SASC chair: CR first, Ukraine and Israel second

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Nov 14, 2023 View in browser   By Matt Berg and Alexander Ward Sen. Jack Reed used a session of POLITICO’s annual Defense Summit today to encourage colleagues to keep the government open before sending military aid to American allies at war. | Rod Lamkey for POLITICO Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Matt With help from  John Hendel and Daniel Lippman Sen. JACK REED (D-R.I.) has a message for Washington: avoid a shutdown, then authorize money to Israel and Ukraine. The Senate Armed Services Committee chair used a session of POLITICO’s annual Defense Summit today to encourage colleagues to keep the government open before sending military aid to American allies at war. “The first priority is to get the CR,” he said, using an abbreviation for the continuing resolution, which keeps the government operating using the previous year’s levels. “The second priority is to get funding for Israel and Ukraine. “We have to do both,” Reed asserted. The Democrat stated his support for keeping the government open just as Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER said he and the White House are on board with the House measure. Speaker MIKE JOHNSON has pushed a plan to avert a shutdown that has two deadlines after the first of the year. The measure does not include funding for Ukraine or Israel, however. Avoiding a shutdown is “not a question of preference, it's a question of necessity,” Reed said. Reed further expressed support for a supplemental that ties aid to Israel and Ukraine together, which President JOE BIDEN requested in a $106 billion package in October. It’s widely expected that Johnson will not move a Ukraine funding package, despite saying publicly since he took the gavel that he would “bifurcate” Israel and Ukraine aid. As Israel’s fight against the Hamas militant group continues with no end in sight, the SASC chair emphasized the need for Israel to have a “very precise use of weapons” to minimize civilian harm — warning of the repercussions if the civilian death toll continues to skyrocket in Gaza. “Ultimately, they're going to have to separate Hamas from the Palestinian people. If they do not do that, Hamas will transform into something else,” Reed said. Read Matt’s full story here. Here are a few more highlights from the summit, which wraps up later this evening: JOHNSON’S CALCULUS: Two senior members of the HASC expressed confidence that Johnson will help advance must-pass defense policy legislation that can become law before the end of the year, our own CONNOR O’BRIEN reports. “I just talked to him about 30 minutes ago. He’s committed to making sure we get the NDAA done,” Rep. ROB WITTMAN (R-Va.) said at the summit today. He and JOE COURTNEY (D-Conn.) noted that Johnson was a HASC member before winning the gavel, a perspective that will be critical as House and Senate talks on a compromise National Defense Authorization Act come to a head. ‘THERE WILL BE MORE’: Army Secretary CHRISTINE WORMUTH warned that high-ranking military officers will leave their posts by the end of the year due to Sen. TOMMY TUBERVILLE’s (R-Ala.) hold on military promotions, Matt also reports. “It has been very problematic,” Wormuth said at the summit. She gave as an example a two-star general who, while awaiting confirmation, submitted his retirement papers, citing concerns about how the job has impacted his family. If the Senate doesn’t resolve the issue by the end of December, “there will be more of those,” Wormuth said. ‘YES’ TO NATO: Estonian Prime Minister KAJA KALLAS confirmed during the summit that she would like to be considered as the next NATO secretary general. She didn’t say she wanted the job, but when pressed by our own KEVIN BARON, she replied “yes” when asked if she wanted alliance members to consider her for the role, as our own ERIC BAZAIL-EIMIL reports. 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.   The Inbox A-OK AT APEC: Biden’s hoping to smooth tensions with Chinese paramount leader XI JINPING so the White House can instead focus its energy on Israel, Ukraine and the upcoming reelection campaign, three senior administration officials told our own PHELIM KINE, JONATHAN LEMIRE and GAVIN BADE. The pair will hold their high-stakes meeting Wednesday amid a growing threat of military conflict between the world’s two largest economies and a deepening mistrust that has pushed relations to their lowest point in a half century. Adding to the tension: Biden is expected to press Xi on China’s ties with Iran, including how the Chinese leader can use his influence with Tehran to prevent Iran and its proxies from turning the Israel-Hamas war into a wider regional conflict, the officials told our colleagues, “Both sides need to avoid blowing each other up,” former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State RICK WATERS, the inaugural coordinator of the State Department’s China House, said about the rising risk of conflict between the two countries. “That’s the type of signal you need from a meeting like this.” ‘DISPROPORTIONATE FORCE’: The Netherlands’ defense attaché in Tel Aviv believes Israel is using “disproportionate force” — and targeting civilian areas — in Gaza to show its strength during the retaliation against Hamas, according to a confidential memo reported by Dutch outlet NRC. Per the report, the defense attaché argued the Israeli army is using lethal force in an attempt to limit its own losses and “showcase credible military force to show Iran and its proxies that they will stop at nothing.” This strategy has the “intention of deliberately causing massive destruction to the infrastructure and civilian centers” in Gaza, targeting houses, bridges and roads, and causing massive civilian casualties, which explains the “high number of deaths” among civilians, the memo says. Israel’s military has said it's working to limit civilian casualties and assist people in Gaza, blaming Hamas for hiding among the general population. More than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed in widespread airstrikes, including thousands of women and children. Meanwhile, there are questions about Israeli claims that Hamas militants use the al-Shifa hospital for military purposes, The Associated Press’ JOSEF FEDERMAN reports. Last week, Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN suggested Hamas had tunnels underneath schools, mosques and hospitals, seemingly confirming a long-running Israeli claim. Today, National Security Council spokesperson JOHN KIRBY confirmed that Hamas is using Gaza hospitals, including al-Shifa, for their military operations. As the military operation continues, Israel and Hamas are nearing a deal to release a handful of hostages, The Washington Post’s DAVID IGNATIUS reports. “Israel wants the release of all 100 women and children taken from Israel, but the initial number is likely to be smaller. Hamas has indicated it is ready to release 70 women and children … The number of Palestinian women and young people who might be released is unclear, but an Arab official told me last week that there were at least 120 in prison,” he wrote. The deal could be announced in days, an Israeli official told Ignatius, if the final details are resolved. Biden is losing support for his Israel policy from many within the administration. “More than 400 political appointees and staff members representing some 40 government agencies sent a letter to President Biden on Tuesday protesting his support of Israel in its war in Gaza,” The New York Times reports. “We call on President Biden to urgently demand a cease-fire; and to call for de-escalation of the current conflict by securing the immediate release of the Israeli hostages and arbitrarily detained Palestinians; the restoration of water, fuel, electricity and other basic services; and the passage of adequate humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip,” reads the letter. The U.S. and U.K. today imposed new sanctions on Hamas leaders and financiers, including complicating Iran’s funding of Palestinian militant and designated terror groups. TALIBAN WANTS HOSTAGE TRADE: The United States is working to secure the release of RYAN CORBETT, who is currently held hostage by the Taliban, but Washington feels the militant group-turned-administration is making unrealistic demands. As The Wall Street Journal’s BRETT FORREST reports, “Taliban officials are interested in MUHAMMAD RAHIM AL-AFGHANI, an Afghan who has been held in extrajudicial detention at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay since 2008 … U.S. intelligence considers Rahim a continuing significant threat to national security, and his release would require approval from the prison’s periodic review board, which has denied him on numerous occasions.” “It’s not a real demand because real demands are things that could conceivably be had,” a U.S. official told Forrest. “Asking for something unavailable smacks of purporting to negotiate in good faith while really prolonging a situation that’s inhumane and unacceptable.” Corbett, 40, was taken in August 2022 while traveling in Afghanistan. He is not the only American held in the country. RUSSIAN OIL IN DOD SUPPLY CHAIN: Russian oil is still used in a Greek refinery that services the U.S. military, The Washington Post’s EVAN HALPER, DALTON BENNETT and JONATHAN O’CONNELL revealed in an investigation — even with all the sanctions placed on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. “Petroleum products that originated in Russia kept flowing to the Motor Oil Hellas refinery on the Aegean Sea in Greece,” they wrote, citing shipping and trade data. “They just took a new route, hundreds of miles out of the way through an oil storage facility in Turkey, a journey that obscured Russia’s imprint as ownership of the products changed hands multiple times before they reached Greece.” “On the surface, the refinery’s sourcing of fuel oil from the Dortyol shipping terminal in Turkey seemed to affirm pronouncements by the White House and European leaders that embargoes on Russian oil were working as planned, depriving President VLADIMIR PUTIN of crucial revenue to fund his military aggression in Ukraine. The fact that those shipments contained material that originated in Russia underscores the porousness of the sanctions and the failure to aggressively enforce them,” they continued. It’s unclear, though, how much of the Russian product the Pentagon purchases, namely because those products are refined and intermingle with other substances. DOD says it has no knowledge of purchasing Russian-origin products, partly because of that complication, while Motor Oil Hellas, the Greek refinery, said it “does not buy, process or trade Russian oil or products. All its imports are certified of non sanctioned origin.” 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 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.   JOIN US ON 11/15 FOR A TALK ON OUR SUSTAINABLE FUTURE: As the sustainability movement heats up, so have calls for a national standard for clean fuel. Join POLITICO on Nov. 15 in Washington D.C. as we convene leading officials from the administration, key congressional committees, states and other stakeholders to explore the role of EVs, biofuels, hydrogen and other options in the clean fuel sector and how evolving consumer behaviors are influencing sustainable energy practices. REGISTER HERE.     2024 DESANTIS SANCTIONS IRAN: Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS signed legislation Monday night sanctioning Iran and protecting Jewish organizations, The Associated Press reports. Lawmakers in Florida had already “approved bills to provide $45 million in grants to secure Jewish institutions and other places that could be a target of hate crimes, as well as legislation to strengthen sanctions already in place against companies that do business with Iranian companies,” the AP noted. Expect DeSantis to tout this as he battles with former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. NIKKI HALEY for second place in the Republican presidential field. Haley has made foreign policy a pillar of her campaign, leading DeSantis to counter with staunchly pro-Israel positions and tough-on-Iran moves. Keystrokes ANOTHER LOOK AT THOSE DOD AIRWAVES: Tucked away in the White House’s newly released wireless spectrum strategy is a provision essentially calling for a redo of a recent Pentagon study on giving up certain military frequencies to the telecom industry, our own JOHN HENDEL writes in. The fight over whether the Pentagon can or should give up this lower 3 GHz spectrum for 5G wireless works — which DOD leaders warn could cost billions of dollars — has dominated Capitol Hill for the last year. The spat has caused wide-ranging spectrum legislation to flounder and led to Congress allowing the Federal Communications Commission’s spectrum auction authority to lapse in March for the first time in three decades. A big caveat, though, is that the Commerce Department is going to help the Pentagon with this new assessment, an indication that some administration officials are unsatisfied with the results of the first study. A senior administration official declined to characterize strategy drafters’ views on the Pentagon report, but said there’s a broad belief more can be done. “We, DOD and others believe there’s more to be done with this band, and that potentially there’s more private access available — and it would be nuts for us to walk away from that,” the official told reporters. “So we’re going to study that, and then think we will be able to provide more private sector access than has been thought previously.”   Tune in as international security leaders from democracies around the world discuss key challenges at the 15th annual Halifax International Security Forum live from Nova Scotia. As an official media partner, POLITICO will livestream the conversation beginning at 3 p.m. on November 17. The Forum's full topical agenda can be found here.     The Complex SHOTS (NOT) FIRED: The European Union appears unlikely to hit its target of supplying 1 million artillery shells to Ukraine by March. With EU defense ministers gathering in Brussels today, the blame game is on, our own LAURA KAYALI, JACOPO BARIGAZZI, STUART LAU and CALEB LARSON report. “The question of whether 1 million was ever realistic was actually the right one,” German Defense Minister BORIS PISTORIUS said at the summit today. “There have been voices that have said, 'Be careful. One million is easy to decide, the money is there, but the production has to be there.' Unfortunately, those voices are now right.” The initiative hasn’t been a complete failure — 300,000 rounds have been shipped since Feb. 9 under a program to send shells from national stockpiles to Ukraine. But officials have increasingly poured cold water on reaching the million mark in just four more months. Diplomats and some ministers put the blame on Europe’s production capabilities. “Even a decision on the war economy, from which I expressly distance myself, will not lead to production starting up tomorrow or being able to cover the demand,” Pistorius said. On the Hill MEMBERS WATCH HAMAS FOOTAGE: Dozens of House members today were shown video from Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israeli soil, Jewish Insider’s MARC ROD reports, leaving some of the lawmakers in tears. It’s very likely the same video our own PAUL McLEARY watched at the Israeli embassy two weeks ago. It features some gruesome images we recommend you read about, but warn that much of what Paul describes is disturbing. The lawmakers also found it disturbing, per Rod. “I’m feeling like I felt when I went to Birkenau,” Rep. DARRELL ISSA (R-Calif.) told him, shaking his head in disbelief. “It’s just war crimes. Unbelievable.” “It’s obviously horrific and gruesome and it’s hard to believe that in the year 2023 things like this are still happening, but unfortunately they are,” added Rep. SARA JACOBS (D-Calif.). Punchbowl News’ HEATHER CAYGLE added quite the anecdote: Several members, including Rep. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-N.Y.), were crying. Read: House Intel's plans for controversial surveillance program run into privacy hawk backlash by our own JORDAIN CARNEY. Broadsides KYIV DECRIES ‘RUSSIAN PSYOP’: Ukrainian officials said Western media reports accusing Kyiv of coordinating the Nord Stream pipeline explosions appear to be a “Russian PSYOP,” denying responsibility for the attacks. “The insinuations of the Western press about the Ukrainian trail in the sabotage on Nord Streams look like a Russian PSYOP, aimed at undermining the allies' trust in official Kyiv, as well as causing contradictions between the political and military leadership of Ukraine,” reads a document sent to Ukrainian officials by Kyiv’s Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security, obtained by NatSec Daily. The pushback comes three days after a Washington Post report claiming a senior Ukrainian official played a key role in blowing up the natural gas pipelines last year, citing Ukrainian and other European officials, as well as others familiar with the operation. His role is “the most direct evidence to date tying Ukraine’s military and security leadership to a controversial act of sabotage,” the Post reported. Such articles, the document argues, “based on anonymous sources are nothing more than dubious fantasies of the authors. Only competent state institutions, which have not yet made such statements, can reliably comment on the circumstances of sabotage on gas pipelines.”     Transitions — JARED LANG is now special adviser in the Office of the Under Secretary for Policy at DHS. He most recently was an analyst for strategic integration and policy planning at DHS. What to Read — GREGG CARLSTROM, POLITICO: Joe Biden’s Middle East mess — THOMAS FRIEDMAN, The New York Times: It’s time for a Biden peace plan — AGATHE DEMARAIS, Foreign Policy: Don’t expect much from Biden and Xi Tomorrow Today — The Hill, 8:30 a.m.: Completing the mission: supporting veterans and military families — The House Homeland Security Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence Subcommittee, 9 a.m.: Worldwide threats to the homeland — The House Foreign Affairs Europe Subcommittee, 10 a.m.: The future of Nagorno-Karabakh — The House Armed Services Committee, 10 a.m.: Congressional commission on the strategic posture of the United States — The Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 10 a.m.: U.S. leadership on artificial intelligence in an era of strategic competition — The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, 10 a.m.: How Air Force Futures embodies the voice of tomorrow's airmen — The Atlantic Council, 1:30 p.m.: Maintaining competitive endurance in space Thanks to our editor, Emma Anderson, who we wish fell off a summit. We also thank our producer, Gregory Svirnovskiy, who is always at the top of his game. 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 Alex Ward @alexbward   Follow us

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