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From the SitRoom to the E-Ring, the inside scoop on defense, national security and foreign policy. | | | | |  | | By Alexander Ward, Paul McLeary and Joseph Gedeon | | 
The Switchblade 600 is pictured. | AeroVironment Inc./Business Wire/AP | With help from Maggie Miller and Erin Banco Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Quint The U.S. will send 100 Switchblade drones to Ukraine as part of the Biden administration’s new $800 million weapons package, Texas Rep. MIKE MCCAUL (R-Texas), the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told NatSec Daily. An administration official confirmed McCaul’s account that the U.S. is sending the Switchblade. The Switchblade is a small, light drone that can loiter in the air for up to 30 minutes before being directed to its target by an operator on the ground, dozens of miles away. The drone is launched from a tube, like a mortar shell. Its real-time GPS guidance allows a service member in the field to fly it until the moment it crashes and explodes into a target. The weapon was first fielded in Afghanistan by U.S. special operations forces, but quickly was picked up by the Army and Marine Corps, who saw value in the light, accurate munition that can help thwart ambushes or take out vehicles. McCaul also said that the U.S. was “working with allies” to send more S-300 surface-to-air missile systems to Ukraine. The country has fielded the S-300 for years, so troops should require little-to-no training on how to operate the Soviet-era anti-aircraft equipment. CNN reported that Slovakia had preliminarily agreed to transfer their S-300s to Ukraine. The revelations come shortly after President Joe Biden announced the new $800 million in military assistance to Ukraine, which also includes 800 more Stinger anti-aircraft systems, 2,000 anti-armor Javelins, 1,000 light anti-armor weapons and 6,000 AT-4 anti-armor systems. The AT-4 is a lightweight recoilless rifle already used by American special operations forces. “The United States and our allies and partners are fully committed to surging weapons of assistance to the Ukrainians, and more will be coming as we source additional stocks of equipment that we're ready to transfer,” Biden said. Hours earlier, Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY delivered a virtual speech to members of Congress, imploring the president and lawmakers to implement a no-fly zone over Ukraine and provide his country with more materiel. A Western diplomat familiar with Ukraine's requests said Kyiv specifically has asked the U.S. and allies for more Stingers and Starstreak man-portable air-defense systems, Javelins and other anti-tank weapons, ground-based mobile air-defense systems, armed drones, long-range anti-ship missiles, “off-the-shelf” electronic warfare capabilities, and satellite navigation and communications jamming equipment. “I have a dream. These words are known to each of you today,” Zelenskyy said. “I can say, I have a need. I need to protect our sky. I need your help.” Read Alex and Paul’s full piece.
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | | SITUATION REPORT: We will only cite official sources. As always, take all figures, assessments and statements with a healthy dose of skepticism. War in Ukraine: — Since the war began on Feb. 24, Russia has lost 13,800 personnel, as well as 430 tanks, 1,375 armored combat vehicles, 190 artillery systems, 84 warplanes, 108 helicopters, three ships and 11 drones ( Ukrainian Ministry of Defense) — Russia “does not abandon attempts to capture the city of Chernihiv, however, does not conduct active offensive operations. [Russia] regroups troops and tries to organize logistical support, but has no success.” ( Ukrainian Ministry of Defense) — “Enemy aircraft continue to launch missile and bomb strikes on military and civilian infrastructure in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Sumy and Donetsk oblasts, actively using the airfield network of the Republic of Belarus and the occupied Crimea” ( Ukrainian Ministry of Defense) — Ukrainian authorities “discovered a cache of goods that Russian operatives had secretly stored near Lviv in advance of the invasion. This cache was part of a network of secret stashes of goods/equipment the Russian operatives had planted throughout Ukraine for use post-invasion. The Lviv discovery consisted only of dress military uniforms, which SBGS believed were intended for victory parade use, further evidence that the Russians had anticipated a quick nationwide victory.” (U.S. State Department cable) Global Response: — U.S.: Biden announced a $800 million military assistance package that includes Switchblade drones and other lethal weapons. Video: How NATO's response to the Russia-Ukraine conflict could change
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| RUSSIA-UKRAINE DEAL FORMING? Ukraine and Russia have drafted a 15-point peace plan which, if adhered to, could bring an end to the war — though it’s unclear how serious Moscow is. “The proposed deal, which Ukrainian and Russian negotiators discussed in full for the first time on Monday, would involve Kyiv renouncing its ambitions to join Nato and promising not to host foreign military bases or weaponry in exchange for protection from allies such as the US, UK and Turkey, the people said,” per the Financial Times’ MAX SEDDON, ROMAN OLEARCHYK and ARASH MASSOUDI. But sticking points remain, namely what to do about Crimea and the two Russia-backed breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine, which Moscow demands must be “independent.” Plus, Russia has insincerely engaged in diplomatic dialogue before — right before the war, in fact — as a means to buy its military more time to prepare for future operations. Kyiv quickly downplayed the report. “FT published a draft, which represents the requesting position of the Russian side. Nothing more. The [Ukrainian] side has its own positions,” tweeted MYKHAILO PODOLYAK, an adviser in Zelenskyy’s office who’s taken part in talks with the Russians. NATO Secretary General JENS STOLTENBERG today said “we don’t see any sign” that Russia intends to make peace with Ukraine. FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY –– MEEKS TOLD BLINKEN MiGS HAVE VOTES: A fun little tidbit here, per two Congressional aides: When a congressional delegation met with Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN on March 5 in Poland, House Foreign Affairs Chair GREGORY MEEKS (D-N.Y.) told the secretary that there were enough votes on his panel and in the whole House to support sending MiG-29s to Ukraine. A spokesperson for HFAC confirmed the exchange: “The Chairman expressed to Secretary Blinken during his delegation to Poland that he believed the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Congress would be in favor of Ukraine receiving MiG-29 aircraft, more capable anti-air systems such as SA-8s and S-300s, and additional support for Ukrainian military needs.” Days after the exchange, the U.S. came out against Poland sending its MiG-29s to Ukraine, saying such a transfer would escalate tensions with Russia while not significantly helping Kyiv’s forces win. AFGHANISTAN GETS TPS: The Department of Homeland Security designated Afghanistan for Temporary Protected Status for 18 months, with Afghans already in the U.S. as of March 15 eligible for extended stays. “This TPS designation will help to protect Afghan nationals who have already been living in the United States from returning to unsafe conditions,” Secretary ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS said in a statement. “Under this designation, TPS will also provide additional protections and assurances to trusted partners and vulnerable Afghans who supported the U.S. military, diplomatic, and humanitarian missions in Afghanistan over the last 20 years.” The U.S. has resettled more than 76,000 Afghans since the Taliban took over the country last year following America’s military withdrawal. “US Citizenship and Immigration Services estimates that around 74,500 individuals in the United States would become eligible for TPS through the designation of Afghanistan, according to DHS. That includes 72,500 Afghan evacuees who had been paroled into the US and around 2,000 Afghan nationals who were already in the US, like students,” CNN’s PRISCILLA ALVAREZ reported.
| | A message from Lockheed Martin: Essential to allied airpower.
The growing community of F-35 nations strengthen our national defense and deter our enemies. The F-35 is diplomacy in action, fueling shared global deterrence through interoperability and collaboration. Learn more. | | | IT’S WEDNESDAY: 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, @paulmcleary, @leehudson, @AndrewDesiderio and our new fellow @JGedeon1.
| | | FAILED DPRK MISSILE TEST: It appears North Korea’s latest missile test — its tenth of 2022 — was unsuccessful. “The attempted launch occurred at 9:30 a.m. local time from the Sunan area, on the outskirts of Pyongyang, according to the South Korean military. The projectile appeared to have exploded during an early boost phase just after taking flight, at an altitude of roughly 12 miles or less, a South Korean military official said,” The Wall Street Journal’s TIMOTHY MARTIN reported. It’s unclear what type of weapon Pyongyang launched, but there are indications it might’ve been another intercontinental ballistic missile. Only one “projectile” flew in the sky — and when it’s just one, it’s usually a big ol’ rocket — and it took off from the same place, Sunan, as two recent ICBM tests. However, the Hwasong-12, an intermediate-range ballistic missile, also blasted from there. Maybe North Korea will tell us, maybe not. But Pyongyang tends to bounce back and figure things out after a failed test, so chances are we’ll see another big missile in the air soon enough. U.S. COULD REMOVE IRGC FROM BLACKLIST: Axios’ BARAK RAVID reports that the Biden administration is weighing removing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from the Foreign Terrorist Organization list in exchange for a public commitment to regional de-escalation. Should Biden reverse this Trump-era move, he’ll likely face immense backlash from both Republicans and Democrats in Congress. But the U.S. is already thinking of ways to mollify angry lawmakers. “One idea being discussed by the Biden administration would be a public announcement that the U.S. reserves the right to redesignate the IRGC if it determines that Iran did not follow through on its pledge to de-escalate in the region,” Ravid reported, noting that no decision has yet been made. NED PRICE, the State Department spokesperson, didn't comment on the report when asked about it during a regular briefing with reporters Wednesday.
| | | 3,000 DDoS ATTACKS: While successful Russian cyberattacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure have, so far, failed to materialize, the Ukrainian government announced on Wednesday that the country has faced around 3,000 distributed denial of service attacks since Feb. 15, our own MAGGIE MILLER writes in. Ukraine’s Computer Emergency Response Team announced that the incidents had reached their peak at 275 DDoS attacks in one day alone, exceeding 100 billion bytes per second. DDoS attacks involve the attacker overwhelming a network with traffic until it crashes. The agency attributed the attacks to Russia, and noted that hackers were also using malicious emails and wiper malware to target Ukrainian organizations. VICTOR ZHORA, deputy chief of Ukraine’s State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection, said in a statement on Wednesday that hackers were “attacking financial, governmental and telecommunication infrastructures,” but had been largely unsuccessful. “Despite their efforts, all the services are working and available to the consumers,” Zhora said. “Providers and operators are coping with cyber-attacks against their networks. The majority of problems in the functioning of networks is related to their physical damage that we still manage to repair.” DDoS attacks just prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine temporarily disrupted Ukrainian government websites, with one of the attacks blamed on Russian intelligence efforts by the Biden administration and the United Kingdom last month. DDoS attacks against other nations are also ongoing, with Israeli government websites temporarily going dark earlier this week due to a DDoS incident.
| | | DOD BUDGET GROWTH? Our friends over at Morning Defense (for Pros!) reported that the defense industry is hearing from both Democratic and Republican members of Congress that they support “real budget growth for defense in [fiscal] 2023,” Northrop Grumman CFO DAVE KEFFER said at the J.P. Morgan 2022 Industrials Conference on Tuesday. Pentagon comptroller MICHAEL MCCORD last week said inflation will cause the administration to increase the fiscal 2023 defense budget by less than 5 percent over the previous year, not the 7 percent that some experts called for. Despite the conflict in Ukraine, the Pentagon is signaling to industry that the military is focused on preparing for a potential war with China, Keffer said. Northrop expects demand for its space and mission-systems businesses to grow over the next few years.
| | | |   | | | | | | ‘DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED’: Rep. AMI BERA (D-Calif.), the senior Indian American member of Congress, is “deeply disappointed” in India for abstaining from the U.N. General Assembly vote condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and seeking to purchase additional Russian oil. “Despite India’s long history defending its own border from outside aggression, New Delhi has chosen to remain silent on Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion of a free and sovereign country,” he said. “If reports are accurate and India makes this decision to buy Russian oil at a discounted price, New Delhi would be choosing to side with Vladimir Putin at a pivotal moment in history when countries across the world are united in support of the Ukrainian people and against Russia’s deadly invasion.” Bera leads the HFAC’s Asia panel, meaning he’s definitely not a lawmaker New Delhi wants to anger. We asked Bera’s office if he planned any legislation to punish India, but we didn’t hear back.
| | | GOP ACCUSES BIDEN OF ‘FOOT-DRAGGING’ ON UKRAINE: Sen. JIM RISCH (R-Idaho), the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, accused Biden of “ foot-dragging” in his efforts to bolster Ukraine’s defenses. “The admin needs to step up & lead. The actions it has taken so far have been positive, but it has had to be shamed into action every step. It's critical Biden stops foot-dragging,” Risch tweeted before Biden’s military package announcement. It followed a series of tweets over recent days in which the lawmaker said America’s response should be “faster” and include authorizing the shipment of warplanes and air defenses. But Risch isn’t the only one pushing for Biden to do more. “Our strategic goal should be to help Ukraine win –– not to help them lose as slowly as possible, as many in Washington seem resigned to accept. To help Ukraine win, our tactical goal should be to help the Ukrainians inflict as many casualties on Putin’s invaders as possible with as much weaponry and intelligence as possible,” Sen. BEN SASSE (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement . “Zelensky needs more and America can do more,” he continued.
| | | — TARAK SHAH is stepping down as the Department of Energy’s chief of staff. He said on Twitter he’s “ going to take some time to recharge my batteries.” — THOMAS HEGGHAMMER will be joining All Souls College at Oxford University as a senior research fellow. The terrorism and jihadism specialist is currently a senior research fellow at the Norwegian Defense Research Establishment (FFI) in Norway.
| | A message from Lockheed Martin: Essential to allied airpower.
With the commitment of 14 nations and counting, the U.S. and its allies are powering partnerships, security, and economic growth through the F-35 program. Learn more. | | | | | | — SAM CRANNY-EVANS and SIDHARTH KAUSHAL, Royal United Services Institute: “Not Out of the Woods Yet: Assessing the Operational Situation in Ukraine” — JUDE BLANCHETTE, Foreign Affairs: “Xi Jinping’s Faltering Foreign Policy” — SAMUEL GOLDMAN, The Week: “The liberal world order is gone, but the West lives on”
| | | — The Atlantic Council, 8:15 a.m.: “U.S.-Mexico Priorities: Migration, Energy, Security and Beyond— with ESTEBAN MOCTEZUMA and KEN SALAZAR” — The Henry L. Stimson Center, 9:30 a.m.: “Undeterred by War: Trends in International Arms Transfers— with RACHEL STOHL, PIETER WEZEMAN and more” — The Senate Armed Services Committee, 9:30 a.m.: “Russia's invasion of Ukraine (CLOSED)” — The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, 10:00 a.m.: “The Baltics under pressure” — The House Armed Services Committee, 10:00 a.m.: “ National Security Challenges and U.S. Military Activities in the Greater Middle East and Africa— with KENNETH MCKENZIE JR., CELESTE WALLANDER and STEPHEN TOWNSEND” — The House Appropriations Committee, 10:00 a.m.: “United States Southern Command (CLOSED)— with LAURA J. RICHARDSON” — The House Science, Space and Technology Research and Technology Committee, 10:00 a.m.: “Setting the Standards: Strengthening U.S. Leadership in Technical Standards— with JAMES K. OLTHOFF, ALISSA COOPER, MARY SAUNDERS and more” — The House Homeland Security Committee , 10:00 a.m.: “The Targeting of Black Institutions: From Church Violence to University Bomb Threats— with JANAI NELSON, THOMAS K. HUDSON and ERIC S.C. MANNING” — The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, 10:15 a.m.: “Pandemic Response and Accountability: Reducing Fraud and Expanding Access to COVID-19 Relief through Effective Oversight— with LARRY D. TURNER, MICHAEL E. HOROWITZ, JASON S. MILLER and more” — The Woodrow Wilson Center's Middle East Program, 11:00 a.m.: “Will Iran Build the Bomb?— with TYTTI ERASTO, MAHSA ROUHI and JOHN MEARSHEIMER” — The House Natural Resources Committee, 11:00 a.m.: “ Ongoing Oversight of Runit Dome and the U.S Nuclear Legacy in the Marshall Islands” — The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 11:00 a.m.: “ The future of U.S.-China competition and how the China Challenge is reshaping U.S. foreign policy— with MATT POTTINGER” — The Vandenberg Coalition, 12:00 p.m.: “The Global Fallout From Russian Aggression in Ukraine— with ALEXANDER GABUEV, ASHLEY TELLIS, ROSE GOTTEMOELLER and more” — The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, 2:00 p.m.: “ Building a Better VA: Addressing Healthcare Workforce Recruitment and Retention Challenges” — The SETA Foundation at Washington DC, 2:00 p.m.: “The War in Ukraine:Turkey's Policy and Geopolitical Implications for NATO— with KILIC KANAT, LUKE COFFEY, KADIR USTAN and more” — Washington Post Live, 3:00 p.m.: “Finland's perspective on the war in Ukraine, its relationship with NATO and Europe's dependence on Russian energy— with MIKKO HAUTALA. — The House Armed Services Committee, 4:00 p.m.: " Defense Intelligence Posture to Support the Warfighters and Policy Makers— with PAUL M. NAKASONE, SCOTT BERRIER and RONALD M. MOULTRIE”
| | | | DON’T MISS POLITICO’S INAUGURAL HEALTH CARE SUMMIT ON 3/31: Join POLITICO for a discussion with health care providers, policymakers, federal regulators, patient representatives, and industry leaders to better understand the latest policy and industry solutions in place as we enter year three of the pandemic. Panelists will discuss the latest proposals to overcome long-standing health care challenges in the U.S., such as expanding access to care, affordability, and prescription drug prices. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | 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 now desperately wants a Switchblade drone of his own. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |  |
