"This action sets back our Cyber and Signals Intelligence operations," said House Armed Services Subcommittee on Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation Chair Don Bacon, R-Neb. Such an ouster which comes after the firings of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Brown and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti was also regarded by Senate Armed Services Committee top Democrat Jack Reed of Rhode Island to be a "priceless gift" to the U.S.'s nation-state adversaries China, Rusia, Iran, and North Korea. "In addition to the other military leaders and national security officials Trump has fired, he is sending a chilling message throughout the ranks: don't give your best military advice, or you may face consequences. The President must immediately explain himself to the American people," said Reed.
A former Defense Intelligence Agency IT specialist has pleaded guilty to attempting to pass secret and top-secret information to foreign spies following a successful FBI sting operation.
Shankar previously served as a strategic advisor to Pentagon leadership through the Business Operators for National Defense (BOND) initiative, which aims to leverage industry expertise to improve the Pentagon's acquisition system.
