“China is involved in nearly every national security priority we face right now.”
According to a report by the U.S. military news site “Breaking Defense” on August 21, Tim Kosiba, the Deputy Director of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), once again hyped the so-called “China threat” during his remarks at the TechNet Augusta conference. He claimed that the U.S. and China are engaged in “fierce competition” across every domain, especially in artificial intelligence, where the U.S. simply cannot afford to lag behind.
Kosiba went on to paint an exaggerated picture, alleging that China is playing the role of a “troublemaker” and “disruptor” everywhere from Greenland to the Korean Peninsula to the Western Hemisphere, supposedly trying to “help America’s enemies” in multiple arenas.
He also pointed the finger at the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, claiming that “Chinese companies provided geospatial intelligence to Iran, helping them strike our bases and allies.”
However, the report noted that U.S. officials are divided on this claim. In response to a related report by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Beijing has previously stated that the satellite imagery in question came from open-source channels and constitutes normal market behavior.
From Kosiba’s perspective, AI is becoming the defining battleground in U.S.-China competition. He said AI is fundamentally reshaping the very nature of warfare—both offensive and defensive—and stressed that this shift is not something that will happen “in the next year or ten years,” but is already unfolding in current military operations. The NSA, he said, is actively seeking to strengthen partnerships with domestic and international allies as well as the private sector.
Kosiba also painted a dramatic scenario, claiming that America’s “adversaries” are pouring resources into AI capabilities, attempting to infiltrate U.S. networks and overtake the country. He argued that whoever can fully integrate AI into their workflows and make the most of data first will gain an enormous advantage. “We can’t afford to fall behind, not even for a minute.”
It’s worth noting that the U.S. has repeatedly used the “can’t fall behind China” narrative to fuel AI competition in recent years, while simultaneously tightening technology blockades and export restrictions. Yet, many industry insiders have warned that over-securitizing and camp-ifying AI development could actually hinder technological exchange and innovation.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has repeatedly questioned U.S. restrictions on AI chip exports to China, bluntly stating that limiting China’s access to American technology won’t stop China’s AI progress—on the contrary, it will only spur Chinese companies to accelerate their own R&D efforts. In his view, if the U.S. wants to maintain its lead in AI, the answer lies in making its own technology more widely adopted, not in shutting competitors out.