Americans who won’t be home for the holidays

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Dec 22, 2023 View in browser   By Matt Berg and Gregory Svirnovskiy American businessperson Paul Whelan, who has been jailed in Russia for five years on espionage charges contested by Washington, believes the White House could do more for his case. | Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Matt With help from Alex Ward and Lara Seligman PROGRAMMING NOTE: We’ll be off next week for the holidays but back to our normal schedule on Tuesday, Jan. 2. Scroll down for a note to all our readers! It’s the last day before holiday break when many of us travel back to our hometowns to spend time with family. Dozens of Americans won’t be so lucky this year. A report earlier this year found at least 59 Americans were being held hostage or wrongfully detained around the world. Israel’s military said today that an Israeli American hostage being held by the Hamas militant group was killed. The Biden administration made progress this week elsewhere, securing the release of 10 Americans — six wrongfully held — who were in Venezuela. But others may not come home anytime soon. Here’s where three high-profile cases stand going into 2024: It’s been a month since NatSec Daily wrote about ANNA CORBETT, the wife of RYAN CORBETT, whom the U.S. says was wrongfully detained during his second trip to Afghanistan since he and his family were evacuated amid the Taliban takeover in 2021. Since then, Anna has spoken on the phone with Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN, visited the White House and received a phone call from her husband in captivity — the first since May, she told us this week. But she still hasn’t talked to President JOE BIDEN about her husband. “More can be done to bring Ryan home, especially in light of his … deteriorating health and not having been visited for almost a year,” she said. “Those things are just extremely concerning. And I hope the administration is taking that really seriously.” Christmas Eve will mark 500 days since his detainment, the second holiday season Anna and their three kids won’t see Ryan. “We have some really tough days ahead here,” she said. “I really would love to hear something tangible and something concrete to encourage the kids and I that progress is happening.” American businessperson PAUL WHELAN, who has been jailed in Russia for five years on espionage charges contested by Washington, also believes the White House could do more for his case. In calls with multiple outlets this week, Whelan said he felt “abandoned” and warned that he’s in danger while in prison. NSC spokesperson JOHN KIRBY on Thursday said the White House was “very concerned” about those reports. Whelan said that during DONALD TRUMP’s presidency, Moscow wanted to trade him for convicted Russian arms dealer VIKTOR BOUT — who was later released in an exchange for WNBA star BRITTNEY GRINER last December — but a deal was never made. There’s a chance Whelan’s plea could be answered in the form of a deal with Russia that would include jailed Wall Street Journal reporter EVAN GERSHKOVICH, who was also arrested on disputed espionage charges in March. The Biden administration recently proposed a deal to free both men in exchange for many Russian nationals detained on espionage charges abroad. “There is no higher priority for President Biden than bringing home the Americans still wrongfully detained and held hostage abroad,” NSC spokesperson KATE WATERS told NatSec Daily. The administration’s efforts to bring all three men home are ongoing, Waters emphasized. With Whelan and Gershkovich in particular, she added, “we have made and will continue to make significant offers for them.” “Paul has paid too high a price over what is now five years, due to politicians and bureaucrats refusing to go the distance,” ELIZABETH WHELAN, Paul’s sister who has long advocated for release, told NatSec Daily this morning. President VLADIMIR PUTIN said Washington has to make an offer “that suits the Russian side.” Any hopes of seeing Paul released “are tempered by the fact that Russia is refusing to negotiate in good faith,” Elizabeth said. “I will continue to press for action, however, as the asking price for Paul has only increased over time and no good will come of further delay.” 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 GAZA RESOLUTION PASSED: The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution today to ramp up international humanitarian aid to Gaza, after days of negotiations amid a push from the U.S. to tone down the language, our own MONA ZHANG reports. Both the U.S. and Russia ultimately abstained from the vote, allowing the resolution to pass with unanimous support from the rest of the Security Council, which includes the United Kingdom, China and France as permanent members. The vote on the resolution was delayed for four days in hopes of avoiding a U.S. veto. In the end, a week of tense negotiations yielded text that the U.S. had said Thursday night it would not vote down. In a statement after the vote, Amnesty International’s Secretary-General AGNÈS CALLAMARD applauded the resolution’s passage but called it “woefully insufficient. … Nothing short of an immediate ceasefire is enough to alleviate the mass civilian suffering we are witnessing.” The White House has resisted pressure to call for a cease-fire, arguing Hamas could use that to regroup and again attack Israel. Meanwhile, senior White House adviser AMOS HOCHSTEIN has been leading talks with Israel, Lebanon and intermediaries for Hezbollah with the goal of reducing tensions on the border between the two countries, Lebanese and Israeli officials and other participants in the talks, told The New York Times. IRAN SUPPORT TO HOUTHIS: Newly declassified intelligence shows that Iran was “deeply involved” in planning the Houthis’ attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea, according to NSC spokesperson ADRIENNE WATSON, as our own LARA SELIGMAN writes in. Without Iranian support — including the provision of advanced weapons, tactical intelligence, monitoring systems and financial aid — the Houthis would “struggle to effectively track and strike commercial vessels navigating” those waters, Watson said. Iran has sent arms to the Houthis since 2015, including drones, cruise and ballistic missiles that U.S. intelligence analysis has linked to the recent attacks, Watson said. For example, on Oct. 19 the Houthis launched a complex, long-range attack against Israel using at least 29 KAS-04 drones and three land attack cruise missiles similar to Iranian systems. “We have no reason to believe that Iran is trying to dissuade the Houthis from this reckless behavior,” Watson said. PRIGOZHIN ‘HAD TO BE REMOVED’: Russia today dismissed a report that Moscow ordered the killing of Wagner Group chief YEVGENY PRIGOZHIN, who died in a plane crash this summer. The Wall Street Journal’s THOMAS GROVE, ALAN CULLISON and BOJAN PANCEVSKI reported that before what would be his final flight got off the ground, Prigozhin waited for a safety check to finish. An explosive was slipped under the wing — a plot two months in the making that the WSJ claims was approved by Putin and his confidant, an ex-spy named NIKOLAI PATRUSHEV. “He had to be removed,” a Kremlin official told a European involved in intelligence gathering after the crash, per WSJ. Kremlin spokesperson DMITRY PESKOV today dismissed the report as “pulp fiction,” per Reuters’ MARK TREVELYAN. Prigozhin’s death followed his failed rebellion against the Kremlin, which he mounted because of frustrations over how the war in Ukraine was being handled. SENIOR SOMALI MILITANT KILLED: A U.S. drone strike today killed MAALIM AYMAN, a senior Somali militant accused of planning an attack on a military base in Kenya that killed three Americans in 2020, a top Somali official told The Washington Post’s KATHARINE HOURELD. REDUCING CIVILIAN HARM: The Pentagon released official guidance providing sweeping changes to reduce harm to civilians from U.S. military operations, a year after Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN ordered the overhaul, our own LARA SELIGMAN reported Thursday evening. Among other changes, it directs senior DOD civilian and military leaders to each identify a senior official or flag officer to lead their organization’s efforts related to mitigating civilian harm, with the aim of embedding the new ethos across the department and geographic combatant commands. But the guidance also comes at an awkward time for DOD, amid international uproar over Israel’s use of U.S.-provided weapons to bombard Gaza. 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 Maj. Gen. PAT RYDER, the Defense Department press secretary who fields so many of our team’s requests. After he’s done being pestered by us, Ryder likes to keep it classy with a Negroni: “When made well, it’s the perfect Friday afternoon cocktail in my view.” Catch him sipping spirits in the Daiquiri Lounge at the Army & Navy Club near Farragut Square, which he calls a “great little bar with a ton of history — and a fantastic place to meet up with friends to relax.” Cheers, sir! IT’S FRIDAY. WELCOME TO VACATION: 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. Editor’s note: Another POLITICO newsletter was mistakenly sent out in the format of NatSec Daily last night. We apologize for any confusion. 2024 TRUMP’S PENTAGON PICKS: Trump today dropped hints about who he would pick to lead the Pentagon if he wins a second term. And the names are familiar ones, Lara reports. “We had [CHRISTOPHER] MILLER at the end who did a very good job,” Trump told radio host HUGH HEWITT. “I thought he was really good.” Hewitt mentioned five other people who could serve as Trump’s defense secretary: Sen. TOM COTTON (R-Ark.), former Secretary of State MIKE POMPEO, former national security adviser ROBERT O’BRIEN and Reps. MIKE WALTZ (R-Fla.) and MIKE GALLAGHER (R-Wis.). “That’s a good list to start off with,” Trump said, before bringing up Miller. GOP HOLIDAY WISH: If GOP candidates could tackle one national security or foreign policy issue next year, what would it be? That’s exactly what NatSec Daily asked them, and three sent responses — with a common theme: NIKKI HALEY: She has been “the most outspoken candidate on combating the growing China threat,” the former ambassador’s campaign said. “As president, she’ll stop normal trade relations with China if it doesn’t stop killing Americans with fentanyl, get China out of our schools and stop China from buying up our land.” VIVEK RAMASWAMY: “Focus on China,” he said, reiterating his proposal to end the Ukraine war by striking a deal that alienates China from Russia. “That’s how we deter China from going after Taiwan while avoiding war.” CHRIS CHRISTIE: His campaign pointed us to remarks Christie made at the Hudson Institute last month, with the crux of the talk emphasizing the importance of countering Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific and supporting Ukraine.     Keystrokes COUNTERING KIM’S CRYPTO: The Biden administration is doing more to counter North Korean hackers amid concerns their cryptocurrency heists are powering the country’s weapons programs, our own JOHN SAKELLARIADIS reports. Convinced North Korea primarily sees hacking as a way to funnel money back to the cash-strapped KIM JONG UN regime, the White House has focused on blocking the country’s ability to launder the cryptocurrency it steals through its cyberattacks. “In countering North Korean cyber operations, our first priority has been focusing on their crypto heists,” ANNE NEUBERGER, the National Security Council’s top cybersecurity official, told John. Hacking, she argued, has enabled North Korea to “either evade sanctions or evade the steps the international community has taken to target their weapons proliferation … their missile regime, and the growth in the number of launches we’ve seen.” The Complex JAPANESE PATRIOTS TO PENTAGON: Tokyo said it would prepare to send Patriot air defense missiles to the U.S. after revising its arm export guidelines, Reuters’ SAKURA MURAKAMI reports. The move is Japan’s first major overhaul of export curbs in nine years, as the country has a long history of not allowing the export of deadly weapons. It comes as Tokyo bolsters its defense industry amid heightened tensions in the Indo-Pacific. Japan’s defense spending will see a major boost next year, increasing more than 16 percent in a record military budget approved today, The Associated Press’ MARI YAMAGUCHI reports. The $56 billion budget is intended to speed up the deployment of long-range cruise missiles that could reach China or North Korea. DUTCH JETS TO KYIV: The Netherlands will send 18 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine to help in its battle against Russia, Prime Minister MARK RUTTE announced this morning. He didn’t specify a timeline but explained that “a number of other criteria must also still be met before delivery can take place.” On the Hill USE YOUR LEVERAGE: Sens. JONI ERNST (R-Iowa) and JACKY ROSEN (D-Nev.) called on Biden to leverage Washington’s relationship with Qatar to secure the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas, which includes eight Americans. “We appreciate Qatar’s efforts so far to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas and their commitment to continue coordinating efforts to release all remaining hostages,” the lawmakers wrote in a Thursday letter. “However, we are concerned that Qatar is not fully utilizing its leverage to seek further concessions from Hamas.” Ernst and Rosen further ask Biden to make it clear to Qatar that the U.S. is “closely watching ongoing hostage negotiations” and that relations between the two will be impacted depending on how the deals are handled. Read: ‘We will make his life miserable’: GOP promises bruising confirmation for Pentagon policy pick by our own JOE GOULD and CONNOR O’BRIEN Broadsides RUSSIA’S HELPERS: Biden issued an executive order today authorizing the use of sanctions in targeting foreign financial institutions that aid Russia’s military amid its war with Ukraine. “This announcement makes clear that those financing and facilitating the transactions of goods that end up on the battlefield will face severe consequences,” Deputy Treasury Secretary WALLY ADEYEMO wrote in a Financial Times op-ed this morning. The order aims to crack down on financial institutions that haven’t stopped doing business with Moscow, Adeyemo explained. He delivered a warning: “Stop all transactions from customers selling critical goods, or ensure these goods are not benefiting Russia’s war machine. Otherwise, you risk losing access to the U.S. financial system.” ICYMI — The case of al-Shifa: Investigating the assault on Gaza’s largest hospital by The Washington Post. Transitions — ANGELA DUPONT, the former Air Force Life Cycle Management Center account manager at Leidos, has joined strategy and technology integration firm Expansia as chief growth officer. What to Read — YE MYO HEIN and LUCAS MYERS, The New York Times: Myanmar’s Resistance Is Gaining Ground, but It Needs U.S. Help — CATHERINE RAMPELL, The Washington Post: GOP immigration demands would degrade, not strengthen, U.S. security — NORBERT RÖTTGEN, Foreign Affairs: Europe must ramp up its support for Ukraine Tomorrow Today — Your friendly neighborhood NatSec Daily team reserved this spot to thank you all, our loyal readers, who have sifted through — by our estimates — more than half a million of our words this year. We wouldn’t be here without your support and are grateful for everyone who has joined the family during this wild year. Stay safe and well, and see you in the new year! Thanks to our editor, Emma Anderson, who refuses to give us presents or show us love. We also thank our producer, Emily Lussier, who is the greatest gift POLITICO could ever ask for. CORRECTION: Thursday's edition of NatSec Daily misstated the administration Simone Ledeen served under. 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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