| | | | |  | | By Nahal Toosi, Eric Bazail-Eimil and Matt Berg | |  People inspect the damage to their homes following Israeli air strikes on February 12, 2024 in Rafah, Gaza. | Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images | With help from Paul McLeary, Connor O’Brien, Daniel Lippman and Joe Gould Subscribe here | Email Matt| Email Eric Israel is taking steps to allow more humanitarian aid to reach Palestinians in Gaza, efforts some U.S. officials believe are designed to help the Israelis make the case for carrying out a military operation in the southern city of Rafah. Several Democratic lawmakers are skeptical that Israeli aid ramp-ups will meet the dire needs of a population experts say faces famine. But while the Biden administration opposes a large-scale ground invasion of Rafah, it has indicated it’s open to a more targeted operation — if Israel can avoid a humanitarian crisis in the crowded city. Israeli Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU is sending a team to Washington soon to discuss potential scenarios. Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN also is expected to raise options when he visits Israel on Friday, a U.S. official familiar with the issue said. Among the Israelis heading to Washington is RON DERMER, the strategic affairs minister. On DAN SENOR’s “Call Me Back” podcast, Dermer said Israel agrees with the U.S. position that the humanitarian situation must improve before a military operation takes place. “We’re saying we agree with you that we have to move the people out. We agree with you that you have to get humanitarian assistance to them. And we believe we can do it,” Dermer said in the interview, posted today. “They have less confidence that we can do it.” Israel will listen to U.S. concerns, but ultimately it will take out Hamas battalions in Rafah, Dermer said, insisting, “Even if the entire world turns on Israel, including the United States, we're going to fight until the battle's won.” In a document shared by the Israeli embassy in Washington, the Israelis note that 200 trucks a day entered Gaza from March 11-17 and that a six-month supply of flour was delivered last week to the territory. They also pointed out that they opened the 96 Gate in northern Gaza and plan on 15 additional trucks entering the territory at the Jordan River crossing. Israel also has allowed the U.S. and other countries to airdrop food and supplies into Gaza and is letting some aid enter via the sea. But even if more aid can enter Gaza, it’s still a struggle to distribute it throughout the rubble-filled territory. The type and timing of any Rafah operation should depend in part on humanitarian conditions throughout Gaza, which Israel appears to understand must be improved (after much global hectoring), a second U.S. official said. Both U.S. officials were granted anonymity to discuss sensitive issues. Sen. TIM KAINE (D-Va.) expressed skepticism about Israel’s humanitarian efforts so far. “We really need more access, border access through Israel and procedures for vetting aid that don't just throttle or choke off it,” he told NatSec Daily. Others said more aid won’t assuage worries about how Israel conducts a Rafah operation. “It's not like one thing unlocks the other,” Sen. BRIAN SCHATZ (D-Hawaii) said. “There's one problem called the conduct of the war. And then there's this other problem, which has to do with the blocking of humanitarian aid, and they have to solve both.”
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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. | | | | | HUGE MISSILE ATTACK: Russia launched its largest barrage of missile strikes on Kyiv in weeks this morning, injuring 13 people and hitting residential and industrial buildings, The Associated Press’ HANNA ARHIROVA and ANTON SHTUKA report. Ukraine’s military said its air defense systems intercepted all 31 missiles that were shot at the capital, though debris from the weapons fell in various parts of the city. It was Moscow’s first attack on Kyiv in six weeks. “Such terror continues every day and night. It is possible to put an end to it through global unity,” Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY said in a tweet. EU TO HOST ARMENIA TALKS: European Commission President URSULA VON DER LEYEN will host talks in Brussels between the U.S. and Armenia as fears about a war in the Caucasus again reach a boiling point, our own GABRIEL GAVIN reports. ARMEN GRIGORYAN, the secretary of Armenia's Security Council, said Thursday that Blinken will meet with Armenian Prime Minister NIKOL PASHINYAN “to discuss aspects of trilateral cooperation that will contribute to the development of Armenia. The event also aims to strengthen Armenia's resilience." The talks come as tensions continue to mount between Armenia and neighboring Azerbaijan. Just this week, Pashinyan warned that a dispute over four abandoned villages could descend into another bloody war between the two former Soviet republics. It also comes as Armenia continues to separate itself from its longtime ally Russia, providing aid for Ukraine, freezing its membership in the Moscow-led CSTO alliance and voicing interest in joining the European Union. EU CEASE-FIRE CALLS: European leaders called for a cease-fire in Gaza during a summit in Brussels today, our colleagues across the sea report. Upon arrival at the summit, German Chancellor OLAF SCHOLZ said that “we need a longer lasting cease-fire” in the Gaza Strip, adding that “we always assume that the Israeli government will adhere to what is enshrined in international law … when it comes to its military activities in the Gaza Strip.” Outgoing Portuguese Prime Minister ANTÓNIO COSTA said the key issue up for discussion at the summit is the push for a cease-fire in Gaza, describing the situation on the ground as “unacceptable” from a humanitarian standpoint. IT’S THURSDAY: 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 mberg@politico.com and ebazail@politico.com, and follow us on X at @mattberg33 and @ebazaileimil. While you’re at it, follow the rest of POLITICO’s national security team: @alexbward, @nahaltoosi, @PhelimKine, @laraseligman, @connorobrienNH, @paulmcleary, @leehudson, @magmill95, @johnnysaks130, @ErinBanco, @reporterjoe, and @JGedeon1.
| | LABOUR PREPS FOR TRUMP: A leading contender to be the U.K.’s next foreign secretary is playing up his relationships with allies of former President DONALD TRUMP as fears mount on the other side of the Atlantic about the implications of a possible second Trump presidency. In an appearance on POLITICO’s Power Play podcast, Shadow Foreign Secretary DAVID LAMMY told our own ANNE McELVOY that he has connected with former Trump administration officials, including former Secretary of State MIKE POMPEO and national security adviser ROBERT O’BRIEN. “We've had a lot to talk about with Michael, Robert O'Brien also. So of course, it's important given the relationship that the U.K. and the U.S. has,” Lammy said. “It goes beyond who is in the White House or who is in No. 10. It doesn't matter whether it's Blair and Bush or, uh, is there.” Lammy also praised Sen. J.D. VANCE (R-Ohio), noting that he read the Ohio Republican’s book “Hillbilly Elegy” and spoke with the senator in Munich earlier this year. Lammy’s remarks come as the specter of a Trump presidency has caused policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic to speed up key foreign policy pushes and build deeper relationships with those in the former president’s orbit. Read: ‘Fear’ and farmland in the Montana Senate race by our own MARISSA MARTINEZ
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | | CISA SPARED IN MINIBUS: Congressional leadership unveiled the final text of a $1.2 trillion funding package this morning and it appears to have spared the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, our own JOHN SAKELLARIADIS reports (for Pros!). The agency, maligned by Republicans over charges it helped the Biden administration censor conservative voices online during the Covid-19 pandemic and the 2020 elections, will only see a $2.8 billion cut, far lower than what some had feared for the agency. The cut will slow the growth of the agency and hamper the agency’s efforts to implement a landmark breach reporting rule, beef up the security of critical private sector firms and the rollout of flagship programs for protecting federal networks. The agency will also have additional reporting requirements to Congress. But the legislation temporarily calms any worries that GOP hardliners could slash the agency’s budget. Scroll down to On the Hill for more information about what’s in the spending package.
|  | The Complex | | | TITANIUM IN A TIME OF WAR: Western companies have bought hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Russian titanium since its war with Ukraine began two years ago, The Washington Post’s ADAM TAYLOR reports. The reliance on the Russian supply, discovered during a review of Russian export data by the Post, caused concern among industry and defense analysts, who say the metal is critical to the manufacturing of commercial and military airplanes. “Russia could shut off the flow of these … materials and leave companies critical to national defense and civil aviation scrambling,” WILLIAM GEORGE, director of research at ImportGenius, the company that gave the data to the Post, told the outlet. ICYMI — Navy offers few details as aid ships prepare for Gaza by Paul (for Pros!)
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | | HABEMUS MINIBUS: The minibus also contains a litany of items of note for the Natsec world. The deal will inject $825 billion into Pentagon coffers, a $27 billion increase from last year's level, albeit nearly halfway through the 2024 fiscal year. House and Senate appropriators signed off on some marquee Pentagon budget initiatives — approving a first-ever multi-year procurement authority for six of seven missile systems the Pentagon sought to ramp up and providing an initial $200 million to kick off the Replicator drone initiative. Lawmakers also took care of Pentagon weapons accounts with $172 billion in procurement funding. Pentagon efforts to arm and equip Ukraine received $300 million, still a far cry from the $60 billion the Biden administration is seeking in its supplemental. The compromise also drops some of the most controversial policy riders supported by conservative House Republicans, including measures to block funding for the Pentagon's abortion travel policy and gender affirming medical care for transgender troops as well as a bid to slash Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN and other officials' salaries. Our colleague CONNOR O’BRIEN has all the details (for Pros!). State and foreign operations, meanwhile, will get a six percent cut. Out of the 58 billion allocated for the State Department, 10 billion will go to international development programs and another 10 billion will go to global public health programs to combat AIDS, tuberculosis and other diseases. The minibus also contains provisions authorizing an additional 12,000 special immigrant visas for Afghans who helped the U.S. during the occupation. It also extends the eligibility period to apply by a year, less time than the two-year extension initially anticipated. FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY — LISTEN TO SUDAN’S WOMEN: A trio of Democratic senators sent a letter to Blinken today urging him to make sure Sudanese women’s voices are heard in peace negotiations and other efforts to end the country’s conflict. Sudan’s army has been fighting a paramilitary force in a civil war for the past year, and women there have been kidnapped and sold as sex slaves. The senators are calling on the Biden administration to fully implement the Women, Peace and Security Act of 2017, a law that requires the U.S. to guarantee women’s meaningful participation in all aspects of conflict prevention and resolution. The letter was signed by Sens. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-N.H.), CORY BOOKER (D-N.J.) and SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO (D-W.Va.).
| | | |   | | | | | SCHUMER-BIBI BEEF CONTINUES: Speaker MIKE JOHNSON said today he will invite Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress, a day after the Israeli leader rebuked Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER in an appearance at Senate Republicans’ weekly lunch. Our own ANTHONY ADRAGNA and NICHOLAS WU report that the Louisiana Republican said on CNBC’s Squawk Box that “we will certainly extend that invitation.” Johnson had told reporters Wednesday that he’d had a “lengthy” conversation with Netanyahu, indicating his interest in inviting the prime minister to speak to Congress. The invitation comes after some House Republicans raised the idea of a Netanyahu speech at a conference meeting yesterday. It also follows a fiery speech from Schumer last week where the New York Democrat called for new Israeli elections. There’s no love lost between Netanyahu and Schumer, according to the New York Times’ ANNIE KARNI. Sen. JOSH HAWLEY told the Times that at Senate Republicans’ weekly lunch yesterday, Netanyahu called Schumer’s speech last week on the Senate floor “wholly inappropriate and outrageous.” “He was not happy,” Hawley said. “He made that very clear.” Schumer declined a similar offer by Netanyahu to address the Senate Democratic lunch. ALEX NGUYEN, a Schumer spokesperson, told the Times that “Senator Schumer made it clear that he does not think these discussions should happen in a partisan manner.” Read: Putin’s election was actually a ‘special nomination operation,’ scoffs Estonia’s leader by our own CLAUDIA CHIAPPA
| | — Vietnam’s Vice President VO THI ANH XUAN took over as acting president after the previous president’s resignation. — The Council on Foreign Relations tapped STEVEN BENNETT as executive vice president and chief administrative officer. He most recently was at the Council from Syracuse University, where he has served as senior vice president for international programs and academic operations. — KALIDOU GADIO is joining DLA Piper as co-chair of the U.S.-Africa practice. He most recently was a partner at Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle.
| | — Rep. JIM McGOVERN, The Boston Globe: Banning TikTok is a terrible idea — JAMIE DETTMER, POLITICO: Putin’s going nowhere. The West needs to get a grip. — PAUL HOCKENOS, Foreign Policy: Ukraine’s war is killing another country
| | — House Armed Services Cyber, Information Technology, and Innovation Subcommittee, 9 a.m.: The technology and AI fight for 21st century operations in the Department of Defense — Center for Strategic and International Studies, 12 p.m.: Living the global water crisis — Politics and Prose Bookstore, 7 p.m.: Book discussion on "Collisions: The Origins of War in Ukraine and the New Global Instability" Thanks to our editor, Heidi Vogt, who never heeds our demands when editing this newsletter. We also thank our producer, Gregory Svirnovskiy, who will fight with us against Heidi until the battle is won.
| | A message from Lockheed Martin: PAC-3 MSE: Enabling a Hardened Defense against Maritime Threats
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