I have a hard time believing this is anything new.

"Another complicating factor is that taking action against an adversary often requires surreptitiously operating in the networks of an ally, like Germany — a problem that often gave the Obama administration pause."

In the light of the previous administration specifically targeting our ally Germany[0], including Merkel herself, what is that sentence even supposed to mean?

[0] https://www.cnn.com/2015/07/03/politics/germany-media-spying...