Portfolio Budget Statements 2018-19 Budget Related Paper No. 1.9

whitePaper | May 22, 2022

Data innovation is necessary to address a growing number of critical short and long-term food and agricultural issues, including agricultural production, environmental sustainability, nutrition assistance, food waste, supply chain disruptions, and food and farm labor. Though many farmers are already collecting production data about their farms that can help solve these issues, this information remains mostly unavailable to other farmers, policymakers, and USDA due to a number of issues.

whitePaper | November 9, 2019

The underlying driver of the ongoing US–China trade war is a race for global technological dominance. President Trump has raised a number of issues regarding trade with China – including the US’s trade deficit with China and the naming of China as a currency manipulator. But at the heart of the ongoing tariff escalation are China’s policies and practices regarding forced technology transfer, intellectual property theft and non-market distortions.

whitePaper | November 3, 2021

The Department of Defense (DoD) annual report to Congress on military and security developments involving the People’s Republic of China (PRC) provides a baseline assessment of the Department’s pacing challenge. The PRC has long viewed the United States as a competitor and has characterized its view of strategic competition in terms of a rivalry among powerful nation states, as well as a clash of opposing systems. As expressed in the Interim National Security Strategic Guidance, the PRC is the only competitor capable of combining its economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to mount a sustained challenge to a stable and open international system. The PRC is increasingly clear in its ambitions and intentions.

whitePaper | June 10, 2022

The public sector is feeling the squeeze between an increase in cyber attacks and a lack of increased resources to keep up. In a recent survey conducted on behalf of SolarWinds, public sector respondents reported increased concern over ransomware, malware and phishing the most over the previous year, but time to detection and resolution had not improved for the majority.1 To bolster application security, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memorandum directing agencies to identify critical software and implement the latest protections outlined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Another OMB memorandum presented a federal zero trust architecture (ZTA) strategy that requires agencies to meet specific cybersecurity standards and objectives by the end of FY2024.

whitePaper | September 19, 2022

Sophos' annual study of the real-world ransomware experiences of IT professionals in the state and local government sector has revealed an ever more challenging attack environment. Together with the growing financial and operational burden ransomware places on its victims, it also shines new light on the relationship between ransomware and cyber insurance - including how insurance drives changes to cyber defenses.

whitePaper | January 7, 2020

Infrastructure—for example, transportation, power, water, and telecom systems—underpins economic activity and catalyzes growth and development. The world spends more than $2.5 trillion a year on infrastructure, but $3.7 trillion a year will be needed through 2035 just to keep pace with projected GDP growth.1 National, state, and local governments are devoting increased amounts of capital to meet these needs, and for good reason. The McKinsey Global Institute estimates that infrastructure has a socioeconomic rate of return around 20 percent.2 In other words, $1 of infrastructure investment can raise GDP by 20 cents in the long run.