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New Report Details Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Threat to National Security  (Lindsey Wilkinson, HSToday)
The Office of Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released an unclassified preliminary intelligence assessment in late June that details reports on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP). While in almost every instance the UAP can’t be explained, the report suggests that UAP can present a threat to national security.

Schools Are Another Prime Ransomware Target  (Joseph Marks with Aaron Schaffer, Washington Post)
K-12 schools are getting hit with a barrage of ransomware attacks, worsening the damage to children’s education brought on by the pandemic and hurting their ability to return to some semblance of normalcy in the fall. 
It’s part of a surge in attacks by hackers demanding ransom payments that has halted operations at critical industries across the nation and become a key national security concern for the Biden administration. 

Cyberattacks and Ransomware: How Can We Protect Our Energy Infrastructure?  (Collin Eaton, Wall Street Journal)
The ransomware attack that brought down the Colonial Pipeline highlighted the industry’s vulnerability. We asked experts to weigh in on how the U.S. can bolster its defenses.

House Appropriators Want Pentagon to Get Tough on Extremists in the Ranks  (John M. Donnelly, Roll Call)
The House Appropriations Committee would require Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III to report to lawmakers soon on progress in keeping violent extremists out of the U.S. military. The panel said in a report made public Monday that it would direct the Pentagon to report on how it is implementing proposals to solve the problem, including recommendations from an internal Defense Department study that was sent quietly to Congress in October and disclosed publicly by CQ Roll Call in February.  The Pentagon study described in detail appeals that white supremacists and other extremists have made to recruit military members — and their periodic successes.  “Despite a low number of cases in absolute terms, individuals with extremist affiliations and military experience are a concern to U.S. national security because of their proven ability to execute high-impact events,” the study stated. “Access to service members with combat training and technical weapons expertise can also increase both the probability of success and the potency of planned violent attacks.” The Defense Department’s efforts to grapple with violent extremism, particularly white supremacism, sped up last year in the wake of the George Floyd protests.