceedings or investigations, and banning them from lobbying within two years of holding the position. Did someone say “drain the swamp"? Anyway, my point is that if you're going to complain about executive orders, maybe read the things instead of going by volume?So, no, Biden isn't signing too many executive orders. Nor did Trump. Nor did Obama, or Bush, or F.D.R, who, at 3,721, signed more EOs per year than any modern President has in eight.Footnotes[1] Executive Orders

The effect nation-state hacking attacks against U.S. facilities largely boils down to interference with productivity.If other countries steal your industries plans and inventions before you get a chance to develop and market them, you are disadvantaged in the marketplace. If other countries know that you plan to make purchases of important materials from other countries, and how much you were willing to pay (in money, or access, or changes in legislation) the hacking nations can anticipate, and make “better offers” (akin to “insider trading”) and deny you the goods you needed - or force you to pay more for them.All of that means that American companies will suffer losses, which means that their workers will suffer - one way or another.About 5 years back, the giant OPM (U.S. Office of Personnel Management) breach, believed to have been conducted by the Chinese, revealed the sensitive personal information of millions of US government workers, including security clearance investigation information. This could allow for large scale blackmail or coercion, leading to further significant breaches.Seriously, among the major countries, everyone is hacking everyone else, because it is a far less deadly form of competition than tossing missiles around. Thanks in part to sophisticated deployments of strategic (nuclear) weapons systems, no sane country wants to play with missiles, or expects to launch a “global conquest” effort by force. Instead, it is a slow game of monopoly involving economic gains and losses.Enemies CAN hack important services like electricity, gas, water, chemical plants, and other facilities, interrupting energy availability, food deliveries, etc. But such attacks would not rise to the level of destabilizing the country (unless a country were stupid enough not to develop redundant fall-back systems). They would only serve to force the country to expend its resources fixing things - resources that the country would rather spend in research and other actions that lead to gains in productivity.As far as attribution is concerned, the NSA has sufficient world-wide signals intelligence and sophisticated content and “group behavior” analytics, that any attempts by one group to “pose” as another tends to fail. There are scores of “APT” (Advanced Persistent Threat) groups known to exist in different countries, each with different degrees of “state-sponsorship”. The software they write and employ in hacking, as well as their communications, have been stolen and analyzed. They can even tell - by examining timelines - when software (malwares) developed and used by one country or group is later being used by other groups who have acquired them, either cooperatively or by theft.