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From the SitRoom to the E-Ring, the inside scoop on defense, national security and foreign policy. | | | | |  | | By Matt Berg | | 
“Of course, we're worried about threats from Iran and Iranian aggression,” Sen. Jackie Rosen said. “So this is really important that we work on protecting people, infrastructure and our forward-deployed troops from Iran's regional aggression.” | Mariam Zuhaib/AP | Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Matt With help from Daniel Lippman and Maggie Miller PROGRAMMING NOTE: We’ll be off next week for the holidays but back to our normal schedule on Tuesday, Jan. 3. As Congress awaits President JOE BIDEN’s signature on the sprawling $847 billion National Defense Authorization Act, NatSec Daily checked in with Sen. JACKY ROSEN (D-Nev.), about the several big wins she racked up with the bill. She worked alongside JONI ERNST (R-Iowa) to secure a provision that requires Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN to provide a strategy to increase cooperation with Middle Eastern allies. The goal: to enhance integrated air and missile defense in the Middle East in response to Iran’s threats. “Of course, we're worried about threats from Iran and Iranian aggression,” Rosen said. “So this is really important that we work on protecting people, infrastructure and our forward-deployed troops from Iran's regional aggression.” The senators introduced the legislation in the DEFEND Act in August, a month after U.S. Central Command Gen. KENNETH MCKENZIE warned that Iran possessed about 3,000 ballistic missiles, some of which were capable of hitting Tel Aviv. Then in November, Saudi Arabian officials shared intel with the U.S. warning that Iran had plans to strike the kingdom. The provision builds on the Abraham Accords — Rosen was one of the co-founding caucus members — which have aimed to normalize relations between Israel, the U.A.E., Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan. Without the political cooperation that the Abraham Accords provide, provisions like the one introduced by Rosen might not even be possible, according to TOM KARAKO , a senior fellow and director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The existence of the Abraham Accords “makes this kind of a provision even plausible, as opposed to just spitting in the wind. So there is a bit of a changing political environment, and that’s a good thing,” Karaoko told NatSec Daily. Separately, further investing in integrated air and missile defense systems in the Middle East signals “to regional partners that the United States remains committed to their security,” MICHELLE GRISÉ, a policy researcher at the RAND Corporation, told NatSec Daily. “And the process of developing this architecture will offer the United States opportunities to demonstrate that it is a reliable partner.” As a former computer programmer, Rosen secured several provisions to improve the nation’s cybersecurity. One of those lays the groundwork for creating a civilian cybersecurity reserve at the Defense Department, similar to the Army Reserve, the Navy Reserve and the Marine Corps Reserve. A planned pilot program would make sure that the U.S. is ready to respond to cyberattacks from anywhere, but “we're watching Russia, we know that there's a cyber threat from China and we think about Iran or North Korea,” Rosen said. In her home state, the senator also secured the expansion of the Fallon Range Training Complex, which was a top priority for the Navy in the NDAA. Working with the Navy, tribal and conservation communities, and local government officials, Rosen and Sen. CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO (D-Nev.) reached a deal to modernize the Navy Air Station Fallon, where many aviators and Navy SEALs are trained. Biden is widely expected to sign the bill, despite the bipartisan rebuke on the vaccine mandate that he and Austin continue to stand by as a matter of military readiness. “We knew that this bill overall was so important to pass for so many reasons, that this was one of the compromises,” Rosen said.
| | A message from Lockheed Martin: LMXT: Competitive capabilities for America’s next strategic tanker.
Lockheed Martin and Airbus announced the LMXT’s boom will be manufactured in Arkansas, reinforcing that the LMXT will be built in America for Americans by Americans. Learn more. | | | | | | PUTIN VISITS BELARUS: Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN visited Belarus today with his defense and foreign ministers, causing concerns that the Kremlin head is trying to push the country’s troops to join a fresh ground invasion in Ukraine, Reuters’ TOM BALMFORTH reports. It’s Putin’s first trip to Minsk since before the pandemic began and since he helped Belarusian President ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO squash a wave of pro-democracy protests. Now, observers worry that Putin may be calling in another favor, after Russian troops used Belarus as a launching pad for its offensive on Kyiv in February. Lukashenko had repeatedly said his country won’t join the war, and Kremlin spokesperson DMITRY PESKOV told state media that speculation that Belarus may step in was made up of “stupid and unfounded fabrications.” However, the two have maintained strong military ties, and Ukraine's top general, VALERY ZALUZHNIY, told The Economist last week that an influx of troops for an imminent major offensive into Ukraine could come from Belarus. READY FOR WINTER WAR: The White House is preparing itself for new obstacles posed by a winter of war in Ukraine and an incoming Republican House majority that might cut funding to Kyiv, our own JONATHAN LEMIRE reported over the weekend. Though Ukraine’s efforts to repel Russia’s brutal invasion continue to exceed expectations, President Joe Biden has been warily watching developments on both sides of the Atlantic. White House aides have privately admitted for months that, at a certain point, congressional funding for the war would slow as it drifts from the headlines. But there is a push by the administration to make sure Ukraine has the assistance it needs to make it through the winter, despite Russian attacks on the electrical grid that have left millions of residents without heat or light. Most immediately, the administration is leaning on Congress now to pass more Ukraine funding in the omnibus spending bill currently being negotiated. IT’S MONDAY: 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, @magmill95, @ericgeller, @johnnysaks130, @ErinBanco and @Lawrence_Ukenye.
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | | HEADS UP, JAPAN: North Korea tested two ballistic missiles on Sunday that could potentially reach Japan, the Associated Press reported. It’s possible retaliation for Japan’s adoption of a new security strategy to push for more offensive footing against KIM JONG UN’s regime and China. Both missiles landed in waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, per South Korean and Japanese military officials. The tests also came two days after North Korea performed an engine test that’s needed to build a powerful intercontinental ballistic missile that could strike the United States. North Korean officials also said they launched a test spy satellite today as part of Pyongyang’s push to advance its military technology. RUSSIAN DRONES STRIKE KYIV: Russian forces launched a barrage of drone strikes across Ukraine overnight, damaging critical infrastructure and knocking out power, The New York Times’ ANDREW KRAMER reports. Ukrainian Air Force officials said they shot down 20 of 35 drones that Russia launched toward Kyiv. Drones flying overhead were also reported in two regions in central and southern Ukraine.
| | | |   | | | | | | MOVING ON UP: U.S. Cyber Command elevated its Cyber National Mission Force to a subordinate unified command in a ceremony at its headquarters in Fort Meade, Md., on Monday, our own MAGGIE MILLER writes in. The promotion of the CNMF, ordered by DefSec Austin in October, further establishes the organization as critical to the nation’s cyber defense and offensive operations. Gen. PAUL NAKASONE, head of both the NSA and Cyber Command, presided at the ceremony. The CNMF is made up of more than 2,000 military and intelligence personnel on 39 teams, which have participated in cyber operations in almost every U.S. national security crisis since 2014, according to Cyber Command data. These missions have included defending the three most recent federal election cycles. CNMF teams have also conducted dozens of what Cyber Command describes as “hunt forward” missions in the networks of allied nations to understand the cyber threat landscape, including those in Croatia and Ukraine this year. DELETE TIK TOK NOW: Rep. MIKE GALLAGHER (R-Wis.) said Americans should delete the social media app Tik Tok even though “we don’t know” if it’s being used by the Chinese government to harm children, our own OLIVIA OLANDER reported. “Particularly as a younger member of Congress, this will make me very unpopular with your teenagers and many others,” Gallagher said in an interview with CNN host JAKE TAPPER on Sunday. “But the fundamental problem is this, Jake: TikTok is owned by ByteDance, and ByteDance is effectively controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.” Gallagher raised concerns, as other tech watchers have before, that TikTok may track users’ personal data even outside the app itself, in addition to its highly personalized in-app algorithm. Republicans, in particular, have said the Chinese company’s close ties to the country’s governing party compound their concerns. The social media platform has denied the charges.
| | | | A NEW POLITICO PODCAST: POLITICO Tech is an authoritative insider briefing on the politics and policy of technology. From crypto and the metaverse to cybersecurity and AI, we explore the who, what and how of policy shaping future industries. We’re kicking off with a series exploring darknet market places, the virtual platforms that enable actors from all corners of the online world to traffic illicit goods. As malware and cybercrime attacks become increasingly frequent, regulators and law enforcement agencies work different angles to shut these platforms down, but new, often more unassailable marketplaces pop up. SUBSCRIBE AND START LISTENING TODAY. | | | | | | | | WELCOME TO THE FAMILY: Weapons manufacturer Aerojet Rocketdyne announced on Sunday it has reached an agreement to be acquired by L3Harris for $4.7 billion, nearly a year after Lockheed Martin terminated a similar deal, our own LEE HUDSON reports (for Pros!). The deal, which is subject to regulatory approvals, is expected to close in 2023. Aerojet’s future has been uncertain since the Federal Trade Commission sued to block Lockheed Martin's proposed $4.4 billion acquisition in February, citing antitrust concerns. In June, Aerojet CEO Eileen Drake earned the support of shareholders to end a proxy war for control of the company.
| | | NOT SO FAST: After roughly 20 years shepherding major cybersecurity reforms through the halls of Congress, Rep. JIM LANGEVIN (D-R.I.) may be on the verge of retiring, but he’s not done shaping cyber policy on Capitol Hill, our friends over at Morning Cybersecurity (for Pros!) report. In an interview with the POLITICO cybersecurity team, the departing lawmaker said he plans to continue encouraging fellow lawmakers to make cybersecurity a priority — and that he’ll always be just a “phone call away” if they need him. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee’s cyber subcommittee, a co-chair of the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus and a commissioner of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, Langevin will leave multiple, terabyte-sized gaps in the cyber policymaking landscape. “There’ll be, I believe, more and more members that will gravitate toward this area,” he said, because the issue will be “more and more pervasive and intuitive” to the younger members now entering Congress.
| | A message from Lockheed Martin: LMXT: Competitive capabilities for America’s next strategic tanker.
The LMXT aircraft delivers proven capabilities for the U.S. Air Force’s increasing aerial refueling missions. One of the LMXT’s discriminating capabilities is its refueling system, which includes a fly-by-wire aerial refueling boom. Learn more. | | | | | | DO BETTER, DOD: Sen. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-Mass.) and Rep. SARA JACOBS (D-Calif.) lambasted the Pentagon for undercounting civilian casualties in its latest annual report to Congress, in a Monday letter obtained exclusively by our own LARA SELIGMAN. The Defense Department reported that about a dozen civilians were killed and five injured as a result of U.S. military operations last year in Afghanistan and Somalia. But the report did not acknowledge any civilian deaths in Syria, “despite credible civilian casualty monitors documenting at least 15 civilian deaths and 17 civilian injuries” that year, according to the letter, which was sent to DefSec Austin. The Pentagon also appeared to undercount civilian casualties from operations against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria before 2021, the lawmakers charged. “This vast difference between independent reporting and the DoD investigation raises concerns and undermines DoD credibility on civilian casualty reporting,” the lawmakers wrote. “It is a continued betrayal of our values to continually undercount and refuse to acknowledge or take proper steps to address the civilian casualties that result from U.S. military action.” TEHRAN STOPS TALKS WITH SAUDIS: Diplomatic talks between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran have been stalled largely due to Tehran’s insistence that the Kingdom has played a part in inciting the mass anti-government protests in the country, the Associated Press’ QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA reports. After taking office last month, Iraq’s new Prime Minister MOHAMMED SHIA al-SUDANI said he had been asked to continue facilitating the conversations, with five rounds of discussions already being had. But a sixth hasn’t been scheduled because Iranian officials refuse to meet as nationwide protests enter a fourth month, Iraqi officials told the AP.
| | | — DEVIN LYNCH is now director for supply chain and technology security at the Office of the National Cyber Director. He most recently was senior director for policy and government affairs at SecurityScorecard, and he’s a DHS and DoD alum. — Former Massachusetts Rep. JOE KENNEDY III has been tapped as the U.S. Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs. He spent eight years in the House, worked for the Massachusetts Assistant District Attorney, and served in the Peace Corps. — ADRIENNE ELROD will serve as the director of external affairs for the Commerce Department’s new CHIPS program, Jonathan Lemire has learned. She will oversee communications, legislative affairs, intergovernmental affairs and public engagement. Elrod previously worked as a strategist for HILLARY CLINTON, served in BILL CLINTON’s administration and on the Biden 2020 campaign and inaugural committee.
| | | — ZACK BEAUCHAMP, Vox: A Bad Year for the Bad Guys — JOHN HARDIE and BRADLEY BOWMAN, Breaking Defense: Send the Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb to Ukraine — AMY MACKINNON and RISHI IYENGAR, Foreign Policy: Whatever Happened to Russia’s Vaunted Cyberoffensive?
| | | — The Atlantic Council Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security's Indo-Pacific Security Initiative, 7 p.m.: A next-generation agenda for US-ROK-Japan trilateral cooperation 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 is preparing herself for a winter of war with Matt and Alex. And we thank our producer, Andy Goodwin, who will warm our spirits once the war is over. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |  |
