| | | | |  | | By Robbie Gramer | |  President Joe Biden’s national security team, try as it might, can’t seal off their negotiations with Israel and its adversaries from U.S. domestic politics. | Daniel Kucin Jr./AP | With help from Paul McLeary, Joe Gould, Phelim Kine, Maggie Miller, Joseph Gedeon and Daniel Lippman Subscribe here | Email Robbie | Email Eric The United States just can’t seem to pivot away from the Middle East. Top Biden administration officials are descending on the crisis-wracked region this week for a flurry of high-level talks that come just a week before the U.S. election. Top White House officials BRETT MCGURK and AMOS HOCHSTEIN will be in Israel on Thursday to discuss Gaza, Lebanon, Iran and Hamas hostage negotiations. And CIA Director BILL BURNS is traveling to Cairo that same day to try and push hostage talks forward. Meanwhile, Gen. MICHAEL ERIK KURILLA, the head of U.S. Central Command, is also visiting Israel to discuss defense issues following Israel’s latest strikes against Iran. All of this looks like a last-minute surge to try and break the logjam on talks over ending the costly fighting in Gaza and Lebanon and move the needle on ceasefire talks before the elections next week officially transform President JOE BIDEN into a lame-duck executive. The White House, however, insists this has nothing to do with the elections. A U.S. official, granted anonymity to discuss the travel plans, said it centered on reinforcing Washington’s “iron-clad commitment” to Israel’s security and “warning against any further direct military attacks by Iran against Israel.” Still, the election looms large over the ongoing crisis, as Washington’s approach to the region could take a drastically different approach if former President DONALD TRUMP takes office. Trump has reportedly told Israeli Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU he wants Israel to wrap up the war in Gaza before he takes office should he win, as The Times of Israel reports today. But Netanyahu hasn’t been particularly subtle in trying to hide his affinity for fellow right-winger Trump — the two have had multiple calls in recent weeks. And new polls show Israelis also heavily favor a Trump presidency over a Harris one. This means Biden’s national security team, try as it might, can’t seal off their negotiations with Israel and its adversaries from U.S. domestic politics. Some analysts say Biden will struggle to make any breakthroughs on cease-fire talks in his final months when all parties know there’s a change in U.S. administrations coming. That’s as true for Netanyahu as it is for rivals in Tehran. “Like Netanyahu, Iran has its eyes on the U.S. presidential elections,” said YEZID SAYIGH , a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank. “All year long, their calculation, their caution has been driven in large measure by the fear that Trump would come back to office.”
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Lockheed Martin’s PAC-3® Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) is increasing production to help our partners address evolving threats around the globe. PAC-3 MSE defends in a multi-domain environment as the most advanced air defense missile. Learn more. | | | | | REAL TALK FROM THE PODIUM: South Korea’s new Defense Minister KIM YONG-HYUN’s first visit to the Pentagon wasn't just a nice lunch and some handshakes. With 10,000 North Korean troops training in Russia and likely to engage in combat with Ukrainian forces in the coming days, Kim is worried about what Pyongyang is getting in return. Appearing alongside Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN Wednesday afternoon, Kim said he’s worried DPRK will get "nuclear weapons technology related to their advancement of ICBMs, also those regarding reconnaissance satellites,” and help on developing (or buying) ballistic missile submarines. Kim also called the deployment of DPRK troops — who Austin said are being equipped with Russian uniforms and weapons — a "war crime" and that "KIM JONG UN didn't hesitate to sell out its young people and troops as cannon fodder mercenaries" for Russia. Austin, asked about what happens if North Korean troops are killed by the Ukrainians with U.S.-supplied weapons, effectively said that’s just war. If they’re “attacking Ukrainian soldiers … Ukrainian soldiers have the right to defend themselves,” Austin said. “And they will do that with the weapons that we provided and others have provided. That's to be expected.” DIPLOMATIC PIVOT TO THE PACIFIC: Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN boasted of the Biden administration's successes in its diplomatic re-engagement with Pacific Island countries in a speech at the Foreign Service Institute Wednesday. Washington and Beijing are locked in intense competition for influence in that region due to its location along geostrategic sea lanes. “Just in the last two years, we've established five new embassies in the Indo-Pacific — in the Maldives, Tonga, the Seychelles, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands,” Blinken said. Those comments were part of Blinken’s wider outlining of U.S. concerns that China, in league with Iran, North Korea and Russia, is a “revisionist” threat to what he calls “the rules-based international order .” Those countries are “aggressively challenging our interests and values and are determined to alter the foundational principles of the part of the international system,” Blinken said. TEHRAN’S CRIMINAL PIGGY BANK: Iran has forged deep and extensive ties with illicit criminal networks to evade sanctions and procure materials for its nuclear program, according to a sweeping new report from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. The report is a feat of open-source investigations and offers up one of the most authoritative public accounts of how Tehran has used criminal and drug gangs to finance its government and support its military machine. In particular, it sheds new light on ties between Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and heroin smuggling networks in Turkey, the Balkans and the South Caucasus. TRADE BAIT: The U.S. and allies are tracking reports of Russia and China engaging in barter trade arrangements due to Russia's difficulties in paying for goods, Deputy National Security Advisor DALEEP SINGH told reporters Wednesday. “Eventually, this will create more of a strategic wedge than a solution because for China, it can't say that it wants better relations with Europe while funding and fueling the biggest threat to Europe's security since the Cold War,” Singh said. He also said some $20 billion in seized Russian assets will start flowing to Ukraine by the end of the year to aid the country’s warfighting and reconstruction efforts. Singh had sharp words for China. Beijing “can't claim to be a responsible stakeholder in the Indo-Pacific if it's part of an axis that's propping up North Korea's military capabilities, and it's not going to be able to export its way out of a deflationary slump if it's antagonizing its largest consumer,” he added. Chinese leaders have publicly claimed to be pushing for an end to the war in Ukraine, but Singh says its continued industrial support to Russia, and these barter trade agreements, fly in the face of those claims. If Beijing “really wants to end the war, it should pull the plug,” on Russian assistance. “Its factory should stop providing inputs that Russia is using to generate lethal output on the battlefield. You know, the machine tools, the microelectronics and the engines that are going into tanks and missiles and drones. China really can't have it both ways.” IS THE NEXT SECDEF A SWIFTIE? Secretary for the Army CHRISTINE WORMUTH had an important deployment herself this week: She was in New Orleans for Taylor Swift’s Eras tour concert. KATRINA MULLIGAN, a former Biden Pentagon official who had served as Wormuth’s chief of staff, posted a selfie with Wormuth on LinkedIn from the concert and wrote: “I went to see Taylor Swift in New Orleans with my friend (and fellow Swiftie) Christine Wormuth and it was every bit as EPIC as it sounds.” There’s a big blank space over who would become defense secretary if Vice President KAMALA HARRIS wins the election. But Wormuth is a top frontrunner for the job . (Since Swift endorsed Harris, we’ll venture to guess that Trump’s SecDef contenders won’t be advertising their love of the superstar in case he wins, but who knows.) 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 rgramer@politico.com and ebazail@politico.com, and follow Robbie and Eric on X @RobbieGramer and @ebazaileimil. While you’re at it, follow the rest of POLITICO’s global security team:@dave_brown24, @HeidiVogt,@RosiePerper,@nahaltoosi,@PhelimKine,@ErinBanco, @connorobrienNH,@paulmcleary, @reporterjoe, @JackDetsch, @magmill95,@johnnysaks130, and @JGedeon1
| | | |   | | | | | TUCKER TICKS OFF MALAYSIA: Add Malaysia’s foreign minister MOHAMAD HASAN to the lists of folks taking issue with some of the content in GOP presidential candidate DONALD TRUMP’s rally at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Saturday. Hasan gave a pass to an assessment of Puerto Rico as an “island of garbage ” and wasn’t triggered by a reference to Vice President Harris as “the devil.” Hasan instead zeroed in on former Fox News host TUCKER CARLSON’sdescription of Harris as a “Samoan Malaysian low I.Q. former California prosecutor” — specifically the “Samoan-Malaysian” part. (Fact check: Harris’ mom was from India and her dad emigrated from Jamaica). “Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Mr. Carlson — we were not aware that a Malaysian was running for the office of the U.S. president,” Hasan said in a tongue-in-cheek post on Facebook Wednesday . Hasan went on to invite “Puan Harris” (puan is an honorific for married women in Malaysian) to “return home” for some Malaysian-style fried rice.
| | X MARKS THE SPOT: Four years after conservatives launched a crusade against social-media giants and their supposed liberal bias, they’ve not only captured the castle — they’re running it exactly how they once criticized, as our own JOSEPH GEDEON writes in. Fresh data from PeakMetrics shared exclusively with Morning Cyber (for Pros!) reveals that right-leaning accounts accumulated 20.6 million total engagements in just the past week, outpacing left-leaning accounts' 13 million by 58 percent — a pattern that tracks with the broader engagement disparities the Washington Post identified in an analysis on X’s rightward shift under political flamethrower Elon Musk. The conservative success could be stemming from sheer volume — they’ve pushed out nearly 7,000 posts compared to more left-leaning content at 3,800. The tilt extends to Capitol Hill, where GOP senators generated 5.24 million reposts versus Democratic counterparts holding around 3.27 million, despite the Dems seeing slightly higher total engagement. QUESTIONS, CONCERNS: House and Senate lawmakers on both sides of the aisle want answers on recent Chinese-linked hacks of U.S. telecommunications systems that allowed access to the phones of former President DONALD TRUMP and others — and will be pursuing this once Congress returns from recess in November. As our own MAGGIE MILLER reports , members of the Senate Intelligence Committee are set to get a classified briefing on the hacking operation sometime next month. In addition, the House Intelligence Committee may be seeking a briefing on this, and the House Homeland Security Committee is awaiting a briefing on the efforts by the Chinese hacking group, known as Salt Typhoon, to target U.S. telecommunications systems. And following the report’s publication, House Select Committee on China Chair JOHN MOOLENAAR (R-Mich.) told Maggie that “the Chinese Communist Party will use the tools at its disposal to subvert American democracy however it can.” “My colleagues at every level of government need to be on guard,” Moolenaar said.
| | AIR FORCE SOAP BUBBLE TROUBLE: The Pentagon’s watchdog agency rebuked the Air Force for overpaying on C-17 parts — including a bathroom soap dispenser with a staggering 7,943 percent markup. An anonymous tip sparked the inspector general’s investigation, revealing that the Air Force paid nearly $1 million extra for various parts in Boeing’s logistics contract. Now the agency in a new report Tuesday is recommending stricter oversight for pricing and transparency for cost hikes. The investigation comes as the government ramps up scrutiny on Boeing over commercial plane safety issues and other defense contractors for price gouging American taxpayers in their military contracts. A Boeing spokesperson emailed that the company is “reviewing the report, which appears to be based on an inapt comparison of the prices paid for parts that meet aircraft and contract specifications and designs versus basic commercial items that would not be qualified or approved for use on the C-17.” Boeing is still working with the DOD’s IG office and the Air Force to provide a detailed written response to the report in the coming days.
| | | | LAWMAKERS PUSH ON NATO MISSILE DEFENSE: Two Helsinki Commission’s leaders — Reps. JOE WILSON (R-S.C.) and STEVE COHEN (D-Tenn.) urged Biden to greenlight Poland’s request to intercept Russian missiles over Ukraine. Their new letter, first reported by The Hill, argues it’s a defensive action to shield NATO’s eastern front amid rising threats from Russia. Poland's Foreign Minister RADOSLAW SIKORSKI first proposed the plan, but NATO’s stance remains cautious as allies grapple with how to continue supporting Ukraine without triggering a wider NATO confrontation with Russia. New NATO Secretary-General MARK RUTTE has yet to comment. DEMS TALK CURBING TRUMP'S POWER: Top Democrats are increasingly exploring changes in the law to restrict the use of the military inside the U.S. in response to former President Donald Trump’s stepped-up rhetoric about using troops against his political opponents, our colleagues at Morning Defense report (for Pros!). Despite those mounting concerns — underscored by warnings from former aides and national security officials — that the former president would wield the military for his personal political aims, lawmakers face an uphill battle to limit powers such as the Insurrection Act. That's because most Republicans would opt against crossing Trump. Sen. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-Conn.) said he’s having intensified discussions about his legislation to overhaul the Insurrection Act. And Senate Armed Services Chair JACK REED (D-R.I.) said this week that changes to the Insurrection Act and the Posse Comitatus Act “would be seriously considered, particularly if Trump was elected and continued this very, very harsh rhetoric.” “I'm talking to colleagues on both sides of the aisle who are deeply disturbed about the Trump rhetoric,” Blumenthal said. “Republicans’ standard line on a lot of Trump's bluster is ‘He doesn't really mean it, he's not going to do what he says he's going to do.’ I think that's a pretty thin reed to use to avoid taking action.” Rep. JASON CROW (D-Colo.) argued the Insurrection Act “requires reform” but doubted it would pass Congress anytime soon, “because certainly the current Republican Party, which has proven itself to be the party of Donald Trump, and loyal only to Donald Trump, I suspect would resist such an effort.”
| | — Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. STEVE BASHAM has joined the J.A. Green & Company government relations and lobbying firm as vice president of defense programs. Basham was most recently deputy commander of U.S. European Command. — CARA ABERCROMBIE is now acting deputy under secretary of defense for policy. She most recently was assistant secretary of defense for acquisition, a role that is now being performed on an acting basis by GARY ASHWORTH. — ROBERT L. GANIM is leaving aerospace and defense innovation firm Starburst where he was director of government affairs and business development. Ganim, who has previously worked for the Trump Defense Department, and former Republican senators KELLY AYOTTE and MARK KIRK, continues as principal of Ganim Strategic Advisors LLC. — CHARLES KERR is now special assistant in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy. He most recently was a program analyst at the U.S. Air Force.
| | — VERONIKA MELKOZEROVA, POLITICO: Women at war: How Ukraine’s arms industry is replacing missing men — Sen. CHRIS MURPHY (D-Conn.), Financial Times: America’s foreign policy has changed — and must remain changed — FREDERIC C. HOF, Atlantic Council: Gaza is a war without end. American interests must be reassessed. — BENOIT FAUCON and WARREN P. STROBEL, Wall Street Journal: How the Houthis went from ragtag rebels to global threat
| | — Foreign Policy, 11:00 a.m.: America votes: What it means for Latin America — Center for Strategic and International Studies, 2:00 p.m.: Staying Ahead in the Global Technology Race — American Enterprise Institute, 3:00 p.m.: A Fireside Chat with the Chief of Staff of the US Air Force, Gen. David W. Allvin Thanks to our editor, Rosie Perper, who is rebuffing all of our ceasefire efforts. Thanks to our producer, Gregory Svirnovskiy, whose diplomacy is defusing regional tensions across the newsroom.
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Lockheed Martin’s PAC-3® Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) is increasing production to help our partners address evolving threats around the globe. PAC-3 MSE defends in a multi-domain environment as the most advanced air defense missile. Learn more. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
