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Presented by Lockheed Martin: From the SitRoom to the E-Ring, the inside scoop on defense, national security and foreign policy. | | | | | |  | | By Quint Forgey and Alexander Ward | Presented by Lockheed Martin | With help from Paul McLeary, Lee Hudson, Daniel Lippman and Andrew Desiderio | 
A Chinese military H-6K bomber is seen conducting training exercises in 2017. China has been stepping up its harassment of Taiwan, showing a new intensity and sophistication as it asserts its territorial claims in the region. | Wang Guosong/Xinhua via AP | Welcome to National Security Daily, your guide to the global events roiling Washington and keeping the administration up at night. Programming Note: National Security Daily will not publish Monday, Oct. 11. We’ll be back on our normal schedule Tuesday, Oct. 12. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Quint POLITICO held its first-ever Defense Forum today, which quickly turned into a news-filled event across three separate panels — especially when it came to Taiwan. Two lawmakers on key national security committees — one a Republican in the Senate, the other a Democrat in the House — called on the Biden administration to abandon the longtime American policy of strategic ambiguity toward Taiwan and make clear that the United States would defend the island nation should China launch an attack in the near future. “I think that removing the ambiguity would be good,” Sen. THOM TILLIS (R-N.C.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the ranking member of its personnel subcommittee, told Alex in a China-focused conversation. “It would probably have a calming effect on China’s aspirations,” Tillis argued. “I think it’s also important for the American people to understand how devastating China’s invasion of Taiwan would be,” he added. “I do believe that we need to make it clear to China that there’s a consequence.” | 
Sen. Thom Tillis speaks on a panel during POLITICO's Defense Summit. | POLITICO | Rep. AMI BERA (D-Calif.) — a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the chair of its Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia and Nonproliferation — agreed that he backs a “move away from strategic ambiguity.” “I use the term ‘strategic deterrence,’ but deterrence only if there’s clarity in that deterrence,” Bera said. “And often, we just talk about the military and deterrence. There’s economic, as well. What kind of multilateral sanctions would be placed on China should they invade Taiwan? What else would happen in the region?” Those comments came hours after The Wall Street Journal reported that a U.S. special-operations unit and a contingent of Marines have been operating in Taiwan for at least a year, training the island nation’s military forces. And although Tillis and Bera said they weren’t made aware about that specific deployment by Pentagon officials, neither lawmaker seemed upset about the troop presence. “Actually, I’d be happier if that number was in the hundreds,” Tillis said, referring to the American forces training the Taiwanese. “We have to provide a presence there that makes China’s aggressive posture that they have right now, to make it untenable to think that at some point, they’re going to take the next step and potentially threaten Taiwan’s sovereignty. … China is being provocative. And if we take a step-back posture, every step that we take back, I have no doubt China will take a step forward.” | 
Sen. Deb Fischer speaks on a panel during POLITICO's Defense Summit. | POLITICO | SPACE FORCE SCOLDING: Rep. JIM COOPER (D-Tenn.), an early proponent of the Space Force, told our own BRYAN BENDER in another panel that he’s disappointed Americans are hearing only about “ killer uniforms” instead of “killer new satellite systems” — urging the military to more quickly develop future space technologies. The House Armed Services Committee member remains unimpressed with the Space Development Agency’s model of adopting commercial space technology and reworking it for government use. “There are other aspects of the federal government that do not take that approach — now they’re largely secret, but they try to lead the rest of the world,” he said. The United States is home to cutting-edge space companies Blue Origin, Relativity Space and SpaceX, and Cooper would like to see the Space Force emulate those organizations. “We do need to see the Space Force step up its game. We have to be bolder, faster and tougher. I want to hear about new systems,” he said. ROPER VERSUS THE MACHINE: And on a panel hosted by our own LARA SELIGMAN, former Air Force acquisition chief and current CEO of drone maker Volansi WILL ROPER took aim at large, lumbering U.S. defense companies and the Defense Department that “continues trying to build the old military the same way again and again.” Trying to buy software the same way it buys aircraft carriers just doesn’t work, Roper said, which is why the behemoth defense prime contractors “cannot match the agility of the commercial sector.” What’s really needed, Roper said, “is greater flexibility from Congress and also greater open-mindedness in the Pentagon to work differently with commercial companies whose ultimate ambition is not to become the next defense prime, but who want to support the military with their technology.”
| | | FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY –– SIX GOP SFRC MEMBERS WANT TAIWAN HEARING: Six Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today sent a letter to the panel’s top two members to request regular Cabinet-level briefings with top Biden administration officials on China and Taiwan policy, as well as “an open and full committee hearing on Taiwan.” The lawmakers — Sens. BILL HAGERTY (R-Tenn.), RON JOHNSON (R-Wisc.), MARCO RUBIO (R-Fla.), TED CRUZ (R-Texas), JOHN BARRASSO (R-Wyo.), and TODD YOUNG (R-Ind.) — want some clarifications after President JOE BIDEN offered some clumsy comments about America’s Taiwan policy. “Look, China has — I've spoken with [Chinese President] XI [JINPING ] about Taiwan. We agree we — we’ll abide by the Taiwan agreement,” Biden told reporters yesterday. “That’s who we are. And we made it clear that I don’t think he should be doing anything other than abiding by the agreement.” The problem is there’s no shared agreement. Washington has different arrangements with both Beijing and Taipei, but there’s no shared policy the U.S. and China follow toward Taiwan. That’s why the senators want SFRC Chair BOB MENENDEZ (D-N.J.) and ranking member JIM RISCH (R-Idaho) to arrange more sessions on China and Taiwan. “Regular and timely briefings and hearings on these matters are critical to ensure senators have the best available knowledge to make necessary decisions and perform important oversight responsibilities on U.S. strategy and policy,” they wrote. FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY –– NEW NUCLEAR POSTURE REVIEW LEAD: RICHARD JOHNSON, one of the Pentagon’s top nuclear officials, took over as the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) lead on Monday, multiple people familiar with the matter told NatSec Daily. "He's the man on top," one DoD official said. The NPR, set to come out in early 2022, has roiled the administration from the inside. Biden has long said he wants to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in America’s defenses, but the rapid development of arsenals in China, Russia and North Korea have some officials questioning the wisdom of that position. It’s now Johnson’s job to coordinate what the new U.S. nuclear policy will be going forward. PAUL AMATO is still involved in the process, like running working groups and meetings, but he answers to Johnson, officials said. The Defense Department didn’t return a request for comment. LEONOR TOMERO, the former NPR lead, was ousted from her DoD job due to her dovish nuclear views and concerns from leadership about her work style. It’s widely expected that she will remain in the administration, but her next role remains unclear. CIA LAUNCHES CHINA MISSION CENTER: The CIA announced the formation of a new China Mission Center today, Quint and DANIEL LIPPMAN report, following a series of strategic reviews Director WILLIAM BURNS began in the spring that concentrated “on areas including China, technology, people, and partnerships,” according to an agency statement. The mission center is intended to “address the global challenge posed by the People’s Republic of China that cuts across all of the Agency’s mission areas,” the CIA said, with Burns adding that it “will further strengthen our collective work on the most important geopolitical threat we face in the 21st century, an increasingly adversarial Chinese government.” Bloomberg News’ PETER MARTIN and NICK WADHAMS first reported in August that the CIA was weighing proposals for an independent mission center focused on China, which had previously fallen under the portfolio of the agency’s Mission Center for East Asia and Pacific. The announcement from Langley comes just a day after national security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN’s meeting with China’s top diplomat, YANG JIECHI, in Switzerland — where the two envoys agreed in principle to have Biden and Xi participate in a virtual summit by the end of the year. IT’S THURSDAY: Thanks for tuning in to NatSec Daily. This space is reserved for the top U.S. and foreign officials, the lawmakers, the lobbyists, the experts and the people like you who care about how the natsec sausage gets made. Aim your tips and comments at award@politico.com and qforgey@politico.com, and follow us on Twitter at @alexbward and @QuintForgey. While you’re at it, follow the rest of POLITICO’s national security team: @nahaltoosi, @woodruffbets, @politicoryan, @PhelimKine, @BryanDBender, @laraseligman, @connorobrienNH, @paulmccleary, @leehudson, @AndrewDesiderio and @JonnyCustodio. | | A message from Lockheed Martin: Innovation and Partnership Advance Long-Range Precision Fires
PrSM joins the U.S. Army's precision fires arsenal using transformational technology on a rapid timeline to support Joint All-Domain Operations. Learn More | | | | | | U.N. EXPERT SAYS NOKO SANCTIONS SHOULD BE EASED: TOMAS OJEA QUINTANA, the United Nations’ special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, recommended in a new report that the U.N. Security Council lift some of its sanctions on leader KIM JONG UN’s regime, according to Reuters’ STEPHANIE NEBEHAY, who reviewed the document. If the penalties aren’t “reviewed and eased when necessary,” Ojea Quintana warned in his report to the U.N. General Assembly, the international body could risk contributing to a potential starvation crisis among the increasingly isolated North Korean population in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. "People’s access to food is a serious concern and the most vulnerable children and elderly are at risk of starvation,” Ojea Quintana wrote, adding: “Essential medicines and medical supplies are in short supply and prices have increased several fold as they stopped coming in from China, and humanitarian organisations have been unable to bring in medicines and other supplies.” The U.N. rights investigator also had some advice for the United States and South Korea when dealing with the hermit kingdom: “In any possible upcoming peace negotiations, the Republic of Korea and the United States of America should secure commitments with measurable benchmarks … to a meaningful process of engagement on human rights.” | | | DEPUTY AG DEMANDS RANSOMWARE REPORTING REQUIREMENT: The threats posed by the steady stream of ransomware attacks in the United States require “a national standard for reporting cyber incidents that pose significant risk” — enacted by Congress — for compromised companies and other hacking victims, Deputy Attorney General LISA MONACO argued in a CNBC op-ed published today. “[W]e won’t prosecute our way out of the problem. More needs to be done,” she wrote, adding that the Justice Department and America’s law enforcement agencies “cannot go at this problem alone.” Monaco also outlined some recommendations for lawmakers as they work on crafting a uniform reporting mandate. “Legislation should designate a single mechanism where victims can file reports to the federal government to be shared immediately with all relevant federal agencies — with the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security taking the lead on joint rulemaking to ensure its implementation,” she wrote. “Reports must be prompt, and should include information about the incident, the means by which the attack occurred, infrastructure that was used, and a description of the systems or data affected.” | | | | THE MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE 2021 IS HERE: POLITICO is excited to partner with the Milken Institute to produce a special edition "Global Insider” newsletter featuring exclusive coverage and insights from one of the largest and most influential gatherings of experts reinventing finance, health, technology, philanthropy, industry and media. Don’t miss a thing from the 24th annual Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles, from Oct. 17 to 20. Can't make it? We've got you covered. Planning to attend? Enhance your #MIGlobal experience and subscribe today. | | | | | | | | EARS IN THE SKY: Our friends over at Morning Defense (for Pros!) noted that the first EC-37B Compass Call electronic warfare plane, a modified Gulfstream G550 business jet, made its inaugural flight, L3Harris announced yesterday. The plane can fly faster and farther than its predecessor, the EC-130H — a big plus for operations in the Indo-Pacific. The Air Force can expect to get its first of 11 planes, including one training aircraft, by December 2022. FEDS BUNGLED RESPONSE TO HAITIANS AT BORDER: The U.S. government’s flat-footed response to the 28,000 Haitian migrants who arrived at the Texas border last month was caused by both a communication failure among several federal law enforcement agencies as well as an internal debate at the Department of Homeland Security over whether to increase deportations, according to NBC News’ JULIA AINSLEY. “Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement … and DHS’ Office of Intelligence and Analysis all had information as far back as July that indicated that large groups of Haitians were making their way north from South and Central America to the U.S. border,” Ainsley reports. “But the intelligence was not shared widely enough within DHS and across agencies to indicate the size or speed of the group of migrants or that they would all arrive in one location.” At the same time, administration officials were disagreeing about the merits of deporting more Haitians who were already in the United States illegally: “[S]ome argued that deportations — even of small numbers — would deter more people from coming, particularly Haitians living in South America. Others maintained that it would be inhumane to send Haitians back to a country in turmoil after the assassination of its president and, on Aug. 14, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake.” The administration’s handling of the Haitian migrant situation has created headaches for the White House and provoked new fissures among Democrats over Biden’s border policies. DANIEL FOOTE, the U.S. special envoy to Haiti, resigned in protest last month, denouncing the United States’ “inhumane, counterproductive decision to deport thousands of Haitian refugees and illegal immigrants.” Earlier this week, outgoing top State Department lawyer HAROLD KOH ripped the administration for using Title 42 to expel Haitians from the U.S., calling the decision to use the Trump-era Covid public health restriction “illegal” and “inhumane.” | | | RAND’S IRON WILL: Despite strong bipartisan support, Sen. RAND PAUL (R-Ky.) is the sole lawmaker holding up quick passage of a $1 billion bill to replenish Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, rankling even members of his own party, our own ANDREW DESIDERIO reports. “This would be one thing that I can’t imagine any member creating a problem,” Sen. JAMES INHOFE (R-Okla.), the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, told Desiderio. A frustrated Sen. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.) added: “If he won’t lift his hold, we need to just use the legislative process. There’s probably 90-plus votes for this.” Israel will get its money at some point; all Paul is doing is blocking an expedited package because he wants to ensure the money going toward the Iron Dome is the same money that he says otherwise would’ve gone to the Taliban. But his hold-up still complicates the legislative calendar, potentially delaying the funding’s approval for some time. Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER “could get around the blockade by carving out time to pass the Iron Dome bill through the Senate’s regular process, or lawmakers could attach it to year-end appropriations bills,” Desiderio writes. “But Senate floor time is difficult to come by these days, especially as lawmakers consider legislation to lift the debt ceiling as well as President Joe Biden’s top two domestic agenda items — and that’s just this month.” | | | |   | | | | | | FORMER AUSSIE PM CALLS AUKUS “OWN GOAL”: Former Australian Prime Minister MALCOLM TURNBULL won’t stop bashing the Australia-United States-United Kingdom nuclear-submarine deal wherever he goes. “The outcome of it has been that the U.S. administration has been embarrassed, as U.S. President Joe Biden acknowledged in his statement from his meeting with French President EMMANUEL MACRON. The French have been legitimately appalled. The Europeans are appalled. It has undermined trust between the United States and Europe. It has smashed trust between Australia and France. I have to say, I think it has been an own goal,” he told Foreign Policy’s JACK DETSCH. “The bottom line is, if you double-cross people, there is a price to pay. And what [Australian Prime Minister SCOTT] MORRISON did was reprehensible,” Turnbull continued. Turnbull’s continued criticism shows there’s opposition within Australia from top leaders against the AUKUS deal. Should Turnbull again rise to power in Australia, or someone like-minded, it’s possible that the agreement could fall apart. After all, it’ll take Australia years before they field their first nuclear-propelled submarine.
| | | — MORGAN DWYER is now assistant director for defense science and technology at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. She most recently was senior adviser and acting chief of staff for the undersecretary of Defense for research and engineering. — British Prime Minister BORIS JOHNSON has appointed Adm. Sir TONY RADAKIN as the new chief of defense staff, leader of the United Kingdom’s armed forces. As the first sea lord, Radakin heads the British Royal Navy. He replaces outgoing Gen. Sir NICK CARTER. — United Nations Secretary‑General ANTÓNIO GUTERRES has appointed Italy’s STAFFAN DE MISTURA as his personal envoy for Western Sahara. De Mistura, a former U.N. special envoy for Syria and deputy foreign minister in Italy, replaces Germany’s HORST KÖHLER in the role. — The president has announced he will nominate JAMES O’BRIEN for coordinator for sanctions policy, with the rank of ambassador, at the State Department. O’Brien, a former career employee at State and special presidential envoy, is currently principal and vice chair of Albright Stonebridge Group. | | | | BECOME A GLOBAL INSIDER: The world is more connected than ever. It has never been more essential to identify, unpack and analyze important news, trends and decisions shaping our future — and we’ve got you covered! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Global Insider author Ryan Heath navigates the global news maze and connects you to power players and events changing our world. Don’t miss out on this influential global community. Subscribe now. | | | | | | | | — SAMYA KULLAB, MSTYSLAV CHERNOV and FELIPE DANA, The Associated Press: “Now in power, Taliban set sights on Afghan drug underworld” — BETSY WOODRUFF SWAN, POLITICO: “ ‘The intelligence was there’: Law enforcement warnings abounded in the runup to Jan. 6” — MIRNA GALIC, War on the Rocks: “Japan’s Authorities in a Taiwan Contingency: Providing Needed Clarity” | | | — Chatham House, 8 a.m.: “What deters Russia? — with MARY DEJEVSKY, KEIR GILES, IAN HILL and JAMES NIXEY” — The Institute of International and European Affairs, 10 a.m.: “Building Peace in Complex Environments: Strategic and Operational Perspectives — with ØYSTEIN BØ, SEÁN CLANCY, SIMON COVENEY, JACQUI MCCRUM and KARI M. OSLAND” — The Hudson Institute, 12 p.m.: “ A Book Talk With ELBRIDGE A. COLBY" — with MICHAEL PILLSBURY, NADIA SCHADLOW and KENNETH R. WEINSTEIN” | | A message from Lockheed Martin: Sniper® Advanced Targeting Pod: Affordable, Reliable and Sustainable
Sniper ATP is the most widely fielded combat-tested targeting and ISR pod used today. Handling the most challenging air-to-air and air-to-ground missions, Sniper ATP has easy two-level maintenance with 24/7 support worldwide. Learn More | | | Have a natsec-centric event coming up? Transitioning to a new defense-adjacent or foreign policy-focused gig? Shoot us an email at award@politico.com or qforgey@politico.com to be featured in the next edition of the newsletter. And thanks to our editor, Ben Pauker, who is a defense forum unto himself. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |  |
