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From the SitRoom to the E-Ring, the inside scoop on defense, national security and foreign policy. | | | | |  | | By Alexander Ward and Matt Berg | | 
“The Ukrainians need this sort of weapon,” Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė said, adding that either U.S.-made ATACMS or a European equivalent would do. | Mindaugas Kulbis/AP Photo | Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Matt With help from Bryan Bender and Daniel Lippman It’s well past time for the United States or a European country to give Ukraine long-range missiles, Lithuanian Prime Minister INGRIDA ŠIMONYTĖ told NatSec Daily in a Tuesday interview. Šimonytė is in the U.S. to meet with Vice President KAMALA HARRIS , members of Congress and Lithuanian expats in Pennsylvania. Her message to them all is a simple one: Keep calm and stay the course on supporting Ukraine. But in her mind there’s more the West could be doing to help Kyiv defend itself. “The Ukrainians need this sort of weapon,” Šimonytė said, adding that either U.S.-made ATACMS or a European equivalent would do. The Ukrainian military can get up to speed on either system quickly and needs the weaponry to better attack Russian positions inside Ukraine, she argued. “I think we should trust their capacities,” she said. The prime minister refused to comment on reports of Ukraine deploying drones to strike military bases deep inside Russia , saying it’s hard to confirm what happened because of Moscow’s history of executing false flag operations. But she did say she would support whatever Ukraine needed to do to defend itself from Russia’s aggression. Šimonytė, 48, is like many of her Baltic colleagues much more hawkish than her Western European counterparts. She pushed for a Russian oil price cap below the agreed-to $60 , believes the sanctions pressure on Russia will continue to weaken the Kremlin and tried to further curb trade with Kaliningrad . Šimonytė didn’t understand why some of her European colleagues pushed for peace talks when the Ukrainian military was on the front foot, and Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN showed no signs of wanting to engage in serious negotiations. “Putin is not interested in peace,” she said, adding that offering him any security guarantees to engage in discussions wouldn’t make much sense. “I cannot understand what security guarantees a country that was never under risk of any attack whatsoever really needs,” the prime minister said.
| | | | POLITICO AT CES 2023 : We are bringing a special edition of our Digital Future Daily newsletter to Las Vegas to cover CES 2023. The newsletter will take you inside the largest and most influential technology event on the planet, featuring every major and emerging industry in the technology ecosystem gathered in one place. The newsletter runs from Jan. 5-7 and will focus on the public policy related aspects of the event. Sign up today to receive exclusive coverage of CES 2023. | | | | | | | | ‘UNRESOLVED ISSUES’: The Pentagon has halted changes to security clearance appeal procedures that granted military and civilian personnel the same due process as contractors if their clearances are denied or get pulled, our own BRYAN BENDER reports. RONALD MOULTRIE, the Pentagon’s top intelligence official, ordered that the changes put in motion in January 2021 by his predecessor EZRA COHEN, then the acting undersecretary for intelligence, be delayed pending further study, according to a Friday memo obtained by POLITICO. The new procedures had gone into effect Sept. 30. “There are still unresolved issues related to necessary resources, requirements, and authorities to implement and synchronize these reforms with other related efforts,” Moultrie wrote. He directs the development of an implementation plan by Feb. 17, 2023, to “clearly define the problem, the supporting data regarding the identified problem, the solution, and the resources, policies, procedures, communication and training required.” The revamped appeals process was designed to ensure that “all hearings, appeals and final denials or revocations” fall under the same adjudication process that has been available to contractors for decades but not government personnel. “On the first of December millions of military members and DoD civilians had due process rights that were stripped from them the following day,” Cohen told Bryan. “Once again our men and women in uniform are relegated to have less rights than contractors. Congress should act to cement these rights in statute.” DRONE STRIKES IN RUSSIA AGAIN: An oil facility near a Russian airfield was hit by a drone strike on Tuesday, marking the second day in a row that the country has seen an attack on its territory, report The New York Times’ MARC SANTORA, MIKE IVES and IVAN NECHEPURENKO . Moscow didn’t accuse Kyiv of the most recent attack, though Monday’s strikes showcased Ukraine’s ability and willingness to attack further into enemy lines, hitting two military bases hundreds of miles inside the country. Today’s attack occurred in a region that borders Ukraine. Ukrainian officials have not claimed responsibility for any attacks in Russian territory, as is their policy, though Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson YURII IHNAT provided an analysis of the situation for Moscow on national television following Monday’s strikes: “It is an alarming signal for them.” ORBAN THROWS A WRENCH IN UKRAINE AID: Hungarian Prime Minister VIKTOR ORBÁN vetoed a nearly $19 billion aid package to Ukraine, exacerbating a rift between his country and the European Union over his views on the ongoing Russian invasion, the Associated Press’ RAF CASERT reports . As a result of Orban’s move, the E.U.’s other 26 members will have to draft a more complicated technical plan to continue providing Kyiv with aid into next year. The Hungarian leader’s tactics are widely seen by the member states as an attempt to blackmail the E.U. into releasing billions in regular funding and pandemic recovery funds that have been held. It’s also Orban’s latest incident that has angered member states, which have been frustrated by his repeated criticism of the E.U. for sanctioning Moscow over its involvement in Ukraine. 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 mberg@politico.com , and follow us on Twitter at @alexbward and @mattberg33 . 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 , @ericgeller , @johnnysaks130 , @ErinBanco and @Lawrence_Ukenye .
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The F-35 delivers the unrivaled advantage for our pilots, nation, and partners. A decisive differentiator in near-peer warfare, the F-35 is the most advanced node in 21st century warfare network-centric architecture. Learn more. | | | | | | HERE IT GOES AGAIN: North Korean troops fired artillery into the waters near its southern rival for the second consecutive day in response to ongoing military drills between the U.S. and South Korea, the Associated Press’ KIM TONG-HYUNG reports . About 90 artillery rounds from a town on the country’s eastern coast were fired around 10 a.m., while another 10 rounds came from a nearby town about eight hours later, according to South Korean military officials. On Monday, North Korea fired about 130 rounds inside the maritime buffer zones with South Korea. It’s the latest warning from Pyongyang to its adversary to halt drills with the U.S. In recent months, North Korea has also conducted numerous missile tests and stoked worries about a future nuclear test.
| | | TIK TOK, TIK TOK: A potential deal between the Biden administration and Tik Tok to reduce Chinese influence on the social media platform was delayed again due to national security concerns with the algorithm and company compliance, The Wall Street Journal’s JOHN McKINNON, ARUNA VISWANATHA and STU WOO report . The deal was slated to be settled by the end of the year, but the review was prolonged due to concerns including how the platform’s algorithm recommends videos to users and the amount of trust U.S. lawmakers would need to place in the company, according to people familiar with the matter, WSJ says. American officials haven’t yet given Tik Tok additional demands to resolve their concerns. A tentative deal between U.S. officials and Tik Tok was reached over the summer, but senior officials, including those in the Justice Department, don’t believe it’s adequate, according to the people cited in the Journal. A timeline for when negotiations will proceed is unclear.
| | | | JOIN WEDNESDAY FOR A POLITICO DISCUSSION ON THE NEW TRAVEL EXPERIENCE : Americans are now traveling in record numbers — but the travel experience has changed drastically in recent years, not always for the better. What lessons can we learn from the pandemic and different responses around the globe? And in the face of a possible recession, what will help the travel industry remain vibrant and deliver jobs? Join POLITICO on Dec. 7 for “The Travel Experience Redefined” to discuss these questions and more. Breakfast and coffee will be provided. REGISTER HERE . | | | | | | | | WINNER, WINNER: The U.S. Army awarded the contract for its next-generation helicopter to Textron’s Bell unit, putting an end to a yearslong competition to replace the Black Hawk utility helicopter, Reuters’ IDREES ALI and MIKE STONE reported Monday evening . The Army will retire more than 2,000 medium-class UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters built in the 1970s. The contract to replace those is worth a pretty penny — potentially up to $70 billion over decades — depending on how many units the military orders, Army officials told reporters. A Sikorsky-Boeing team lost out on the bid and told our own LEE HUDSON that it will evaluate the next steps after reviewing feedback from the Army. The team will then decide whether to file a bid protest with the Government Accountability Office. Sikorsky, which is owned by Lockheed Martin, was the prime contractor on the Black Hawk.
| | | MITCH SAYS NO: Senate Minority Leader MITCH McCONNELL came out swinging against a push by Democrats to attach energy and cannabis banking measures to major defense policy legislation, marking another twist as negotiations come down to the wire, our own CONNOR O’BRIEN reports (for Pros!) . The Kentucky Republican sniped at Democrats, arguing the majority party is holding the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act "hostage" to pass "extraneous matters." He called out proposals on cannabis banking, known as the SAFE Banking Act, as well as an energy permitting reform measure. "We're talking about a grab bag of miscellaneous pet priorities, like making our financial system more sympathetic to illegal drugs or permitting reform in name only," McConnell said on the Senate floor. "If Democrats wanted these controversial items so badly, they had two years to move them across the floor." Congressional leaders have been haggling over final issues on the defense bill for days, including several contentious proposals that aren't related to national security. HAWLEY URGES TAIWAN AID: Sen. JOSH HAWLEY (R-Mo.) is calling on the Biden administration to prioritize arming Taiwan to deter an invasion by China over sending weapons to Ukraine, Connor also reports . "We should be clear: Taiwan is more important for U.S. national interests than Ukraine," Hawley argued in a letter to Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN obtained by POLITICO. He contended that the nearly 10-month effort to arm Ukraine against Russia's invasion is "impeding" the ability of the U.S. to provide weapons to Taiwan. Prioritizing arms transfer to Ukraine "is not a tenable position," Hawley argued, citing a Wall Street Journal report that a backlog of deliveries to Taiwan has grown to nearly $19 billion and that officials worry the near-term demands of aiding Kyiv are running up against the long-term need to deter China.
| | | TUBERVILLE HOLDS DOD NOMS: Sen. TOMMY TUBERVILLE (R-Ala.) has put a hold on all Pentagon nominees until the Defense Department offers a staff briefing about the military’s reproductive care. A Nov. 17 briefing was canceled “after my staff and multiple other Senate offices gathered for the call,” Tuberville wrote to Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN Monday. The briefing hasn’t yet been rescheduled. Tuberville has thus placed a hold on any and all nominees until his staff has been briefed on the issue “to my satisfaction.” Austin released a memo in October that directed the military to still provide reproductive care for troops, saying such treatment was required to maintain readiness. Tuberville and other lawmakers responded that Austin’s decision violated the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade.
| | | |   | | | | | | — TOMMY MATTOCKS is now senior press representative at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He most recently was director of comms at the Aerospace Industries Association and is a POLITICO alum. — Open Society Foundations’ Executive Director STEPHEN RICKARD will be leaving the organization after two decades of service. He is going to Georgetown Law, where he’ll serve as a fellow at the Human Rights Institute. — The Center for Strategic and International Studies, in partnership with the Diversity in National Security Network, has named its 2022 U.S. National Security and Foreign Affairs Leadership List.
| | | — FAITH BIROL, Financial Times: Europe urgently needs a new industrial master plan — BRIAN KLAAS, The Atlantic: The Conventional Wisdom About War Crimes Is Wrong — MELISSA GRONLUND, New Lines Magazine: New Threats to Heritage in the Taliban’s Afghanistan
| | | — The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 6:30 a.m.: "Reverberations of Multiple Crises: What to Expect in 2023" — The Atlantic Council, 7 a.m.: A conversation with Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs TOBIAS BILLSTRÖM — The German Marshall Fund of the United States, 8:30 a.m.: A Conversation with Prime Minister of Lithuania INGRIDA ŠIMONYTĖ — The Center for Strategic and International Studies, 9 a.m.: "Adapting Aid and Intervention in Yemen" — The Brookings Institution, 9 a.m.: "South Korean foreign policy in the Indo-Pacific" — The Bipartisan Policy Center, 10:30 a.m.: "U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission's Annual Report" — The United States Institute of Peace, 10:30 a.m.: "Prosecuting the Crime of Aggression in Ukraine" — The Center for a New American Security, 1 p.m.: "Precision and Posture: Defense Spending Trends and the FY23 Budget Request" — The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2 p.m.: "A Modern Alliance in a Changing World" with Australian Foreign Minister PENNY WONG 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. Thanks to our editor, Heidi Vogt, who will hold our pay until we write a newsletter to her satisfaction. And we thank our producer, Kierra Frazier, who always gives briefings as scheduled.
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Information is the battlespace advantage. F-35 sensor fusion provides vast amounts of information to accelerate critical decisions and win the fight. Learn more. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |  |
