Our picksLone Wolves | Supply-Chain Mystery | The New Challenge of Cyberwarfare’, and more

U.S. Facing Over Twice as Many Domestic Terror Threats as Foreign, FBI Says  (Alexander Hutzler, Newsweek)
The United States is facing far more domestic terror threats than those from international parties, according to the FBI. Timothy Langan, assistant director of the bureau’s Counterterrorism Division, told lawmakers Wednesday that the U.S. is approaching more than 2,700 domestic terrorism threats. The number of international terror threats is under 1,000, Langan said when asked by Representative Nancy Mace to provide data on the FBI’s caseload. Langan also gave statistics on terrorism-related deaths in the U.S. from 2015 to 2020. There were 80 reported international terrorism–related deaths in that five-year period, compared with 83 deaths linked to domestic terrorism. Langan was joined on Capitol Hill by officials from the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security in fielding questions from lawmakers on the Biden administration’s counterterrorism strategy. “Preventing acts of terrorism is the FBI’s number one priority,” Langan said during his opening statement. He also noted that the “greatest terrorism threat” is posed by lone actors or small cells radicalized online looking to attack “soft targets with easily accessible weapons.

France Delays Extraditing Italian Far-Left 1970s Militants  (Nicolas Vaux-Montagny, AP)
A French court on Wednesday asked Italy for more information before deciding whether nine Italian former militants should be extradited to serve prison terms for their roles in the extreme-left terrorism that bloodied Italy in the 1970s and 1980s. The Italians, now aged 63 to 77, were convicted in Italy of terrorism, murder or attempted kidnapping but fled and lived in freedom for decades in France until their surprise arrests in April. Their presence in France has long been a sore point in relations with Italy. The Paris court held an extradition hearing in June and was expected to make a decision Wednesday, but instead demanded more information from Italy about their legal files and scheduled a new hearing Jan. 12. The overall extradition effort could last two or three years. Jean-Louis Chalanset, lawyer for one of the militants, welcomed the delay and denounced the extradition request as “political.” The activists were sentenced in Italy to terms ranging from 14 years to life in prison, but sought refuge abroad before they could be imprisoned for their sentences. They were active during the so-called “years of lead,” when Italy saw political violence by extreme-left and extreme-right groups. In April, thanks to new European justice rules, Italy renewed an effort for their extradition.

What You Should Know about ‘Bitskrieg: The New Challenge of Cyberwarfare’  (Todd South, Military Times)
Cyberwarfare has evolved as not only a buzzword in defense circles but one that underpins much of what modern warfighting, with or without bombs, bullets and bandages, has become.

A Narrowly Averted Shutdown, Still Harms Government Cybersecurity  (Joseph Marks, Washington Post)
Democratic lawmakers seem prepared to avert a government shutdown, but the damage to government cybersecurity may already be done.
But the image of an institution veering from crisis to crisis in which workers can’t count on a steady paycheck is sure to hurt the government’s ability to compete with the private sector for top-flight cyber talent. 
The near-miss comes less than two years after the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. It also comes as the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is embarking on a major initiative to improve the skills and diversity of the cyber workforce, including by offering salaries outside the typical government range for such positions. 

Capitol Police Chief Warns of Rising Threats and Lone Wolves  (TCR Staff)
J. Thomas Manger, newly installed chief of the U.S. Capitol Police force, warns that the risk to lawmakers is higher than ever, the threat from lone-wolf attackers is only growing, and his police force “cannot afford to be complacent,” reports the Associated Press. Manger predicts authorities will respond to close to 9,000 threats against members of Congress in 2021 — more than 4,100 had been reported from January to March.

TSA Head Says More Union Rights Coming to Airport Screeners  (Natalie Alms, FCW)
Transportation Security Administrator David Pekoske told lawmakers on Wednesday that addressing low pay for airport screeners is a top priority and that he’d soon sign a directive extending full collective bargaining rights to screeners.

The Supply-Chain Mystery  (Amy Davidson Sorkin, New Yorker)
Why, more than a year and a half into the pandemic, do strange shortages keep popping up in so many corners of American life?