Washington, D.C.

April 25, 2024

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

Thank you all for joining us today to kick off the Disruptive Technology Protection Network, as first envisioned by the leadership of our three countries at Camp David this past summer.

Our gathering together here in this Great Hall – and the formal launch of this joint effort – couldn’t come at a more important time.

As you just heard from Deputy Attorney General Monaco and Assistant Attorney General Olsen, the world is at an inflection point.  Powerful new technologies, like generative AI, are greatly increasing the risk of future asymmetric threats to our collective national security.

As Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement at the Department of Commerce, I lead a team of law enforcement agents and analysts who work all day every day to keep our country’s most sensitive technologies out of the world’s most dangerous hands.

But we don’t do that work alone.  Last year, we partnered with DOJ to stand up the Disruptive Technology Strike Force, which brings together agents, analysts, and prosecutors in 17 locations across the United States to disrupt foreign actors who are trying to obtain advanced U.S. technology. 

The Strike Force uses an all-tools approach to disruption, from bringing criminal indictments to adding parties to the Commerce Department’s Entity List.  The Strike Force harnesses the authorities of each partner agency – DOJ, Commerce, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service – both to prevent bad actors from acquiring our highest-priority technologies and to hold them accountable if they do.  We’re more impactful when we work together. 

And that impact is undeniable.  Over the last year, the Strike Force has charged 16 cases against Russian, Chinese, and Iranian procurement networks for the transfer of sensitive information, goods, and military-grade technology.  Last month, in two different cases, the Strike Force indicted three people accused of stealing advanced trade secrets related to electric vehicles and artificial intelligence. The Strike Force’s work has also led to Temporary Denial Orders against nearly 30 entities and the addition of multiple parties to the Entity List.

But as much as we’ve been able to accomplish here in the United States, more needs to be done to meet the moment the world currently faces.  Our actions alone are insufficient to match the threat posed by our adversaries.  That’s exactly why our collective leadership – President Biden, Prime Minister Kishida, and President Yoon – agreed last year to expand our collaboration on technology protection measures.  It’s why they charged all of us with creating and implementing the Disruptive Technology Protection Network, a partnership that brings our technology protection teams together.  Through this network, which we’re formalizing today with the signing of the two Memoranda of Intent, we will expand our information sharing and exchange of best practices across enforcement agencies of our three countries.  In so doing, we will strengthen our collective ability to protect our advanced technology.

I thank you again for joining us today, but even more so, for joining in this critically important endeavor.  I can’t wait to see what we are able to accomplish together through the Disruptive Technology Protection Network.