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From the SitRoom to the E-Ring, the inside scoop on defense, national security and foreign policy. | | | | |  | | By Alexander Ward, Jonathan Lemire and Quint Forgey | | 
Joe Biden walks on the South Lawn prior to his departure from the White House on July 8, 2022 in Washington, DC. | Alex Wong/Getty Images | With help from Nahal Toosi, Andrew Desiderio and Paul McLeary Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Quint JERUSALEM — President JOE BIDEN had different plans for engaging the Middle East. But the world has a way of intervening. Since the beginning of his administration, he’s sought to downgrade the importance of the region so as not to wade into intractable problems such as the brokering of a two-state solution between the Israelis and the Palestinians. And in a sign that he was planning to conduct Middle East diplomacy differently than his predecessors, he pledged to end the United States’ customary snugness with Saudi Arabia after the killing of journalist JAMAL KHASHOGGI, a U.S. resident. Over the past few months, however, that posture has changed, in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Now, Biden and his team have concluded that they must ramp up Washington’s presence in the Middle East to thwart encroachment by China and Russia, to keep Iran’s nuclear ambitions at bay, to maintain a ceasefire in Yemen, to bring about faster modernizations in Saudi society and to help improve relations between officials in Jerusalem and Riyadh. Plus, there’s that pesky matter of needing Saudi Arabia’s help to keep the world’s oil flowing after the tap from Russia dwindled following the invasion of Ukraine. To be sure, this isn’t the Middle East trip that Biden wanted. But when he lands there this week, it’s the one he’ll get — a visit packed with both opportunities and a vast geopolitical minefield for the president, as his aides well know. “It is better for us to be present, even if it hurts,” a senior U.S. official told NatSec Daily. On the agenda, Biden is scheduled to meet Israeli caretaker Prime Minister YAIR LAPID and opposition leader BENJAMIN NETANYAHU — both in a Jerusalem lined with U.S. and Israeli flags flying side by side — as well as Palestinian Authority President MAHMOUD ABBAS . Then, it’s off to Saudi Arabia for a gathering of the Gulf Cooperation Council, where all eyes will be on a bilateral meeting featuring the American president mere feet away from Saudi Crown Prince MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN. Few observers expect many tangible deliverables from Biden’s sojourn. “This trip is an effort to go broad, but not deep,” said JON ALTERMAN, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Instead, the most notable offering will be what the United States grants Israel and Saudi Arabia: an audience with the president. After 18 months of keeping the Middle East at arm’s length, Biden now wants to convey that all the recent attention given to Ukraine won’t distract his administration from securing regional interests with allies and partners. Persistent engagement, not the cold shoulder, will help calm a turbulent part of the globe. But Biden will have to avoid many pitfalls, especially a potential handshake with MBS that would be broadcast around the world. Such an image would provoke intense criticism back in Washington and corrupt the president’s case that democracies must thwart the aims of autocracies. And it’s still unclear what Biden will do or say about the killing of prominent Palestinian-American journalist SHIREEN ABU AKLEH . On July 4, the State Department announced that she likely was killed by Israeli Defense Forces during a May raid, though damage to the lethal bullet made a definitive determination impossible. The Israeli government denies having intentionally killed the reporter, but Akleh’s family has since asked Biden for a meeting while he’s in the region, in hopes that he can hear their “demands for justice.” It’s safe to say, then, that Biden is bound to have a much more raucous time in the Middle East compared to the relative coziness he enjoyed in Europe last month. Read Alex and Jonathan’s full curtain-raiser here. ALEX IN JERUSALEM: An extremely jet-lagged Alex hasn’t been in the majestic Israeli city long, but he’s already got some details to share. He went over on the White House-organized charter plane Tuesday which, while also full of reporters, was packed with D.C.-based administration staff. They’re here not only to support the president and Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN, who’s joining Biden for the ride, but also make sure pesky journalists don’t dig too deep during a sensitive trip. During a dinner hosted by the mayor of Jerusalem and U.S. Ambassador to Israel TOM NIDES, Alex tried to get no less than six Israeli officials to say they’re happy that Biden is continuing Trump’s policy of keeping the embassy in Jerusalem and pushing the Abraham Accords. None would comment, even on background. That’s how treacherous these talks portend to be. Nides did openly come to Biden’s defense during some prepared remarks. This isn’t Biden’s “first rodeo,” he told the crowd of reporters, U.S. and Israeli officials and civil society leaders (which included Alex who had his face filled with chicken chermoula and beef on rice he’ll be dreaming about for days). “Joe Biden certainly understands this place,” Nides continued. In impromptu interviews outside the dinner, Alex joined a scrum during which the ambassador said Biden still believes in the “vision” of a two-state solution and that the U.S. continues to push Israel to accept a consulate for Palestinians. But he notably didn’t lay out how, specifically, the administration plans to get to “yes.” Biden arrives in Israel around 3:30 pm local time Wednesday. His first meetings with Israeli officials begin Thursday.
| | | ISIS LEADER KILLED IN SYRIA: U.S. Central Command announced today that MAHER AL-AGAL — the head of the Islamic State in Syria and one of the top five leaders of the militant group — had been killed in a U.S. drone strike in northwestern Syria that also seriously injured a close associate of his, per Reuters’ PHIL STEWART and IDREES ALI. “Extensive planning went into this operation to ensure its successful execution. An initial review indicates there were no civilian casualties,” CENTCOM said in a statement, which accused al-Agal of developing ISIS networks outside of Iraq and Syria. According to Reuters: “The Syrian Civil Defence, a humanitarian organization operating in opposition-held areas, said an unidentified drone targeted a motorcycle in the village of Khaltan in the northern countryside of the Aleppo region, killing two people.” Biden released a statement hours after the news broke, saying the strike “takes a key terrorist off the field and significantly degrades the ability of ISIS to plan, resource, and conduct their operations in the region. And, like the U.S. operation in February that eliminated ISIS’s overall leader, it sends a powerful message to all terrorists who threaten our homeland and our interests around the world. The United States will be relentless in its efforts to bring you to justice.” U.S., WORLD BANK HELP PAY UKRAINE’S HEALTH CARE WORKERS: The U.S. Agency for International Development, the Treasury Department and the World Bank are sending Ukraine an additional $1.7 billion in assistance to pay health care workers’ salaries and provide other essential services, per the Associated Press’ FATIMA HUSSEIN. Ukrainian Healthcare Minister VIKTOR LIASHKO said in a statement that making the salary payments is becoming more difficult each month “due to the overwhelming burden of war.” The new money from the United States and the World Bank “is not just yet another financial support; it is an investment that makes us a step closer to victory,” he added. USAID has so far given $4 billion in budgetary support to the Ukrainian government. As the AP notes: “While many medical staffers have left Ukraine, some hospitals have shut down and other hospitals have been bombed. The health workers who remain in Ukraine do their jobs under dire circumstances.” IRAN READYING DRONE DELIVERIES TO RUSSIA: National security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN told reporters Monday that the Iranian government is preparing to send “several hundred” drones, including some equipped with weapons, to Russia at some point in July, per our own MATT BERG. Sullivan said it’s “unclear whether Iran has delivered any of these UAVs to Russia already,” and that Iran will train Russian forces to use the drones as early as this month. Buying drones from Iran signals that Russia is desperate and lacking choices because of economic isolation, according to a U.S. official familiar with the situation. They reiterated Sullivan’s classification of the number of drones, calling it a “substantial” amount. After the U.S. warning of the planned drone shipments, the Kremlin announced today that Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN will visit Tehran next week for a trilateral meeting with the leaders of Iran and Turkey, per the Associated Press’ VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV. 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, @ChristopherJM, @BryanDBender, @laraseligman, @connorobrienNH, @paulmcleary, @leehudson, @AndrewDesiderio and @JGedeon1 — plus our summer interns, @Lawrence_Ukenye and @nicolle_liu.
| | A message from Lockheed Martin: Our mission is to prepare you for the future by engineering advanced capabilities today.
Many of today’s military systems and platforms were designed to operate independently. Through our 21st Century Security vision, Lockheed Martin is accelerating innovation, connecting defense and digital to enhance the performance of major platforms, to equip customers to stay ahead of emerging threats. Learn more. | | | | | | SAS KILLED AFGHAN DETAINEES, UNARMED MEN: British special forces “repeatedly killed detainees and unarmed men in suspicious circumstances” in Afghanistan, the BBC’s HANNAH O’GRADY and JOEL GUNTER report in a new investigation. According to the BBC: “Newly obtained military reports suggest that one unit may have unlawfully killed 54 people in one six-month tour. The BBC found evidence suggesting the former head of special forces failed to pass on evidence to a murder inquiry.… The BBC understands that General Sir MARK CARLETON-SMITH, the former head of UK Special Forces, was briefed about the alleged unlawful killings but did not pass on the evidence to the Royal Military Police, even after the RMP began a murder investigation into the SAS squadron.” The U.K. Ministry of Defense responded to the BBC’s investigation, saying British troops “served with courage and professionalism in Afghanistan.” And yet, per the reporting: “Individuals who served with the SAS squadron on that deployment told the BBC they witnessed the SAS operatives kill unarmed people during night raids. They also said they saw the operatives using so-called ‘drop weapons’ — AK-47s planted at a scene to justify the killing of an unarmed person. Several people who served with special forces said that SAS squadrons were competing with each other to get the most kills, and that the squadron scrutinised by the BBC was trying to achieve a higher body count than the one it had replaced."
| | | GERMANY JACKS UP CYBERDEFENSES: The German government announced plans today to bolster its cyberdefenses against increasing threats from Russia, Deutsche Welle reports. According to DW: “The new measures involve promoting cyber resilience among small- and medium-sized enterprises. That would apply to ‘critical infrastructure,’ businesses involved in transport, food, health, energy and water supply. Also included is the introduction of a secure central video conferencing system for the federal government. There will also be a centralized platform for the exchange of information on cyberattacks between state and federal structures, based at the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI). Meanwhile, the IT infrastructure of Germany's domestic intelligence agency and police is to be modernized.” German Interior Minister NANCY FAESER, presenting the government’s new stance, said: “The sea change we are facing in view of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine requires a strategic repositioning and significant investment in our cybersecurity.” INGLIS GOES ABROAD: National Cyber Director CHRIS INGLIS traveled to the U.K., the Netherlands and Israel from June 26 to July 5 “to discuss efforts to promote the security of our common digital ecosystem and the integrity of our hardware and software supply chains,” according to a White House statement released today. In official government meetings, Inglis aimed to “share lessons learned on enhancing national cybersecurity, growing the cyber talent pool, and ensuring the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure. He also solicited feedback on themes of the Biden-Harris Administration’s forthcoming National Cybersecurity Strategy.” Inglis’s visit to Israel is interesting because it came just days before Biden is scheduled to arrive in Jerusalem; it’s likely that Inglis set the groundwork for cyber-related discussions with Israeli leaders.
| | | WEAPONS WEIGH ON BIDEN’S TRIP: The issue of weapons sales will be an ever-present item on the president’s itinerary when he visits the Middle East this week, note our colleagues at Morning Defense (for Pros!). Saudi Arabia: The Biden administration and Congress have agreed to keep selling defensive systems, including the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system and air-to-air missiles. But U.S. officials have balked recently at providing Riyadh with offensive weapons such as precision-guided missiles — and those could now be on the table. Egypt: Biden also will meet with Egyptian President ABDEL FATTAH AL-SISSI and the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, as well the leaders of Iraq and Jordan, at a summit during his Saudi stop. Washington has been at odds with Cairo over its domestic human rights abuses, but even that’s not been enough to stop major weapons sales. In January, the administration approved the $2.5 billion sale of 12 C-130 transport aircraft and air defense radars, but it withheld about $130 million to replenish and modernize weapons stocks. Sissi will likely be looking to get some of that money released. Israel: Biden’s trip begins in Israel, where Defense Minister BENNY GANTZ has been talking up a “Middle East Air Defense Alliance” with the Arab states that are now on friendly terms with Jerusalem. The Israelis’ desire to expand regional defense cooperation could be an opportunity for the Biden team. Gantz has been advocating the new version of the Iron Dome air defense system that knocks down incoming rockets using cheaper laser beams rather than expensive missiles. Related: Alex and LARA SELIGMAN’s piece on the challenges of making such a regional air-defense system. Policy purgatory: But what’s the official U.S. line on human rights and arms sales? Although the administration has completed a new arms transfer policy, it has yet to release it publicly. The document reportedly ties military assistance more explicitly to achieving progress on human rights. Its unveiling has been held up by the preoccupation with the war in Ukraine and other more pressing matters, two people with knowledge of the situation tell our own PAUL MCLEARY.
| | | |   | | | | | | FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY — LEAHY LAW LOOPHOLE: Rep. SARA JACOBS (D-Calif.) and Sen. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D-Md.) have introduced the “Upholding Human Rights Abroad Act” to close a gap in the Leahy Law — which prohibits the Defense Department and the State Department from providing military assistance to foreign security forces that violate human rights. Specifically, the bill by Jacobs and Van Hollen would require human rights vetting for a pair of the Pentagon’s security cooperation programs — “Section 127e” and “Section 1202” — that have drawn scrutiny in open-source reporting by the Intercept and other media outlets. “Human rights vetting is an essential part of how we engage with other countries, but over the last two decades Section 127e and Section 1202 have skirted these vetting requirements and, in some cases, been used with partners who have consistently violated human rights,” Jacobs said in a statement. “United States support for unvetted human rights abusers is not only deeply immoral and irresponsible, it is also counterproductive, leading to more unrest, instability, and terrorist activity.” Van Hollen added in his own statement: “[F]or too long, legal loopholes have allowed the Department of Defense to bypass proper vetting, reporting, and oversight protocols when providing other nations or groups with certain types of military assistance.” Sen. PATRICK LEAHY (D-Vt.), for whom the Leahy Law is named, said in a statement that the Pentagon “should have closed this loophole on its own initiative. The Upholding Human Rights Abroad Act will ensure that the Leahy Law is applied uniformly, so foreign partners are vetted and those who violate human rights are excluded from these programs.” SAD TURKEY: Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair BOB MENENDEZ (D-N.J.) indicated today that he’s not willing to budge on his opposition to selling new F-16 fighter jets to Turkey. Menendez, who has cited human rights concerns in the past, told our own ANDREW DESIDERIO that his position is not malleable. Menendez’s comments come after Biden said at the NATO summit last month that he supports the transfer of the advanced fighters to Turkey, after Ankara cleared the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO. (The Biden administration says there was no connection between Turkey backing down from its opposition and the president’s statement about F-16s.) Menendez, of course, has veto power on this issue. Unless Menendez and his Republican counterpart, Sen. JIM RISCH (R-Idaho), sign off, the Biden administration can’t sell the F-16s to Turkey. It remains to be seen whether the White House will try to pressure Menendez or Risch on the issue.
| | | QUINCY INSTITUTE RESPONDS TO CIRINCIONE: Last week, we featured a “Transitions” item about JOE CIRINCIONE resigning from the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. The reason he gave for his departure was that the pro-restraint think tank had an institutional position blaming the United States for the war in Ukraine. “You cannot find a word on the website or in the analysis about the horrors and crimes that Russia is doing,” he told us. We failed to reach out to the Quincy Institute before publication because we spoke with Cirincione shortly before we hit “file.” So, in fairness, here’s Quincy’s response to their former employee, and our item, in full: “A simple search on quincyinst.org will show a number of articles, essays, interviews and reports that express QI’s strongly-held conviction that Russia’s conduct is a flagrant violation of international law. Among the terms used to describe Russia’s war conduct are ‘monstrous and illegal,’ ‘heart-rending…carnage,’ ‘criminal aggression,’ ‘despicable…grotesque’ and ‘illegal and brutal.’ The debate with our former non-resident fellow is about whether U.S. policy should prioritize escalation — with the attendant risks of WW3 — or de-escalation. He favors the former and QI staff and leadership the latter,” said JESSICA ROSENBLUM, the Quincy Institute’s communications director.
| | | — FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY: EDWARD FERGUSON is leaving the U.K. Embassy in Washington at the end of month after serving for four years as minister-counsellor for defense, leading on the policy, nuclear, acquisition, trade and technology aspects of the U.K.-U.S. defense relationship. He will be replaced by MARK NEWTON. — FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY: PATRICK TOOMEY has been promoted to deputy director at the ACLU’s National Security Project, where he previously was a senior staff attorney. He’ll continue to work on issues related to surveillance, national security prosecutions, whistleblowing and racial profiling. — RICHARD MILLS JR. has been nominated to serve as U.S. ambassador to Nigeria. He currently serves as the U.S. deputy permanent representative to the United Nations. — ANN MARIE YASTISHOCK has been nominated to serve as U.S. ambassador to Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. She currently serves as senior deputy assistant administrator at USAID’s Bureau for Asia.
| | | — MAX FISHER, The New York Times: “Is the World Really Falling Apart, or Does It Just Feel That Way?” — MOISÉS NAÍM, POLITICO Magazine: “Opinion: Why Hard-Liners Are Gaining Steam in Latin America” — UMAR FAROOQ, ProPublica: “‘The Drone Problem’: How the U.S. Has Struggled to Curb Turkey, a Key Exporter of Armed Drones”
| | | — House Foreign Affairs Committee, 9 a.m.: “Closed Briefing: Russian Influence in Africa” — The Middle East Institute, 9 a.m.: “An Interactive Fireside Chat with SAADE CHAMI, Lebanon’s Deputy Prime Minister — with RONNIE W. HAMMAD and FADI NICHOLAS NASSAR” — The Middle East Institute and the London-based International Centre for the Study of Radicalization, 9 a.m.: “Resolving the Detainee Dilemma II: What Next for the Men, Women & Children of Islamic State — with TIMOTHY BETTS, QUENTIN LOPINOT, CONRAD MUELLER, ERIC SCHMITT, CARLA THOMAS and more” — House Foreign Affairs Committee, 10 a.m.: “Closed Briefing: The Global Engagement Center” — House Science, Space and Technology Committee, 10 a.m.: “Subcommittee Hearing: Nuclear Waste Cleanup: Research and Development Opportunities for the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management — with NATHAN ANDERSON, VAHID MAJIDI , JOHN PLODINEC and WILLIAM ‘IKE’ WHITE” — House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, 10 a.m.: “Full Committee Markup” — The National Institute of Standards and Technology, 10 a.m.: “Information Security and Privacy Advisory Board Meeting — with STEVE LIPNER, CHERILYN PASCOE, CHARLES ROMINE, MATTHEW SCHOLL, KEVIN STINE and more” — Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 10 a.m.: “Full Committee Hearing: Nominations — with YOHANNES ABRAHAM, RICHARD LEE BUANGAN, MARIE DAMOUR, ROBERT GODEC and DEAN THOMPSON” — The Center for Strategic and International Studies, 10:30 a.m.: “Rethinking Trade In a Geopolitical Context: Trends and Transatlantic Cooperation — with WILLIAM ALAN REINSCH and SABINE WEYAND” — House Foreign Affairs Committee, 11 a.m.: “Subcommittee Hearing: Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Request: United Nations and International Organizations — with MICHELE SISON” — The Hudson Institute, 12 p.m.: “ Middle East Missile Defense — with MICHAEL DORAN, CAN KASAPOĞLU and JONATHAN SCHACHTER” — The Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1:30 p.m.: “Security Assistance to Ukraine: The State Department’s Role — with ELIOT COHEN, KATHRYN INSLEY, JESSICA LEWIS, DAFNA RAND and TODD ROBINSON” — House Oversight and Reform Committee, 2 p.m.: “Subcommittee Hearing: Protecting Military Servicemembers and Veterans from Financial Scams and Fraud — with TROY BROUSSARD, ROBERT BURDA, MALINI MITHAL and JIM RICE” — The Center for Strategic and International Studies, 3 p.m.: “Maritime Security Dialogue: Naval Aviation Update — with WARD CARROLL , JAMES DOWNEY, SETH JONES, ANDREW LOISELLE and KENNETH WHITESELL” — The Foundation for Defense of Democracies, 3:15 p.m.: “ Degrade and Destroy: The Inside Story of the War Against the Islamic State, from Barack Obama to Donald Trump — with BRADLEY BOWMAN, MICHÈLE FLOURNOY, MICHAEL GORDON and SEAN MACDARLAND” 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 will keep pushing out this newsletter “even if it hurts.”
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Many of today’s military systems and platforms were designed to operate independently. Through our 21st Century Security vision, Lockheed Martin is accelerating innovation, connecting defense and digital to enhance the performance of major platforms, to equip customers to stay ahead of emerging threats. Learn more. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |  |
