| | | | |  | | By Matt Berg and Alexander Ward | |  While President Joe Biden is making increasingly strong statements against Israel’s approach in Gaza, those aren't necessarily keeping up with anger being felt by some of his key constituencies. | Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP | With help from Joseph Gedeon and Daniel Lippman Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Matt There is no more visceral symbol of the growing displeasure with America’s Israel policy than an active-duty airman’s self-immolation outside Israel’s embassy in D.C. The Air Force member doused himself with a flammable substance and screamed “Free Palestine!” adding that he no longer wanted to be “complicit in genocide.” The airman died Sunday from his injuries. This, of course, was one person’s action, and the airman’s views don’t necessarily reflect those others criticizing the Biden administration over its handling of the Israel-Hamas war. But the self-immolation is an escalation of the anger from within the government, which until now manifested itself in resignations and hastily called group meetings. The dramatic moment comes at a precarious time for President JOE BIDEN. While he’s making increasingly strong statements against Israel’s approach in Gaza, those aren't necessarily keeping up with anger being felt by some of his key constituencies. There’s a protest campaign going in Michigan, home to many Muslim-Americans, to write in “uncommitted” instead of ticking the box next to Biden’s name. Michigan Gov. GRETCHEN WHITMER said she’s “not sure” what will happen during Tuesday’s primary. The airman’s very public act could lead those who work in the administration or are members of the services to become more outspoken. “You’re trying to shock the consciousness” with self-immolation, said DAVID CORTRIGHT, a longtime expert in nonviolent social change who was an active duty soldier when he protested the Vietnam War, told NatSec Daily. “The desire to inspire is absolute there” Members of the service, he added, “feel they have a mission and are committed to that mission, moral principles,” and it’s clear that the airman was driven by “extreme frustration” with the response to the conflict in Gaza. There has been very little public or private outcry from inside the Pentagon other than staffers signing a letter in November — a stark contrast from the turmoil that has roiled the White House and State Department. The airman’s act prompted a missive from administration staffers upset with Biden’s handling of Gaza. To end one’s life in “the most violent and severe way is a stark warning for our nation,” the group of anonymous Biden administration staffers wrote in a letter today, calling on the White House to push for a cease-fire in Gaza. “May his sacrifice be a haunting reminder for those who refuse to change course.” Similar acts have created shockwaves in multiple conflicts: THICH QUANG DUC, a monk who also protested the Vietnam War; MOHAMED BOUAZIZI, a produce vendor who sparked the Arab Spring; MALACHI RITSCHER, a musician who called for an end to the U.S. invasion of Iraq. A pro-Palestine protester also self-immolated outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta in December. Lawmakers have been silent on the matter so far. NatSec Daily reached out to several who have been outspoken in their criticism of Biden’s handling of the war in Gaza, but they didn’t respond for comment. The National Security Council also didn’t respond, and Biden hasn’t released a statement. Biden administration officials regularly argue that they serve in the most pro-Palestinian government in American history. Yes, they support Israel’s right to self defense, but the Israeli military would’ve caused more harm in Gaza if it weren’t for America’s counsel, and nowhere near the amount of humanitarian aid would be flowing into Gaza without sustained U.S. pressure on Israel. Heading into the 2024 election, Biden’s team does have a case that they have done –– and likely will do –– more for Palestinians than DONALD TRUMP would in a return to the Oval Office. But whether it’ll be enough to convince critics that the U.S. isn’t “complicit” in Israel’s invasion of Gaza is another question.
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Lockheed Martin is developing advanced IAMD capabilities to give sailors more options using existing capabilities. Integrating PAC-3 MSE into the Aegis Weapon System would deliver an advanced, combat-proven IAMD capability to U.S. Sailors. Learn More. | | | | | EVACUATION PLAN: Israeli Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU said today that his country’s military presented a plan to evacuate civilians from “areas of fighting” in the Gaza Strip. The plan is likely a reference to Rafah, the southern city where more than 1 million people are sheltering ahead of an expected Israeli invasion. Netanyahu didn’t release details of the plan, but its existence underscores Israel’s commitment to pushing into the city — where it says Hamas leaders could be hiding — despite international backlash. WEST BANK CHANGES: As Israel and Hamas work to broker an agreement to pause fighting in exchange for a hostage release, the Palestinian Authority’s government resigned today, The Wall Street Journal’s SUMMER SAID, OMAR ABDEL-BAQUI and FATIMA ABDULKARIM report. It’s a step toward the reforms that the U.S. and Middle Eastern countries want the PA to take as a condition for governing Gaza after the war. STRIKES IN LEBANON: Israel’s military said it conducted strikes in eastern Lebanon today, marking the first time Israeli warplanes have targeted positions in the region since the Gaza war started, our own LAURA KAYALI reports. At least two people were killed in the strikes, according to Al Jazeera. The area is known as a stronghold of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia that has fought with Israeli forces on the border since the Gaza war broke out. NO NAVALNY SWAP: Talks were underway for a prisoner swap for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny when he died on Feb. 16, two Western officials told Alex, but no deal had been offered to the Kremlin. One Western official, asked if there was a prisoner deal involving Navalny in the works before he died, said “no formal offer had been made, but early discussions to that effect were underway.” The U.S. and Germany were in discussions about forming some kind of deal, the official continued. Another Western official also confirmed that negotiations were in process, but stressed that not even an informal offer was sent to Moscow. An ally of Navalny’s posted a video on YouTube today claiming that a prisoner swap that would free Navalny had been in negotiations for months before his death. MARIA PEVCHIKH further said that “by the spring of last year our plan was approved.” The officials said that there was no plan so far advanced as Pevchikh claimed. 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.
| | TRUMP’S SPY ANGLE: If he wins the presidency, DONALD TRUMP is likely to use a second term to overhaul the nation’s spy agencies, leading to an unprecedented level of politicization of intelligence, former top officials from his administration told our own ERIN BANCO and JOHN SAKELLARIADIS. Trump, who already tried to revamp intelligence agencies during his first term, is likely to re-up those plans — and push even harder to replace people perceived as hostile to his political agenda with inexperienced loyalists, according to interviews with more than a dozen people who worked in his administration. That could empower the former president’s top subordinates to shield him from information that doesn’t conform with his politics and even change the wording of assessments with which he disagrees, many said. “Trump intends to go after the intelligence community,” a former senior intelligence official told our colleagues. “He started that process before and he’s going to do it again. Part of that process is to root out people and to punish people.”
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | | DAMMING THE FLOW: An executive order expected as soon as this week will be aimed at preventing American’s sensitive data from ending up in hostile countries’ hands, The Washington Post’s ELLEN NAKASHIMA and DREW HARWELL report. It's designed to block data brokers and other companies from selling access to users’ info such as geolocation and genetic information to countries including China, Iran and Russia. Allowing that data to be sold has long been criticized as an enabler of mass surveillance around the world. ICYMI — Russian hackers are operating on the front line in Ukraine, official says by our own MAGGIE MILLER (for Pros!)
| | NO ‘ILL INTENT’: The Pentagon found that senior officials had no “ill intent” in not informing the White House or the public about Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN’s hospitalization, according to findings from the department’s 30-day investigation into the episode. The review, released in an unclassified document Monday, does not blame any staffers for the process and communications breakdown, in which the White House was not told of Austin’s December cancer diagnosis or his later hospitalization. But as Alex and LARA SELIGMAN write, the report also makes clear that Austin’s aides — including chief of staff KELLY MAGSAMEN, top Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. PAT RYDER and public affairs chief CHRIS MEAGHER — didn’t know how to handle “an unprecedented situation.” The report says the secretary’s team faced limitations, including medical privacy laws and Austin’s shifting state. “For privacy reasons, his staff were hesitant to pry or share any information that they did learn,” the report reads. The findings come as Austin prepares to square off with members of the House Armed Services Committee at a hearing Thursday on his hospitalization and failure to alert the White House of his condition. HOW SWEDE IT IS: Sweden cleared the final hurdle to become NATO’s 32nd member today after Hungary — the last holdout among the countries — held a parliamentary vote to approve the move, our own STUART LAU reports. UKRAINE RETREAT: Ukraine’s military pulled out of an eastern village as Russian forces continue to push forward with more troops and ammunition, The Associated Press’ ILLIA NOVIKOV reports. Soldiers left the village of Lastochkyne — west of Avdiivka, which fell to Russia last week — and retreated to nearby villages to hold the frontline there, Ukraine military spokesperson DMYTRO LYKHOVII said in a televised statement. The loss comes a day after Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY said some 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed defending the country in the two years since Russia launched its invasion, as our own VERONIKA MELKOZEROVA reported. It’s the first time Kyiv has announced an official death toll of soldiers. ICYMI — Ukraine vows more self-reliance as war enters third year by Veronika
| | AIDE FOR UKRAINE A senior Senate aide is being investigated for frequently visiting Ukraine’s war zones and allegedly providing $30,000 worth of sniper gear to its military, The New York Times’ LARA JAKES, JUSTIN SCHECK and THOMAS GIBBONS-NEFF report. The aide being looked into is KYLE PARKER, the senior Senate adviser for the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, who has been a longtime voice on Russia policy. He wore camouflage and Ukraine’s military insignia on trips to the frontlines and hired a Ukrainian official for a U.S. fellowship despite ethics concerns, a confidential report by the commission found. Parker could be classified as an unregistered foreign agent due to the weapons transfers, the report said. A spokesperson for Parker told the Times that he had done nothing wrong and was being retaliated against by the report’s authors. The report “raised the possibility that he was ‘wittingly or unwittingly being targeted and exploited by a foreign intelligence service,’ citing unspecified ‘counterintelligence issues’ that should be referred to the F.B.I.,” the Times writes. ICYMI — ‘Of course Ukraine can still win’: Sullivan nudges Congress to pass aid package by our own KELLY GARRITY
| | SCOT-FREE ‘DELIBERATE SABOTAGE’: Denmark is closing its investigation into the blasts on the Nord Stream pipelines transporting gas from Russia to Germany in 2022, our own PIERRE EMMANUEL NGENDAKUMANA reports, citing Danish media. “Based on the investigation, the authorities can conclude that there was deliberate sabotage of the gas pipelines. At the same time, it is assessed that there is no necessary basis for pursuing criminal proceedings in Denmark,” Danish newspaper Politiken wrote, quoting Copenhagen police. Earlier this month, Sweden announced it was ending its investigation into the explosions after concluding that the country's courts do not have jurisdiction over the case. Several countries have been publicly blamed for the explosions, but it was reported last summer that the U.S. had intelligence that Ukraine’s military planned to attack the pipeline.
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | | | — TOM PERRIELLO was named the new U.S. envoy for Sudan. He was formerly a representative for Virginia and most recently served as executive director of Open Society Foundations, a grantmaking organization founded by business magnate GEORGE SOROS. — CHRIS MEWETT is now deputy assistant secretary of Defense for global partnerships. He most recently was legislative director for Sen. CHRIS MURPHY (D-Conn.), and is a Sen. SHELDON WHITEHOUSE (D-R.I.) alum. — NASA named DANA WEIGEL as the International Space Station Program manager. She currently serves as the agency’s deputy program manager for the ISS. — Weigel succeeds JOEL MONTALBANO, who will be deputy associate administrator for NASA’s space operations mission directorate.
| | — DMYTRO KULEBA, POLITICO: Russia must pay for the damage it’s done — DAVID SCHENKER, Foreign Policy: Leaving Iraq may be Washington’s wisest choice — Editorial board, Bloomberg: Trump’s outbursts weaken NATO and harm the U.S.
| | | |   | | | | | — Atlantic Council, 9 a.m.: A decade of Crimea's temporary occupation: Turkey's role in supporting Ukraine — United States Institute of Peace and Atlantic Council, 9 a.m.: Two years in: analyzing the war in Ukraine — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 9 a.m.: Getting China right: a conversation with DAVID RENNIE, the Economist’s bureau chief in Beijing — Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Investigations Subcommittee, 10 a.m.: The U.S. technology fueling Russia's war in Ukraine: how and why — New America's Open Technology Institute, 11 a.m.: The European Union Artificial Intelligence Act: lessons for U.S. policymakers — Foundation for Defense of Democracies, 1:15 a.m.: Iran’s nuclear weapons program: previewing the March 4-8 IAEA board meeting — Brookings Institution, 2 p.m.: Iran's regional network and the crisis in the Middle East — Senate Foreign Relations Near East, South Asia, Central Asia and Counterterrorism Subcommittee, 2:15 p.m.: Yemen and Red Sea security issues Thanks to our editor, Heidi Vogt, who uninspires us. We also thank our producer, Gregory Svirnovskiy, who is our driving force.
| | A message from Lockheed Martin: PAC-3 MSE: Enabling a Hardened Defense against Maritime Threats
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