| | | | |  | | By Matt Berg and Eric Bazail-Eimil | |  A demonstrator holds up a Haitian flag during protests demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 1, 2024. | Odelyn Joseph/AP | With help from Joseph Gedeon, Connor O'Brien and Alex Ward Subscribe here | Email Matt| Email Eric The State Department sent Republicans a plan to help Haiti last week — and we got our hands on all 33 pages of it. The long-awaited U.S.-backed proposal for rescuing Haiti from gang-led violence provides high-level guidance for a planned Kenyan security force — but few details about how it can actually succeed, according to a copy of the document obtained by Matt. The document, which the State Department circulated to a number of lawmakers over the past week, gives details for how the so-called Multinational Security Mission to Haiti could operate, the makeup of forces, their mission and how they could work with local authorities to combat gangs. “The international community is trying to step up to find a way to do this that makes the most sense,” a State Department official, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly, told Matt. “We're really working toward a solution that can help to alleviate some of the suffering.” The mission is “incredibly complicated to do, hasn't been done before, and the situation on the ground is fluid and forever changing,” the official added. But the plan is already getting hit with criticism. Five people who viewed the plan, including two congressional aides and advocates who have worked on Haiti for years, said it fell far short of what they were hoping for from State. “Despite every briefing that they say they've given us, they failed to answer the most core questions that we've had,” said a House Republican aide, who like the four other people was granted anonymity to speak about private discussions with the administration. Those questions include how the United Nations fund that would reimburse Kenya would work and how the forces would help local police quell gangs. They also want an estimate of the maximum amount of time the forces would stay in Haiti. That discontent means the plan is unlikely to unlock congressional funding for the force — some $40 million that Republicans have been blocking since December. They’re requesting more details about how the administration plans to ensure the Kenyan mission’s success. The plan “remains incomplete,” the House Republican aide said. Read Matt’s full story here.
| | 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. | | | | | SULLIVAN IN KYIV: National security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN made a surprise visit to Kyiv today, as the Biden administration looks to reassure its Ukrainian allies that the U.S. remains steadfast in its support, according to our own VERONIKA MELKOZEROVA. The visit, one day after a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Germany, was Sullivan’s first since President JOE BIDEN made his own surprise visit for the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. At a press conference with the head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, ANDRIY YERMAK, Sullivan acknowledged that U.S. military assistance has slowed in the face of opposition from Congressional Republicans. “I don’t have any predictions on when exactly this will be done, but we are working to get it done as soon as possible. President Biden is working on this on a daily basis to try to deliver this package through [the] House but I cannot make any specific predictions,” Sullivan said. US PITCH FOR RAFAH: The U.S. will advise Israel to secure the Gaza-Egypt border as part of a series of alternatives to an all-out invasion of Rafah, two U.S. officials told our own ALEX WARD. That proposal, first reported by The Times of Israel, would see Israeli forces working to curb Hamas militants’ ability to smuggle weapons into Rafah, choking off their capacity to wage further war against Israel. It’s unclear for how long Israel would stay on the border to monitor and interdict weapons shipments along the eight-mile stretch. Both U.S. officials said the Gaza-Egypt border suggestion won’t be the only one Biden administration figures make before an Israeli delegation is expected to visit Washington next week. It’ll fold into a suite of options the U.S. will put on the table to avoid a major ground invasion of the southern Gaza city. “We have many more ideas,” said one of the officials. The Biden administration has also pushed Israel to allow more aid into the territory, a matter that has become more pressing amid reports of famine in the territory. In an interview with our own PAULA ANDRÉS, U.N. World Food Programme chief CINDY McCAIN said “our biggest worry is that we still don’t have access” to Gaza. “We need consistent, sustained and safe access,” she added. AL-SHIFA, CONTINUED: Israel’s military today continued its raid on the Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical facility in Gaza, claiming to have killed 90 militants in the operation. "Over the past day, the troops have eliminated terrorists and located weapons in the hospital area, while preventing harm to civilians, patients, medical teams, and medical equipment," the military said in a statement, per Reuters’ MAAYAN LUBELL and NIDAL AL-MUGHRABI. The hospital has been a major flashpoint in the war, with Hamas denying that its militants have used the complex for military operations. Following the operation today, Hamas spokesperson ISMAIL AL-THAWABTA said all of those killed were wounded patients and displaced people. CUTTING UP DISINFO: The Biden administration unleashed a new sanctions salvo today at Russian operatives accused of executing a "sprawling" disinformation campaign aimed at Western audiences, our JOSEPH GEDEON writes (for Pros!). Treasury's sanctions targeted two Russian individuals — ILYA ANDREEVICH GAMBASHIDZE and NIKOLAI ALEKSANDROVICH TUPIKIN — along with their respective firms, the Moscow-based Social Design Agency and Company Group Structura LLC, for providing campaign services to the Russian government. The individuals and entities are accused of setting up over 60 websites carefully designed to mimic legitimate European news outlets, complete with copied formatting like embedded images and cookie consent pop-ups. Fake social media accounts then amplified content from the spoofed sites, part of a broader Russian effort to "mislead voters and undermine trust in democratic institutions," per Treasury. "Russia routinely uses its intelligence services, proxies, and influence tools" for such malign campaigns targeting the U.S. and allies, the sanctions announcement stated. IT’S WEDNESDAY: 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.
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | | | BIPARTISAN LOVE FOR TRUMP’S CAR TARIFFS: One of former President DONALD TRUMP’s latest calls to be tougher on China is resonating with both Democrats and Republicans. As our own TANYA SNYDER reports, Democrats in manufacturing-heavy states are embracing Trump’s push for tariffs on Chinese cars, which figured in his widely-scrutinized “bloodbath” remarks over the weekend. Sen. SHERROD BROWN (D-Ohio), who faces a tough reelection in one of 2024’s marquee Senate races, said the U.S. must keep China from bringing “its government-backed cheating to the American auto industry.” He voiced support for tariffs, though he stopped short of prescribing a specific tariff amount. In neighboring Michigan, Democrats too are lining up to support tariffs on Chinese cars. “I really, really, really, really, really am going to be intense about ensuring that automobiles made by China aren’t going to get any benefit from trade agreements that we’ve got,” said Rep. DEBBIE DINGELL (D-Mich.). Among the proposals floated to combat the ascendant Chinese car industry: a push from Sen. JOSH HAWLEY (R-Mo.) to add a 100 percent tariff to the 27.5 percent levy that has been in place since Trump’s presidency. Sen. MARCO RUBIO (R-Fla.) has also introduced bills taking aim at Chinese electric vehicles. His bill would slap a flat $20,000 tariff on Chinese vehicle imports and seek to close import loopholes.
| | X MARKS THE SPOT: Russia warned today that the U.S. commercial satellites that help Washington collect intelligence could be valid targets, Reuters’ DMITRY ANTONOV and FELIX LIGHT report. This week, Reuters reported that SpaceX is building a network of hundreds of spy satellites under a U.S. government contract, underscoring deepening ties between Washington and ELON MUSK’s space company. “We are aware of Washington's efforts to attract the private sector to serve its military space ambitions,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson MARIA ZAKHAROVA told reporters, adding that such satellites “become a legitimate target for retaliatory measures, including military ones.”
| | ‘ENORMOUS’ CHINESE BASES: Beijing has built three “enormous” military bases near its main holding in the South China Sea, continuing to raise tensions in the strategic waterway, Taiwan Foreign Minister JOSEPH WU said today. Per Reuters’ BEN BLANCHARD, Wu told reporters that China has already created massive military bases on the three islands surrounding Taiping: Subi Reef, Fiery Cross Reef and Mischief Reef. But that doesn’t mean Taiwan has to escalate, he added. “As the dispute continues to intensify, we in Taiwan must consider how to use peaceful means to resolve the South China Sea issue, and not let others think we are creating difficulties,” Wu said. ICYMI — US to Ukraine: Heed our words, not our actions by our own VERONIKA MELKOZEROVA, LAURA KAYALI and PAUL McLEARY AUKUS RACES AGAINST THE CLOCK: Australia, the U.S. and the U.K. are racing to consolidate and strengthen the AUKUS alliance ahead of a possible Trump victory in November, our own STEFAN BOSCIA reports. Concerns are mounting in Canberra, London and Washington that Trump could wind back, or leave, the trilateral security alliance if he takes office. As such, all three countries are working to speed up implementation and integration of the alliance’s second pillar – developing advanced military hardware and technology in concert with allies like South Korea, Japan, New Zealand and Canada. One diplomat said “American isolationism is a risk to the Indo-Pacific” and that there will be a moment, if Trump wins, where Western leaders will phone each other up and ask: “What the fuck are we going to do now?”
| | | | JOIN US ON 3/21 FOR A TALK ON FINANCIAL LITERACY: Americans from all communities should be able to save, build wealth, and escape generational poverty, but doing so requires financial literacy. How can government and industry ensure access to digital financial tools to help all Americans achieve this? Join POLITICO on March 21 as we explore how Congress, regulators, financial institutions and nonprofits are working to improve financial literacy education for all. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | MITCH’S FURY: Senate Minority Leader MITCH McCONNELL trained his ire on Senate Democrats — and Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER — in a floor speech today, slamming his colleagues on the left for “egregious and hypocritical attempts to influence Israeli domestic politics.” “They’re an affront to the very independence of the state of Israel, a sovereign nation, a robust democracy and one of America’s closest allies and friends,” McConnell said, as our own URSULA PERANO and ANTHONY ADRAGNA report. The rant came nearly a week after Schumer called for new elections in Israel. He continued: “Our Democratic colleagues don’t have an anti-Bibi problem. They have an anti-Israel problem. What else are we supposed to make of the way Democrats have fallen in line behind the position the Democratic leader expressed here on the floor last week?” 'BACK TO THE AXIS OF EVIL': Lawmakers and top military officials are warning about budding cooperation between Russia, China, North Korea and Iran. At a House Armed Services hearing, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command chief Adm. JOHN AQUILINO argued growing partnership between the U.S. adversaries, particularly China and Russia, "is a way to combat the broadened" U.S. network of allies. He also expressed concern at North Korea providing munitions to support Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "This is their counter. But I articulate it [as] we're almost back to the Axis of Evil when you plug Iran into this problem set,” said Aquilino, referencing the collective name given to Iraq, Iran and North Korea by then-President GEORGE W. BUSH in 2002. “That set of cooperation is concerning and it should be concerning to the whole globe." Officials also underscored the importance of helping Ukraine stop Russia's advance in Ukraine, arguing it would have a deterrent effect over a potential invasion by Beijing of Taiwan. BIBI ADDRESSING CONGRESS? House Republicans are considering inviting Israeli Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU to address a joint session of Congress, according to Axios’ JULIEGRACE BRUFKE and ANDREW SOLENDER. Sources told Axios that several House members raised the idea with Speaker MIKE JOHNSON.
| | | |   | | | | | — Vietnamese President VO VAN THUONG resigned today, with the government saying he violated party rules and negatively affected the country’s reputation. — Irish Prime Minister LEO VARADKAR will resign next month, sending shockwaves through the political system: “One part of leadership is knowing when the time has come to pass on the baton to somebody else, and then having the courage to do it,” he said. — SUE MI TERRY and RUSH DOSHI were named fellows for the Council on Foreign Relations’ David Rockefeller Studies Program. Terry, who was previously director of the Asia program and the Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy at the Wilson Center, will be a senior fellow for Korea studies. Doshi will be a senior fellow for China and Indo-Pacific studies and director of a new CFR initiative on China strategy. He will also be joining Georgetown University’s security studies program as an assistant professor.
|  | What to Read | | — JIM GERAGHTY, National Review: Is there a future for Zelenskyy after the war? — RISA BROOKS, Foreign Affairs: The creeping politicization of the U.S. military — JEFF JACOBY, The Boston Globe: Bernie Sanders’s foreign policy ‘revolution’ is a string of leftist clichés
| | — National Defense Industrial Association, 7 a.m.: 2024 Senior Defense Leaders Forum with service representatives to review the FY2025 Defense Department budget — Senate Armed Services Committee, 9:30 a.m.: Posture of United States Indo-Pacific Command and United States Forces Korea in review of the Defense Authorization Request for FY2025 and the Future Years Defense Program — House Armed Services Committee, 10 a.m.: U.S. military posture and national security challenges in the greater Middle East and Africa — Middle East Institute, 10 a.m.: How sanctions work: Iran and the impact of economic warfare — House Foreign Affairs Committee, 10 a.m.: Countering China on the world stage: empowering American businesses and denying Chinese military our technology — National Press Club, 10 a.m.: The EVAN GERSHKOVICH case: where do we stand at one year? — U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, 10 a.m.: China's evolving counter intervention capabilities and implications for the U.S. and Indo-Pacific allies and partners — Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 10:30 a.m.: Implementation of the U.S. anti-corruption strategy — Hudson Institute, 12 p.m.: Addressing the developing world's debt crisis — Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 12 p.m.: The Islamic State five years later: persistent threats, U.S. options — House Foreign Affairs Indo-Pacific Subcommittee, 2 p.m.: Commerce as statecraft: better leveraging U.S. business to advance our economic and national security goals in the Indo-Pacific — Atlantic Council, 2 p.m.: Shaping the future: U.S. policy in North Africa — House Foreign Affairs Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee, 2 p.m.: Assessing State Department compliance with oversight — Wilson Center's Asia Program, 4 p.m.: 10th annual NANCY BERNKOPF TUCKER Memorial Lecture on "U.S.-East Asia Relations" — Henry L. Stimson Center, 4 p.m.: Canada's strategic role in AUKUS Pillar 2: security, stability, and deterrence in the Indo-Pacific — New America, 6:30 p.m.: A book discussion on "The Origins of Victory: Disruptive Military Innovation and the Fate of Great Powers" Thanks to our editor, Emma Anderson, who can’t even plan a picnic properly. We also thank our producer, Gregory Svirnovskiy, who always answers our questions perfectly.
| | 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 | | | | Follow us | | | | |
