US House Passes National Security Legislation Authored By Congressman Krishnamoorthi To Counter The Aggression Of Russia And The People’s Republic Of China

WASHINGTON – Last night, as part of its government funding package, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi's Gathering and Reporting Assessments Yielding Zero Overlooked Nefarious Efforts (GRAY ZONE) Act and his Monitoring China-UAE Cooperation Act. The GRAY ZONE Act, which Krishnamoorthi introduced in January, would require the Director of National Intelligence to produce a National Intelligence Estimate that assesses different aspects of gray zone activities – actions that fall between ordinary statecraft and open warfare, such as disinformation campaigns or terrorist financing – which have been increasingly used by Russia, the People's Republic of China, and nonstate actors to challenge and undermine the United States. The bipartisan Monitoring China-UAE Cooperation Act, which Congressman Krishnamoorthi introduced in December with Congressman Chris Stewart of Utah, would require a U.S. Intelligence Community assessment of the relationship between China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in order to safeguard U.S. technology and national security.

"As Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent international responses have reminded us, though bullets and bombs are still the center of international conflict, many other interactions operate in the ‘gray zone' between peace and war. Russia and the Chinese Communist Party continue to target adversaries with disinformation and cyber operations, as Iran provides support to proxy groups such as Hezbollah," said Congressman Krishnamoorthi. "In this evolving security climate, we need to prepare for acts of aggression that occur long before the first shot is fired and those that continue thousands of miles from the echoes of artillery. The GRAY ZONE Act will address that overall need by helping us assess and counter new threats, while the Monitoring China-UAE Cooperation Act will address a more specific danger from a military technology standpoint."

The report that the GRAY ZONE Act would require from the Director of National Intelligence would include the following:

• How foreign adversaries use gray zone activities to advance interests, including great power competition;
• What responses from the United States or our partners and allies escalate and de-escalate conflict;
• Opportunities to reduce or deter harmful actions against the United States;
• Opportunities to strengthen the resilience of our partners and allies;
• The extent to which our adversaries exercise control over proxies or parastate actors;
• The extent to which gray zone activities affect the U.S. private sector.

The Monitoring China-UAE Cooperation Act would require the Director of National Intelligence to submit a crucial report to the House and Senate intelligence committees containing:

• Details on China-UAE cooperation in defense, security, technology, and other strategically sensitive matters that implicate U.S. national security interests.
• An updated quarterly intelligence assessment of measures the UAE has taken to safeguard U.S. technology and how reliable UAE assurances are that U.S. technology is being safeguarded.
• The Director of National Intelligence's confirmation that the UAE's assurances to safeguard U.S. technology are viable and sufficient to protect U.S. technology from being transferred to China and others.