A senior cybersecurity official at the Pentagon is causing concern after he announced he’s leaving his position. But it’s why he’s leaving his position that has many Americans unsettled.

Nicolas Chaillan resigned from his Pentagon position on September 2nd, explaining that the US has “no chance of competing” with China in a LinkedIn post.

Chaillan says that China has a “drastic advantage of population over the US.” He says this fact means that the US needs to be a more innovative country if it wants to compete. But it seems Chaillan feels the US has no chance in this department, calling US AI capabilities “kindergarten level.”

“We have no competing fighting chance against China in 15 to 20 years. Right now, it’s already a done deal; it is already over in my opinion,” he continued.

Chaillan says that advanced cyber and AI security firms are helping China advance leaps and bounds beyond where the US currently resides. His sentiment is backed up by a March report saying the US is “not prepared to defend the United States in the coming artificial intelligence (AI) era.”

Chaillan also says the US can’t increase spending to help the alleged dire circumstances. 

“I am just tired of continuously chasing support and money to do my job. My office still has no billet and no funding, this year and the next,” he wrote.

China currently seems to be focused on advancing its military initiatives into embattled Taiwan. 

While Chaillan’s words do feel dramatic, they are likely none too surprising to those that have monitored China’s attempt to become a world superpower, likely by 2030. 

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