Ukraine to buy weapons from the UAE; Vets support the VA’s McDonald, who’s sorry; American missionary kidnapped in Nigeria; How dumb does Susan Rice look? (her words); And a bit more.
An advisor to Ukraine’s interior ministry took to Facebook yesterday to announce a deal reached between Kiev and military leaders of Abu Dhabi to acquire defensive weapons. The deal comes as the U.S. continues to ponder what it wants to do as far as lethal assistance for Ukraine. The advisor, Anton Gerashchenko, had this to say about the deal’s context: “[I]t's worth pointing out the fact that Arabs are in contrast to the Europeans and Americans do not fear threats to Putin on the outbreak of World War III in the case of supplies of Ukrainian arms and military equipment. They have in addition to Putin apparently have [sic] their own bills for lower oil prices almost doubled and overall global instability prevents long-term development of the U.A.E. So this will be their little revenge.” WSJ’s Robert Wall and James Marson with a bit more on the known-knowns of the deal, here.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has renewed his push for U.S. military equipment, our own Marcus Weisgerber reported from the floor of the IDEX arms expo, here.
Also from IDEX, defense firms from across the globe are flocking to Abu Dhabi in the hopes of securing deals with the United Arab Emirates. Weisgerber once more with that one, here.
While Ukraine needs U.S. Javelin anti-tank missiles soon as they can be shipped, the broader debate about how to arm Ukraine needs to center on what’s really involved in rebuilding Kiev’s broken military, says Derek Chollet, former assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, writing in Defense One: “[Javelin missiles] would take care of some Russian-supplied armor, raising the costs on Moscow and boosting Ukrainian morale. Yet given the time it takes to procure and deliver such assistance… they would not alter the military balance fundamentally…
“Beyond immediate needs, the Ukrainian military requires help through training and exercises… [and] reforming—and in some cases, rebuilding—its defense institutions. They need advice on how to spend their defense budget more wisely; plan for a new navy (which was swallowed by the Russians in Crimea); and grow and empower a generation of noncommissioned officers.” Read the rest, here.
Susan Rice was on Charlie Rose last night. Rice, on whether she takes Russian President Vladimir Putin at his word that he wants peace: “How dumb do I look? No. In all seriousness, no.”
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More from Rice on Charlie Rose on if the U.S. is facing an “existential threat.” National Security Adviser Rice, to Rose: “ “…There's a wide variety of challenges we face. But I think in the breathlessness of our 24-hour news cycle and our political echo chamber, some have sought to suggest that we're facing the greatest existential crisis of U.S. history. And I was simply pointing out that if you look back with a historical perspective, while there are many different challenges we face now, all of which need to be taken quite seriously, and we do. They are of a qualitative difference from some of the worst that we faced at different points in our history.”
State Secretary John Kerry pressed senators yesterday for additional State funds to fight ISIS. Defense One politics editor Molly O’Toole: “The diplomatic corps have long complained how little of the federal budget goes to the State Department and USAID though they are bearing the weight of the administration’s national security strategy… ‘We ask for 1 percent of the federal budget…Well more than 50 percent of the history of this era will be written off that 1 percent and things we choose to do or not do,’ Kerry said.
“Of the $4 trillion fiscal 2016 budget requested by President Obama, the Pentagon would get $585 billion… By comparison, according to Kerry, $50.3 billion in discretionary funding would go to the State Department and USAID, with $7 billion for OCO,” with half of that dedicated to fighting ISIS.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham: “I hope there’s an appreciation that this account funds the entire State Department — their embassy security, infrastructure — and that these programs outside of lethal force can make a difference.” Read the rest, here.
ISIS activity on the Dark Web is growing, particularly on Tor sites—but like the Internet itself, Tor was a product of the military, and Defense One’s tech editor Patrick Tucker lays out all the ways the military quite possibly is already fighting ISIS on services like Tor, here.
Still no shortage of outrage from current and former members of the military in the wake of CENTCOM’s telegraphing of the upcoming Mosul offensive, US News’ Paul Shinkman reports, here.
That offensive, a UN official warns, could displace 1.5 million Mosul residents. McClatchy’s John Zaracostas, here.
And, the Peshmerga are skeptical of the April timeline for that Mosul offensive. McClatchy’s Mitchell Prothero from a Kurdish outpost, here.
After 10 years and $25 billion spent doing the job once already, the U.S. military is starting from scratch training Iraqi security forces, The Washington Examiner’s Tara Copp reports, here.
Many of Afghanistan former mujihadeen have formed a renegade group to fight growing fears of ISIS in their country, and that could pose longterm problems for Kabul. WaPo’s By Sudarsan Raghavan from MES: “The men, mostly former mujahideen commanders, have created Afghanistan’s newest militia — Margh, or ‘Death,’ in the local Dari language. It’s so named because they vow to fight to the end to prevent Syria- and Iraq-based extremists from establishing a foothold in their country…
“The militia has yet to fight a battle. But the concern is that it will unjustly target people it suspects of ties to the Islamic State, even if that group never takes root here, or that it could become a tool of regional strongmen or neighboring powers with other agendas.” More here.
The insanity plea didn’t work for Sniper killer Routh: The former Marine who killed American sniper Chris Kyle is found guilty of murder. The WSJ’s Nathan Koppel: “A jury on Tuesday night convicted Eddie Ray Routh of killing the former U.S. Navy sharpshooter whose autobiography became the movie ‘American Sniper.’ Mr. Routh, a 27-year-old Marine, was found guilty of killing former Navy SEAL [Kyle] and Mr. Kyle’s friend Chad Littlefield at a Texas shooting range in 2013. He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors didn’t seek the death penalty in the case.” More here.
Forgiveable? VA Secretary Bob McDonald apologizes for misrepresenting that he was in special forces and veterans groups like IAVA support him. It was an unfortunate mistake and lie in McDonald’s attempt to connect with a homeless veteran in a gaffe that is receiving extra attention because of the Brian Williams and Bill O’Reilly controversies of late. That vets groups are essentially saying they support him suggests he’s doing more good than harm at the troubled VA. But who misrepresents their service?
The NYT’s Julie Hirschfeld Davis: [McDonald] pledged Tuesday to ‘do better’ and brushed aside any suggestion that he would resign after he apologized publicly for having falsely claimed to have served in the Special Forces. In a hastily called news conference here, Mr. McDonald, a former corporate executive who has been on the job at the scandal-plagued department for seven months, said his focus was to connect with veterans and to ensure they received care and benefits.”
Bob McDonald, to reporters outside VA headquarters: “I made a mistake, and I apologize for it.”
Noting: This story was broken by HuffPo’s own David Wood, who popped up from book leave to break it.
She reports, O’Reilly gets to decide? Fox’s Bill O’Reilly allegedly threatens a NYT reporter if he decides she misrepresented the story on reports that his own claims of war reporting were false: “I am coming after you with everything I have. You can take it as a threat.” Read the story in the Independent, here.
Clickworthy: The WaPo’s Tom Toles on O’Reilly’s “weapon of choice,” here.
Check out a particularly robust exchange on privacy, security and so-called built-in “back doors” between NSA’s Mike Rogers and Yahoo! Inc.’s Chief Information Security Officer Alex Stamos, with John Reed at Just Security, right here.
Who’s doing what today? Army Chief Gen. Ray Odierno is slated for a discussion at the Future of Warfare conference (agenda here) at the Reagan Building in D.C. at 8:30 a.m… Sen. John McCain is expected to speak at the Future of Warfare conference at 4:30 p.m. …and later at 6 p.m., Michael Lumpkin, assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, is scheduled to participate in a panel discussion on veterans in government. More on that one over here.
…Gen. Phillip Breedlove and Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Christine Wormuth go before HASC to talk challenges in Europe at 10 a.m…. Air Force Secretary Debbie James and Gen. Mark Welsh talk the service’s FY16 budget before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense at 10:30 a.m.
And in the afternoon: Sen. Jack Reed holds a 12:15 p.m. presser on takeaways from his recent trip to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq… retired Gen. John Allen testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the fight against ISIS at 1:30 p.m. … HASC hears from the Navy’s Sean Stackley, Vice Adm. Joseph Mulloy and Marine Lt. Gen. Kenneth Glueck, Jr., about the Navy’s FY16 budget request at 2 p.m. … Gen. Breedlove returns in the afternoon for a 2:30 p.m. briefing before the Pentagon press corps… SASC’s subcommittee on personnel reviews the military compensation reform recommendations at 2:30 p.m. …
Defense One’s Kevin Baron, Gordon Lubold and Patrick “P.T.” Tucker moderate panels at the Future of War conference, FYI.
Here’s more from the Defense One press release by our own Sarah Flocken: “Analysis and commentary by experts from New America’s “Future of War” initiative is now live on Defense One. Executive Editor Baron earlier this year that Defense One would partner with New America to produce editorial coverage and events around the foundation’s new project, which will explore the social, political, economic, and cultural implications of the changing nature of war and conflict.
The series kicks off with a piece by New America Senior Fellow and Strategist Peter Singer, “What is the Future of War?” Other contributors from New America include Anne-Marie Slaughter, Peter Bergen, Tom Ricks, Rosa Brooks, and Sharon Burke. Future reporting and analysis is available here.
Baron, Defense One Technology Editor Patrick Tucker, and Defense One Senior Military Reporter Lubold will moderate panels New America’s first annual “Future of War” conference, running February 24-25 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. The conference will draw together leading experts and policy makers to discuss developments in the fields of international and national security law and policy, defense and counterterrorism operations and policy, and cybersecurity.”
The mother of the man who was run down and killed on H Street in DC on Monday works at Lockheed Martin. Philip Snodgrass’ mother is Patricia Snodgrass, a project manager at Lockheed Martin. The driver of the vehicle, the WaPo reports this morning, was charged with murder and appeared to be under the influence of narcotics. More here.
AIA’s Marion Blakey is named top dog at Rolls Royce North America; Defense News’ Paul McLeary, here.
An American missionary working in Nigeria was kidnapped by masked gunmen Monday who shot their guns in the air and whisked her off. Her kidnappers have not been identified and it’s unclear if Boko Haram could be behind it. The WaPo’s Stephanie McCrummen: “…The missionary, the Rev. Phyllis Sortor, was working as a teacher at Hope Academy in Kogi, a state that straddles the northern and southern regions of Nigeria, where kidnapping is a multimillion-dollar business.” More here.
Chad’s army helps turn the tide against Boko Haram. The WSJ’s Mike Phillips and Drew Hinshaw: “Falling prices of cows and the rising cost of diapers in Chad have turned the tide in neighboring Nigeria’s six-year war with Boko Haram. Rampaging through northeastern Nigeria and attacking neighboring Cameroon in January, Islamist militants squeezed paths used by herdsmen who walk one of Chad’s main exports—cattle—to market in Nigeria. Boko Haram also choked off the flow of manufactured goods into Chad’s capital, N’Djamena. Prices for everyday imports like plastic tubs have skyrocketed.” More here.
Soldiers from Chad killed 207 Boko Haram militants in fighting Tuesday, Reuters here.
Twitter suspended Boko Haram’s Twitter account, here.
There are now 85 countries with drone capabilities, and that means we really need to start talking about international standards on the still-new technology, New America’s Peter Bergen and Emily Schneider report as part of our “Future of War” series in Defense One. That here.
The Heritage Foundation yesterday released a massive, 300-plus page report on the state of American “hard power” called the 2015 Index of Military Strength. It’s a truly exhaustive project with 6 additional essays zeroing in on some of the key considerations for U.S. national security in the months ahead (with a focus on special operations, the Asia pivot, U.S. interests in Latin America and more). Get started on all that by heading over here.