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From the SitRoom to the E-Ring, the inside scoop on defense, national security and foreign policy. | | | | |  | | By Alexander Ward and Ari Hawkins | |  Lionel Messi (pictured), arguably the world’s greatest-ever player and a tourism ambassador for the kingdom, and Karim Benezma, named the planet’s top footballer of 2022, may both be headed to the Saudi Pro League to play next season. | Julian De Rosa/AFP/Getty Images | With help from Lara Seligman, Connor O’Brien and Daniel Lippman Subscribe here | Email Alex It’s been a year and a half since Alex wrote a NatSec Daily top about soccer. Since it’s Friday and Matt isn’t here to rein him in, it’s time for an update on Saudi Arabia’s sportswashing via fútbol (which, we now know after three seasons of Ted Lasso, “is life”). LIONEL MESSI, arguably the world’s greatest-ever player and a tourism ambassador for the kingdom, and KARIM BENZEMA, named the planet’s top footballer of 2022, may both be headed to the Saudi Pro League to play next season. Benzema, Real Madrid’s captain and talisman, is for sure moving over with a reported two-year contract worth $430 million. That’s MONEY stemming from a major fund to sign big names. If it all pans out, we may be just months away from the country’s soccer league, where Portugal’s CRISTIANO RONALDO has played for a year, becoming the home to three of the game's biggest superstars. (Alex, a lifelong F.C. Barcelona fan, still holds out hope that Messi will return to the Catalan capital.) This isn’t happenstance. Riyadh is engaged in a years-long effort to be known as a global sporting hub — and not solely as a nation that commits gross human rights abuses. The Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund — chaired by Crown Prince MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN — in 2021 took over Newcastle United, a Premier League club in England. The Saudis are behind LIV Golf. The kingdom will be home to the 2029 Asian Winter Games. Riyadh is offering to pay for new sports stadiums in Greece and Egypt in exchange for their support of Saudi’s joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup. And the monarchy is also interested in putting on the 2036 Olympics. Building the soccer league’s brand, therefore, is a step toward Saudi domination of the global sports world. “Everything Saudi Arabia does in regards to international sports is sports washing. It’s conscious and extremely self-aware,” said DAVE ZIRIN, an editor at The Nation who writes on the intersection of sports and politics. “They want the world watching the games and ignoring the human rights catastrophes and butchered journalists happening in their wake.” After the murder of JAMAL KHASHOGGI, it seemed like Saudi Arabia’s reputation might not recover. But former President DONALD TRUMP kept relations alive and, after then-candidate JOE BIDEN promised to make Riyadh a “pariah” on the world stage, he traveled to the kingdom as president to fist bump with MBS. Saudi’s problems are thus less geopolitical and more about winning hearts and minds. Using the sweet feet of Messi, Benzema and Ronaldo is just Riyadh’s latest way of achieving that goal (pun intended). “The crown prince and his adviser clearly hope that in time Saudi Arabia will be known more for being the land of Messi and Ronaldo than for human rights abuses and other transgressions. If that is not sports washing, what is?” said the Council on Foreign Relations’ STEVEN COOK.
| | 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. | | | | | SULLIVAN GOES NUCLEAR: National security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN said the Biden administration is willing to conduct “unconditional” talks with Russia and China to address the global danger of their growing nuclear arsenals. That commitment is part of a package of measures aimed at addressing Washington’s need to “deter two near-peer nuclear powers for the first time in its history,” Sullivan told the Arms Control Association during an event in Washington on Friday. Those measures include updating the U.S. nuclear arsenal, fortifying it with non-nuclear weapons systems including hypersonic missiles, and bolstering U.S. extended deterrence to allies and partners around the world. Sullivan expressed concern about Beijing’s moves to triple the size of its nuclear arsenal to up to 1,500 warheads by 2035 and the Chinese leadership’s rejection of administration efforts to discuss the implications of that buildup. “We have not yet seen a willingness for the PRC to compartmentalize strategic stability from broader issues in the relationship,” Sullivan said. Sullivan said the Biden administration is willing to wait out Beijing’s selective freeze on high level diplomatic dialogue with U.S. officials. The U.S. is not going to “demand something from China or get down and beg them to come talk to us — we just say we’re ready to talk when you’re ready to talk,” Sullivan said. NO CEASEFIRES: Ceasefires in the Ukraine-Russia war would only concretize Moscow’s gains, Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN said Friday. “A cease-fire that simply freezes current lines in place — and enables Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN to consolidate control over the territory he has seized, and rest, rearm, and re-attack — is not a just and lasting peace,” he said during a visit to Helsinki per The Washington Post’s MISSY RYAN. “It would legitimize Russia’s land grab. It would reward the aggressor and punish the victim.” He further rejected any calls for a “land for peace” deal, whereby Kyiv agrees to give up some of its sovereign territory to end the war. It’s another signal from the Biden administration that it’s not interested in seeing the fighting stop any time soon. Instead, it wants to keep supporting Ukraine as it battles to push Russians out of the country. I WANT A GUARANTEE: Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY made two requests of European leaders during a Thursday summit in Moldova: A clear pathway for Ukraine to join NATO and security guarantees while Kyiv aims to join the alliance. Both “are needed,” he said, per our own SUZANNE LYNCH and CLEA CAULCUTT. But Europe is divided on the issues. French President EMMANUEL MACRON on Wednesday said he was “in favor” of providing Ukraine with security guarantees, but that’s not exactly where German Chancellor OLAF SCHOLZ is at the moment. “We have always said that there must also be guarantees for a peace order after the war. Germany will make a contribution to this,” he said Thursday. Meanwhile, Estonian Prime Minister KAJA KALLAS said “the only security guarantee that works … is NATO membership.” The pathway and guarantees questions will be two of the main animating issues during July’s NATO summit in Vilnius. Relatedly, next week’s meeting between Biden and Danish Prime Minister METTE FREDERIKSEN isn’t a secret audition to become the next NATO secretary general. The president “has not settled on a candidate,” a U.S. official told our friends at West Wing Playbook Thursday. CUZ I’M TNT: The U.S. hopes to acquire TNT from Japan for the 155mm artillery shells that will go to Ukraine, Reuters reports. Tokyo’s decision will be closely watched as “export rules ban Japanese companies from selling lethal items overseas, such as the howitzer shells that Ukraine fires daily at Russian units occupying its southeastern regions,” per Reuters. But buying TNT — and not the shells themselves — might be a workaround. “Export restrictions for dual-use products or equipment sold commercially are less stringent than for items with a purely military purpose, which is why the U.S. can buy Panasonic Toughbook laptops for its military.” Austin was in Tokyo this week to discuss Japan’s increased appetite for projecting military power in the Indo-Pacific and its support for Ukraine against Russia. DRINKS WITH NATSEC DAILY: At the end of every long, hard week, we like to highlight how a prominent member of Washington’s national security scene prefers to unwind with a drink. Today, we’re featuring ADAM HODGE, the NSC’s acting top spokesperson. When he’s not answering questions from pesky newsletter writers, he’s enjoying a Boulevardier on the rocks. The best place to drink it? “Preferably on my back porch,” he said. When we call late at night, we’ll be listening for the clink of that glass. Cheers, Adam! IT’S FRIDAY: 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.
| | DOCUMENT NOT FOUND: Trump’s attorneys handed over classified materials in March in response to a federal subpoena, but were not able to locate a military document the former president described on tape, which related to a potential attack on Iran, per CNN’s KAITLAN COLLINS, PAULA REID and KATELYN POLANTZ. Prosecutors have questioned witnesses about the recording, which indicates the former president understood he was holding onto classified materials, per CNN. Prosecutors are now vying for “any and all” material related to Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. MARK MILLEY, including maps and invasion plans. Special counsel JACK SMITH has focused on the July 2021 meeting, which took place at Trump’s New Jersey golf club, as part of a criminal investigation into the president’s conduct involving the trove of documents found at Mar-a-Lago. ‘MOST DANGEROUS TIME’: Trump thinks this is “the most serious time and the most dangerous time, right now, in the history of our country” because many countries are improving their nuclear arsenals. During a Thursday town hall with Fox News’ SEAN HANNITY in Iowa, Trump spoke about Russia, China and North Korea’s developments. He cited Russia’s move of nuclear weapons to Belarus as cause for concern, adding that he and Putin were working on a deal “where we start getting rid of nuclear weapons.” Trump has long been fearful of nuclear weapons, in large part due to conversations with his uncle John, an MIT professor. “I’ve always thought about the issue of nuclear war; it’s a very important element in my thought process. It’s the ultimate, the ultimate catastrophe, the biggest problem this world has, and nobody’s focusing on the nuts and bolts of it,” Trump said in a 1990 interview with Playboy.
| | | |   | | | | | AI DRONE TALL TALE: The Air Force said an AI-run drone didn’t “kill” its operator in a simulation despite a colonel’s recent comments. Col. TUCKER “CINCO” HAMILTON described such a test during last month’s Future Combat Air and Space Capabilities Summit in London. He said the drone “killed the operator because that person was keeping it from accomplishing its objective.” The story went viral on Thursday after the comments were posted on Twitter. But Air Force spokesperson ANN STEFANEK denied the account. "The Department of the Air Force has not conducted any such AI-drone simulations and remains committed to ethical and responsible use of AI technology," she told Insider. "It appears the colonel's comments were taken out of context and were meant to be anecdotal." MICHAEL HOROWITZ, the Pentagon’s emerging capabilities office director, further confirmed that was the case. “The thought experiment is an example of DoD taking safety seriously when it comes to AI-enabled systems by thinking through hypothetical safety issues now, even before a simulation, let alone a future battlefield,” he told NatSec Daily on Friday. “It should increase confidence that DoD can develop and deploy AI-enabled systems in a safe and responsible way.” In other words, there was no killer robot simulation and no killed operator. Phew!
| | MARINE INFLUENCE: There’s a new backroom brawl gearing up to influence the nominee to be the next commandant of the Marine Corps, and it’s playing out on Capitol Hill, our friends at Morning Defense report (for Pros!). Some retired Marine generals are taking issue with Commandant Gen. DAVID BERGER’s Force Design 2030, unveiled in 2020, which is working to remake the Corps into a service that can take on China. Those retired Marines think the new plans put too much emphasis on the Pacific — a charge Berger has denied. “I hope to be the first person to meet one-on-one with [the new commandant],” said retired Gen. CHARLES KRULAK, the service’s top officer in the 1990s. It’s all part of a plan to influence lawmakers and the White House’s nominee, Gen. ERIC SMITH. They’ve even launched a Substack to share their views. “We want to join with him to come up with the solution that will enable the Marine Corps to remain a global force in readiness and not one that is pretty much focused on one geographic region,” Krulak said. And in a remarkable move for a service that venerates its retired four-stars and relishes its closed-ranks tradition, the Corps has been active on the Hill, briefing senators and representatives on “how the retired generals are wrong,” one Marine officer said.
| | NDAA BACK ON TRACK: The Senate Armed Services Committee is aiming to mark up its version of the National Defense Authorization Act the week of June 19, our colleagues CONNOR O'BRIEN and LEE HUDSON report (for Pros!). The committee was slated to finish its work on the defense bill by June 1, but those plans were stalled by the debt ceiling fight. With a debt deal on its way to Biden's desk, work on NDAA is now cleared to resume. DANCING ON THE DEBT CEILING: A deal to raise the debt ceiling, and lock in an $886 billion defense budget, cleared the Senate Thursday night after some 11th-hour maneuvering to placate hawks that paved the war for a potential supplemental to pad Pentagon coffers. Ahead of a vote, GOP members who were dissatisfied with the defense level, which matches Biden's request, demanded a commitment from Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER to take up supplemental spending in the future. The drama ended with Republicans allowing speedy passage of the deal in exchange for a statement from Schumer that the agreement “does nothing to limit the Senate's ability to appropriate emergency supplemental funds” to respond to China, Russia and Iran. “I know a strong bipartisan majority of senators stands ready to receive and process emergency funding requests from the administration,” Schumer said. “The Senate is not about to ignore our national needs, nor abandon our friends and allies who face urgent threats from America's most dangerous adversaries.”
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | | COOL HAND LI: Austin went all the way to Singapore and all he got was a lousy handshake. “Secretary Austin and PRC Minister of National Defense LI SHANGFU spoke briefly at tonight’s opening dinner of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. The two leaders shook hands, but did not have a substantive exchange,” Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. PAT RYDER said in a Friday statement. “The Department believes in maintaining open lines of military-to-military communication with the PRC — and will continue to seek meaningful military-to-military discussions at multiple levels to responsibly manage the relationship." A DoD official said Austin initiated the handshake. Thus ends the will-they-or-won’t-they saga of a potential meeting on the sidelines of the defense forum. It doesn’t appear we’ll see Austin and Li — who is sanctioned by the U.S. — have a sit down chat about the military relationship. The lines of communication aren’t closed, though, as American and Chinese leaders in the areas of trade and economics are still gabbing away.
| | | | — The Council on Foreign Relations has added two events staffers and promoted a third: MICHAEL MCMORROW has joined as director of events, EMILY HOLTZMAN as assistant director of event management and HANNAH OJENDYK has been promoted to be events manager. McMorrow most recently was a freelance senior producer and is an HBO alum. Holtzman was content manager at Marley Spoon. — MATAN ARAD-NEEMAN has joined If Not Now as communications director. He was last a communications associate at the New Israel Fund.
| | 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. | | | | | — JIANLI YANG, POLITICO: The Tiananmen massacre and China’s pragmatist soft power — DAVID FRUM, The Atlantic: Why Putin’s secret weapon failed — FAREED ZAKARIA, The Washington Post: The United States can no longer assume that the rest of the world is on its side | | — American Israel Public Affairs Committee, 9 a.m.: AIPAC Policy Summit — Atlantic Council, 9 a.m.: In their words: Speaking out against arbitrary detention and torture in Venezuela — Brookings Institution, 10 a.m.: Refugees and migrants under threat in Tunisia — Atlantic Council, 11:30 a.m.: Beyond chatbots: How the U.S.-China tech race will define AI’s future — Cato Institute, 1 p.m.: The Pernicious Surveillance Legacy of 9/11 Thanks to our editor, Dave Brown, who uses popcorn to snackwash away our hate for him. We also thank our producer, Sinobia Aiden, who we’ll always admire.
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