扎心啊！彭博：五角大楼面临国会不愿解决的华为困境

其实当初就是五角大楼极力要禁华为的哈，现在却发现禁不掉了。咋啦？再禁就要把自己给关禁闭了，包括巴黎航展范堡罗航展都没法玩了，更别说中东非洲拉美那些地盘了。

 

郁闷吧？以前是用了华为会危害国家安全，现在是不用华为会危害国家安全。说五角大楼的官员们很懒惰是很不thick road的哈，因为最早禁华为就是他们提出的啊，不过现在玩不转了。怎么办？没办法，打不过，就加入。If you can't beat them, join 'em.

 

（古狗翻译哈，如果有误本人概不负责）

 

五角大楼面临国会不愿解决的华为困境

 

（彭博社）——五角大楼面临一个问题：作为全球最大的雇主之一，五角大楼如何避免与依赖中国华为技术有限公司（全球最大的电信提供商）的公司做生意？

到目前为止，国防部表示不能这样做，尽管 2019 年的一项美国法律禁止国防部与任何使用华为设备的人签订合同。五角大楼争取豁免的努力引发了与国会的新一轮对峙，国防官员警告称，如果不解决这一问题，可能会危及国家安全。

自该法通过五年多以来，五角大楼一直在寻求正式豁免其根据《2019 年国防授权法》第 889 条所承担的义务，该法禁止政府机构与使用华为组件的实体签订合同。

其理由是，华为在其开展业务的国家的系统中根深蒂固——该公司占全球所有电信设备收入的近三分之一——以至于不可能找到替代方案。官员们认为，严格遵守这些限制将破坏五角大楼购买军方所依赖的大量医疗用品、药品、服装和其他类型后勤支持的能力。

“在世界上的某些地方，你真的无法摆脱华为，”5M Strategies 创始人、前国防部官员 Brennan Grignon 说。“最初的立法背后有着非常好的意图，但我个人认为，执行和理解其含义并没有经过深思熟虑，”她说。

到目前为止，负责该立法的众议院和参议院委员会拒绝在 2025 年国防授权法案中纳入豁免。这反映出日益增长的反华情绪，以及人们对华为的失望，华为最近一个季度的利润飙升了 564%，但却成功避开了美国对该公司实施的金融制裁的影响。

众议院和参议院军事委员会的代表没有回应置评请求。

针对华为的举措让人想起了美国总统唐纳德·特朗普执政期间，美国开始认真推动对中国和华为等公司采取强硬措施，美国官员称这些公司可能被中国政府用作间谍工具。

这一举措反映了美国更广泛的努力，即说服各国政府将华为从其最敏感的网络中移除。阿联酋拒绝从其科技网络中移除所有华为硬件，导致这个海湾国家购买 F-35 战斗机的交易泡汤。美国也向沙特阿拉伯和一些拉丁美洲国家提出了类似的要求。

在某些情况下，一些国家提出反对，认为美国及其盟友没有华为产品的替代品，因为华为的产品通常比竞争对手的产品便宜得多。

“他们很懒惰”

五角大楼的论点对一些对华鹰派人士没有说服力，他们认为国防部必须加快行动，利用其作为主要买家的影响力来推动变革。

“我确实对五角大楼的人有些同情，因为他们在亚太地区和欧洲确实拥有庞大的网络，需要联系各种事物，”经济战略研究所所长克莱德·普雷斯托维茨说。“但他们很懒惰。对于这些地区的公司来说，与美国国防部做大生意很重要。我觉得我们应该采取一切措施，尽可能地消灭华为。”

然而，在四月份发布的一份分析报告中，五角大楼坚持认为，授予豁免权“将使印度太平洋、欧洲和非洲战区的重要补给任务成为可能。”

在世界许多地方，美国军方人员都依赖华为网络开展工作，从在非洲执行任务的特种部队到参加巴黎和伦敦郊外范堡罗国际航空展的五角大楼高级官员。

五角大楼发言人杰夫·尤尔根森表示，延长豁免期将允许采购被认为有助于美国国家安全利益的物品。他说，豁免不会扩展到情报界。

参议院情报委员会主席马克·沃纳参议员承认，豁免可能是必要的。但他拒绝透露何时或是否会发生这种情况。

弗吉尼亚州民主党人沃纳在一份声明中表示：“我理解在符合美国更大国家安全利益的有限情况下需要 889 豁免。”

 

Pentagon Has a Huawei Dilemma Congress Doesn’t Want to Solve

Story by Daniel Flatley

 

(Bloomberg) -- The Pentagon has a problem: How does one of the world’s largest employers avoid doing business with companies that rely on China’s Huawei Technologies Co., the world’s largest telecommunications provider?

So far, the Defense Department is saying that it can’t, despite a 2019 US law that barred it from contracting with anyone who uses Huawei equipment. The Pentagon’s push for an exemption is provoking a fresh showdown with Congress that defense officials warn could jeopardize national security if not resolved.

As it has done since the law was passed more than five years ago, the Pentagon is seeking a formal waiver to its obligations under Section 889 of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, which barred government agencies from signing contracts with entities that use Huawei components. 

Its rationale is that Huawei is so firmly entrenched in the systems of countries where it does business — the company accounts for almost one-third of all telecommunications equipment revenue globally — that finding alternatives would be impossible. Meeting the restrictions to the letter would disrupt the Pentagon’s ability to purchase the vast quantities of medical supplies, drugs, clothing and other types of logistical support the military relies on, officials contend.

“There are certain parts of the world where you literally cannot get away from Huawei,” said Brennan Grignon, the founder of 5M Strategies and a former Defense Department official. “The original legislation had very good intentions behind it, but the execution and understanding of the implications of what it would mean, I personally think that wasn’t really thought through,” she said.

So far, the House and Senate committees in charge of the legislation have declined to include a waiver in the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act. That’s a reflection of growing anti-China sentiment and a frustration that Huawei, whose profit surged 564% in the most recent quarter, has managed to deflect the impact of US financial sanctions imposed on the company.

Representatives for the House and Senate Armed Services Committees did not respond to requests for comment.

 

Huawei Top Global Telecommunications Equipment Provider | Chinese giant had 30% of worldwide revenue share in 2023, despite US restrictions© Dell'Oro Group

The move to target Huawei hearkens back to the US push that began in earnest under President Donald Trump to get tough on China and companies like Huawei that American officials say could be used as a spying tool by the Chinese government.

That push has mirrored a broader US effort to persuade governments to rid Huawei from their most sensitive networks. A refusal by the United Arab Emirates to rip out all Huawei hardware from its tech networks scuttled a deal for the Gulf nation to buy F-35 fighter jets. The US has made similar requests to Saudi Arabia and some Latin American nations. 

In some cases, countries have objected, arguing that the US and its allies have no alternative to Huawei’s products, which are often much less expensive than those offered by competitors. 

‘They’re Lazy’

The Pentagon argument doesn’t hold sway with some China hawks, who argue that the Defense Department must move more quickly and use its sway as a major buyer to force change.

“I do have some sympathy with the Pentagon guys because they do have a huge network of different things that they have to connect with in the Asia-Pacific region and also in Europe,” said Clyde Prestowitz, president of the Economic Strategy Institute. “But they’re lazy. For companies in those areas, to have big business with the US Department of the Defense is important. And I feel that we should be taking every step to eliminate Huawei where we can.”

Yet in an analysis released in April, the Pentagon maintained that granting the waiver authority “would enable vital resupply missions in the Indo-Pacific, European and African theaters.”

In many parts of the world, US military personnel depend on Huawei networks to do their jobs, from special operators carrying out missions in Africa to senior Pentagon officials attending international air shows in Paris and Farnborough, outside of London.

Pentagon spokesman Jeff Jurgensen said extending the waiver would allow for purchases if they’re deemed to further US national security interests. The waiver wouldn’t extend to elements of the intelligence community, he said.

Senator Mark Warner, chairman of the chamber’s intelligence committee, acknowledged a waiver may be necessary. But he declined to say when or if that might happen.

“I understand the need for 889 waivers in limited contexts where it’s in the larger national security interest of the United States,” Warner, a Virginia Democrat, said in a statement.

--With assistance from Tony Capaccio.

Pentagon Has a Huawei Dilemma Congress Doesn’t Want to Solve (msn.com)