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From the SitRoom to the E-Ring, the inside scoop on defense, national security and foreign policy. | | | | |  | | By Alexander Ward, Anthony Adragna, Ari Hawkins and Matt Berg | |  Just a month ago, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told an audience of his employees that he was unlikely to share a two-year-old dissent cable on Afghanistan with the Republican-led House Foreign Affairs Committee. | Pool Photo by Jonathan Ernst | With help from Daniel Lippman Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Matt Just a month ago, Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN told an audience of his employees that he was unlikely to share a two-year-old dissent cable on Afghanistan with the Republican-led House Foreign Affairs Committee. Doing so would have a “chilling effect” on speaking truth to power within the State Department, he said. “This principle of protecting that channel overrides other considerations that are real and relevant in terms of making the cable available.” The audience of officials applauded. But on Wednesday, in the words of one HFAC GOP aide, “Blinken blinked.” The secretary agreed to hand over the cable –– with the names of its authors redacted –– to panel chair Rep. MICHAEL McCAUL (R-Texas) and ranking member Rep. GREGORY MEEKS (D-N.Y.). The decision came after years of requests by Republican lawmakers to see the cable and, more recently, months of pressure from McCaul, who threatened to hold a vote next week to place Blinken in contempt of Congress for failing to make the cable accessible. State clearly wanted to avoid that outcome. But State is certainly not happy about fulfilling that request. “The accommodations that the department has provided to date are extraordinary and … already create a serious risk of chilling both future use of, and future candor in, Dissent Channel cables,” NAZ DURAKOGLU, the assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs, wrote in a Wednesday letter to McCaul. Furthermore, on Wednesday, State spokesperson VEDANT PATEL told reporters that “we believe that we have provided sufficient through our classified briefing, through the written summary, and we believe that these efforts already should have and would satisfy their request for information…At every turn the State Department has offered legitimate and sufficient steps forward to convey the information that was requested.” Later that evening, McCaul told CNN’s WOLF BLITZER that the move showed “significant progress” on the spat, adding that the “only remaining issue” would be allowing others on the committee to gain access to the cable. “I have a lot of Afghan veterans on this committee, and in fairness to them, I believe that they should be able to see the dissent cable as well.” He reiterated that point to NatSec Daily on Thursday, adding: “The State Department's come forward in good faith and I appreciate that.” Meeks told us that the earliest he and McCaul expect to see the cable is some time next week, a timeline the Republican HFAC staffer confirmed. “Secretary Blinken has provided another extraordinary accommodation that should finally put Chairman McCaul’s subpoena effort to rest,” Meeks said. “I am disappointed that congressional Republicans are choosing to politicize our congressional oversight responsibilities. Politicizing these matters has serious consequences, including what I’ve come to learn is an already chilling effect on the dissent channel’s use.” In a Thursday letter replying to the State Department, McCaul said he was “available to view the documents as soon as possible.” He also said he’d pause enforcing the subpoena to produce the cable and would continue to insist other members see the papers. The question now is what effect the tense, public tussle will have on the rank and file at State’s HQ in D.C. and in embassies and consulates around the world. One department official, who like others was granted anonymity to speak freely about a sensitive issue, isn’t overly concerned. “People who write those cables imagine that it’ll land with someone with the power to right the wrong they perceive in our policy. I don’t see how this would change that dynamic,” the diplomat said. Others, including SAM ARONSON, a former State official who was at the Kabul airport in 2021 deciding who could get on an evacuation flight, thinks the cable handover might be a net positive. “The department’s protection of the dissent channel is noble, but the goal of any department officer who submits a dissent cable is to seek policy change. If the committee’s investigation protects the identities of these career diplomats and leads to a better policy deliberation process for the inevitable next crisis, then I view it as a win for the American people and our allies,” he told NatSec Daily.
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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 security network-centric architecture. Learn more. | | | | | FROZEN CONFLICT PREP: U.S. officials are preparing for a Russia-Ukraine war that could last years, if not decades — which might not be the worst case scenario for the West, our own NAHAL TOOSI reports. A frozen conflict — in which fighting pauses but neither side is declared the victor nor do they agree that the war is officially over — could be a politically palatable long-term result for the U.S. and other countries backing Ukraine. It would mean the number of military clashes would fall, the costs of supporting Kyiv also likely would drop, and public attention to the war would wane. “We are planning for the long term, whether it looks frozen or thawed,” said a U.S. official familiar with the Biden administration’s discussions on Ukraine. The official said such planning is a growing focus of the administration, whereas in past months “it was all about the urgent and short-term.” NO PROGRESS IN PEACE TALKS: Who knows when the war will end, but meetings between Ukraine’s foreign minister and a Chinese envoy this week didn’t help. “There is no remedy to resolve the crisis,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson WANG WENBIN told reporters on Thursday, per the Associated Press. “All parties should create favorable conditions and accumulate mutual trust for the political settlement.” Over two days, Chinese envoy LI HUI and Ukrainian Foreign Minister DMYTRO KULEBA discussed “ways to stop Russian aggression,” Ukraine’s foreign ministry said in a statement. Hui also met with Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY and ANDRIY YERMAK, his chief of staff, and emphasized the need to work toward having negotiations with Russia. Kyiv was adamant that it wouldn’t accept any proposals that involve forfeiting land or freezing the conflict. As the talks wrapped up, Russia launched 30 cruise missiles across Ukraine overnight Thursday, the AP’s SUSIE BLANN reports. Twenty-nine of them were shot down, but the missile that landed killed one person and wounded two in the southern Odesa region. EFFED-16S: The Biden administration has been adamant that it doesn’t want to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, but that isn’t stopping European countries from initiating a pressure campaign to make it happen. “A new wrinkle appeared on Tuesday when the U.K. announced the kickoff of an international coalition of countries focused on procuring F-16s for Ukraine. Under the agreement, the U.K. said it would soon start training Ukrainian pilots to fly modern fighter jets; Belgium quickly followed suit, saying it could also train the pilots,” our own PAUL McLEARY, LARA SELIGMAN, JOE GOULD and CONNOR O’BRIEN reported Wednesday. That comes as some U.S. lawmakers and, naturally, Ukraine are pushing for the warplane transfer. An important caveat: “While the White House has repeatedly dismissed the possibility of sending the U.S. Air Force’s F-16s, it has never ruled out approving a third-party transfer from another country.” The U.S. is still wary of a transfer arrangement, however, because what sending the fighter jets might actually mean for other American support for Ukraine. “A senior U.S. official said the Biden administration was still reluctant to send Ukraine its own F-16s, in part because the plane’s multimillion-dollar price tag would absorb too much of an already-dwindling pot of war funding,” the New York Times’ LARA JAKES and ERIC SCHMITT report. For now, the focus is on sending weapons to Ukraine immediately for its counteroffensive, especially since it would take months for fighter jets to arrive on the battlefield. Meanwhile, a U.S. Air Force assessment shows it would take about four months to train Ukrainians pilots to operate F-16s, not the usually cited 18 months, Yahoo News' MICHAEL WEISS and JAMES RUSHTON report. The March 2023 document details the results of two Ukrainian airmen who trained at Morris Air National Guard Base in Tucson, Arizona, which shows they are fast learners. NEW FMS PROCESS: The State Department released a 10-point plan to make foreign military sales faster and more efficient. The plan, titled “FMS 2023” and first reported by the Wall Street Journal’s GORDON LUBOLD, is aimed at “expanding the view of arms sales to take a more regional approach instead of weighing each country’s request on a case-by-case basis, and giving priority to some cases when they fit squarely into broader national security goals, according to department officials. The list also includes a revamped approach to notify Congress as well as a sharpening of the policy that governs the export of drones, which are one of the most sought-after technologies the U.S. possesses." IT’S THURSDAY: 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, @reporterjoe and @_AriHawkins.
| | HALEY’S VET PUSH: GOP presidential candidate NIKKI HALEY will launch a Veterans for Nikki coalition while in New Hampshire next week, Fox News’ PAUL STEINHAUSER reports. Her husband Michael, a member of the South Carolina National Guard, will serve as the honorary chair of the coalition. JASON CHURCH, a retired Army captain, will also join the group’s leadership team. DESANTIS INCOMING: Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS is expected to officially enter the GOP presidential race next week, three people familiar with the planning told CBS News’ AARON NAVARRO, FIN GÓMEZ and ED O'KEEFE. Despite his relative inexperience in national security issues, DeSantis does have a fairly shaped worldview, as Alex wrote in March. In summary: DeSantis promotes U.S. strength in the world, but with limits on when to engage militarily and a prioritization on fixing problems at home. The result is this: Go big and stay home.
| | | | GET READY FOR GLOBAL TECH DAY: Join POLITICO Live as we launch our first Global Tech Day alongside London Tech Week on Thursday, June 15. Register now for continuing updates and to be a part of this momentous and program-packed day! From the blockchain, to AI, and autonomous vehicles, technology is changing how power is exercised around the world, so who will write the rules? REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | METRO HACK: A hacker in Russia managed to use a personal computer from a former IT contractor for D.C.’s transit agency to access the Metro’s computer network — exploiting cybersecurity vulnerabilities that the WMATA had been warned about numerous times, a government report released Wednesday found. The hacker logged into the network’s cloud-based system from the computer in January, the transit agency’s inspector general office said. In a statement to the Washington Post, the Metro acknowledged the findings but claimed it wasn’t a breach, as the accessed documents were related to the former contractor’s work. Still, the report calls out Metro for its lack of cybersecurity that could hinder security upgrades and leave the agency, the country’s third-largest transit system, vulnerable to future attacks. BANNED-TANA: Montana Gov. GREG GIANFORTE signed a bill banning TikTok, making it the first state to fully ban the app in the U.S., our own REBECCA KERN reports. The Republican governor signed the legislation into law Wednesday, and said the ban is aimed at protecting citizens from foreign influence since TikTok is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance. The state’s action follows efforts in Congress, including a bipartisan bill in the Senate targeting TikTok and other apps from foreign adversaries. But momentum has stalled in recent weeks after libertarian members like Sen. RAND PAUL (R-Ky.) and progressive Democrats like Rep. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-N.Y.) came out against a ban.
| | | FOOL ME THRICE: Air Force officials caught JACK TEIXEIRA, the guardsman accused of leaking Pentagon intelligence, handling highly sensitive information in an alarming way three times but didn’t remove him from his post, according to Justice Department filings on Wednesday. Last year in September and October, officials saw Teixeira taking “concerning actions” as he handled classified information, the New York Times’ GLENN THRUSH and ROBIN STEIN report. One of those times, he was seen putting a note in his pocket after viewing secret intel. He was once ordered to “cease and desist on any deep dives into classified intelligence information,” but it’s unclear if that was enforced. Justice Department lawyers, arguing for Teixeira’s indefinite detention, wrote in a memo that he “was instructed to no longer take notes in any form on classified intelligence information.
| | | | DON’T MISS POLITICO’S HEALTH CARE SUMMIT: The Covid-19 pandemic helped spur innovation in health care, from the wide adoption of telemedicine, health apps and online pharmacies to mRNA vaccines. But what will the next health care innovations look like? Join POLITICO on Wednesday June 7 for our Health Care Summit to explore how tech and innovation are transforming care and the challenges ahead for access and delivery in the United States. REGISTER NOW. | | | | | | | | FENDING OFF FENTANYL: Sens. CHRIS MURPHY (D-Conn.) and BILL HAGERTY (R-Tenn.) introduced legislation on Thursday aimed at disrupting the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. from Mexico and China using a variety of coercive and non-coercive methods, including sanctions. The legislation, known as the Combatting Fentanyl Trafficking from China and Mexico Act, would compel the State Department to pursue prosecution of cross-border dealers in Mexico, and provide the technical assistance and equipment to strengthen law enforcement by the border. This effort comes two days after a bipartisan and bicameral bill was introduced to more closely align U.S.-Mexico military cooperation to counter fentanyl trafficking. The goal is to place that legislation within this year’s National Defense Authorization Act, which may be the destiny for the Murphy-Hagerty measure, as well. “We look forward to working with SFRC to move the legislation forward,” a Democratic congressional aide said. The bill would also impose new sanctions on Chinese entities involved with the fentanyl trade and authorize the lifting of sanctions and export controls if Beijing “takes certain counter-narcotic measures,” according to the text of the bill. The dual-country focus is aimed at tackling “the flow of fentanyl before it gets to our southern border by pressuring Mexico and China to crackdown on this deadly trade and imposing sanctions,” Hagerty told NatSec Daily on Thursday.
| | ‘PUTIN’S LICKSPITTLE’: BORIS JOHNSON once privately described EMMANUEL MACRON as “Putin’s lickspittle” and promised to “punch his lights out,” a key aide to the former U.K. prime minister claimed, per our own ANDREW McDONALD. Detailing his experience of Johnson’s chaotic premiership in a new podcast, former Downing Street director of communications GUTO HARRI said Johnson launched into a tirade about the French president in the months following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine — and after Macron criticized the U.K.’s response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis. “At our morning meeting, I think with a small gang of us, he just launched into a violent attack on Emmanuel Macron,” Harri said. “Basically, saying ‘He’s a four-letter word that begins with C, he’s a weirdo, he’s Putin’s lickspittle.’” Oh wait, there’s more of what Johnson said, per Harri: “‘We need to go studs up on this one’ — a rugby term that basically means, gloves off — ‘We need an orgy of frog bashing. I’m going to have to punch his lights out.’” So much for European unity.
| | | — FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY: SUSAN RICE has made it clear she’s not interested in becoming the Brookings Institution's next president, three people familiar with the situation told Alex and DANIEL LIPPMAN. Buzz spread throughout the think tank after the White House announced Rice was stepping down as the domestic policy adviser, leading to rumors that she might be a natural pick for the role. But she made clear to people in Brookings’ orbit that the board, which aims to make a decision in the summer, should consider other candidates. A Brookings spokesperson declined to comment, and a spokesperson for Rice said, "This is urban legend. No one involved with the search at Brookings has contacted Ambassador Rice about this opening." — FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY: LUCIAN SIKORSKYJ has joined the National Security Council as senior director for resilience and response, Lippman has learned. He recently served as the principal deputy assistant secretary for counterterrorism, threat prevention, and law enforcement at DHS and is an alum of the House Intelligence Committee, NSC, FBI, ODNI and the NCTC. — ANDREW PEEK is now national security adviser for Rep. MIKE WALTZ (R-Fla.). He most recently was a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and is a Trump NSC and State Department alum. — Japan’s minister of digital transformation, KONO TARO, was named an honorary Kissinger fellow by the McCain Institute. He’ll hold the title for one year.
| | | |   | | | | | — ELBRIDGE COLBY and ALEX VELEZ-GREEN, The Washington Post: Why the U.S. should prioritize Taiwan over Ukraine — JENNIFER LIND, The New York Times: Japan can’t pass the buck anymore — BOBBY GHOSH, Bloomberg News: Ramaphosa's Ukraine peace mission is pure deflection
| | — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, 8 a.m.: AFCEA 2023 Army Intelligence & Security Enterprise Industry Day — Homeland Security Department's Science and Technology Silicon Valley Innovation Program, 9 a.m.: SVIP Demo Week — Energy Department, 9:10 a.m.: Artificial intelligence (AI) enabling science and AI impacts on society — Chatham House, 10 a.m.: Economic security and trade: Prospects for cooperation — Permanent Council of the Organization of American States, 10 a.m.: OAS Permanent Council to Consider Best Practices and Recommendations for Improving Inter-American Parliamentary Dialogue — Jewish Institute for National Security of America, 12 p.m.: Will He Stay or Will He Go? Turkey's Elections and Erdogan's Fate — Peterson Institute for International Economics, 1 p.m.: The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism Thanks to our editor, Heidi Vogt, who would put us in contempt of Congress for not showing her our private Slack DMs about her. We also thank our producer, Gregory Svirnovskiy, about whom we’ve never said a bad word.
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