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From the SitRoom to the E-Ring, the inside scoop on defense, national security and foreign policy. | | | | |  | | By Joe Gould, Alexander Ward, Matt Berg and Eric Bazail-Eimil | |  Dan Crenshaw, the chair of the Republican-led Task Force to Combat Mexican Drug Cartels, in January introduced a bill seeking authorization for the use of military force to “put us at war with the cartels.” | Francis Chung/POLITICO | With help from Clea Caulcutt, Phelim Kine and Daniel Lippman Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Matt Republicans have been saying a lot of aggressive things about how they would target Mexican drug cartels to stop the flow of fentanyl. Rep. DAN CRENSHAW (R-Texas), one of Congress’ leading proponents for military options, told NatSec Daily he would offer an olive branch to Democrats so the U.S. can speak with one, bipartisan voice on the issue. Crenshaw, the chair of the Republican-led Task Force to Combat Mexican Drug Cartels, in January introduced a bill seeking authorization for the use of military force to “put us at war with the cartels.” But Crenshaw said in an interview that the idea has been “misconstrued” and that the task force will likely outline a different approach before year’s end. He wants Democrats to sign on to whatever is proposed, meaning he’ll have to slightly climb down from threatening unilateral bombing campaigns on America’s neighbor. That could include a clause in proposed legislation that only greenlights any military operations against cartels when the Mexican government says it’s OK. “The entire point is psychological warfare against the cartels ... to make them think they made a bad business decision,” Crenshaw said. Crenshaw’s extended hand to Democrats comes as 2024 Republican presidential hopefuls escalate their rhetoric about combating Mexican drug lords, from Florida Gov. RON DESANTIS saying he’d be open to using drone strikes against cartels to VIVEK RAMASWAMY floating a “shock-and-awe” military campaign. Those proposals have turned off Democrats like Sen. BOB MENENDEZ (D-N.J.), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who called such rhetoric "dangerous." Crenshaw argues Democrats don’t fully understand the crisis at the border and what, precisely, he wants to do about it. “The immediate reaction from Democrats has been, ‘you can’t just go invading Mexico,’ and it’s like, stop being an ignoramus. That’s not what anybody’s talking about,” he said. “I envision the same kind of military intervention we use all over the world, where it’s entirely led by the host nation.” Read Joe’s full story.
| | A message from Lockheed Martin: Using Artificial Intelligence to help firefighters better detect, predict and fight wildfires.
Lockheed Martin is collaborating with commercial companies to integrate our technologies and expertise with their capabilities to help first responders detect, predict and fight wildfires. Learn more. | | | | | KIM, PUTIN VOW TO FIGHT ‘EVIL FORCES’: North Korean leader KIM JONG UN seemed to side with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine today, vowing to fight the “evil forces” confronting both countries. Kim traveled by armored train to meet Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, the Kremlin’s most important spaceport. It’s widely believed that the autocrats met to hash out a deal where Moscow gets conventional weapons for the war while Pyongyang gets food aid as well as advanced technology for satellites and ballistic missiles. The location at the space launch site further points to such an agreement in the works. Asked today if Russia would support North Korea’s development in those areas, Putin responded: “That’s exactly why we came here.” But neither Kim nor Putin said they brokered any deal. The North Korean leader did say “Russia will emerge victorious in the fight to punish the evil forces” and “I will always be standing with Russia.” Kim further promised “a new era of 100-year friendship.” BLINKEN BLITZ: It’s been a busy day for Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN, who has made three public appearances in 24 hours. We took notes on all of them: Listen: There’s little chance that a U.S.-brokered Israel-Saudi deal to normalize relations will be finalized anytime soon, Blinken suggested while speaking with former Obama staffers TOMMY VIETOR and BEN RHODES on Pod Save the World today. “This is really hard to do, and there's a lot that goes into it, and it's unclear whether we get there,” he said. If the Biden administration can make it work, however, “it would be good for us, good for the countries in question, good for the region, and indeed, good for the world beyond.” Watch: While speaking at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies today, Blinken mostly outlined the Biden administration’s efforts to bolster partnerships abroad — nothing much we haven’t heard before. It’s notable, however, that he dedicated several minutes to how Washington has helped developing nations improve their infrastructure and agriculture, a rhetorical push we expect to continue at next week’s United Nations General Assembly. Read: Blinken also spoke movingly to Puck’s JULIA IOFFE about the humanitarian tragedies he witnessed during a visit to Ukraine last week. He described how Russian forces crammed more than 100 residents of Yahidne –– “including children as young as a month and a half –– into a small room in a school’s basement for nearly a month. “Ten or 11 of them died in this room, particularly the elderly, virtually suffocated to death because of the lack of air. And the Russians would not allow the bodies to be removed if the person in question died after noon,” Blinken said, citing how young children were exposed to such horror. “This is the human face of what’s happening.” UKRAINE STRIKES RUSSIA’S BLACK SEA FLEET: Ukraine’s attacks on Russia continue, this time on a ship-repair base in annexed Crimea, Russia’s Ministry of Defense confirmed today. As our own VERONIKA MELKOZEROVA reports, “locals in Sevastopol reported hearing a series of massive blasts near Southern Bay in the Russian-occupied region, with some posting videos on social media of the explosions that followed. A huge fire erupted at the Sergo Ordzhonikidze shipyard.” The Kremlin issued a statement confirming there was an attack that damaged two ships. The Biden administration has blessed Ukraine’s moves to strike inside Crimea, arguing “Crimea is Ukraine,” but warned against attacking sovereign Russian territory –– though Ukraine has done so, anyway. FRANCE AGREES WITH MILLEY: A senior French diplomat agreed with Gen. MARK MILLEY’s assessment that Ukraine has no more than 45 days before bad weather hinders its counteroffensive, our own CLEA CAULCUTT writes in. There is "a clear issue with the weather," said the diplomat, who was granted anonymity to discuss internal assessments. The counteroffensive would likely stop around the end of October or early November, but he noted that the fighting would revert back to “artillery duels” between Russia and Ukraine. The official said he expects the United States will eventually send long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems to Ukraine, a possibility the administration is weighing now, particularly after the U.K. and France sent Storm Shadow and SCALP-EG missiles earlier in the year. The Europeans' move "showed what it was possible to do without being escalatory.” IT’S WEDNESDAY: 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 X 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, @JGedeon1 and @ebazaileimil.
| | DESANTIS’ BORDER BATTLE: DeSantis expanded on his vision for “deadly force” at the southern border today, clarifying who would be shot — and didn’t rule out using missiles — in a tense exchange with CBS Evening News’ NORAH O’DONNELL. O’Donnell: “Would you send missiles into Mexico?” DeSantis: “We would use all available — the tactics, I think, can be debated. If you have something you want to accomplish, people would brief you on the different ways you’d be able to do it. So, that would be dependent on the situation.” O’Donnell: “But launching military forces into Mexico is a much different standard, that’s why I'm asking the question.” DeSantis: “The reality is they’re overrunning our border … Do we just throw up our hands and say there’s nothing we can do about it?” Read Matt’s piece on that, with some added context, here.
| | | | Enter the “room where it happens”, where global power players shape policy and politics, with Power Play. POLITICO’s brand-new podcast will host conversations with the leaders and power players shaping the biggest ideas and driving the global conversations, moderated by award-winning journalist Anne McElvoy. Sign up today to be notified of the first episodes in September – click here. | | | | | | | | UNTRAINED EYES: Seven federal law enforcement agencies didn’t require staff to get training before using facial recognition technology between October 2019 and March 2022, according to a Government Accountability Office report released Tuesday. The majority of those agencies also didn’t have policies in place to protect civil rights, according to the report. Four of the agencies are under the Justice Department and three are under the Department of Homeland Security. The lack of training or civil rights guidelines raises concerns because the technology is known to have accuracy issues with racial bias. ASHLEY GORSKI, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s National Security Project, told NatSec Daily that the report is “shocking” and called on the government to stop using “dystopian and discriminatory” facial recognition tech.
| | | | JOIN 9/19 FOR A TALK ON BUILDING THE NEW AMERICAN ECONOMY: The United States is undergoing a generational economic transformation, with a renewed bipartisan emphasis on manufacturing. Join POLITICO on Sept. 19th for high-level conversations that examine the progress and chart the next steps in preserving America’s economic preeminence, driving innovation and protecting jobs. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY — BACKING FOR CHOLLET: A group of senior Republican professionals is endorsing President JOE BIDEN’s pick for the Pentagon’s top policy official, urging the Senate to quickly confirm him to the post, our own LARA SELIGMAN has exclusively learned. In a letter dated Tuesday to Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. JACK REED (D-R.I.), 34 former top national security officials expressed their support for DEREK CHOLLET, who is currently serving as counselor for the State Department, to be undersecretary of defense for policy. “We have known or worked with Derek Chollet during his long career in Washington and can attest to his commitment to advancing US interests and protecting our national security,” wrote the signees. “While we don’t agree with him on every policy issue — and in some instances, we seriously disagree — we respect his deep experience, spirit of bipartisanship, integrity, and dedication to public service.” The list of signees included heavy-hitting Republicans such as former Secretary of State JAMES BAKER; former deputy secretary of state RICH ARMITAGE; former foreign policy adviser to the late Senator John McCain, RICHARD FONTAINE; former national security adviser STEPHEN HADLEY; and former undersecretary of defense DOV ZAKHEIM. It’s particularly notable that Republicans support Chollet’s nomination because his predecessor, COLIN KAHL, was narrowly approved for the post after a bruising confirmation battle two years ago. Republicans unanimously opposed Kahl’s nomination. WEAPONS TRACKER: The Biden administration is unveiling a new system for investigating instances in which foreign forces may have used American-made weapons to injure or kill civilians, The Washington Post’s MISSY RYAN reports. The State Department announced the Civilian Harm Incident Response Guidance in a cable to foreign embassies and consulates worldwide late last month. Under the new initiative, officials will look at reports and recommend action, such as suspending arms sales to partners.
| | FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY –– GOFOS WANT NON-MIL CASH TO FACE CHINA: Congress should support “robust funding” for diplomacy and development projects in the FY24 International Affairs budget to counter China, more than 100 three- and four-star generals and admirals wrote to senior lawmakers today. The former military leaders, who all have experience operating in the Indo-Pacific, said “we have seen on the frontlines how U.S. civilian diplomacy and development tools are central to a comprehensive American strategy to compete with China and protect U.S. national security interests.” Agencies like the State Department, USAID and the Development Finance Corporation “are the tip of the spear when it comes to reducing conflict, fighting hunger, eradicating disease, and advancing U.S. security and economic interests.” That’s why the GOFOs, brought together by the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition National Security Advisory Council, want the top lawmakers from each party in both chambers –– CHUCK SCHUMER, MITCH McCONNELL, KEVIN McCARTHY and HAKEEM JEFFRIES –– to increase funding for them. “These platforms are critical for providing a credible American alternative to the PRC’s development deals and are essential to protecting the nation we swore to defend.” Biden’s trip to the G-20 saw him follow their advice, fighting development-funding fire with development-funding fire to counter China’s Belt and Road international infrastructure initiative. USGLC applauded the FY23 International Affairs budget, which came in at $78.3 billion. DE-NILE: The Biden administration is denying Egypt $85 million in aid over its detention of political prisoners, State Department legislative affairs chief NAZ DURAKOĞLU told Congress this week in a letter obtained by NatSec Daily. Of the $1.3 billion in foreign military financing grants the U.S. provides Egypt, it is sending $980 million, according to the letter. The $85 million comes from a $300 million pot the U.S. conditions on human rights progress. Sen. CHRIS MURPHY (D-Conn.) is among the most prominent voices arguing the administration should withhold the whole sum. “They have withheld that money the last two years and Egypt is doing worse, not better. They have not told me this, but my expectation is they will withhold the full amount,” Murphy told NatSec Daily. Sen. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.), who met Egyptian President ABDEL FATTAH EL-SISI in Cairo last month, argued the Biden administration ought to treat the regime more kindly, given El-Sisi’s potential role as “an indispensable player” in landing an Arab-Israeli peace deal. “Now’s not the time to play this game,” Graham told NatSec Daily. “I like Chris, but I see this as a mistake.” Read: Conservative mutiny forces delay in House Pentagon spending bill by our own CONNOR O’BRIEN and Joe.
| | | |   | | | | | FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY — AMERICANS SOUR ON SAUDI PACT: A new poll from the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft finds that a majority of Americans, across party lines, oppose the signing of a proposed defense pact with Saudi Arabia. The survey, which was conducted in concert with polling firm Harris, found that just 45 percent of respondents would support the U.S. giving Saudi Arabia security guarantees in exchange for Riyadh opening diplomatic relations with Israel. Fifty-seven percent of Republicans and 53 percent of Democrats surveyed said they would oppose such a measure. When presented with the arguments for and against the deal, 60 percent of Republicans and 54 percent of Democrats said there was no justification for joining the deal. The poll comes as the Biden administration pursues what portends to be a historic policy change in the Middle East, one that would further legitimize Israel’s standing in the Middle East and shore up the complicated U.S.-Saudi relationship.
| | — HawkEye 360 has promoted ROB RAINHART from chief operating officer to president. — HANNAH LEWBEL is now senior technical adviser to the CIO at the Department of Veterans Affairs. She most recently was partner director of engineering for Xbox gaming experiences at Microsoft.
| | — JACOB STOKES, LISA CURTIS and JOSHUA FITT: Center for a New American Security: Strengthening the shield: Japan’s defense transformation and the U.S.-Japan alliance — TIM MAK, The Counteroffensive: Inside the cockpit of a Ukrainian fighter jet – and the call for western F-16s — BRET STEPHENS, The New York Times: Can SAMANTHA POWER win the battle for Ukraine’s future?
| | — The Americas Society/Council of the Americas, 9 a.m.: Regenerating the hemispheric trade agenda through United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement accession — Center for Strategic and International Studies, 9:30 a.m.: Rising coups in Africa: the road ahead — Senate Armed Services Committee, 9:30 a.m.: A hearing on the nomination of Adm. LISA M. FRANCHETTI — Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 10 a.m.: Assessing the crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh — House Foreign Affairs Committee, 10 a.m.: Iran's escalating threats: assessing U.S. policy toward Iran's malign activities — National Endowment for Democracy, 11 a.m.: A virtual book discussion on BETHANY ALLEN’s "Beijing Rules: How China Weaponized Its Economy to Confront the World" — United States Institute of Peace, 12:30 p.m.: China and the reshaping of global conflict prevention norms — Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1 p.m.: Iran's path forward: civil society's lessons learned on the anniversary of MAHSA AMINI'S killing — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1 p.m.: The Ukrainian counter-offensive: implications for U.S. policy — Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1:30 p.m.: Integration of the U.S. missile defense enterprise — United States Institute of Peace, 2 p.m.: Legacies and peace in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia — Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, 2:45 p.m.: Maximum support for the people of Iran: MAHSA AMINI one year after her murder Thanks to our editor, Emma Anderson, who is always waging psychological warfare against us. We also thank our producer, Gregory Svirnovskiy, who knows that denial isn’t just a river in Egypt.
| | A message from Lockheed Martin: Using Artificial Intelligence to help firefighters better detect, predict and fight wildfires.
Lockheed Martin is collaborating with commercial companies to integrate our technologies and expertise with their capabilities to help first responders detect, predict and fight wildfires. Learn more. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |  |
