The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | December 5th, 2023: US Strikes Back At Iranian Proxies & Nuclear Hack Coverup Exposed

Episode Date: December 5, 2023

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:     The U.S. is once again responding to attacks by Iranian-backed militants in the Middle East, launching a deadly airstrike against a militia in Iraq on Sunday, and proposing an allied maritime task force to provide security for ships in the Red Sea. A recent investigation has found that officials at the U.K.’s largest nuclear waste and decommissioning site have reportedly engaged in a years-long cover up of a hack by a foreign cyber group that may have compromised the sprawling facility’s systems. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin.     Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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and proposing an Allied task force to provide security for ships in the Red Sea. We'll also discuss a developing situation at the UK's largest nuclear nuclear waste and decommissioning site, where officials have reportedly engaged in a years-long cover-up of a hack by a foreign cyber group that may have compromised the sprawling facility systems. But first, our afternoon spotlight. The U.S. is pushing back on land and sea in the wake of renewed Iranian-backed proxy attacks in the Middle East. Now, the U.S. killed at least five Iranian-backed militia members in a drone strike in Iraq on Sunday

and on Monday, the White House proposed creating a naval task force to protect vessels from ongoing militant assaults in the Red Sea. Beginning in Iraq, the counterstrike reportedly targeted an unidentified militant group operating in Kirkuk and was launched after U.S. forces received intelligence that the group was planning to target them with a one-way attack drone. Now, the fatal strike marked the fourth limited response by the Biden administration to attacks by these militias in Iraq and Syria. Iranian-backed proxy groups have carried out 76 attacks on U.S. and coalition forces since October 17th in Iraq and Syria, injuring more than 60 service members. The latest attack occurred on Sunday when a militant group launched multiple rockets at

the Ramalan Landing Zone in Syria. Now, no injuries are damaged, infrastructure was reported from that attack. Meanwhile, Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen have escalated their assaults on U.S. naval and commercial shipping vessels in the Red Sea. As we discussed yesterday on the PDB, over the weekend, the USS Carney was forced to take defensive action against multiple drones targeting a civilian cargo ship in an attack that lasted hours. During the response, the crew also witnessed a ballistic missile targeting the ship. Now, Iranian-backed Houthi militants were behind the attack, along with multiple assaults in the Red Sea's Gate of Tears, and that's a critical international shipping lane.

Jake Sullivan, President Biden's national security advisor, said Monday that the U.S. is in close discussion with our allies to establish a maritime task force that will patrol the waters and ensure the safe passage of vessels in the region. Sullivan noted that, quote, those talks are ongoing, and the administration did not yet have anything concrete to announce. He stressed the growing risk Iran's proxies posed to strategic maritime routes in the region, adding that these attacks are an issue for, quote, every country that relies upon maritime commerce to sustain their economy. White House officials were willing to admit the attacks across the region are, quote, fully enabled by Iran,

but outside of the naval task force, they did not offer anything new in the way of deterrence strategy. Monday's press briefing followed a vague statement from officials on Sunday, saying the U.S. is considering, quote, all appropriate responses in full coordination with its international allies and partners, end quote. Encouragingly, reporters actually pressed the White House. I know you and me were both shocked. They actually pressed the White House on the effectiveness of their response strategy to the renewed belligerence of Iran's proxies, noting the handful of limited counterstrikes and stern warnings have done little to stop these provocations. While Sullivan defended the administration's efforts to contain the conflict, but admitted that militants continue to engage in what he said was

very alarming behavior, yes, it would be. The Biden administration has reportedly been reluctant to approve more aggressive response options that have been devised by the Pentagon. Fearing such retaliations could spark a wider regional conflict with Iran. Now, while there was a brief lull in activity during the limited truce between Israel and Hamas, Iranian back groups have resumed their attacks with a vengeance, and barring a major shift by the Biden administration, it appears the Iranian regime has, frankly, little to fear when it comes to fear. facing substantial repercussions from the U.S. over their behavior. It might be worth having someone advised Jake Sullivan, the Dugie Hauser of National Security Advisors,

that Iran is the reason for the current regional conflict, and frankly, the Iranian regime has already escalated the conflict via their proxies. Iran and its IRGC are the dog wagging the Hamas, Hezbollah, Houti, and other militant proxies' proverbial tale. At some point, the deterrence is going to have to be directed at the dog rather than the dog's ass. Coming up after the break, a recent investigation has found that officials at the UK's largest nuclear waste and decommissioning site have reportedly engaged in a year's long cover-up of a hack by a foreign cyber group that may have compromised the spalling facility systems. I'll be right back. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin.

disturbing report out of the UK has raised alarms in the world of cybersecurity. The Sellefield site, a cornerstone of the UK's nuclear program, is reportedly the latest target of a sophisticated cyber attack. Now, allegedly orchestrated by groups linked to China and Russia, this breach is a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities facing critical infrastructure worldwide. The Sellefield site is situated on England's northwest coast. It's a sprawling facility that covers about two square miles and employs over 10,000 people. It's at the heart of the UK's nuclear operations, handling hazardous tasks like nuclear waste processing, storage, and decommissioning. Until recently, it was also involved in nuclear fuel reprocessing, and it currently holds the world's largest plutonium

store. But it's not just the site's operational significance that's concerning. Sellafield also houses crucial emergency planning documents vital in case of foreign attacks or disasters. The Guardian reports a troubling lack of clarity regarding the timeline of this reported breach. Sources indicate that as early as 2015, sleeper malware was detected in the facility's IT systems. Now this type of malware can remain dormant, gathering information or waiting to strike. The extent of the breach is still unknown, and it remains unclear, if the malware has been completely removed. This raises the possibility, of course, that hackers may have accessed top secret information. Equally concerning are claims of a cover-up by senior staff

at Sellefield. The Guardian alleges that they delayed reporting the breach to nuclear regulators. Now, in response, the U.K. government and Sellefield officials have denied these reports, asserting that there's no evidence that the Sites network was compromised. However, this incident aligns with the modus operandi of Russian and Chinese cyber groups. Just this January, Reuters uncovered attempts by a Russian hacking group called Cold River to infiltrate U.S. nuclear research labs. Using fake login pages, they reportedly targeted scientists at facilities involved in the U.S. nuclear weapons program. A timely detection of breaches is often a real problem, whether in the private or public sectors.

It can often be months or longer before a malicious cyber attack is identified. Now, this reported breach at the Sellefield site, if the reporting is accurate, underscores a pressing need for heightened cybersecurity measures in critical infrastructure in the U.K., the U.S. globally. As we've discussed previously on the PDB, the vulnerability and frailty of the U.S. infrastructure is a major source of concern and sleepless nights for those involved in Homeland Security and National Defense. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Tuesday, 5 December.

If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.