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Bill Gertz

Bill Gertz

Bill Gertz is a national security columnist for The Washington Times and senior editor at The Washington Free Beacon (www.freebeacon.com). He has been with The Times since 1985.

He is the author of six books, four of them national best-sellers. His latest book, "The Failure Factory," on government bureaucracy and national security, was published in September 2008.

Mr. Gertz also writes a weekly column called Inside the Ring, a weekly column that chronicles the U.S. national security bureaucracy.

Mr. Gertz has been a guest lecturer at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va.; the Central Intelligence Agency in Virginia; the National Defense University at Fort McNair in Washington; and the Brookings Institution in Washington. He has participated in the National Security Studies Program at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

He studied English literature at Washington College in Chestertown, Md., and journalism at George Washington University. He is married and has two daughters.

Articles by Bill Gertz

Adm. John Richardson (left), chief of naval operations, met this week with senior officials of China's People's Liberation Army to continue dialogue and to specifically address risk reduction and operational safety measures during encounters at sea. (U.S. Navy)

Navy chief in China

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson visited China this week amid heightened tensions over naval operations in the South China Sea, trade differences and the prosecution of a senior executive from a Chinese telecommunications company. Published January 16, 2019

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said in a statement, "We have deep respect for Secretary Mattis' lifetime of service, and it has been a privilege to serve as his deputy secretary." (Associated Press/File)

Shanahan in charge

Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan is now in charge at the Pentagon, taking over as acting defense secretary Monday from outgoing Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. Published January 2, 2019

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer linked Zhang Shoucheng's Silicon Valley venture capital firm Danhua Capital to China's "Made in China 2025" technology dominance program days before Zhang's apparent suicide. (Associated Press/File)

Physicist linked to China program

A noted Chinese-born physicist and Stanford University quantum scientist who died Dec. 1 was linked to Beijing's major program to corner the world market in key advanced technologies. Published December 12, 2018

America's adversaries recognize that U.S. command and control systems are major targets in a conflict. If the military's ability to communicate is disrupted, then military effectiveness will be severely limited. (Associated Press/File)

Air Force study on EMP threat

U.S. military facilities involved in command and control of forces face a growing risk of disruption by an electromagnetic pulse attack or solar superstorm that could knock out all electronics at the strategic bases, according to a report. Published December 5, 2018

National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow said President Trump believes there is a good chance a deal will be reached on the trade war with the Chinese. (Associated Press/File)

U.S.-China deal at G-20 prompts fears

China specialists in and out of government are increasingly worried that President Trump will make major concessions to China during the Group of 20 economic summit in Argentina this week. Published November 28, 2018

Nathaniel Gleicher (right), Facebook's head of cybersecurity policy, monitors election-related content on the social media platform with Samidh Chakrabarti (left), director of elections and civic engagement, and Katie Harbath, global politics and government outreach director. (Associated Press)

Election interference deterred?

Threats by the Trump administration to retaliate for any foreign interference in the midterm elections appear to have deterred China and Russia from attempting to disrupt the voting or vote tallying Tuesday. Published November 7, 2018

Christopher Ford, assistant secretary of state for international security and nonproliferation, said his bureau at the State Department has joined with Los Alamos National Laboratory to put up barriers to Beijing's proliferation of sensitive technologies to build its "China Dream." (Associated Press/File)

State official on China tech theft

The State Department is stepping up efforts to block China from acquiring American technology in a large-scale, high-technology military buildup. Published October 31, 2018

Vice President Mike Pence, speaking Oct. 4 at the Hudson Institute in Washington, said China was using its power in "more proactive and coercive ways to interfere in the domestic policies and politics of the United States." (Associated Press)

New details on Chinese election meddling

Vice President Mike Pence announced earlier this month that China is working to unseat President Trump and meddle in U.S. elections, revealing what he said was Beijing's plan as outlined in an internal government propaganda directive. Published October 24, 2018

M-16A2 Assault Rifle - U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Jerry Sexton fires the M-16A2 rifle during reflex shooting training, which is the ability to react quickly and accurately to an immediate enemy threat, during the Patriot exercise at Fort McCoy, Wis., July 16, 2008. Patriot is an annual exercise held across the United States that increases the warfighting capabilities of the National Guard and the reserve and active components of the United States Air Force and Army. The participation of Canadian, United Kingdom and Dutch forces increases combined effectiveness. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Matthew Smith/Released) ** FILE **

Army gears up for info warfare

The Army this month outlined its plan for using modern-day information warfare in future military conflicts as part of new, high-technology warfighting capabilities. Published October 17, 2018

PACOM on China's Belt and Road

The Pentagon's Pacific Command is pushing back against China's attempt to relabel its global infrastructure development initiative to make it more palatable for strategic messaging in support of Beijing's drive for global hegemony. Published October 10, 2018

The Navy's guided missile destroyer USS Decatur was operating in the South China Sea as part of the Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group when a Chinese destroyer came aggressively close, forcing the U.S. ship to maneuver to prevent a collision. The Chinese warship approached the USS Decatur in an "unsafe and unprofessional maneuver," said Lt. Cmdr. Tim Gorman, spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Fleet. (Associated Press)

U.S.-China warship confrontation

Amid worsening U.S.-China military relations, a Chinese warship in the South China Sea this week passed dangerously close to a Navy guided missile destroyer in the most provocative encounter in many months. Published October 3, 2018

Li Shangfu (center), who was slapped with U.S. sanctions this week for buying arms from Russia, is director of the Equipment Development Department of China's Central Military Commission. The department announced a database that will likely benefit from China's theft of 22.1 million records on American federal workers, including those with security clearances, from the Office of Personnel Management in 2015. (Associated Press/File)

China steps up spying on U.S. military

China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) is stepping up open-source spying on the U.S. military and other foreign militaries that will utilize artificial intelligence means. Published September 26, 2018

Jens Stoltenberg is secretary general of NATO, whose Strategic Communications Center of Excellence has released a report highlighting the growing use of "fake news" in the era of "post-truth" politics. (Associated Press/File)

NATO on fake news and post-truth

A report by the NATO Strategic Communications Center of Excellence highlights the growing use of "fake news" in the era of "post-truth" politics. Published September 19, 2018

Chinese propaganda outlets have provided extensive coverage of Bob Woodward's latest book, "Fear," which criticizes the Trump administration. (Associated Press)

China promotes anti-Trump book

China's government propaganda outlets are actively promoting the anti-President Trump book released this week by Washington Post writer Bob Woodward, called "Fear." Published September 12, 2018

Russia, like China, is believed to be using development of advanced missile defenses as cover for secret programs to build satellite-killing missiles. (Associated Press/File)

Russian ASAT test?

Russia conducted a flight test of new missile recently, and U.S. defense officials say Moscow is set to conduct another test of an anti-satellite missile called the Nudol. Published September 5, 2018

Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats, the president's designated security executive agent, is the ultimate arbiter of granting and removing security clearances. (Associated Press/File)

More clearance revocations coming

The White House is expected to announce a second round of security clearance revocations for former government officials in the near future. Published August 29, 2018

According to a Pentagon report, China fears North Korea's provocative nuclear and missile tests will set off a regional conflict. Beijing wants stability, a denuclearized peninsula and no U.S. forces near its borders. (Associated Press)

China set for North Korea invasion

The Pentagon's latest annual report on China's military for the first time reveals contingency plans by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to intervene in North Korea. Published August 22, 2018

"Today we are the most powerful military in the world and find ourselves in a competition among great powers," said Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis. This week he issued a memorandum to the military that emphasized the need for discipline and lethality. "We must have better individual and unit discipline than our enemies," Mr. Mattis said. (Associated Press)

China's Ukrainian jet engines

China has deployed one aircraft carrier and has plans for at least three more of the strategic power projection platforms as part of Beijing's large-scale military buildup. Published August 15, 2018