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From the SitRoom to the E-Ring, the inside scoop on defense, national security and foreign policy. | | | | |  | | By Alexander Ward, Andrew Desiderio and Lawrence Ukenye | | 
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) (R) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) (L) speak to members of the press during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol Sept. 14, 2022 in Washington, D.C. | Alex Wong/Getty Images | With help from Lara Seligman and Daniel Lippman Subscribe here | Email Alex A bipartisan Senate duo is escalating the ongoing battle with the Biden administration over whether to declare Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. Just weeks after their non-binding resolution backing such a designation cleared the Senate unanimously, Sens. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-Conn.) and LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.) unveiled new legislation on Wednesday that would circumvent the State Department and impose the dramatic declaration unilaterally. “What’s been revealed in Ukraine’s success on the battlefield is not only its military prowess and Russia’s weakness, but also Putin’s reliance on brutal atrocities in the places that he has conquered and the means of his subjugating the people of Ukraine,” said Blumenthal, who recently traveled to Ukraine with Graham, where they presented Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY with a framed copy of their resolution. Their latest move on the subject comes after President JOE BIDEN last week responded with a resounding “no” to a question about whether he intended to add Russia to the state terrorism list, a development that would please Ukraine. “We are well aware that the administration takes a different view on this issue. Respectfully, I disagree,” Blumenthal told reporters at a press conference about the legislation. “We believe that Russia has more than earned the right to be among the pariah club of Iran, North Korea, Cuba and Syria.” The updated and more aggressive bill intensifies Congress’ fight with the Biden administration. Five House members, Democrats and Republicans, in July introduced legislation that’s similar to the new Senate version. It came after Speaker NANCY PELOSI (D-Calif.) urged Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN to use his authority to place Russia on the terrorism blacklist. If he didn’t do it, she promised that Congress would. Internal haggling has gone on ever since. High-level State Department officials have shared their fears with congressional offices, saying that the broad sanctions compelled by the designation would hurt the U.S. and global economy. Cutting off countries like Syria and Cuba doesn’t have a widespread impact, they argued, but Russia is far more integrated into the world market. Plus, the State Department points out, the sanctions placed on the Kremlin following the invasion of Ukraine do the same amount of damage as those corresponding to the terrorism label. But Blumenthal and Graham don’t seem swayed by those points. Instead, they’re confronting the administration head-on with bipartisan support in both chambers. That portends a dragged-out, knock-down tussle. The legislative path, though, remains unclear. While Pelosi has been forthright about her support, she hasn’t yet moved on the House bill. And Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER (D-N.Y.) is mired by several legislative fights in the coming weeks over same-sex marriage, government funding and the annual defense policy bill. Blumenthal and Graham indicated that they’re not yet sure how they plan to push their legislation through the chamber — whether as a standalone measure or a unanimous-consent request on the Senate floor. “If we could pull this off,” Graham said, “this would be an enormous shot in the arm for the Ukrainian people.” If Schumer puts this bill on the floor, it would pass overwhelmingly. As of now, it’s just a question of whether he wants to pick a fight with the administration on such a complex and consequential issue. Blumenthal said it will also depend on “how strongly the administration is going to oppose it.” NatSec Daily asked the White House if Biden would veto the bill if it ever reached his desk. We didn’t hear back before publication time. Importantly, the Blumenthal-Graham bill does include some flexibility for the administration, namely a waiver allowing Biden to pause the designation if he certifies to Congress that Russia “is no longer supporting act of international terrorism” and that removing the designation “is in the national interest of the United States.” But as four other nations have found out, once they’re on the list, it’s hard to get off.
| | | | HAPPENING 9/29 - POLITICO’S AI & TECH SUMMIT : Technology is constantly evolving and so are the politics and policies shaping and regulating it. Join POLITICO for the 2022 AI & Tech summit to get an insider look at the pressing policy and political issues shaping tech, and how Washington interacts with the tech sector. The summit will bring together lawmakers, federal regulators, tech executives, tech policy experts and consumer advocates to dig into the intersection of tech, politics, regulation and innovation, and identify opportunities, risks and challenges ahead. REGISTER FOR THE SUMMIT HERE. | | | | | | | | PUTIN REJECTED PEACE DEAL: Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN rejected a provisional deal whereby Ukraine promised not to join NATO and launched his war anyway, per a new exclusive report in Reuters. DMITRY KOZAK , a Ukrainian-born Russian envoy to Kyiv, “told Putin that he believed the deal he had hammered out removed the need for Russia to pursue a large-scale occupation of Ukraine, according to these sources…. But, despite earlier backing the negotiations, Putin made it clear when presented with Kozak's deal that the concessions negotiated by his aide did not go far enough and that he had expanded his objectives to include annexing swathes of Ukrainian territory, the sources said. The upshot: the deal was dropped.” Kremlin spokesperson DMITRY PESKOV denies the report, saying it “has absolutely no relation to reality.” Reuters also couldn’t confirm if the deal came together shortly before or after Feb. 24, invasion day. But if true, the story is more evidence that Putin’s anger at Ukrainian policy and NATO was mostly, if not entirely, a pretext to start a war. ZELENSKYY VISITED FREE IZYUM: The Ukrainian president traveled to Izyum Wednesday to preside over a flag-raising ceremony in the city recently liberated during Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the northeast, the Washington Post’s ROBYN DIXON reported. “The heroes are here,” Zelenskyy said. “It means that the enemy is gone, ran away…. We thank all of you for liberating our state from the enemy — from the terrorists of the Russian Federation and from the traitors who betrayed our state with the bills of artificial republics.” “Western military and intelligence analysts say Russia’s forces appear to be severely depleted, largely incapable of offensive operations to retake ground, and potentially vulnerable to further attacks. Ukraine’s military, in turn, seems intent on pressing its counteroffensive in the east and the south,” Dixon reported. AFGHAN FUND: The U.S. and its global partners have established the “Afghan Fund,” a mechanism to return the seized $3.5 billion in Kabul’s assets to the Afghan people — circumventing the Taliban. “The Afghan Fund will protect, preserve, and make targeted disbursements of that $3.5 billion to help provide greater stability to the Afghan economy,” the State Department announced in a Wednesday news release. A board will decide how to use the money on behalf of the country, the release continued, including “paying for critical imports like electricity, paying Afghanistan’s arrears at international financial institutions to preserve their eligibility for financial support, paying for essential central banking services like SWIFT payments, and others.” Funds not used for those purposes will eventually return to Afghanistan’s central bank. 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 follow me on Twitter at @alexbward. While you’re at it, follow the rest of POLITICO’s national security team: @nahaltoosi, @woodruffbets, @politicoryan, @PhelimKine, @BryanDBender, @laraseligman, @connorobrienNH, @paulmcleary, @leehudson, @AndrewDesiderio, @magmill95 and @Lawrence_Ukenye.
| | A message from Lockheed Martin: Lockheed Martin, helping you outpace evolving threats by accelerating digital transformation.
At Lockheed Martin digital transformation means simulating wear-and-tear with digital twins, industry-wide experience and next-gen technologies. We do it all to help you prevent and deter emerging threats sooner and faster than ever. Learn more. | | | | | | U.S. WEIGHING SANCTIONS AGAINST CHINA: Washington is brainstorming a tech-focused sanctions package to deter China from invading Taiwan, with Taipei urging the European Union to do the same, Reuters reported. U.S. efforts to craft the package come amid recent Chinese military exercises in the Taiwan Strait over Pelosi’s visit to the island, which was followed by additional congressional delegations to Taipei despite Beijing's warnings. Despite Europe's firsthand experience with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Taipei’s push for economic measures against China will be a hard sell for the EU given its deep economic ties with Beijing in comparison to Moscow. In 2020, China surpassed the U.S. as the EU’s largest trade partner.
| | | U.S. SANCTIONS IRANIANS FOR CYBER ATTACK: The U.S. sanctioned three Iranians for their role in using ransomware cyberattacks to extort organizations in the U.S., Israel and Europe, the Department of Treasury announced Wednesday. The individuals were members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and have infiltrated computer systems since 2020, including a domestic violence shelter that was forced to pay ransom, Reuters’ CHRISTOPHER BING and ANDY SULLIVAN reported. While the attacks weren't directed from Tehran, the sanctions come amid recent U.S. efforts to hold Iran accountable for cyberattacks. Last week, Washington announced sanctions against Iran for its role in targeting Albanian government services in July.
| | | MILLEY IN ISRAEL: Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. MARK MILLEY is on the road again, arriving Tuesday night in Israel for the first stop in a little over a weeklong trip, according to his spokesperson Col. DAVE BUTLER. On Wednesday, he led an hourlong discussion at a defense innovation conference attended by senior military leaders from 22 countries on the changing nature of war and how new tech can deter future threats, Butler said. Over the next week or so, Milley will also meet with NATO chiefs of defense in Estonia and visit troops in Poland. Among other things, the general will discuss ongoing support to Ukraine and NATO efforts to assure allies and “deter Russia from further aggression toward any other sovereign nations,” Butler said. NAVY SHOULD RENAME WARSHIP: In the final installment of a three-part report, the commission that was established to rename bases that honor Confederate leaders announced on Tuesday its recommendation that the Navy rename the USS Chancellorsville, a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser, and the USNS Maury, an oceanographic survey ship, our own LARA SELIGMAN reported. The Chancellorsville is named for the decisive 1863 Confederate victory by Gens. ROBERT E. LEE and THOMAS “STONEWALL” JACKSON that paved the way for the Army of Northern Virginia’s invasion of Pennsylvania and the battle of Gettysburg. The ship’s hull reportedly contains bullets and shell fragments from the battle, and as of at least 2016, a painting of Lee and Jackson hung in the wardroom. It’s a process to change a vessel’s name: the name of the ship has to be removed from the stern; the ship’s bell, which bears its name, must be taken down; and the ship’s stationery must be changed. The Maury is named for MATTHEW FONTAINE MAURY, a noted oceanographer, cartographer and meteorologist who resigned his place in the U.S. Navy and joined the Confederacy with the outbreak of the Civil War.
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don’t miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY. | | | | | | | | DEMS PRESSURE ON EGYPT AID: Democratic pressure on the Biden administration to withhold $300 million in military aid to Egypt over human rights concerns is growing. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair GREGORY MEEKS (D-N.Y.) led a letter with six of his colleagues calling on the U.S. “not to certify that Egypt has taken ‘sustained and effective steps’ to implement the criteria as required by law.” The letter, addressed to Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN, follows a recent Senate floor speech by Sen. CHRIS MURPHY (D-Conn.) urging the same: That the $300 million remain in American coffers. A decision on whether to give Egypt that money is expected as soon as this week. The U.S. will have a number of high-level officials attending the COP27 climate summit in Sharm El-Sheikh this November. GOP PUSHES NDAA VOTE: Senate Republicans are turning up the heat on Majority Leader Schumer to hold a vote on the chamber's defense policy bill this month as prospects for the debate fade, our own CONNOR O’BRIEN reports. Two dozen GOP senators delivered a warning to Schumer that time is running short for the chamber to clear the National Defense Authorization Act in a letter spearheaded by Sen. TOMMY TUBERVILLE (R-Ala.). "For the bill to go to conference and make it to President Biden’s desk, our colleagues must have the opportunity to debate the Senate version with an open amendment process," they wrote. "As such, we the undersigned respectfully request that you call the [NDAA] to the Senate floor before the conclusion of the September work period." The House passed its version of the NDAA in July. But a defense debate doesn't appear in the cards for the upper chamber as Democrats push to confirm judges and codify protections for same-sex marriage and a deadline looms to keep the government funded. COMMITTEE MUSICAL CHAIRS: Pelosi announced Tuesday that new Rep. PAT RYAN (D-N.Y.), a West Point grad and Army veteran who won a special election in August, has been tapped to serve on the House Armed Services Committee. Another New York Democrat, Rep. JOE MORELLE, will move from HASC to the House Appropriations Committee.
| | | CHINA AIMS TO BLOCK AUKUS SUBMARINE DEAL: China is furious at the International Atomic Energy Agency’s recent report that found no issues with Australia's plan to build nuclear submarines as part of its deal with AUKUS, its Pacific-focused alliance with the United States and United Kingdom, Sky News Australia's MIRIAH DAVIS reported. "This report lopsidedly cited the account given by the US, the UK and Australia to explain away what they have done, but made no mention of the international community's major concerns over the risk of nuclear proliferation that may arise from the AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation," said MAO NING, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry. AUKUS, which turns one year old tomorrow, has been a source of angst for China as they worry about increasing Western influence and power projection in a region they have claimed as their own. The sub-deal will be the first time weapons-grade nuclear materials have been transferred to a non-nuclear state.
| | | |   | | | | | | — FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY: MORGAN JOYCE has left the White House where she was a policy adviser at the NSC, our own DANIEL LIPPMAN has learned. She is now a policy analyst in the office of counterterrorism and counterproliferation of the National Nuclear Security Administration. — MEGAN ROONEY is now a senior presidential speechwriter for President Biden, Lippman also reported. She most recently was chief speechwriter for Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN and also has worked as a speechwriter for former President BARACK OBAMA and former Secretary of State HILLARY CLINTON. — NIK STEINBERG has been promoted to be chief speechwriter for Blinken. — SAMEER LALWANI has joined the U.S. Institute of Peace as a senior expert in the Asia Center. He previously led the Stimson Center’s South Asia program.
| | | — MICHÈLE FLOURNOY and MICHAEL BROWN, Foreign Affairs: Time is Running Out to Defend Taiwan — DENNIS MURPHY, The Daily Beast: Don’t Be Fooled, Putin Still Has Some Nasty Tricks Up His Sleeve — JOSHUA SHIFRINSON, Defense Priorities: American interests in the Ukraine war
| | | — The Hudson Institute, 8 a.m.: "The U.S.-Australia Alliance on the Anniversary of AUKUS" — The Middle East Institute, 9 a.m.: "Strategic Challenges and Opportunities for the United States in the Black Sea Region: Ukraine, Georgia, and Romania." — The International Institute for Strategic Studies, 10 a.m.: A Conversation with Her Excellency Mariangela Zappia — The Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association and Intelligence and National Security Alliance, 10 a.m.: "2022 Intelligence and National Security Summit" — Senate Armed Services Committee, 10 a.m.: Nomination hearing for Air Force Gen. ANTHONY J. COTTON to be commander of the U.S. Strategic Command. — Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 10 a.m.: "Assessing U.S. Policy Toward Venezuela." — House Homeland Security Committee, 10 a.m.: "Building on our Baseline: Securing Industrial Control Systems Against Cyberattacks." — The Government Executive Media Group, 11 a.m.: "State of Defense: Marines." — The Middle East Institute, 11 a.m.: "Beyond Post-Desert Storm: The Future of the U.S.-Kuwait Security Partnership." — The Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, 12 p.m.: "Comparing the Incomparable: Kosovo's Independence and Russian Aggression in Ukraine." — The Atlantic Council, 12:30 p.m.: "What next for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action?" — The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1 p.m.: "Ukraine at War: Four Perspectives from Ukrainian Civil Society." — The House Oversight and Reform Committee, 2 p.m.: "Putin's Proxies: Examining Russia's Use of Private Military Companies." Have a natsec-centric event coming up? Transitioning to a new defense-adjacent or foreign policy-focused gig? Shoot me an email at award@politico.com to be featured in the next edition of the newsletter. And thanks to our editor, Ben Pauker, who takes a different view on the usefulness of this newsletter. Respectfully, we disagree.
| | A message from Lockheed Martin: Lockheed Martin, helping you outpace evolving threats by accelerating digital transformation.
At Lockheed Martin digital transformation means simulating wear-and-tear with digital twins, industry-wide experience and next-gen technologies. We do it all to help you prevent and deter emerging threats sooner and faster than ever. Learn more. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |  |
