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From the SitRoom to the E-Ring, the inside scoop on defense, national security and foreign policy. | | | | |  | | By Matt Berg, Joe Gould and Ari Hawkins | |  “We need to start thinking now about what our energy needs are going to be in a contested environment and not after China launches an invasion on Taiwan,” Sen. Tammy Duckworth said. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | With help from Phelim Kine and Alex Ward Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Matt As worries about Chinese aggression toward Taiwan increase, Sen. TAMMY DUCKWORTH (D-Ill.) wants the Defense Department to do what it hasn’t always done well enough in the past: coordinate with allies so that everyone is prepared for global conflicts. “I am deeply, deeply concerned about our logistics capabilities and that we often don't plan enough,” Duckworth, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told NatSec Daily. On Wednesday, she introduced the Energy Security for Overseas Troops Act, which would require the Pentagon to take steps to make sure the U.S. military and its allies have the fuel, water and other resources necessary for troops stationed abroad. The Illinois Democrat, an Iraq War veteran, cited a RAND study which found that more than half of U.S. combat-related casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan were directly tied to convoys that had issues resupplying fuel and water to troops. The bill would require DoD to examine which allies to work with and what they need to ensure military preparedness, then report back to Congress. “We need to start thinking now about what our energy needs are going to be in a contested environment and not after China launches an invasion on Taiwan,” the senator said. There’s been a lot of movement recently to prepare for potential conflict with China in the Indo-Pacific, the most notable being Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER’s announcement of his China Competition Bill 2.0. That bipartisan effort will involve curbing the flow of U.S. investments and advanced tech to Beijing; investing in American businesses and building the future workforce; persuading allies to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative; and deterring Chinese aggression toward Taiwan. Duckworth said working on other areas like economic policy and fixing supply chain issues are critical, too. “What Chuck has outlined here, his five points are very valid,” she said. “But I think it's something we need to be doing across all fields of operation, not just the military but economically as well. That's where engaging with [the Association of Southeast Asian Nations] is so critically important.” | | 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. | | | | | UKRAINE’S BAKHMUT STRATEGY: Though Russian forces made significant ground in Bakhmut in recent months, some Ukrainian officials argue the work they’ve done there is a win. “Victories in military operations are measured not by square meters, but by whether the goals are achieved. We achieved all our main goals in Bakhmut, so our victory there has already taken place,” YEHOR CHERNIEV, deputy chair of Ukraine’s parliamentary committee on national security, defense and intelligence, told NatSec Daily. Cherniev’s characterization of the situation in the eastern city comes days after U.S. officials estimated that 20,000 Russian soldiers have been killed with another 80,000 injured in Ukraine since December. Bakhmut, a largely symbolic city rather than strategic, has seen some of the most severe bloodshed. “We will continue to hold the rest of Bakhmut for as long as possible, until the start of our counteroffensive, so as not to give Russians freedom of action in maneuvering troops and reserves,” Cherniev added, saying that containing enemy troops to the city has allowed Kyiv to prepare for the expected counteroffensive. Ukraine may be about to get a gift in Bakhmut, via Russian oligarch YEVGENY PRIGOZHIN — chief of the paramilitary Wagner Group. On Friday, Prigozhin, whose fighters have been critical to the fight in Bakhmut, said his troops will retreat next week to “lick our wounds” after he blamed Moscow for the high number of casualties there. Bakhmut was supposed to be taken by Russian forces by May 9, Prigohzin said in a statement. But he accused the country’s defense military of cutting our shell supplies in early May, causing the troops to suffer, our own VERONIKA MELKOZEROVA reports. When asked about Prigozhin’s comments, VOLODYMYR OMELYAN, a captain in the Ukraine Armed Forces and the country’s former minister of infrastructure, said he believes the Kremlin has cut the Wagner chief from hiring new soldiers. Still, he’s skeptical about Wagner’s retreat coming so soon. “It’s possible,” he told NatSec Daily, “but unlikely.” PATRIOT VS. HYPERSONICS: Reports that Ukrainian forces intercepted a “hypersonic” Russian Kh-47 Kinzhal with U.S.-supplied Patriots missiles are correct, a U.S. official confirmed to NatSec Daily. The official said, “both systems were performing at their best,” meaning that the Russian missile did not malfunction. AUSTIN’S CHINA WISH: The Pentagon wants a meeting between Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN and Chinese Defense Minister LI SHANGFU when the pair head to Singapore next month, Bloomberg’s PETER MARTIN reported, citing people familiar with the matter. If it happens, the meeting would be the highest-profile meeting between the U.S. and China since the spy balloon incident three months ago, Martin wrote.. The Biden administration has been trying to rebuild military connections since. The Pentagon wouldn’t confirm the meeting, Bloomberg reported, but said it seeks to keep communication between Beijing and Washington open. LOW DOWN ON BROWN: Gen. C.Q. BROWN is expected to be tapped to succeed Gen. MARK MILLEY as the next Joint Chiefs chair, POLITICO scooped last night. Here’s five things you should know about him, per our own KELLY GARRITY and LARA SELIGMAN:
- Brown would become the second Black Joint Chiefs chair, after the late COLIN POWELL.
- He would be the first Air Force officer to become Joint Chiefs chair since retired Gen. RICHARD MYERS, who held the position until 2005.
- Brown was outspoken about his experience with racism in the military during the GEORGE FLOYD protests before his confirmation to be Air Force chief of staff.
- He didn’t plan to stay in the Air Force — and almost quit ROTC after one semester.
- Before his current post, Brown’s most recent command experience was in the Pacific, as chief of Pacific Air Forces. He also commanded troops in the Middle East, as head of U.S. Air Forces Central Command.
DRINKS WITH NATSEC DAILY: At the end of every long, hard week, we like to highlight how a prominent member of the global national security and foreign policy scene prefers to unwind with a drink. Today, we’re featuring EVELYN FARKAS, executive director of the McCain Institute. Alex is attending the Sedona Forum the institute is hosting this weekend (in which POLITICO is a media partner), and so we thought we'd ask the boss how she likes to wind down. There's nothing she prefers more than an "oaky, buttery California chardonnay," she said. Her favorite spot to have one is on the roof of D.C.'s Graham Hotel in Georgetown. The main takeaway, per Farkas: "I’m really mostly a Chardonnay lady." Cheers, Evelyn! IT’S FRIDAY. WELCOME TO THE WEEKEND: 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, @Lawrence_Ukenye, @reporterjoe and @_AriHawkins.
| | | | The McCain Institute will convene its 10th annual Sedona Forum on May 5-6, featuring lawmakers, journalists, military leaders, business executives, and more. This year’s theme, “Indispensable Power,” will examine the diplomatic, military, and economic means employed to protect democracy, human rights, and the global competitive edge. Established by Senator John McCain, the Sedona Forum is held each spring in the red rock country of Sedona, Arizona, to advance the mission of the McCain Institute – fighting for democracy, human dignity, and security. Visit TheSedonaForum.org to register for the livestream today. | | | | | | | | HALEY CALLS OUT HARRIS: Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. NIKKI HALEY took aim at Vice President KAMALA HARRIS at a South Carolina campaign rally Thursday night, bashing her for not spending enough time at the southern border. "I didn't pull a Kamala, and go there and come back," Haley said, referencing her recent border trip, per The Associated Press’ MEG KINNARD. "I went 400 miles of that border." Haley’s the only GOP candidate to visit the southern border on the campaign cycle so far. With the approaching expiration of Title 42 — which has allowed the government to turn away millions of asylum seekers in recent years — Sen. TIM SCOTT (R-S.C.) took the opportunity to bash the Biden administration border policy and advocate for stricter legislation to curb illegal immigration. “President Biden left our southern border wide open. Now, he’s being forced to send American troops to fend off his self-made crisis,” Scott, a likely 2024 GOP presidential candidate, wrote on Twitter. “There's never a coherent policy coming from our president.” Republican frontrunner DONALD TRUMP also chimed in on Truth Social, saying that the day Title 42 expires “will go down in infamy!!! Our Borders will completely collapse. We will be, officially, a THIRD WORLD NATION!” Listen: Why ASA HUTCHINSON isn’t scared of Trump, Biden or impossible odds with RYAN LIZZA | | | |   | | | | | KEEP AN EYE ON AI: Since even Beijing is installing more robust guardrails around artificial intelligence, one of the nation’s top cybersecurity officials is arguing that Washington should too, our own JOHN SAKELLARIADIS reports (for Pros!). “China is actually putting very strict regulation in place” for AI, CISA Director JEN EASTERLY said during a public appearance at Vanderbilt University on Friday. “They're putting constraints on how the data is used, how the data is trained … to ensure that it aligns with socialist core values. Easterly argued that the U.S. should do the same: “We need to ensure that we're building this technology to ensure it aligns with our democratic values.” ‘CAT AND MOUSE’: The Kremlin is using electronic jammers to throw off the GPS systems of American-made rocket systems in Ukraine with rising frequency in recent months, CNN’s ALEX MARQUARDT, NATASHA BERTRAND and ZACHARY COHEN report. Military officials in Ukraine have had to come up with a number of workarounds as Kyiv continues to rely on medium-range rocket systems, which were hailed as a game changer in the conflict since they arrived last summer. “It is a constant cat-and-mouse game,” one Pentagon official told CNN, referring to Kyiv’s need to find constant countermeasures to the jammings. The rockets have since been rendered less effective by Moscow’s jamming campaigns, according to American, British and Ukrainian intelligence, who spoke to CNN. | | SEND JETS, IF NEEDED: During our conversation with Duckworth, we wanted to follow up on whether she believes fighter jets could still be vital to Ukraine for fending off Russian forces. In early March, Duckworth signed onto a bipartisan letter pressing the Pentagon for more information on what it would take to send F-16 jets to Ukraine ahead of its expected counteroffensive. That attack still hasn’t come, and there are worries that Ukraine may not have what it needs — even as U.S. officials say they do. “If F-16s are what they need and it's appropriate, then obviously I would support that,” she said. “But frankly, what they need more of than anything right now … is actually artillery and ammunition, and that is something that we’re working hard on producing.” PAY TO PLAY ABROAD: A proposed rule change by the Treasury Department would require foreign nationals and companies to seek U.S. government approval to buy property within 100 miles of eight military bases, per the AP’s FATIMA HUSSEIN. The rule, which comes after a Chinese firm tried to build a plant near an Air Force base in North Dakota, would expand the authority of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., aka CFIUS, which screens financial deals between American firms and foreign investors, and can block or alter certain terms of the agreement for the interest of national security.
| | | | DON’T MISS THE POLITICO ENERGY SUMMIT: A new world energy order is emerging and America’s place in it is at a critical juncture. Join POLITICO on Thursday, May 18 for our first-ever energy summit to explore how the U.S. is positioning itself in a complicated energy future. We’ll explore progress on infrastructure and climate funding dedicated to building a renewable energy economy, Biden’s environmental justice proposals, and so much more. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | HYPOCRITICAL, MUCH?: Rep. MICHAEL McCAUL (R-Texas) pushed back on the Chinese foreign ministry’s characterization of U.S. defense contractors’ trip to Taiwan earlier this week as an escalation of tensions in the region. The visit is “further proof that the U.S. is turning Taiwan into a ‘powder keg,’ which only spells trouble for our Taiwan compatriots,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson MAO NING told reporters on Thursday. But with increased Chinese aggression in the region, McCaul, who recently visited the island nation and pledged to help move delayed U.S. weapons, says pinning the blame on Washington is a bit rich. “The CCP’s military is doing live drills around Taiwan, threatening boarding commercial ships, and building bunkers across the straits. But the U.S. giving Taiwan weapons to defend itself is powder keg?” McCaul said in a statement to NatSec Daily. “The CCP is changing the status quo in Taiwan every day and it’s only bringing Taiwan and its partners closer together.” Rep. MIKE GALLAGHER (R-Wis.), chair of the House Select Committee on China, also said in a statement to NatSec Daily that Beijing is at fault for the rising tensions: “We seek peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Only Beijing seeks to upend this peaceful situation and provoke conflict.” AUKUS RESCUE MISSION: Senate Foreign Relations ranking member JIM RISCH (R-Idaho) and McCaul believe the landmark AUKUS nuclear sub-sharing pact is floundering, and they want to save it, Joe reported late Thursday. On Thursday, Risch introduced the TORPEDO Act, which aims to ease the International Traffic in Arms Regulations regime, whose purpose is to safeguard sensitive military technologies ranging from nuclear weapons and spacecraft to certain firearms. “Unfortunately, the Biden administration’s implementation of AUKUS is not only failing to move at the speed of relevance given the China threat, but it is also evident both pillars of the agreement face major, structural challenges,” Risch said. McCaul, who is working to draft a bipartisan bill, has called top State and Pentagon officials to testify on how to ramp up tech transfers to allies on May 10, and outside experts to do the same on May 11.
| | ‘NO FIGHTING’: Delegates from Russia and Ukraine had to be separated after a physical altercation during a meeting of Black Sea nations in Turkey, according to the AP. Ukrainian lawmaker OLEKSANDR MARIKOVSKI posted a video to his Facebook page showing him unfurl Kyiv’s national flag as Russian delegate OLGA TIMOFEEVA was being interviewed. Upon seeing this, VALERY STAVITSKY, the secretary of Russia’s delegation, approached Marikovski and ripped the flag from his hands, which was followed by a brief altercation, in which the Ukrainian MP landed several blows to the Russian officials’ head. Other people can be heard in the video saying “Please, no fighting.” In response, Marikovski said “It’s our flag. We’re going to fight for this flag.” The caption of the video uploaded to Marikovski ’s Facebook reads “Paws off our flag, paws off Ukraine, Russian filth!” The altercation took place at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, and occurred one day before officials from Ukraine, Russia and Turkey are slated to meet in Ankara to discuss extending the grain deal that enables Ukraine to resume certain exports through Black Sea ports past May 15.
| | 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. | | | | | — Biden has tapped NEERA TANDEN to serve as the next head of his domestic policy council. The longtime Democratic operative will replace SUSAN RICE, who plans to leave the Biden administration later this month. — ANDREA FLORES is leaving Sen. BOB MENENDEZ’s (D-N.J.) office, where she has served as chief counsel. Flores, a Biden White House alum, starts in June as VP of immigration policy for FWD.us.
| | — IAN WILLIAMS, Center for Strategic and International Studies: Putin’s missile war — ROBERT O’BRIEN and ARTHUR HERMAN, Foreign Affairs: The president can’t counter China on his own — MARK LAWRENCE SCHRAD, POLITICO: Vladimir Putin’s shadow empire of vodka | | — American Enterprise Institute, 9:30 a.m.: Welcome Corps: Private Sponsorship of Refugees Comes to America — Leadership for the Americas - The Dialogue, 11 a.m.: Unlocking Climate Finance in Latin America and the Caribbean — Friends of the National World War II Memorial, 11 a.m.: V-E Day Observance at the World War II Memorial — Federalist Society, 1 p.m.: American Trade Law in a Post-WTO Appellate Body World. — Chamber of Commerce, 5:30 p.m.: 13th annual China Business Conference — Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, 6 p.m.: What Role Will Australia Play in U.S.-China Competition? Thanks to our editor, Heidi Vogt, who never coordinates with us, so we’re never prepared. We also thank our producer, Andy Goodwin, who provides all the energy we need, regardless. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |  |
