Growing US Security Concerns Amid Trump’s Standoff

Biden Uses Regular Phone for Overseas Leader Calls
Concerns Over Limited Response Information Amid North Korea Provocation Risks

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Concerns over a security vacuum are growing as President-elect Joe Biden's transition team struggles to gain access to the Donald Trump administration.

According to the Washington Post on the 12th (local time), President-elect Biden used regular phones without security features while speaking with leaders of European allies such as the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, as well as Asian allies including South Korea and Japan.

Typically, the State Department provides interpreters and secure communication services to the president-elect, but this time was different. Amid the U.S. government's non-cooperation, a former senior diplomat had to assist Biden with calls to foreign leaders.

President-elect Biden is supposed to receive daily intelligence briefings from intelligence agencies, as is customary for presidents, but the intelligence community has not taken any action. Transition team officials reportedly use a separate encrypted app due to concerns about wiretapping and information leaks.

After it became known that the White House instructed various government departments not to cooperate with the Biden transition team, the current administration's non-cooperation has intensified. Consequently, concerns about national intelligence exposure to hostile countries such as China and North Korea, as well as a security vacuum, are increasing. In particular, there are worries about restrictions on information regarding North Korea's potential provocations for President-elect Biden.

Evans Revere, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said, "Within the next few weeks, we may witness North Korea conducting a nuclear test or a long-range ballistic missile test," adding, "They will try to send a strong message to the next president." North Korea launched missiles early in the administrations of both former Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump. If President-elect Biden assumes office without up-to-date intelligence on North Korea, it is highly likely he will face difficulties in responding.

Information related to the response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is also controlled. CNN expressed concern that President-elect Biden is set to take office without any information on plans to secure developed COVID-19 vaccines and the vaccine distribution operation across the United States.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.