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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 Matt Berg | |  Volodymyr Zelenskyy (center) will get a chance to brief senators on Tuesday morning and, separately, House Speaker Mike Johnson. | Natacha Pisarenko/AP | Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Matt With help from John Sakellariadis and Daniel Lippman It’s been a week since national security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN told reporters there’s no Plan B to continue funding Ukraine. So like Santa, VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY is coming to town to get Congress in the giving spirit and ensure Plan A works out. The Ukrainian president’s arrival underscores the sense of panic gripping the Biden administration. The pot of money Congress authorized to pump Kyiv full of weapons is running out, and it’s unclear a border-policy dispute will resolve in a way that convinces skeptical Republicans to approve a $106 billion package for more Ukraine support. President JOE BIDEN invited Ukraine’s top salesperson to D.C. to make the case for his nation’s resistance against Russia. Zelenskyy already was nearby in Argentina, so it made sense for him to pop by his most important military supplier. But the fact that he needed to come at all shows the desperate situation in which Washington and Kyiv find themselves, as there’s no clear alternative to ramming the mammoth legislation through Congress. “The administration continues to tell us there is no Plan B and they won’t keep transferring weapons to Ukraine without new backfill. If there is one, House Republicans haven’t been briefed,” said a House GOP aide, granted anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak to the press. “That’s why it is so critical the Biden administration and Senate Democrats need to get serious about meaningful reforms to secure the U.S. border.” The administration publicly says it’s staying the course. Biden will affirm to Zelenskyy that “we’re standing firm on the supplemental request,” National Security Council spokesperson JOHN KIRBY told reporters aboard Air Force One today. “He will talk to him about the approach that [he] and his team have taken on Capitol Hill.” Introducing Zelenskyy to students at National Defense University on Monday, Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN said the U.S. had to show it could outlast Putin’s own resolve: “America's commitments must be honored. America's security must be defended. And America's word must be kept.” The Biden administration’s case continues to be that 90 percent of U.S. funding authorized for Ukraine doesn’t go to Kyiv — it’s invested in the U.S. to replenish America’s depleting weapons stockpile — and that Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN would inevitably send troops into NATO territory if they’re not stopped in Ukraine. Some Senate Republicans are unconvinced, arguing Biden should prioritize ending the southern border crisis and that the undeterred-Putin threat is overblown. “The idea that he can march to Poland or Berlin is preposterous,” Sen. J.D. VANCE (R-Ohio) told CNN’s JAKE TAPPER on his Sunday show. “What's in America's best interest is to accept Ukraine is going to have to cede some territory to the Russians and we need to bring this war to a close.” Zelenskyy will get a chance to brief senators on Tuesday morning and, separately, House Speaker MIKE JOHNSON. The Ukrainian leader is likely to make a broader pitch alongside Biden at a news conference. If there’s another idea out there, foreign officials close to Team Biden haven’t heard it. “Let’s focus on Plan A,” U.K. Foreign Minister DAVID CAMERON told a handful of reporters, including your host, at the British embassy during a D.C. visit last week. “The conversations I’ve had, there’s every chance that this can be passed because there are a majority of people in Congress that want to see it passed.”
| | 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. | | | | | WILLY PETE: Israel used U.S.-supplied white phosphorus in an attack on southern Lebanon in October that injured at least nine civilians, The Washington Post’s WILLIAM CHRISTOU, ALEX HORTON and MEG KELLY report. A WaPo journalist found the remnants of three 155-millimeter artillery rounds fired into Dheira, near the border of Israel. Residents say the chemical substance caused four homes to burn down. White phosphorus can be used to obscure troop movement as the billowing smoke falls haphazardly over an area. But it can also stick to skin and cause potentially fatal burns and respiratory damage, making its use restricted under international law. Reports in October accused Israel of using white phosphorus in the area. Markings on the rounds show that the munitions were made in Louisiana and Arkansas in 1989 and 1992. Other markings on the rounds, including the letters “WP,” indicate the chemical substance was present. Kirby, the NSC spokesperson, said the administration was “concerned” about the report and that the U.S. would ask questions about its use. But he also stated that there is “legitimate military utility” for white phosphorus including for illumination or concealing movements with smoke. “Anytime that we provide items like white phosphorus to another military, it is with the full expectation that it will be used in keeping with those legitimate purposes and in keeping with the law of armed conflict,” he said. Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. PATRICK RYDER said the U.S. hasn’t provided Israel with white phosphorus rounds since Oct. 7. ‘FIGHTING FIERCELY’: Israel’s military said it has made progress with air strikes and ground fighting overnight Sunday, tightening its control in Gaza while Israeli troops aim to take out Hamas’ top leadership, The Washington Post’s STEVE HENDRIX, HAZEM BALOUSHA and MIRIAM BERGER report. Israel struck more than 250 sites across Gaza as its forces continue “fighting fiercely” in Khan Younis, the largest southern city in the territory, and its surrounding neighborhoods, its military said. Israel Defense Forces officials said there are signs that Hamas is beginning to let up. Israel Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU called on Hamas militants to lay down arms in a video statement: “It’s over. Don’t die for Sinwar. Surrender now,” he said, referring to Hamas leader YEHIYA SINWAR. WEAK EUROPEAN MILITARIES: Some of Europe’s most powerful militaries aren’t so powerful at all, The Wall Street Journal’s MAX COLCHESTER, DAVID LUHNOW and BOJAN PANCEVSKI report. The U.K., home to the continent’s strongest armed forces, “has only around 150 deployable tanks and perhaps a dozen serviceable long-range artillery pieces,” leading London to consider “sourcing multiple rocket launchers from museums to upgrade and donate to Ukraine, an idea that was dropped,” they write. Then there’s this: “France, the next biggest spender, has fewer than 90 heavy artillery pieces, equivalent to what Russia loses roughly every month on the Ukraine battlefield. Denmark has no heavy artillery, submarines or air-defense systems. Germany’s army has enough ammunition for two days of battle.” All that highlights the weakening of Europe and the overreliance on U.S. military might for its protection. If Europe wanted to reverse course, it would need to do so quickly. Russia is still fighting in Ukraine and former President DONALD TRUMP has long considered withdrawing the U.S. from NATO. The inspector general of Germany’s military said in a recent interview that Russia’s threats specifically mean Germany should “turn these fears into action now.” KEREM SHALOM TO OPEN: The Israeli government officially confirmed that the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza will be open to inspect aid delivery trucks. That confirms comments by U.S. and Israeli officials last week that the opening was imminent. IT’S MONDAY: 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, and @JGedeon1.
| | | | 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 new episodes – click here. | | | | | | | | ‘DENIGRATES MILITARY SERVICE’: Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS took direct aim at Trump for suggesting a 2016 debate performance was a braver act than soldiers fighting in war. In Oct. 2016, Trump joined HILLARY CLINTON on stage days after a leaked Access Hollywood tape showed the businessman bragging about sexually harassing women. Speaking in New York City over the weekend, Trump said a general — who had seen troops die in battle — once came up to him to say the “bravest thing I’ve ever seen was the night you went onto that stage.” The former president, the Republican frontrunner for the 2024 nomination, again this weekend brushed his years-old remarks aside as “locker room talk.” NatSec Daily has yet to see anyone confirm Trump’s conversation. Either way, DeSantis, a veteran, bashed Trump for asserting he ever did anything braver than Americans in uniform. “Trump denigrates military service by claiming it is ‘braver’ that he debated Hillary Clinton than what soldiers endure on the battlefield,” DeSantis posted to X on Sunday night. Trump has not appeared at any debate with his Republican rivals for the nomination during this cycle. The former president, according to his former senior aides, also has questioned the honor of military service, calling those who were wounded or taken prisoner “suckers” and “losers.” Read: Western democracies face crisis of confidence ahead of big votes, poll shows by our own NICHOLAS VINOCUR
| | | | POLITICO AT CES® 2024: We are going ALL IN On at CES 2024 with a special edition of the POLITICO Digital Future Daily newsletter. The CES-focused newsletter will take you inside the most powerful tech event in the world, featuring revolutionary products that cut across verticals, and insights from industry leaders that are shaping the future of innovation. The newsletter runs from Jan. 9-12 and will focus on the public policy-related aspects of the gathering. Sign up today to receive exclusive coverage of the show. | | | | | | | | FORMERS WEIGH IN ON 702 VOTE: A bipartisan group of more than 40 former senior national security officials are urging the House to vote against the Judiciary Committee’s FISA Section 702 renewal bill, per a letter sent to the lower chamber Monday and shared first with POLITICO. The letter, which warns of the “devastating” national security impacts of the panel’s bill, comes ahead of a high-stakes floor vote Tuesday, where lawmakers will choose between dueling legislative proposals to renew the powerful but controversial foreign surveillance authority. The competing bill from the House Intelligence Committee, meanwhile, “attempts in a thoughtful way” to balance privacy and national security, the letter reads. Signatories include former DNIs JAMES CLAPPER and MIKE McCONNELL; former NSA Director KEITH ALEXANDER; former Attorney General MICHAEL MUKASEY; former CIA Deputy Director MICHAEL MORELL and former ODNI General Counsel ROBERT LITT. UNDER ATTACK: Chinese military-affiliated hackers “have burrowed into the computer systems of about two dozen critical entities over the past year,” The Washington Post’s ELLEN NAKASHIMA and JOSEPH MENN report. A water utility in Hawaii, a major West Coast port and at least one oil and gas pipeline are among the victims, they continued, “part of a broader effort to develop ways to sow panic and chaos or snarl logistics in the event of a U.S.-China conflict in the Pacific.” Hawaii is home to the Pacific Fleet and other key hubs that would prove crucial in any broad fight with China. No system has been disrupted yet, but the new revelations show the alleged Chinese hacking campaign known as Volt Typhoon is far broader than previously known. “It is very clear that Chinese attempts to compromise critical infrastructure are in part to pre-position themselves to be able to disrupt or destroy that critical infrastructure in the event of a conflict, to either prevent the United States from being able to project power into Asia or to cause societal chaos inside the United States — to affect our decision-making around a crisis,” BRANDON WALES, executive director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, told the Post.
| | CHIPS AHOY: The first CHIPS Act grant has gone to military contractor BAE Systems, the Biden administration announced Monday, a $35 million deal to modernize the Microelectronics Center in Nashua, New Hampshire. In a statement, Commerce Secretary GINA RAIMONDO said the choice of the grant shows the prioritization the administration gave to chips inside key weapons systems like fighter jets. According to The New York Times’ ANA SWANSON, the grant for BAE could “quadruple its domestic production of a type of chip used in F-15 and F-35 fighter jets,” senior administration officials said. More awards are expected in the coming months, coming from the $39 billion authorized in the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act. Read: Ukraine strikes deal to get 2 Royal Navy minehunters from U.K. by our own ANNABELLE DICKSON
| | | |   | | | | | WEEKEND SPAT AT BERNIE’S: Sen. BERNIE SANDERS (I-Vt.) laid into the U.S. on Sunday for being the only member of the U.N. Security Council to veto a resolution last week calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza. “At a time when Palestinians in Gaza are facing horrific conditions, the U.S. should not be vetoing a UN resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire and the release of all hostages,” Sanders tweeted. But the Vermont Independent himself hasn’t called for a cease-fire — instead supporting humanitarian pauses. And that stance has drawn widespread condemnation from his progressive base. AIPAC, the powerful pro-Israel lobbying group, trolled Sanders soon after, thanking him for his “strong opposition” to a permanent cease-fire. Sanders responded with his own rebuke: AIPAC is “a right-wing organization that supports extremist Republican election-denier candidates … Whether AIPAC likes it or not, the U.S. must not give a blank check to Netanyahu’s horrific war policies.” AIPAC is looking to recruit challengers to lawmakers in the so-called “Squad,” our own MIA McCARTHY and LISA KASHINSKY report. Rep. JAMAAL BOWMAN (D-N.Y.) is a target but Rep. AYANNA PRESSLEY (D-Mass.) might not get a challenger since it’ll be hard to dethrone her in deep-blue Massachusetts.
| | DISCORD LEAK PUNISHMENTS: The Air Force is punishing 15 members following an investigation into the leak of Pentagon documents earlier this year that made sensitive U.S. intelligence public, The Washington Post’s DAN LAMOTHE reports. The investigation found a “culture of complacency” and a “lack of supervision” that allowed 21-year-old airman JACK TEIXEIRA to spill military secrets on a Discord server. Teixeira’s superiors failed to restrict his access to classified systems and facilities and didn’t alert the proper authorities of his actions, according to a report delivered to Congress today. Those punished rank from staff sergeant to colonel, the Air Force told the Post. Several members had known about Teixeira’s actions, the report said, but failed to tell high-level officials about it due to fear that they might “overreact.” Teixeira got a security clearance despite a history of violent threats, WaPo’s SHANE HARRIS and SAMUEL OAKFORD report. “His online world was a hothouse of racist and violent rhetoric, suffused with conspiracy theories. He sought out classified information to validate his baseless suspicions that federal law enforcement was complicit in mass violence as part of a plot to subdue and control the citizenry,” they wrote.
| | — FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY: ABBY TURNER is the policy adviser and director of operations for Polaris National Security. She previously worked for Sen. TED CRUZ (R-Texas) on his national security team from Oct. 2021 to Dec. 2023, focusing mainly on the Middle East. — MARA KARLIN, best known for her role in developing the Biden administration’s National Defense Strategy, is leaving the Pentagon for a teaching role at the end of the year, SASHA BAKER, the acting undersecretary of defense for policy, told our own LARA SELIGMAN and PAUL McLEARY. Karlin was tapped as DOD’s assistant secretary for strategy, plans and capabilities in April 2021. She has been performing the duties of deputy undersecretary for policy — the office’s No. 2 position — since July. — Poland’s Parliament has elected DONALD TUSK as the country’s next prime minister. — Retired Col. LISA DISBROW was appointed by SecDef Austin as the new chair of the Reserve Forces Policy Board. She succeeds retired Maj. Gen. ARNOLD PUNARO, who has been in the role since 2011. The DOD chief also appointed STACIE PETTYJOHN, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, as the board’s subcommittee chair for total force integration. — NEAL HIGGINS is now a partner in Eversheds Sutherland’s litigation practice group. He previously was deputy national cyber director for national cybersecurity, and is a CIA alum.
| | — LEILA SEURAT, Foreign Affairs: Hamas’s goal in Gaza — ELISABETH BRAW, POLITICO: It’s time for Sweden’s navy to grow — MAE NGAI, The New York Times: Ron DeSantis ‘banned China from buying land in the state of florida.’ How did we get here?
| | — The Center for Strategic and International Studies, 8 a.m.: CHIPS meets chips: transatlantic cooperation in semiconductor research — The United States Institute of Peace, 9:30 a.m.: A monopoly on the use of force in Libya: how demobilization, disarmament and reintegration in Libya will require a local strategy — The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Investigations Subcommittee, 10 a.m.: Coast Guard Academy whistleblowers: stories of sexual assault and harassment — The House Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee, 10 a.m.: Considering DHS' and CISA's role in securing artificial intelligence — Demand Progress Action, 10 a.m.: Two hundred years is enough: moving past the Monroe Doctrine toward a new era in U.S.-Latin American relations — The House Financial Services National Security, Illicit Finance and International Financial Institutions Subcommittee, 10 a.m.: Restricting rogue-state revenue: strengthening energy sanctions on Russia, Iran and Venezuela — The Heritage Foundation, 10:30 a.m.: AI and human flourishing: a pipe dream? — The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, 12:30 p.m.:Is India ready to compete in global semiconductor value chains? — The Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1:30 p.m.: The national defense industrial strategy: enabling a modernized defense industrial ecosystem — The House Armed Services Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee, 2 p.m.: F-35 acquisition program update — The House Foreign Affairs Europe Subcommittee, 2 p.m: Addressing the scourge of anti-semitism in Europe Thanks to our editor, Heidi Vogt, who was our Plan ZZZ choice for newsletter leader. We also thank our producer, Gregory Svirnovsky, who is always our Plan A.
| | 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. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |  |
