Over the last six episodes, guests have discussed the background and current state of play in confronting the challenges posed by the Chinese Communist Party in the American homeland. From higher education, critical infrastructure, supply chains, and pension funds, listeners have heard how state executives and legislatures have become aware of and reacted to the CCP’s malign influence campaigns inside our own borders. In this series finale, former Ambassador and Founder of Secure Our States Coalition Joseph Cella summarizes the key themes of the series and discusses the future of state-level responses to this rising threat.

(2:20) How Diplomatic Service Shapes Perspective

(5:46) China’s Moves in the American Homeland

(8:40) China’s Next Targets

(12:35) How State Governments Need to Adjust Their Responses to the CCP

(15:28) Secure Our State Coalition’s Work

(18:30) The Future of State-Federal Cooperation on National Security

(22:28) The Next Steps for the States

(24:55) Why This Matters and Reasons for Hope

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3HY0UBKZgtE

Across the country, state legislators are increasingly jumping into the fight against China, using their positions to raise awareness about the threat China poses and push for policies to protect their states. In this episode, Louisiana State Senator Valarie Hodges and Michigan State Representative William Bruck discuss the integral role lawmakers in state capitals play to safeguard Americans from the Chinese Communist Party.

(2:50) Entering Politics and Identifying the China Threat

(7:10) How Constituents See China

(9:16) The Michigan State House Oversight Subcommittee on Homeland Security and Foreign Influence

(12:00) Learning from the Examples of Other States

(17:30) Why Combatting the CCP Threat Should Be a Bipartisan Issue

(21:00) Why States Must Play a Role in National Security

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/PLnj5MYvd7I

From getting Chinese components out of America’s critical infrastructure and stopping state tax dollars from funding CCP companies, governors and their cabinets play important roles protecting the American heartland from the CCP threat. In this episode, Kenny Zoeller, Director of the Policy Research Office for Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen, discusses how state executives can use the tools at their disposal to identify vulnerabilities, build coalitions, and work with the federal government to enact proactive policies against the CCP’s malign influence schemes.

(2:36) The Threats China Poses to the States and the Role States Play in National Security

(5:57) Building Strategies for Policy Change

(9:50) Committee on Pacific Conflict and Coalition-Building

(13:44) Confronting Pushback to Steps Forward

(17:33) Working with the Federal Government

(20:29) Working with Other States

(22:59) Why Should Stakeholders in the States Take the China Threat Seriously?

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/EjaqvqmiufU

For years, American public pension funds have been lining the coffers of the Chinese Communist Party, posing both a financial risk and a threat to our national security. Because every Chinese company is ultimately beholden to the CCP, the money invested in these entities can be frozen and stolen whenever the CCP wants- a terrible investment for Americans. Dr. OJ Oleka, CEO of the State Financial Officers Foundation, joins The Vandenberg Coalition to outline how states can insulate themselves from the risk of placing retirement funds in the hands of the CCP.

(2:00) Why do states invest in China?

(5:59) Federalism and divestment

(9:31) Balancing national security and business interests

(13:25) How to raise awareness on the state-level

(16:53) SFOF’s letter to the SEC

(20:17) What does success look like in divesting from China?

(21:55) What can states and constituents do?

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/C0TTm4UyAUQ

China has slowly been working its way into all sectors of American life. The United Front has identified critical infrastructure and supply chains as surefire avenues to disrupting America’s stability. Its industrial footprint spans the entirety of the U.S. and creeps into every home via pharmaceuticals, energy, telecommunications, and more. On this episode, Vandenberg Coalition Advisory Board members David Feith and Ambassador Kelley Currie explore the breadth of this component of the United Front and identify areas of success or potential space for new policymaking on the subnational level to address it.

(3:13) Defining China’s Industrial Foothold

(9:37) Solar Inverters and Other Critical Infrastructure Risks

(17:33) How States Succeed: The Nebraska Model

(23:10) China’s Farmland Acquisition

(30:37) Pharmaceuticals and What States Should Do on Supply Chains and Critical Infrastructure

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zJY98MII2VY

China has identified college campuses as one of the largest gateways into American society. As they stand, our institutions of higher education have become some of the most significant targets for bad actors in this country. Chinese Students and Scholars Associations encourage disruptions of guest speakers, students loyal to Beijing steal research for the People’s Liberation Army’s benefit, and China targets American pupils with propaganda on TikTok. Their blatant assault on the places meant to encourage honesty and meticulousness demonstrates why we have chosen this issue as our first pillar of China’s threats to the homeland, as explained by Vandenberg Coalition Advisory Board member Jackie Deal and James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal President Jenna Robinson.

(2:55) Why China Targets Colleges and Universities

(8:06) Chinese Students and Scholars Associations

(11:12) Research Theft

(17:28) Student Visas

(20:04) The China-Iran Alliance to Disrupt Campuses

(25:06) What Do State Policymakers and Students Need to Do?

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/o2__N0dwhqA

What is China’s United Front strategy and how does it threaten us? How does China both weaponize and harass its nationals on American university campuses, control critical infrastructure and supply chains, and manipulate the financial assets of American public employees? Vandenberg Coalition Advisory Board member Michael Sobolik and State Armor CEO Michael Lucci help us understand China’s United Front strategy and how they want to use it to make us weaker.

(2:36) What is the United Front?

(10:51) The Scope of the United Front

(13:51) What the Federal Government Has Done on the China Threat

(19:00) What the States Have Done on the China Threat

(22:50) The Line Between the State and Federal Governments on National Security

(25:00) The Advantages the United States Has Over the Chinese Communist Party

(30:40) Why Does This All Matter?

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8WE1vebra4A