Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., tells'America Reports' that China is the primary geopolitical threat to the U.S. and should be addressed more by presidential candidates. The tentacles of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are creeping into an increasing number of U.S. industries in China's coordinated campaign to infiltrate critical industries to the U.S. economy. The CCP views theft of U.S. intellectual property as "a strategic resource," and China remains the largest source of counterfeit and pirated goods in the world. Chinese companies are building electric vehicle (EV) battery plants near key U.S. military installations, and China still controls the global chips market despite investments in U.S. production. China is also flexing its dominance of the rare earth sector in retaliation for U.S. trade policy, and China is in talks to create a new military facility just miles from the American homeland.

Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin has the details from the Pentagon on'America Reports.' The United States may have shot down one of Communist China's spy balloons, but America's problem of surveillance from foreign powers is far from destroyed. Many Americans were alarmed as we watched the Biden administration take a dangerously lazy approach to taking down the Chinese spy balloon. We are right to be upset about this, and demand action in response, but that balloon is just a small piece of Communist China's massive surveillance effort targeting you, our military and American businesses. The harsh reality is that the Chinese Communist Party has been surveilling the United States for years using drones purchased with your taxpayer dollars and operated by your federal government.

As wildfires grow in size and frequency, more resources are needed to keep them in check. But experts say a Trump administration directive halting the purchase of new drones jeopardizes the rise of cutting-edge technology, curtailing the ability to manage wildfires and potentially putting more lives in danger. In October 2019, the US Department of the Interior grounded its fleet of more than 800 drones and put a freeze on buying new ones due to concerns of Chinese spying. Many of the devices were used in wildfire fighting and prevention, including starting prescribed burns, a key tool in controlling wildfire. The interior department carries out more than 10,000 drone flights a year on average, according to federal documents.

The U.S. Department of Defense is getting rid of Chinese-manufactured drones over cybersecurity concerns. The U.S. Pacific Command announced on Thursday that the Defense Department and the entire federal government will have access to secure, trusted, and American-made commercial drones on the General Service Administration schedule. This new DIU initiative, dubbed Blue small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS), is the culmination of 18 months of work by the Army and DIU to tailor the best technology from U.S. and allied companies to develop small unmanned aircraft systems that can be safely adopted by men and women in uniform, Acting Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Michael Kratsios announced at a virtual event hosted by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). During the Aug. 18 DIU event, Kratsios said it also has important impacts for the nation's broader economic and national security. "UAS technologies have incredible promise and potential to not only provide great economic benefit for the American people, but also to enhance safety and security for our nation. We need a strong, secure domestic UAS manufacturing base to ensure American leadership in this critical field," he said.

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, Republican member of the House Judiciary Committee, is pressuring the Justice Department to halt the use of Chinese-made drones. Get all the latest news on coronavirus and more delivered daily to your inbox. House Judiciary Committee member Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., is pressuring the Justice Department to halt the use of Chinese-made drones by state and local governments, telling "Tucker Carlson Tonight" Monday they may be giving hostile forces important law enforcement information. "China is massively expanding a Trojan horse spying operation in our country and your local police department may be unknowingly helping them," Gaetz. "The United States Army, the Department of Interior, they've banned their use of these DJI drones, citing vulnerability and potential value for other countries. "The Department of Homeland Security wrote a scathing report that said that China specifically goes after local law enforcement," Gaetz continued. "They did so even before the coronavirus so that they can get key information transmitted to the Chinese government.

A DJI Technology drone flies during a demonstration in Shenzhen, China, in 2014. DJI sells the majority of Chinese-made drones bought in the United States. A DJI Technology drone flies during a demonstration in Shenzhen, China, in 2014. DJI sells the majority of Chinese-made drones bought in the United States. Drones have become an increasingly popular tool for industry and government.

The US government is warning businesses about the risks of using Chinese-made aerial drones on claims they may pose a spying threat. On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security issued an industry alert over the alleged spying dangers, according to CNN. The alert doesn't name a specific company, but one of the biggest drone manufacturers in the world is DJI, which is based in Shenzhen, China. The department is worried the drone technologies can collect information and secretly send it back to their manufacturers in China. If this occurs, the Chinese government has the power to compel the manufacturer to hand over all the acquired data.

NEW YORK – The U.S. Army has ordered its members to stop using drones made by the Chinese manufacturer SZ DJI Technology Co. Ltd. because of "cyber vulnerabilities" in the products. An Aug. 2 army memo posted online and verified by Reuters applies to all DJI drones and systems that use DJI components or software. It requires service members to "cease all use, uninstall all DJI applications, remove all batteries/storage media and secure equipment for follow-on direction." The memo says DJI drones are the most widely used by the army among off-the-shelf equipment of that type. DJI said in a statement that it was "surprised and disappointed" at the army's "unprompted restriction on DJI drones as we were not consulted during their decision."