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From the SitRoom to the E-Ring, the inside scoop on defense, national security and foreign policy. | | | | |  | | By Alexander Ward, Matt Berg and Lawrence Ukenye | | 
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen is more worried about the Black Sea than ever. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo | With help from Nahal Toosi and Daniel Lippman Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Matt Sen. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-N.H.) wants a Black Sea strategy and she wants it now. She and Sen. MITT ROMNEY (R-Utah) put language in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act calling on the United States and NATO to “consider adopting robust intergovernmental and interagency strategies for the Black Sea, to facilitate further collaboration among all countries in the region.” That strategy is due in June, but so far Shaheen has heard nothing from the administration about it. “Not yet,” she told NatSec Daily in a Tuesday morning interview. Radio silence, we further asked? “Yes,” the senator replied. She’s pressed Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN and Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN about the strategy when the Armed Services and Foreign Relations committee member grills them in hearings. The Black Sea, which borders three NATO nations and two important U.S. partners, is a weak spot for transatlantic security advocates. Russia has warships there, it’s where the annexed Crimean peninsula lies and the waterway is vital for trade. A troubled Black Sea, in effect, means a troubled Europe and NATO. NSC spokesperson ADRIENNE WATSON said “we believe a Black Sea Strategy will help federal agencies hone our all-of-government effort to support allies and like minded partners in the Black Sea region, including by promoting political engagement, regional security coordination, economic cooperation — including strengthened energy security — and democratic resilience among our allies and partners in the region.” Meeting with his Romanian counterpart last November, Blinken called the Black Sea region “an area of vital strategic importance to us and to NATO.” Shaheen is more worried about the Black Sea than ever. Russia further militarized the body of water before the war on Ukraine. During the conflict, it has blockaded shipments of grain and other foodstuffs. And a Russian fighter jet last week downed an unmanned American drone over the sea. “If you didn't get it when Russia invaded Ukraine and shut down the shipping lanes and it affected our global food supply, then you certainly got it when the drone was downed,” Shaheen told us. She and Romney are now pushing out a separate-but-related bill seeking a more comprehensive strategy for U.S. engagement with Black Sea-bordering nations, including a blueprint for stronger military and economic ties. The strategy should also include ways to “strengthen democracy” in an area that includes Turkey, a nation run by strongman President RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN. We asked if Shaheen would reprimand the administration, for example by holding nominations, if she doesn’t get the NDAA-required strategy by the deadline. “It's too early to make a determination,” she said. “It's important for us to have a strategy and I want to see what that is. I will continue to push to try and make that happen and support getting our legislation passed.”
| | 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. | | | | | | FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY –– CHATGPT IN CABLES: At least one U.S. embassy already is using ChatGPT for its public diplomacy products, a March 13 cable obtained by our own NAHAL TOOSI shows. The unclassified cable from the U.S. Embassy in Guinea says that ChatGPT is helpful to the mission’s non-native English speakers: “The AI’s suggestions for grammar, spelling, and style have improved the quality of written materials and saved officers hours spent editing.” It also helps media and press specialists “produce press guidance in local languages for locally employed staff preparing for media engagements.” The embassy, which notes it may use the tech for its “desperately understaffed” political/economic section, has set up ground rules for the use of ChatGPT, per the cable. It can only be used for unclassified materials and all conversations with the AI must be “thematically organized.” “Overall, ChatGPT has been groundbreaking for PDS Conakry,” the cable reads, referring to the embassy’s Public Diplomacy Section. “We have achieved unparalleled efficiency and quality in our written products…ChatGPT has become an indispensable asset.” Asked about the reliance on and integration of ChatGPT in the embassy’s work, a State Department spokesperson said “we want to go much further in our use of technology, innovation and data to drive foreign policy and solve resource challenges. We encourage our embassies to experiment with using different technologies to best reach their audiences.” The spokesperson was granted anonymity to discuss internal department matters and communications. PATRIOTS + TANKS TO UKRAINE: The U.S. is speeding up the training and delivery of Abrams tanks and Patriot missile defense systems for Ukraine, as preparations ramp up for expected heavy fighting this year, our own LARA SELIGMAN and PAUL McLEARY report. The Pentagon is aiming to refurbish existing M1A1 Abrams tank hulls in order to get them to Ukraine this fall, as opposed to building new tanks that would be delivered much later, according to a Defense Department official. The updated timeline comes after National Security Council spokesperson JOHN KIRBY told MSNBC that “the Pentagon is working as fast as they can” to speed up the tank process. Meanwhile, 65 Ukrainians are wrapping up training on the Patriot missile system at Fort Sill, Okla., in the coming days, base military officials told reporters that they’d gathered to view the instruction. The Ukrainian air defenders and two donated Patriot systems will be on the battlefield in a matter of weeks. The training began in mid-January. XI IN MOSCOW, PART 2: Chinese President XI JINPING on Tuesday called for “peace talks” and “responsible dialogue” over Ukraine in a joint statement with his Russian counterpart VLADIMIR PUTIN, our own STUART LAU reports. In the statement, released on the second day of Xi’s state visit to Moscow, the pair also criticized sanctions, blamed NATO expansion for the conflict and made no offer to withdraw invading forces — further underscoring Xi’s close friendship with Putin. “Russia reiterates efforts to resume peace talks as soon as possible, which is praised by the Chinese side,” said the statement, carried by China’s Xinhua news agency. “Russia welcomes China’s willingness to play a constructive role in resolving the Ukraine crisis through political and diplomatic means.” The meetings coincide with a surprise visit by Japanese Prime Minister FUMIO KISHIDA to Kyiv on Tuesday, where he’s expected to offer continuing support to the country in a meeting with President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, the Associated Press’ MARI YAMAGUCHI reports. ALMADI RELEASED: U.S. citizen SAAD IBRAHIM ALMADI was released by Saudi Arabia after spending more than a year in custody for posting a critical tweet of the kingdom while living in Florida. During a trip to Saudi Arabia two years ago, 72-year-old Almadi was arrested and convicted on charges of attempting to destabilize the nation and supporting terrorism, then sentenced to 19 years in prison, The Wall Street Journal’s STEPHEN KALIN and SUMMER SAID report. Though the charges have been dropped, Almadi, who also holds Saudi citizenship, can’t leave the country, his son told WSJ. Almadi’s release comes as the Biden administration has sought to emphasize human rights in its dealings with Saudi Arabia. He was the first U.S. citizen to be detained in the kingdom during the Biden administration and the first to be released from prison since February 2021, a sign that relations between the two countries may be slowly improving. 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, @PhelimKine, @laraseligman, @connorobrienNH, @paulmcleary, @leehudson, @magmill95, @johnnysaks130, @ErinBanco and @Lawrence_Ukenye.
| | | |   | | | | | | HALEY ON HIGH ALERT: GOP presidential contender NIKKI HALEY chimed in on Xi and Putin’s meeting in Russia this week, critiquing politicians on both sides of the aisle for failing to recognize how China benefits from Russia defeating Ukraine. “Why are many American politicians blind to this?” Haley, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed Monday night. “Why don’t they want Ukraine to beat China’s ally? Victory for Kyiv would make the U.S. safer without putting a single American soldier in harm’s way.” Much of the piece was spent blasting President JOE BIDEN’s “hemming and hawing” on national security, arguing that the aid sent to Kyiv hasn’t been enough. But she also took an indirect shot at Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS for his comments last week on cutting support to Ukraine. While Biden’s natsec approach is to be expected, “more surprising is the weakness from some on the right,” Haley wrote. “They say the U.S. shouldn’t care about Ukraine because this war isn’t our fight. Some call it a mere ‘territorial dispute.’ They say we should ignore Ukraine so we can focus on China. This has it backward.”
| | | BAN OR BUST: Key Congressional Republicans want an outright ban on TikTok, arguing that potential national data privacy legislation wouldn’t go far enough to counter the app’s alleged national security threats, our own ALFRED NG reported (for Pros!) Monday night. Aides of the House Energy and Commerce Committee called the hugely popular video sharing platform an “immediate national security threat” that needs to be addressed on top of concerns on how users' data is collected, stored and used. The committee supports both passing legislation and banning TikTok, the aides told reporters during a call. The call preceded the highly anticipated hearing with TikTok CEO SHOU ZI CHEW scheduled for Thursday. It’ll be the first time that Chew has appeared before Congress to answer questions about the company’s ties to the Chinese government via its parent company, ByteDance, which has come under the congressional microscope for allegations of misusing user data.
| | | SHOW ME THE MONEY: The Marine Corps sent lawmakers a wish list containing $3.6 billion in priorities that weren't funded, including $1.7 billion for an amphibious ship that didn't make it into the latest budget request, our own LEE HUDSON and Paul reported (for Pros!) Monday evening. The request to fund the 17th San Antonio-class amphibious ship, a vessel that carries Marines and launches helicopters and watercraft, comes as little surprise, as Marine leadership has said the ship is critical to its modernization plans. The Marines’ unfunded priorities list also includes two KC-130J aerial tankers, joint light tactical vehicles, and spare parts for F-35s and various helicopters. In public comments last week, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. MIKE GILDAY and Marine Commandant Gen. DAVID BERGER sparred over the need for the amphibious ship, and over whether it has become too expensive.
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | | | | A BALLOONING ISSUE: Congress is still hounding for answers on the hundreds of unidentified aerial objects floating around U.S. airspace, but the Biden administration still doesn’t know how bad the problem is, our own ERIN BANCO reports. Even in classified briefings, Pentagon officials working on the issue and the intelligence community have yet to answer key questions. Those include how many foreign surveillance balloons the U.S. has identified in the past, what sort of tracking the current detection system allows and why the Chinese spy balloon the administration shot down in February required more action than previous ones, according to a U.S. official and two congressional aides. The administration has been slow to respond to questions because it's still reviewing the incidents, often using outdated or incomplete information, the official said. But that raises the question: To what extent does the U.S. understand what intel foreign governments may be collecting without Washington’s knowledge? GOP: SEND CLUSTERS TO UKRAINE: Four top Senate and House Republicans are demanding that the Biden administration send cluster munitions to Ukraine, Paul reports (for Pros!). The U.S. has denied requests to send the munitions to Ukraine since the start of the war a year ago, keeping with Washington’s aversion to firing the artillery-fired bomblets since American forces last used them during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Republicans want to change that, according to a letter viewed by POLITICO. “We write to urge you to immediately provide cluster munitions, such as dual purpose improved conventional munitions (DPICM), to the Ukrainian Armed forces,” wrote Sens. JIM RISCH (R-Idaho) and ROGER WICKER (R-Miss.), the top Republicans on the Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees, along with Reps. MICHAEL McCAUL (R-Texas) and MIKE ROGERS (R-Ala.), chairs of the House’s Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees.
| | | YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN: The Biden administration is signaling to China that Taiwanese President TSAI ING-WEN's stopover visit to the U.S. isn’t a reason to escalate tensions. “This one is fully in keeping with past precedent,” said a senior administration official granted anonymity per the rules of a White House-organized briefing. “There's nothing new here.” Biden’s team has been in contact with their Chinese counterparts about the visit. Tsai’s arrival, which consists of stops in New York and Los Angeles before trips to Belize and Guatemala, are relatively common as she made six trips between 2016 and 2019, none of which garnered much attention from Beijing. Chinese officials have already voiced their ire about the visit to officials in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and called on Washington to "stop upgrading U.S.-Taiwanese relations."
| | | –– FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY: CAROLINE McKAY is now senior adviser to U.S. Ambassador to Australia CAROLINE KENNEDY, DANIEL LIPPMAN has learned. She is the former chief of staff for the White House counsel and deputy associate counsel. –– FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY: EMILY MENDRALA has joined the White House as a deputy assistant to the president and coordinator for the Southwest border and senior adviser on migration, Daniel also writes in. She most recently was deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the Department of State. –– JOHN COSTELLO, former chief of staff to the Office of the National Cyber Director, has joined the Cyberspace Solarium Commission 2.0 as a senior adviser. –– RASHA QANDEEL has joined the Center for International Policy as a senior fellow. She’s spent more than 20 years leading news programs such as Hardtalk and serving as the lead bilingual host at the BBC.
| | | | DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID. | | | | | | | | — ANDREW MICHTA, POLITICO: Europe’s China policy will shape transatlantic relations –– ARIAN KHAMENEH, Wired: The Scorched-Earth Tactics of Iran’s Cyber Army — MUYI XIAO, ISHAAN JHAVERI, ELEANOR LUTZ, CHRISTOPH KOETTL and JULIAN BARNES, The New York Times: Tracking the Chinese Balloon From Space
| | | –– Senate Armed Services Committee, 9:30 a.m.: The Recruiting Challenges Facing the United States Military — Senate Appropriations Committee, 10 a.m.: Review of the Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Request for the U.S. Department of State — Democratic Majority for Israel, 12 p.m.: A Discussion with Sen. MICHAEL BENNET — The Government Executive Media Group, 1 p.m.: Forward Thinking: The Future of the Warfighter as a Platform — Federal News Network, 1 p.m.: DoD Cloud Exchange — Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 2:30 p.m.: American Diplomacy and Global Leadership: Review of the FY2024 State Department Budget Request — Senate Armed Services Committee, 2:30 p.m.: Department of Defense Small Business Tools for Enhancing the Industrial Base — The American Bar Association’s Senior Law Division, 3 p.m.: SLD RE Law Committee Meeting: The Cultural Genocide Behind Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine — The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, 4 p.m.: Bad News: How the Media Marched Us to War in Iraq and Beyond Thanks to our editor, Heidi Vogt, who always wants our draft faster than we can deliver it. We also thank our producer, Greg Svirnovskiy, who hands in everything clean and ahead of schedule.
| | 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. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |  |
