Letter: Tysons Casino Bill An Unnecessary National Security Risk

Sally K. Horn, co-chair National Security Leaders for Fairfax and former senior director of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, submitted this letter to the members of the General Laws and Technology Committee of the Virginia Senate.

Dear Senators,

I am writing to bring to your attention the attached letter from 109 former national security professionals that outlines why a casino in Tysons, as is implicitly proposed by Senate Bill 982, presents a unique and unnecessary national security risk. This risk is an important reason why SB 982 should be vetoed when the Committee meets on Wednesday.

The list of those who signed the letter is impressive: it includes two former U.S. Congressmen, U.S. Senate-confirmed national security officials from both past Republican and Democratic administrations, former senior members of the Intelligence Community from both the analytic and operational branches, retired U. S. Ambassadors and diplomats, retired military officers, retired career national security officials in the Defense Department, retired scientists, and many others. This distinguished group comes by its appreciation of national security risks from years of working in their respective fields to promote US national security and counter risks posed by the Soviet Union, Russia, China, Iran and many others. With their deep backgrounds and expertise, they can speak credibly on the topic of national security and on which national security risks are worth taking to protect national security and which risks would be deemed needless. In their considered judgement, a Tysons casino represents a needless risk.

Related: Tysons Casino Bill Passes First Hurdle In VA Senate Subcommittee

Casino advocates have asked numerous times why a casino in Tysons would be any different from the casino at MGM National Harbor or gaming resorts in Dumfries and West Virginia. Simply put, Tysons is unique. Nowhere else in this region (i.e. the abutting communities in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Northern Virginia) or in West Virginia can you find such a large concentration of intelligence, defense, and other federal offices, and contractors whose employees hold security clearances at the highest security level. (The number of federal employees is roughly 20,000; the number of contractors is at least as great.) Plus, many others with security clearances who do not work in the Greater Tysons area live there.

For those in the national security community who work and /or live in the Greater Tysons area, a Tysons casino would be within easy walking or driving distance. The same cannot be said of, for example, the MGM casino at National Harbor, which on a good day is roughly 40-45 minutes from Tysons. Why would anyone with a gambling problem go to these other casinos or gaming resorts when they could feed their addiction so close to work and/or home, perhaps during lunch hour or just after work?

Related: Tysons Casino Tramples Neighborhoods, Ignores Residents: Opponents

Problem or addicted gamblers in the national security community who are deep into debt and/or unwilling to seek treatment (because they know that revealing their addiction very likely will result in loss of their security clearance and job) have proven to be relatively easy marks for blackmail, compromise and recruitment by Russia, China, and other foreign spies seeking American secrets. This is not idle speculation: the public record has documented seven cases where national security experts succumbed to compromise and recruitment because of debt. Loss of sensitive national security secrets can result in immeasurable damage to our national security. A Tysons casino would be fertile ground for adversaries to identify potential marks.

The focus of the group who signed the Dec. 16 letter is on mitigating future, needless risks to national security. Keeping a casino out of Tysons is a smart way to avoid a future, needless national security risk. I hope you will veto SB 982 and protect our national security.

Thank you.

Respectfully,

Sally K. Horn
Co-Chair National Security Leaders for Fairfax
Former Senior Director, Office of the Secretary of Defense

Read all of Patch's reporting on the plan to build a casino on Metro's Silver Line in Fairfax County at Silver Line Casino.