Homeland Threat Assessment U.S. Department of Homeland Security Homeland Threat Assessment October 2020 With honor and integrity, we will safeguard the American people, our homeland, and our values 2 U.S. Department of Homeland Security Contents Foreword 3 Structure of the HTA 6 Threats: Cyber 8 Foreign Influence Activity 10 Economic Security 14 Terrorism 17 Transnational Criminal Organization 21 Illegal Immigration 23 Natural Disasters 25 Secretary Chad Wolf, State of the Homeland, September 9, 2020 Homeland Threat Assessment U.S. Department of Homeland Security 3 Foreword In my role as Acting Secretary, I receive intelligence, operational, law enforcement, and other information on a daily basis. This Homeland Threat Assessment (HTA), the first of its kind for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), draws upon all sources of information and expertise available to the Department, including from intelligence, law enforcement, and our operational Components. The result is a “Whole-of-DHS” report on the threats to the Homeland. This HTA is as close as the American people will get to seeing and understanding the information that I see as Secretary and that our employees see in their national security missions. As you read country. Our ability to mitigate these threats is through the HTA you should have faith in predicated on our ability to understand them knowing that these threats were identified and to inform the American people. I hope using the best intelligence, operational all Americans take a moment to review this information, and employee knowledge HTA and visit DHS.gov to learn how they can available to the Department. protect themselves from these threats. Identifying Threats using a Whole-of-DHS Today’s Threat Environment Approach Combatting terrorism will always be a priority The men and women serving in our to the Department of Homeland Security. operational Components are the experts Foreign terrorist organizations (FTO) still have in their national security and homeland the intent to attack the Homeland within security missions, making their insights and from beyond our borders. In the 19 years critical in threat identification and since September 11th, 2001, the United States prevention. Our operational Components Government (USG), DHS, and our foreign provided information about the threats partners have taken the fight directly to those they see and combat in performance of responsible for the attacks on that day, and to their mission. DHS is the first and last line other FTOs who seek to destroy our country of defense against many threats facing our based on an ill-informed and twisted ideology. We have enhanced our ability to identify “DHS has a vital mission: to secure the nation from the many and prevent individuals affiliated with these organizations from traveling or immigrating to threats we face. This requires the dedication of more than the United States. We have enhanced security and processes at our airports, ports of entry, 240,000 employees in positions that range from aviation and and beyond our borders. We have built the world’s greatest counterterrorism ecosystem border security to emergency response, from cybersecurity to keep Americans safe. More specifically, DHS has partnered with other USG agencies and analyst to chemical facility inspector. Our duties are foreign governments to raise the baseline for screening and vetting in the United States. In wide-ranging, and our goal is clear — keeping America safe.” the last few years we have enhanced existing vetting programs, created the National Secretary Chad Wolf, State of the Homeland, September 9, 2020 Vetting Center (NVC), expanded biographic 4 Homeland Threat Assessment U.S. Department of Homeland Security and biometric information sharing Exploitation of Lawful and Protected programs, and enacted national-level Speech and Protests. During the course policies requiring foreign governments of developing the HTA we began to see to share essential information for a new, alarming trend of exploitation vetting purposes or face potential travel of lawful protests causing violence, restrictions. death, and destruction in American communities. This anti-government, Trade and economic security is anti-authority and anarchist violent Homeland Security. We are increasingly extremism was identified by DHS in concerned about the threat posed September 2019 when we published by nation state actors in an emerging our Strategic Framework for Countering era of great power competition. DHS Terrorism and Targeted Violence. As is specifically concerned with the the date of publication of this HTA, we direct and indirect threat posed to the have seen over 100 days of violence and Homeland by the People’s Republic of destruction in our cities. The co-opting China (PRC). The Chinese Communist of lawful protests led to destruction of Party (CCP)-led PRC is challenging government property and have turned America’s place as the world’s global deadly. and economic leader. Threats emanating from China include damaging the U.S. Indeed, DHS law enforcement officers economy through intellectual property suffered over 300 separate injuries and theft, production and distribution of were assaulted with sledgehammers, counterfeit goods, and unfair trade commercial grade fireworks, rocks, metal practices. DHS has a mandate to mitigate pipes, improvised explosive devices, these threats and we will do so with a and more. This violence, perpetrated clear-eyed view that China is a long-term by anarchist extremists and detailed strategic competitor to the U.S. in numerous public statements that remain available on the DHS website, Domestic violent extremism is a threat significantly threatens the Homeland by to the Homeland. As Americans, we all undermining officer and public safety— have the right to believe whatever we as well as our values and way of life. want, but we don’t have a right to carry While the HTA touches on these issues, out acts of violence to further those we are still in the nascent stages of beliefs. The Department works with understanding the threat this situation other Government, non-Government, poses to Americans, the Homeland, and and private sector partners to prevent the American way of life. individuals from making this transition from protected speech to domestic Cyber security threats from nation-states terrorism reflected by violence. As and non-state actors present Secretary, I am concerned about any challenging threats to our Homeland form of violent extremism. That is and critical infrastructure. DHS has a why we design our programs to be critical mission to protect America’s threat agnostic – ensuring that we can infrastructure, which includes our cyber- “ With honor and combat a broad range of domestic infrastructure. We are concerned with threats. However, I am particularly the intents, capabilities, and actions of integrity, we will concerned about white supremacist nation-states such as China, Russia, Iran, violent extremists who have been and North Korea. Nation-state targeting safeguard the exceptionally lethal in their abhorrent, of our assets seeks to disrupt the targeted attacks in recent years. I am infrastructure that keeps the American American people, our proud of our work to prevent terrorizing economy moving forward and poses tactics by domestic terrorists and violent a threat to national security. On top Homeland, and our extremists who seek to force ideological of the threats to critical infrastructure, change in the United States through cybercriminals also target our networks values.” violence, death, and destruction. to steal information, hold organizations Homeland Threat Assessment U.S. Department of Homeland Security 5 hostage, and harm American companies for their transit, to U.S. border communities, and to our own gain. officers and agents who encounter migrants when they enter the United States. To mitigation Nation-states will continue to try to undermine this threat we instituted enhanced restrictions American elections. Threats to our election have at our borders, limited travel to only essential been another rapidly evolving issue. Nation-states travelers and implemented a Center for Disease like China, Russia, and Iran will try to use cyber Control (CDC) order that protects Americans from capabilities or foreign influence to compromise COVID-19. or disrupt infrastructure related to the 2020 U.S. Presidential election, aggravate social and racial Natural occurrences continue to harm the life and tensions, undermine trust in U.S. authorities, property of Americans. In 2020 alone we have and criticize our elected officials. Perhaps most seen an unprecedented storm season that has alarming is that our adversaries are seeking to taken the livelihoods of many Americans in our sway the preferences and perceptions of U.S. Gulf states and a historic wildfire season that has voters using influence operations. Americans need caused devastation on the West Coast. Americans to understand this threat and arm themselves with in-between our coasts also face the threat of all information available to avoid falling prey to natural disasters from a variety of causes. On these tactics. top of the threat to life and safety, these events have devastating impacts on local and national While Russia has been a persistent threat by economies. The Department is at the forefront of attempting to harm our democratic and election providing information to help Americans prepare, systems, it is clear China and Iran also pose threats