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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 | |  Kamala Harris didn’t spare Israel in her remarks on Sunday, addressing what she termed a “humanitarian crisis” in Gaza. “Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed,” the vice president said. | Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images | With help from Daniel Lippman Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Matt Vice President KAMALA HARRIS’ call for an “immediate cease-fire” in Gaza this weekend has been widely touted as her getting tougher on Israel — especially in clips on cable news and social media. But it’s clear from either watching or reading her full comments that Hamas was the main target of her Sunday remarks in Alabama. “The threat Hamas poses to the people of Israel must be eliminated. Given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate cease-fire for at least the next six weeks, which is what is currently on the table,” she said to applause. “Hamas claims it wants a cease-fire. Well, there is a deal on the table. And as we have said, Hamas needs to agree to that deal.” National Security Council spokesperson JOHN KIRBY told reporters today that there’s no daylight between Harris and President JOE BIDEN’s position that there should be a six-week cease-fire. “Israel has put forward a forward-leaning offer,” he said. “Yes, she was definitely communicating to Hamas that they need to accept this deal.” Harris told reporters today that “the president and I have been aligned and consistent from the very beginning.” Israel has already agreed to the cease-fire and hostage deal. However, Israel didn’t join delegations from the U.S., Qatar and Hamas in Cairo on Sunday after the militant group rejected Israel’s demand for a list of hostages who are still alive. Hamas now says it would agree to a smaller number of freed Palestinian prisoners if Israel allowed more Gazan residents to return to the northern part of the enclave. But Hamas is often a spoiler in such talks. The group wants the fighting to stop permanently, as Israel’s vast military superiority has overwhelmed its forces. A full end to hostilities could help Hamas reconstitute. Plus, Hamas knows that keeping hold of hostages is its biggest leverage point in any negotiation with Israel and the U.S., and therefore it has a grotesque interest in prolonging the hostage crisis. Harris didn’t spare Israel in her remarks, addressing what she termed a “humanitarian crisis” in Gaza. “Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed,” the vice president said. “People in Gaza are starving. The conditions are inhumane. And our common humanity compels us to act.” She is also expected to meet with Israeli War Cabinet member BENNY GANTZ on Monday, a visit that reportedly has “enraged” Israeli Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU. The U.S. started airdropping aid into Gaza over the weekend, an expensive and inefficient way to deliver assistance, aid groups assert, and a sign that Biden’s sway with the Israeli government is limited. Some progressive activists zeroed in on Harris’ use of the term “cease-fire,” a word they’ve used to pressure Biden into halting the Israel-Hamas fight. The administration initially avoided expression, preferring “humanitarian pause” or simply “pause.” But Biden already used “cease-fire” in November and Kirby said it just last week. At issue is what the administration means by “cease-fire.” The U.S. has vetoed United Nations resolutions calling for a cease-fire, but that’s because the countries who put forward the measure want the fighting to stop indefinitely. The U.S. agrees with Israel that Hamas should be uprooted from Gaza, and so far doesn't want the war to stop indefinitely. In this case, Harris’ use of “cease-fire” means a temporary pause to alleviate humanitarian suffering and safely secure the return of hostages. Still, Harris’ usage in such a high-profile address underscores a shifting relationship between the administration, its allies and the term. An internal memo obtained by NatSec Daily from J Street, the progressive pro-Israel group with close ties to the White House, shows the group will now use “cease-fire” in its public communications, as long as its preceded by the adjectives “negotiated,” “temporary” or “bilateral.”
| | A message from Lockheed Martin: Turn the Entire Battlefield into your Field of Vision
Today's military landscape features systems and platforms engineered for standalone operations. Embracing our 21st Century Security vision, Lockheed Martin is at the forefront of defense innovation, weaving connections between defense and digital domains. Learn more. | | | | | WEST BANK RAID: Palestinian officials accused Israeli forces of launching the biggest raid in years on the Palestinian administrative capital of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank overnight, Reuters’ ALI SAWAFTA reports. During the operation, Israeli troops opened fire after a riot broke out. Palestinians threw rocks and petrol bombs at the soldiers, according to the Israeli military. Israeli fire killed a 16-year-old in a refugee camp, Palestinian authorities said. Witnesses told Reuters that Israel had driven dozens of military vehicles into the capital, home to the Palestinian Authority. Israel’s military said it conducted a six-hour counterterrorism operation, in which it arrested two people and seized "inciting material spread by Hamas.” ZELENSKYY’S RECRUITMENT WOES: Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY and his team are struggling to recruit enough troops to fight Russia, even as Kyiv assures its partners that it can deal military blows to Moscow with more weapons. Zelenskyy’s inability to draft more soldiers “has fueled deep divisions in Ukraine’s parliament and more broadly in Ukrainian society,” The Washington Post’s SIOBHAN O’GRADY and SERHII KOROLCHUK report. “It has left the military relying on a hodgepodge of recruiting efforts and sown panic among fighting-age men, some of whom have gone into hiding, worried that they will be drafted into an ill-equipped army and sent to certain death given that aid for Ukraine remains stalled in Washington.” This has been a problem for months. The former top Ukrainian military official, Gen. VALERY ZALUZHNY, asked Zelenskyy to mobilize 450,000 to 500,000 more troops after his nation’s forces suffered many casualties and counter an expected Russian counteroffensive this year. That request partly led Zelenskyy to dismiss Zaluzhnyy in February and replace him with Gen. OLEKSANDR SYRSKY. The problem, per the Post, is Syrsky “so far has brought no new clarity” to the issue that has turned into a strategic crisis. TAURUS TALKS: German Foreign Minister ANNALENA BAERBOCK today called on Chancellor OLAF SCHOLZ to "intensively consider" potential deliveries of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, our own HANS VON DER BURCHARD reports. Baerbock told reporters that Berlin should think about sending "all materials" to Ukraine that could help it defend its territory and protect its population. Her remarks came as the Kremlin summoned the German ambassador for a dressing down today following secret talks between top German military officials, who discussed sending the missiles to Ukraine, our own DENIS LEVEN reports. On Friday, Russian state media published a 38-minute recording in which senior German military officers discussed the hypothetical export of the cruise missiles to Ukraine and how they could be used to attack Russian infrastructure. Germany confirmed that the leak was authentic and said it would conduct an internal investigation. On Sunday, German Defense Minister BORIS PISTORIUS said Moscow used the leak as part of an "information war" to destabilize the country. Scholz has been reluctant to send Ukraine long-range missiles, fearing that Germany risks being dragged into the war should Kyiv use Taurus to hit targets on Russian soil. 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.
| | | | YOUR GUIDE TO EMPIRE STATE POLITICS: From the newsroom that doesn’t sleep, POLITICO's New York Playbook is the ultimate guide for power players navigating the intricate landscape of Empire State politics. Stay ahead of the curve with the latest and most important stories from Albany, New York City and around the state, with in-depth, original reporting to stay ahead of policy trends and political developments. Subscribe now to keep up with the daily hustle and bustle of NY politics. | | | | | | | | | BIDEN’S TRUMAN MOMENT: EVAN OSNOS’ full New Yorker profile on Biden and his reelection mission is worth your time. But one moment stuck out to us: the parallel between the president’s pitch and that of HARRY TRUMAN. “Biden’s opportunity is akin to the one that Harry Truman had in his 1948 campaign for reelection. Trailing in the polls, Truman railed against what he called a ‘Do Nothing Congress,’ which had failed to stop spiking prices and ameliorate a housing crisis. Much as Biden talks about the threat to freedoms worldwide, Truman spoke of a gathering Cold War, a grand mission that served to unify a fractious Democratic Party. He ultimately prevailed,” Osnos wrote. “It was a matter of pulling together a coalition that was in even worse fragmentation,” historian SEAN WILENTZ told Osnos about Truman. “Truman did it by going to the American people, running against Congress, standing up on both the Cold War and civil rights. It’s possible that ’48 will prove a precursor to what we have now — if the Democrats take heed.” That suggests that Biden could point, for example, to Republicans scuttling the grand bargain on immigration, and sidelining the national security supplemental for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and other priorities in the process. It also suggests focusing on democracy and the rise of autocratic forces could give Biden an edge in his election narrative.
| | NORTH KOREA SPIES ON SOUTH’S CHIPS: South Korea’s intelligence service announced today that North Korean hackers breached at least two of its microchip equipment companies. Recorded Future’s DARYNA ANTONIUK reports that North Korea used“living-off-the-land techniques” to attack the companies, which means using tools already part of the targeted system. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service didn’t disclose the victims or their vulnerabilities. But it did reveal that one attack in December and another in February gained access to servers used for managing business documents. “The agency believes that North Korea may be preparing to produce its own semiconductors due to difficulties in procuring them following global sanctions over its weapons programs,” per Atoniuk. That’s troubling not only because an indigenous chips program could help North Korea make economic and military advances, but also because Pyongyang has grown close to Moscow since the invasion of Ukraine. It’s possible North Korea will help Russia get semiconductors to which it lost access following Western sanctions. Read: Israel under pressure to justify its use of AI in Gaza by our own JOSEPH GEDEON and MAGGIE MILLER
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, the newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world, including WEF in Davos, Milken Global in Beverly Hills, to UNGA in NYC and many more. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | | NATO’S NEW TURF: NATO began exercises today with more than 20,000 soldiers from 13 nations in Finland, Sweden and Norway, breaking in the bloc’s new Nordic territory, The Associated Press’ JARI TANNER reports. It’s Finland’s largest-ever participation in a foreign exercise, with 4,000 of its soldiers joining. Some 4,500 military personnel from Sweden, the other newcomer, are taking part. In another turf expansion, NATO member Albania, which doesn’t have its own fighter jets, opened up its air base today to serve the bloc’s aircraft, Reuters’ FLORION GOGA and FATOS BYTYCI report. The country’s prime minister cited threats from Russia as the reason. GUILTY: JACK TEIXEIRA pleaded guilty today to leaking military secrets. The Massachusetts Air National Guard member is now guilty of six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information under the Espionage Act. The 22-year-old is now likely to serve between 11 and 17 years in prison, per his plea agreement. “In exchange for Teixeira's guilty plea, prosecutors agreed not to charge him with further Espionage Act violations. As part of the deal, Teixeira must participate in a debrief with members of the intelligence community, the Defense Department and the Justice Department about the leaks,” reports The Associated Press’ ALANNA DURKIN RICHER. Read: Under fire: France insists it’s no slacker on military aid to Ukraine by our own LAURA KAYALI, CLEA CAULCUTT and JOSHUA POSANER
| | VAN HOLLEN: RESTORE UNRWA FUNDING: Sen. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D.Md.) wants the U.S. to restore funding to the U.N. agency that provides support for Palestinians in Gaza. The Biden administration suspended unallocated funds after the Israeli government shared an intelligence document with the U.S. alleging 12 members of the agency had ties to Hamas. UNRWA is conducting an investigation into the matter. Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told NatSec Daily he reviewed the classified intelligence on the allegations and believes the U.S. should “move ahead and allow UNRWA to be used as a distribution system to prevent people from starving.” The lawmaker said he was “pleased” to see the European Union resume funding for the agency. Asked last week if the U.S. would reverse its suspension of support for UNRWA, NSC spokesperson Kirby said “there’s been no change in our policy on that. And we’re working with other aid organizations, like the World Food Program, who are on the ground to assist with distribution as well.” SENATE CONFIRMATIONS: The Senate this week is due to hold a confirmation vote for Biden’s pick for a top DOD personnel post, our friends at Morning Defense report (for Pros!). A procedural vote is set for 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday to end debate on RONALD KEOHANE to be DOD’s assistant secretary for manpower and reserve affairs. If successful, a confirmation vote will likely occur Wednesday. Keohane, at his confirmation hearing, was questioned by Republican senators about DOD’s extremism stand-down, recruitment challenges, efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in the ranks, and discharges of troops who refused to get the Covid vaccine. The confirmation vote may be a narrow one, but the chamber’s Democratic majority means he’s almost certain to get through.
| | | |   | | | | | ‘SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES’: Chinese premier LI QIANG won’t hold a press briefing at China’s annual parliamentary meetings, becoming the first premier in three decades to have the platform removed, Bloomberg News reports. The current National People’s Congress is set to gather every year until 2027, but Li — the country’s top official behind leader XI JINPING — won’t take questions at the close of any of the meetings due to “special circumstances,” spokesperson LOU QINJIAN told reporters today. The move takes the rare opportunity to address the public directly away from Li. It also coincides with Beijing increasingly coming under scrutiny for restricting access to information, and Xi’s consolidation of power in his third term as president.
| | –– FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY: MITCHEL HERCKIS is starting as global head of government affairs with cloud security company Wiz, our DANIEL LIPPMAN has learned. He most recently was branch director for federal cybersecurity in the Office of the Federal CIO at the Office of Management and Budget. — ALICE ROOSEVELT is now a national security associate at Invariant. She is a recent graduate of UNC Chapel Hill. — MAYRA ALEJANDRA RODRIGUEZ is now assistant press secretary at the Department of Homeland Security. She most recently was comms director for Rep. RAUL RUIZ (D-Calif.).
| | — MICHAEL KIMMAGE and HANNA NOTTE, War on the Rocks: Containing global Russia — GLENN GERSTELL, Barron’s: Private sector hacking is on the rise. A leak shows how China operates. — SHYAM SANKAR and JOAB ROSENBERG, The Washington Post: The U.S. can’t afford to wait to fully embrace the world’s most effective weapon
| | — Hudson Institute, 10 a.m.: When deterrence fails: the Iranian proxy threat in the Middle East — Middle East Institute, 1 p.m.: The future of Palestinian politics in the wake of the war on Gaza — Air and Space Forces Association, 1 p.m.: Air and space warfighters in action: Col. RAJ AGRAWAL — RAND Corporation, 2 p.m.: U.S. armed forces in the arctic understanding operating capabilities in a challenging region — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2 p.m.: Making sense of U.S. policy amid North Korea's strategic shift — Defense Department, 4 p.m.: Meeting of the Defense Innovation Board to discuss specific issues regarding talent management, partnerships and collaboration, responsible AI, internal barriers, risk taking and tech adoption in preparation for the DIB's upcoming Spring 2024 public meeting — American University, 4 p.m.: The internationalists: The fight to restore American foreign policy after Trump (featuring Alex!) — Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Australian Defense Department, 4:30 p.m.: Strengthening Australia-U.S. defense industrial cooperation Thanks to our editor, Heidi Vogt, who misunderstands our brilliant comments all the time. We also thank our producer, Gregory Svirnovskiy, who is crystal clear in all communications.
| | A message from Lockheed Martin: Turn the Entire Battlefield into your Field of Vision
Today's military landscape features systems and platforms engineered for standalone operations. Embracing our 21st Century Security vision, Lockheed Martin is at the forefront of defense innovation, weaving connections between defense and digital domains. Learn more. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |  |
