text: Good morning. Here’s your Early Warning for Wednesday, 5 January 2022.TODAY’S BRIEFING:Defense Department continues anti-extremist huntStaffing shortages undermine critical U.S. cyber defensesChina locks down second city in pursuit of zero-COVID policyU.S. wants Taiwan in State Partnership Program Silicon Valley, Washington call for podcast censorshipHazards WarningRussia-NATO SITREP: NATO EXTRAORDINARY MEETING, UKRAINE SUSPECTS RUSSIAN BATTLE STRATEGY, SENATE DEMS COULD APPROVE NORDSTREAM 2Indo-Pacific SITREP: CHINA HEATS UP BORDER WITH INDIA, DEVELOPS NEW HYPERSONIC GUIDANCE CAPABILITY, MYANMAR CIVIL WARLIC Summary/ INTSUMSITUATIONAL AWARENESSDEFENSE DEPT CONTINUES ANTI-EXTREMIST HUNT: Political activists are calling Secretary of Defense Austin’s new guidelines on identifying and removing extremists from the military inadequate. The new guidance prohibits “liking” posts on social media and attending events where violence is “likely.” The Pentagon’s own extremism working group said, “The available data generally shows that cases of prohibited extremist activity among service members was rare.” The working group’s final report is due in June 2022 and will include updates on “information-collection systems and data” and “behavioral pathways to extremist activity.” Lawmakers like Rep. Brown (D-MD) and Rep. Crow (D-CO) called the Pentagon’s Constitutional concerns “a joke.” (Analyst Comment: Far Left politicians appear to want a politically homogeneous military. Their “rejection” of Constitutional protections indicates their loyalty lies with maintaining political power rather than any oath of office. As America’s Low Intensity Conflict continues, a biased military could impact disaster responses, stifle opposing political ideals, and further unconstitutional behavior by the dominant political ideology. – D.M.) CISA’S LIMITED REACH TO DEFEND: The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) hasn’t filled critical advisor positions in state, local, and tribal governments to improve their joint-interoperability and extended reach to fight the growing cybersecurity threat domestically. CISA states that it needs these members to be closer to the front-line clear picture of the different attack vectors impacting different states and regions. Key positions to meet this program have yet to be filled as CISA competes for talent with private sector companies providing larger salaries and benefits packages. (AC: CISA has limited reach to defend against ransomware in critical industries. Even success stories highlight problems with recovery timelines, with recoveries from attacks on food production companies taking weeks. CISA is likely to provide limited effectiveness during a state-sponsored cyberattack on industry and infrastructure. Despite the new federal focus on cybersecurity, improvements seem limited to decreased response and recovery times. – D.F.)CHINA LOCKS DOWN SECOND CITY OVER COVID FEARS: China locked down the city of Yuzhou in Henan province on Tuesday after three cases of asymptomatic COVID-19 were discovered. The city of almost 1.2 million people joins Xi’an’s 13 million residents in the latest round of COVID restrictions. Authorities in Yuzhou announced the new lockdown late on Monday evening. Residents must remain inside, and communities have been placed under guard with sentries posted at gates. Public transportation was also suspended, and all road and vehicular traffic not related to the epidemic response is prohibited. (AC: China continues its zero-COVID policies ahead of the Beijing 2022 Olympics. Continued draconian lockdowns will soon impact businesses and drive down economic growth. Beijing appears to be comfortable with this threat, likely believing the increased tourism related to the Olympics will offset the economic damage. – M.M.)