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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 Ari Hawkins | |  NatSec Daily has been pulsing insiders about the quiet search for a successor to Wendy Sherman ever since she announced her retirement following a 30-year diplomatic career. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo | With help from Lee Hudson Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Matt It’s time to play everyone’s favorite D.C. game show: Who! Will! Be! The next deputy secretary of State?! NatSec Daily has been pulsing insiders about the quiet search for a successor to WENDY SHERMAN ever since she announced her retirement following a 30-year diplomatic career. The rumor mill is the rumor mill, so take everything with grains of salt, but a senior U.S. official said that there are “five or six serious candidates” for the post. And within that proverbial shortlist, there are three names we keep hearing: deputy national security adviser JONATHAN FINER, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs VICTORIA NULAND and State Department Counselor DEREK CHOLLET. There’s also a wild card bandied about: TOM MALINOWSKI, the former member of Congress and assistant secretary of State for democracy, human rights and labor. All four people, plus the NSC and State Department, either declined to comment or didn’t respond to requests. Finer is the odds-on favorite, two senior U.S. officials told us. He has the background for the job, having served as State’s chief of staff and policy planning director in the Obama administration. He has great relationships with top officials, namely with his direct boss, national security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN. And he’s currently in the seat that ANTONY BLINKEN occupied before getting nominated for deputy secretary of State in 2014. “He’s near the top, if not the top, of the shortlist,” said one of the officials, who like others was granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive nomination decision. One knock on him, though, is that he has never gone through a confirmation process. It could be bruising as Republicans could use the opportunity to bash the administration over the Afghanistan withdrawal and express skepticism about the continued defense of Ukraine. Nuland, meanwhile, remains a contender. She already made it through a Senate confirmation and, as a former deputy national security to then-Vice President DICK CHENEY, is a known quantity to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Nuland has also been one of State’s top officials since the start of the administration, giving her insights into multiple issues and portfolios, and is recognized as one of Team Biden’s staunchest Ukraine supporters. One of the senior U.S. officials we spoke to believes Nuland will ultimately get the nod. “I think Nuland probably ends up with it by default because there may not be another interested candidate who makes it worth Blinken passing her over. And the NSC will be fine with her because she’s a known quantity and dynamic,” this person said. “Finer will not want to leave his NSC perch — or the White House may not want him to leave. He has formed a strong partnership with the national security adviser, and that is hard to replicate.” Chollet is also on the non-physical shortlist, too, per the folks we talked to. He’s a close Blinken confidante who has served in top positions at the Defense Department and NSC since the Clinton administration. He has made numerous trips on behalf of the administration, many of them to Europe — a region the next person in the deputy secretary role needs to understand well. Malinowski currently is not a top choice, indicating he may be more likely to be up for another job in the administration. The Democrat, who recently lost his reelection bid in New Jersey, was a vocal opponent of President JOE BIDEN’s decision to take troops out of Afghanistan and his efforts to send weapons to countries with poor human rights records like Egypt. Between his public opposition to some administration decisions, and his statements trashing Republicans while in office, Malinowski isn’t seen as a natural choice or a lock for confirmation. We repeat: Nothing is officially decided, and tons of things can happen internally to change the calculus. It’s also possible that Biden and Blinken are considering the diversity, equity and inclusion question when making a final choice. But this is the state of play as we understand it today.
| | A message from Lockheed Martin: Innovating at hypersonic speed.
Lockheed Martin is innovating with urgency to solve today’s hypersonic strike and defense challenges. We’re investing in the American hypersonic workforce and supplier base, to ensure our customers stay ready for what’s ahead. Learn more. | | | | | THREE MONTH EXTENSION: A closed-door Russian court on Tuesday, extended the pre-trial detention of Wall Street Journal reporter EVAN GERSHKOVICH, who the Kremlin accused of espionage, until at least Aug. 30, writes our own MINHO KIM. The hearing took place at Lefortovo District Court in Moscow, according to the state news agency TASS. That’s in the same region as the notoriously harsh Lefortovo jail, where Gershovich has been held since his arrest on March 29 of this year. Russian authorities have presented no evidence to corroborate the accusation that Gershkovich was working on behalf of the U.S. government, which both the State Department and the WSJ strongly deny. RUSSIANS TAKE ON RUSSIA: Moscow’s forces quelled a raid on a Russian town near the border with Ukraine that the Kremlin says was an attack by Ukrainian military saboteurs, but which Kyiv characterized as an uprising possibly conducted by Russian partisans. Russian troops swept the area on Tuesday following an assault the day before on the town of Graivoron, killing more than 70 attackers, the Associated Press’ SUSIE BLANN reports. But those numbers haven’t been confirmed, and the operation may not be over yet, according to the Financial Times’ CHRISTOPHER MILLER. Kyiv said the Russian Volunteer Corps and the “Freedom of Russia” Legion groups, which oppose the invasion of Ukraine, were responsible for the raid. JET SET FOR JULY: Ukrainian pilots could start training on F-16 fighter jets in July, Denmark’s acting Defense Minister TROELS LUND POULSEN said Tuesday, per our own NICOLAS CAMUT. “My expectation is that by the end of June, we’ll have it officially set up, so we can hopefully start after that,” Poulsen told reporters in Brussels. “And then, it’s probably an effort that will take up to six months before we have the facilities in place so that we can fly F-16 fighter jets from Ukraine.” As Ukraine’s military aid wishes continue to be granted, former British Prime Minister BORIS JOHNSON flew to Texas with one goal: Convince Republicans to keep the support flowing, our own ANNABELLE DICKSON reports. “I just urge you all to stick with it,” said Johnson, who lobbied American politicians earlier this year on Ukraine’s behalf, told lawmakers and donors in Dallas. “It will pay off massively in the long run.” Read: How Biden got to yes on F-16s and Ukraine by our own LARA SELIGMAN SOUTH AFRICA’S PROBE: South African investigators are looking into whether a private company illegally loaded weapons onto a Russian vessel at a naval base in December, three people familiar with an internal probe by the nation’s government told Semafor’s SAM MKOKELI. South African President CYRIL RAMAPHOSA ordered the investigation after the U.S. ambassador to his country accused Pretoria of supplying Moscow with arms. Ramaphosa initially criticized the ambassador for voicing the concerns publicly rather than using a diplomatic channel, denying the accusations. But investigators are looking into a lead about the Russian vessel docking at a base near Cape Town and offloading weapons before receiving a “small cache of arms,” the people told Semafor. More arms were dropped off by the vessel than picked up, they added. NEW IN TOWN: China’s new ambassador to the United States, XIE FENG, will arrive in Washington as early as Tuesday to take up his post, two people familiar with his schedule told our own PHELIM KINE Monday night. 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, @reporterjoe and @_AriHawkins.
| | TRACKING TRUMP: Federal prosecutors investigating DONALD TRUMP’s handling of classified documents issued a subpoena for information about his business dealings abroad stretching back to his time in office. That’s according to two people familiar with the matter, who told the New York Times’ ALAN FEUER, MAGGIE HABERMAN and BEN PROTESS that the subpoena sought details on the Trump Organization’s real estate licensing development dealings in China, France, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Oman going back to 2017. It’s still unclear what the prosecutors are looking for, but the subpoena suggests that investigators are casting a wider net as they scrutinize whether the former president broke the law by taking classified documents from the White House and refusing to fully comply with returning them.
| | ‘CYBER GULAG’: Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN is increasingly weaponizing the country’s advanced cyber security apparatus to track, censor and control his citizens, human rights advocates warn. Surveillance in Russia has become so extreme, activists are attaching the label of “cyber gulag” to the country, a dark reference to Soviet-era prisons, per the AP’s DASHA LITVINOVA. “The Kremlin has indeed become the beneficiary of digitalization and is using all opportunities for state propaganda, for surveilling people, for de-anonymizing internet users,” SARKIS DARBINYAN, who runs a legal practice for a Russian internet freedom group called Roskomsvoboda. Moscow has called the group a “foreign agent.” Net Freedoms, an internet rights group, recorded that more than 610,000 websites were removed or blocked by authorities in 2022, the highest annual total in 15 years. The Kremlin's push towards digital monitoring appeared to intensify following anti-Putin protests that were coordinated online in 2011 and 2012. Since then, Russian authorities have ratcheted up censorship online, and announced plans to build out a “sovereign internet” that would cut off civilian access to the rest of the world.
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | | HYPER DEFENSE: Rocket engine maker Ursa Major has netted an “eight figure contract” from the Air Force to build and test a prototype of a new reusable engine the military can use to simulate hypersonic weapons threats, CEO and founder JOE LAURIENTI tells our own LEE HUDSON. Because the hydrogen peroxide-fueled engine is equipped with a storable propellant it can be launched “on-demand” allowing the Pentagon to test counter-hypersonic technology more often. The new engine, dubbed Draper, is based on the company’s Hadley engine. Four years ago, the Air Force Research Laboratory requested Ursa Major develop a storable version of the engine to support counter-hypersonic testing at a lower price point, Laurienti said. The company plans to hotfire the new engine within the next 12 months.
| | | |   | | | | | BREAKING: The top two members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee have seen the Afghanistan dissent cable, per a statement from ranking member GREGORY MEEKS (D-N.Y.). "The secretary’s extraordinary accommodation allowing for our in-camera review, in addition to the thousands of pages the department provided to Mr. McCaul in response to his Afghanistan withdrawal requests, should satisfy the chairman’s subpoena and finally put to rest his threats of contempt," he said. AUKUS ON THE BRAIN: The chair of the House China Select Committee was in Britain last week to chat about China, but much of what he got was an earful about AUKUS. Rep. MIKE GALLAGHER (R-Wis.) and members of his team heard about the nuclear sub deal in “nearly every meeting” they attended with government officials, members of Parliament and experts. The general consensus, we heard, was that U.K. officials argue there should be reform to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, known as ITAR, that govern the transfer of sensitive technologies. That makes sense, as without changes to ITAR it will be hard to finalize the subs plan. There was also discussion about how AUKUS could be a “springboard for increased military and technological cooperation,” per someone familiar with the discussions.
| | | | BLINKEN’S WARNING: SecState Blinken told Sudan’s rival generals to abide by the latest ceasefire or face potential sanctions on Tuesday, hours before artillery boomed in parts of Khartoum, MOHAMED NURELDIN and KHALID ABDELAZIZ report for Reuters. "If the ceasefire is violated, we'll know, and we will hold violators accountable through our sanctions and other tools at our disposal," Blinken said in a video message. In recent weeks, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have been mediating talks and pushing the warring generals to calm the violence between the country’s military, commanded by Gen. ABDEL-FATTAH BURHAN and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by Gen. MOHAMED HAMDAN DAGALO. Both sides agreed to a seven-day ceasefire over the weekend that went into effect Monday night. The deal would pave the way for the delivery of humanitarian aid after five weeks of combat that has killed hundreds and displaced more than a million people. But residents have already reported hearing sporadic artillery fire and watching warplanes fly overhead in parts of the capital, raising concerns from civilians that major conflict could quickly erupt, the AP reports.
| | — Biden has tapped Lt. Gen. TIMOTHY HAUGH as the next U.S. Cyber Command chief and head of the National Security Agency, our own LARA SELIGMAN and MAGGIE MILLER scooped. — STAFFORD WARD (Alex note: no relation) has joined the Office of the Director of National Intelligence as a U.S. interagency strategy manager. He previously served as a Korea cyberspace analyst at Cyber Command and a counterterrorism adviser to the Defeat ISIS task force at the Pentagon. — REXON RYU has been appointed to the Defense Policy Board and was sworn in last month (though the move was officially announced Tuesday). Ryu is the president of The Asia Group and served as the chief of staff to former Defense Secretary CHUCK HAGEL. — Former Rep. STEPHANIE MURPHY (D-Fla.) has joined the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition as co-chair. She served on the House Armed Services Committee during her three terms. — KATE KIZER has joined Ernst & Young as a senior analyst for government and infrastructure. Kizer was the policy director for Win Without War and a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy.
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | | — Government Accountability Office: F-35 program: DoD needs better accountability for global spare parts and reporting of losses worth millions — PETER MITCHELL, Modern War Institute: Hypersonic hype? Russia’s Kinzhal missiles and the lessons for air defense — JOSÉ ANDRÉS, The Washington Post: Why global hunger is a national security threat
| | — Middle East Institute, 9:10 a.m.: Third MEI-CENTCOM Annual Conference Keynote Address | MARA KARLIN, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, 11:30 a.m.: Space Force: Reimagining Space Security — Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, 12 p.m.: The Search for a Ceasefire in Ukraine — Atlantic Council, 12 p.m.: 2023 Warsaw Week — Government Executive Media Group, 1 p.m.: Evolving Cybersecurity for Evolving Threats: A Dispatch from NASCIO Midyear — Government Executive Media Group, 2 p.m.: Navigating Naval Security in the Digital Age — House Foreign Affairs Committee, 2 p.m.: Modernizing U.S. Arms Exports and a Stronger AUKUS Thanks to our editor, Heidi Vogt, who is not on the deputy secretary of State shortlist. We also thank our producer, Gregory Svirnovskiy, who might as well be president at this point.
| | A message from Lockheed Martin: Innovating at hypersonic speed.
Lockheed Martin is innovating with urgency to solve today’s hypersonic strike and defense challenges. We’re investing in the American hypersonic workforce and supplier base, to ensure our customers stay ready for what’s ahead. Learn more. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |  |
