Utah is taking a "proactive approach" against the Chinese government targeting state assets. Foreign adversaries understand that state governments are easier to infiltrate than the federal government.

Salt Lake City

Utah is taking steps to safeguard state assets against foreign adversaries, particularly the Chinese government. Captain Tanner Jensen of the Statewide Information Analysis Center highlighted that Utah is a target for various activities, including cybercrime, surveillance, intellectual property theft, and attempts to disrupt democratic processes.

Michael Lucci, CEO of State Armor, noted that state governments are often targeted due to their relatively limited experience with national security threats. He cited examples such as Chinese ownership of major companies in the food supply chain, emphasizing the importance of vigilance across sectors. Utah's Department of Public Safety continues to monitor and respond to these evolving threats to protect residents and infrastructure.

Utah takes 'proactive approach' against Chinese government

We really have taken a proactive approach and making sure that our foreign adversaries aren't affecting our homelands, not as just a country, but also as a state in Utah, because we know we're targets here in Utah. Captain Tanner Jensen is the head of the Statewide Information Analysis Center, which coordinates information and intelligence with federal, state, and local agencies. He says investigators aren't just looking at land purchases. But you're also looking at cyber crimes, cybersecurity, the intelligence collection, surveillance, you name it, intellectual property theft, you know, attempts to sow discord within our own democratic process. Michael Lucci is the founder and CEO of State Armor, based in Texas, which helps states protect against foreign adversaries. They target state governments because they know and they understand that state governments are not as sophisticated on national security threats, foreign policy threats. They've never had to address national security threats. Lucci says the Chinese government isn't just targeting U.S. military intelligence and intellectual properties. He believes they're also targeting our food supply and points to Smithfield Foods, the largest pork producer in the world, which until two years ago, had a huge operation in Beaver County. It's owned by China. Syngenta, which is one of the most important fertilizer and pesticide companies in the world, it's owned by the government of China. It's literally owned by a state-owned enterprise of China. So they already control important choke points in our food supply chain. So whether it's military intelligence, intellectual properties, cybersecurity, land purchases, election interference, or our food supply, protecting Utahns keeps DPS investigators very busy. We know that foreign nation state actors are continuing to look to find ways to get an advantage over our country. And they look at Utah as an opportunity to infiltrate and gain access to a lot of the great things that we have here in Utah.

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