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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 Alexander Ward and Quint Forgey | Presented by Lockheed Martin | With help from Daniel Lippman. | 
A screengrab from ABC News' documentary film “3212 Un-Redacted,” which will be released on Veterans Day on Hulu, shows Arnold Wright, father of Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright, looking at his late son’s military gear. | Courtesy of ABC News | Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Quint FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY: There’s a scene in an upcoming documentary that we felt compelled to rewatch a few times. It features ARNOLD WRIGHT, father of Staff Sgt. DUSTIN WRIGHT — a member of Operational Detachment Alpha 3212 who was killed during an ambush in Niger four years ago — looking at his late son’s military gear. He stands over it and lets out a long sigh. In a voiceover, he says: “The Army let me down. They let my son down, and then they lied about it. It was like the guys that actually made the decision for them to do that mission ran from their decision — and did everything they could to force the blame down the ladder as far as they could go.” Wright is referencing the Pentagon’s response to the fatal Oct. 4, 2017 firefight in Tongo Tongo, Niger where four soldiers — his son, Sgt. 1st Class JEREMIAH JOHNSON, Staff Sgt. BRYAN BLACK and Sgt. LA DAVID JOHNSON — were killed in a firefight. Then-Gen. THOMAS WALDHAUSER, the U.S. Africa Command chief, backed a monthslong investigation led by his chief of staff that in 2018 concluded the unit had gone rogue to kill or capture a prominent terrorist and didn’t conduct themselves with “ basic soldier-level skills” during their fateful mission. But core elements of the official story aren't true, as investigative journalist JAMES GORDON MEEK found out after a three-year ABC News investigation culminating in the documentary film “3212 Un-Redacted,” which will be released on Veterans Day on Hulu. Among the egregious omissions from the Defense Department’s review, he told NatSec Daily, was that the unit’s ground commander objected to the mission “before the team ever left the wire of their own base. … But that was not in the report. It was concealed from the families.” There were other claims by the Pentagon the film argues are false. The mission was approved by senior commanders (thus, not a rogue mission); the operation was for reconnaissance, as the team stated in their plan, not capture/kill; and it had nothing to do with gathering intelligence on a U.S. hostage in the region, JEFFERY WOODKE, as was later suggested by AFRICOM leadership. And yet, Meek notes, “the official record is still that this team went rogue on a misguided mission that their commanders did not approve, even though they did and actually ordered it — and [the four soldiers] ended up walking into the buzzsaw and an attack that was devastating.” Previous reporting and the film show that the four men fought off the ambush until their last bullet and breath. “3212 Un-Redacted,” which NatSec Daily saw ahead of its release, refutes the Defense Department’s narrative. That’s the film’s main thrust, of course, but we couldn’t help but feel it was just as much about families — those who committed wholly to military life only to have the military fail them in their greatest moment of need. “We have a lot of people in this film and many others who weren’t in the film ... who felt the families were wronged, and the men on ODA 3212 were wronged,” Meek agreed. “There's a lot of people who believe the Pentagon should review this incident and correct the record.” Meek had one particular correction in mind during our conversation: “Dustin Wright was recommended for the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest valor award, and he was downgraded to the Silver Star, the third-highest valor award, posthumously. Some people ought to ask why.” DoD stood by the review’s findings, even when presented with this information by the filmmakers. As of now, there’s no indication the Pentagon wants to re-review the incident.
| | | DOD CAN’T FIND SAFE HOUSE THAT LED TO ERRANT AFGHAN STRIKE: In other Pentagon accountability news, the U.S. military can’t find the supposed ISIS safe house near Kabul that eventually led to a drone strike that killed 10 innocent people — including children. “Two days before the drone strike, military officials said they had determined through electronic intercepts, aerial surveillance and informants that ISIS planners were using a compound about three miles northwest of the Kabul airport to facilitate future attacks involving rockets, suicide explosive vests and car bombs,” The New York Times’ ERIC SCHMITT reported. “But an inquiry into the drone strike by the Air Force’s inspector general, Lt. Gen. SAMI D. SAID, said that was wrong. ‘We have not found any particular safe house,’ he said in a telephone interview after making his findings public last week.” Said went on to tell Schmitt “it was not faulty intelligence; it was just not specific.” The Pentagon concluded last week that the drone attack was not the result of criminal negligence. Still, with each passing day, the lead-up to what was once deemed a “righteous strike” looks increasingly disastrous. Or, as Schmitt put it in his piece: “Nearly everything senior defense officials asserted in the hours, then days and weeks, after the drone strike has turned out to be false.” CHINA’S NEW AIRCRAFT CARRIER MAY BE READY IN 2022: New satellite imagery from the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington shows a new high-tech Chinese aircraft carrier could launch early next year. “The installation of major external and internal components, including power plants and the aircraft launching system, appears to either be finished or on the verge of completion, CSIS said,” per a CNN report by BEN WESTCOTT. “Only a few additional items — such as radar and weapon systems — remain to be installed before the vessel can slip into the Yangtze River, the analysts added.” The authors of the CSIS analysis — MATTHEW FUNAIOLE, JOSEPH BERMUDEZ and BRIAN HART — write that “[b]ased on available information and observed progress at Jiangnan, the authors estimate that the Type 003 will launch in roughly three to six months. The technical challenges of building a modern aircraft carrier could, however, extend this timeline.” NatSec Daily reported yesterday on a new missile garrison which likely houses an intercontinental ballistic missile brigade. The day before, USNI News wrote about how China built a replica of a U.S. aircraft carrier, likely for target practice. And don’t forget the Pentagon’s assessment last week that China will likely have “at least” 1,000 deliverable nuclear warheads by 2030 — yet another factor that should complicate President JOE BIDEN and Chinese President XI JINPING ’s summit set to take place sometime soon. GWOT MEMORIAL ON VETERANS DAY: A Global War on Terror memorial made up of 7,000 dog tags — each one representing a fallen service member — will be open to the public on Veterans Day outside the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. “The Fallen Heroes Memorial, sponsored by Veterans and Athletes United (VAU) and the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, will be displayed from 7 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. Nov. 11, during which the names of the 7063 servicemembers who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Global War on Terror will be read,” Military Times’ RACHEL NOSTRANT reported. “We hope to bring awareness of the heavy price paid for this flag and to keep our country free,” said JAMES HOWARD, founder and president of VAU, in a news release. “We hope our memorial provides an opportunity for visitors to honor, reflect, and heal; To remember all those who gave their lives defending this great country in the War on Terror.” IT’S TUESDAY: 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, and @AndrewDesiderio. | | A message from Lockheed Martin: Zeroed in on affordability.
The F-35 team is working together across government and industry for greater affordability. Lockheed Martin invested $400 million, driving a 44 percent reduction in our share of cost per flight hour. Another 40 percent reduction is forecasted. Learn More | | | | | | BOSNIA BREAKAWAY: GABRIEL ESCOBAR, the U.S. special envoy to the Western Balkans, arrived in Bosnia and Herzegovina over the weekend to cool regional tensions that have been ramped up in recent months by MILORAD DODIK , the current Serb representative in the country’s threeway presidency, per POLITICO’s UNA HAJDARI. Dodik, she explains, “has been threatening to create a breakaway Serb army, is boycotting the country’s central institutions and is pledging to withdraw Bosnian Serbs from central institutions — a campaign the nationalist firebrand started after a law was passed in July banning denial of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide.” Following talks between the two men Monday, Escobar called his meeting with Dodik “productive,” telling reporters: “One of the things we want to make sure of is that Bosnia remains independent, sovereign and territorially whole.” Dodik, for his part, was more confrontational: “I told Escobar that we would continue with our goal to send certain laws to the parliament of the Republika Srpska and withdraw our consent from issues such as the army, indirect taxation, the court system, and that we will draft new legislation in the next six months.” VIOLENCE ON POLAND-BELARUS BORDER: The European Commission today accused Belarusian leader ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO’s government of acting like “a gangster regime” and making “false promises” to the thousands of migrants who have gathered near the Poland-Belarus border, per CNN’s LAUREN SAID-MOORHOUSE, MAYUMI MARUYAMA, ANTONIA MORTENSEN, KATHARINA KREBS and MAGDA CHODOWNIK. “The diplomatic drama comes a day after ugly scenes on Monday,” they write, “when groups of migrants attempted to breach the border, some of whom … were pushed toward the barriers by Belarusian services, according to the Polish border guard.” The Polish border guard told CNN that roughly 4,500 migrants were at the border near Kuźnica trying to cross into Poland from Belarus, even though Polish authorities closed the Kuźnica border crossing this morning. The Belarusian State Border Committee estimates the number of migrants is roughly 2,000. Meanwhile, “[a]round 14,000 Polish soldiers, police and border guards are now stationed in the area, sparking fears of a major confrontation as migrants attempt to cross into Poland.” U.S. IN LAST-DITCH BID TO STOP ETHIOPIA WAR: JEFFREY FELTMAN, the U.S. special envoy for the Horn of Africa, is back in Ethiopia this week to broker a ceasefire in the yearlong war. Anti-government rebels have in recent days captured several towns on the road to Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, which has led Prime Minister ABIY AHMED to rally his supporters for an even greater battle. “Tens of thousands of Ethiopians held pro-government rallies over the weekend, pledging to defend the capital and venting anger at countries that have called for ceasefire negotiations,” CBS News’ DEBORA PATTA reported. “Many rally-goers blasted Western media outlets, accusing them of broadcasting ‘fake news’ about the rebels' advances. Some held placards saying ‘Shame on You USA.’” Feltman will work alongside the African Union’s representative OLUSEGUN OBASANJO, who is also in Ethiopia today. But analysts worry American efforts might fall short. “It’s striking to me how little leverage we have,” HILARY MATFESS of the University of Denver and #WeRunNatSec leader told NatSec Daily. “A disproportionate focus on Ethiopia’s federal government ignores all the other players and potential spoilers.” Along those same lines, check out our own NAHAL TOOSI’s dispatch from over the weekend, in which she explained how — despite visa bans, trade restrictions, sanctions threats and envoy visits — the Biden administration’s Ethiopia policy just isn’t getting the job done.
| | | ISRAEL TO LOBBY U.S. ABOUT NSO: The Israeli government will pressure the Biden administration to lift sanctions on the NSO Group surveillance firm, even though its spying software has been found on the phones of human rights activists, journalists and Palestinians critical of Jerusalem’s policies. “Israel insists that it maintains strict control over the licensing, with a review process by the Defense Ministry that was established in part to assure that no commercial deals would jeopardize Israel’s relationship with the United States,” the New York Times’ RONEN BERGMAN and PATRICK KINGSLEY reported. “The campaign to remove the sanctions against NSO and a second company, Candiru, will seek to persuade the Biden administration that their activities remain of great importance to the national security of both countries, the officials said.” The split over NSO Group is turning into a major flashpoint in the U.S.-Israel relationship, and both U.S. and Israeli officials tell NatSec Daily that there’s little chance of a resolution to this spat any time soon. | | | | DON’T MISS POLITICO’S SUSTAINABILITY SUMMIT: Join POLITICO's Sustainability Summit on Tuesday, Nov. 16 and hear leading voices from Washington, state houses, city halls, civil society and corporate America discuss the most viable policy and political solutions that balance economic, environmental and social interests. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | ARMY REVIVES NUCLEAR-MISSILE UNIT IN EUROPE: The Army has reactivated the 56th Artillery Command in Germany, The Drive’s JOSEPH TREVITHICK reports. “The 56th is co-located in Mainz-Kastel with the Army's second so-called Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF). The service's MDTFs, the first of which was established at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State, are still-evolving units that are being used as testbeds to explore the introduction of new weapons and other capabilities. They are expected to have an operational role, especially in any future high-end conflict against a major opponent such as Russia or China,” Trevithick wrote. It’s possible that the unit will eventually have three new missile systems at its disposal. The first, Dark Eagle, is the Army’s long-range hypersonic weapon still in development with the Navy. The second, Typhon, is a multi-purpose system that can launch various types of missiles. And the third, the Precision Strike Missile, is a conventionally armed ballistic missile with a range over 310 miles. “There is historical significance to reactivating the 56th Artillery Command, specifically, to oversee the future employment of these weapons in Europe. Dark Eagle, Typhon, and a future PrSM, would all have previously been banned under the now-defunct Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which collapsed in 2019,” Trevithick wrote.
| | | GOP WANTS TO SEE NUKE QUESTIONNAIRES: Our friends at Morning Defense (for Pros!) highlighted how Republican lawmakers really want to see the nuclear policy questionnaires that the administration sent to allies. (Note to friends of NatSec Daily: We do, too...) The top Republicans on the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees, Reps. MIKE ROGERS (R-Ala.) and MICHAEL MCCAUL (R-Texas), want to see the questionnaire that the Biden administration reportedly sent to allies as it conducts a Nuclear Posture Review. What’s happening: At the heart of the debate is whether the U.S. should adopt a “no first use” policy, or declare that the “sole purpose” of the arsenal is to deter a nuclear conflict. The lawmakers also want “copies of each response received from U.S. allies, and any other cables or memos conveying ally views regarding a potential change in U.S. nuclear declaratory policy.” The buck stops there: Pentagon spokesperson JOHN KIRBY told reporters that consultations with allies will continue, but “any policy decision of that nature will ultimately be made by the president.” | | | |   | | | | | | UN: WORLD TOOK “TODDLER STEPS” ON CLIMATE CHANGE: A new analysis by the United Nations says world leaders only took “toddler steps” to combat climate change during COP26 in Glasgow. “There’s some serious toddler steps,” INGER ANDERSEN, the UN’s environmental program director, told the Associated Press Tuesday. “But they are not the leaps we need to see by any stretch of the imagination.” “Andersen acknowledged that none of the three main U.N. goals for the two-week climate talks have been achieved so far. The goals are cutting greenhouse gas emissions by about half by 2030, securing $100 billion a year in aid from rich countries to poor nations because of climate change, and having half of that money go for developing nations to adapt to global warming’s worst harms,” the AP reported. At best, Andersen said, current commitments in Glasgow would reduce the emissions gap by only a few tenths of a percentage. The UN environmental leader hoped the remaining few days of COP26 might lead to more action, but at this rate, few experts believe enough will be agreed upon to stave off the worst effects of climate change.
| | | — COLE LYLE has been named executive director of Mission Roll Call, a nonprofit veterans advocacy group. He previously served as special assistant to the assistant secretary for Congressional and Legislative Affairs at the Department of Veterans Affairs, and as a military legislative assistant for Sen. RICHARD BURR (R-N.C.). — DOC MCCONNELL has joined the federal enterprise improvement team at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. He most recently was senior adviser for cybersecurity policy at the Office of Management and Budget. | | | | 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. | | | | | | | | — CAMERON HUDSON, Foreign Policy: “In Ethiopia and Sudan, U.S. Policy Needs Less Talk and More Teeth” — VIVIAN WANG, The New York Times: “ The U.S. urges Beijing to release a Chinese citizen journalist who highlighted Covid.” — ROBYN DIXON, The Washington Post: “Trevor Reed, former Marine in Russian prison, goes on hunger strike over rights violations”
| | | — Biden meets with European Commission President URSULA VON DER LEYEN: “They will discuss a number of areas of cooperation, and the President will reaffirm his support for the European Union as a fundamental partner for the United States,” per the White House. — The second day of Vice President KAMALA HARRIS’ Paris trip: Harris and second gentleman DOUGLAS EMHOFF will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Suresnes American Cemetery to mark Veterans Day in the United States and Armistice Day in France. Emhoff also will meet with U.S. Embassy staff and their families, per the White House. — The International Institute for Strategic Studies, 9 a.m.: “Conflict in Syria: Protracted Stalemate, Regional Security and Catastrophic Impact — with EMILE HOKAYEM, BENJAMIN PETRINI, JOMANA QADDOUR and KARAM SHAAR” — The Royal United Services Institute, 10 a.m.: “Ukraine Defense Cooperation With the U.K. and U.S. — with ORYSIA LUTSEVYCH, NEIL MELVIN, ALEXANDER VINDMAN and MARYNA VOROTNYUK” — The Middle East Institute, 11 a.m.: “Program Launch: North Africa and the Sahel — with NIAGALÉ BAGAYOKO, RICCARDO FABIANI, INTISSAR FAKIR and JOEY HOOD” — The Royal United Services Institute, 11:30 a.m.: “General STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL on Risk: Managing Threats and Vulnerabilities” — Chatham House, 12 p.m.: “ What Is the Role of Democracy in the Fight Against Climate Change? — with RAFAEL JIMENEZ AYBAR, EMILY GRAY, DALE JAMIESON and HANS KUNDNANI” — The National Security Innovation Network, 12 p.m.: “Hacks Power Play: Electrifying Operations on the Edge — with JIM ALLEN, KATHY BROWN, RUTHANNE DARLING, KIRA GARDNER, JON NOVOA, MEREDITH REED and JOHN WONG” — The Mercatus Center, 1 p.m.: “The New Authoritarian Toolkit — with JAVIER CORRALES, ZSELYKE CSAKY, SHIKHA DALMIA, STEVEN FELDSTEIN and SALIL TRIPATHI” — The Center for Security and Emerging Technology, 4 p.m.: “ Forecasting the Future of the DOD-Silicon Valley Relationship: The Wisdom of the Crowd as Arbiter of Expert Disagreement — with CATHERINE AIKEN and MICHAEL PAGE” — The Center for Strategic and International Studies, 4 p.m.: “ Blown to Hell: America’s Deadly Betrayal of the Marshall Islanders — with WALTER PINCUS and ANDREW SCHWARTZ” — The Aspen Institute, 5 p.m.: “Pursuit of Happiness Hour: Peace in Our Time?” — The Australian Strategic Policy Institute, 6 p.m.: “WDSN Careers Panel: Counterterrorism and Intelligence In-Focus — with LYDIA KHALIL, KATJA THEODORAKIS, KARLY WINKLER, SYLVIA LAKSMI and ANASTASIA KAPETAS” 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. | | A message from Lockheed Martin: Zeroed in on affordability.
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