Pentagon battles false narrative that US troops are fighting Russians in Ukraine
Jamie McIntyre
US TROOPS IN UKRAINE?: It started with the revelation on one of the leaked briefing slides that noted there are 14 U.S. troops in Ukraine. It soon ballooned into allegations of lying and coverup. “The Biden Admin and Pentagon have been caught lying about the war they are funding and fighting against Russia in Ukraine,” tweeted Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), a fierce critic of U.S. support for Ukraine who has introduced articles of impeachment against President Joe Biden.
Greene fired off a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in which she called accused leaker Airman 1st Class Jack Teixeira “a whistleblower exposing the corruption of the Biden administration” and accused Biden of lying to the American people. “Did President Biden authorize the placing of American troops in Ukraine, without the Constitutional approval needed from Congress?” she demanded to know. “How many American servicemembers are currently stationed in Ukraine, aside from the 14 reported in the leaked documents?”
The narrative was amplified by popular Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who told his more than three million viewers last week, “The slides show that this is not Ukraine’s war. It’s our war. The United States is a direct combatant in a war against Russia,” Carlson said. “As we speak, American soldiers are fighting Russian soldiers. So this is not a regional conflict in Eastern Europe. This is a hot war between the two primary nuclear superpowers on Earth.”
WHAT WE’VE LEARNED ABOUT THE WAR IN UKRAINE FROM THE LEAKED CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS
NO COMBAT TROOPS, NO COMBAT MISSION: “The United States has no combat forces in Ukraine. We are not conducting any combat operations against any Russian forces. Our focus is 100% on supporting Ukraine and providing them with the security assistance they need to defend their country,” Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told the Washington Examiner.
And what about the 14 troops mentioned in the leaked briefing slides? “We’ve discussed this and been very transparent on this for a long time that we do maintain a small U.S. military footprint at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv,” Ryder said. “Those forces are there to support the defense attache office in support of security assistance programs to support end-use monitoring and assist with security requirements.”
“Again, none of those forces are there in any type of combat role,” he insisted. “The president has been very clear from the beginning that we will not send combat troops into Ukraine, and that was true yesterday, and it’s true today.”
NO INDICATION ACCUSED PENTAGON LEAKER SOUGHT TO BE WHISTLEBLOWER
‘WE DO NOT HAVE BOOTS ON THE GROUND.’ While the false narrative continued to circulate on Twitter, key Republican lawmakers attempted to correct the record. “It’s an absolutely incorrect assumption from the documents that this individual leaked,” said Mike Turner (R-OH), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, on CBS. “There are no U.S. troops on the ground in Ukraine, other than there are troops that are normally at an embassy protecting the embassy. We do not have boots on the ground.”
“There are essentially 70 or so NATO forces, special operators, 14 American, to provide oversight on the military aid that’s going into Ukraine to ensure fidelity that it goes to the right place,” said Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, on Fox. “They also provide protection to the embassy and visitors, like delegations, like my delegation, when we went through. They’re not in a combat mode there, just simply ensuring accountability and oversight on the weapons going in.”
On ABC, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) sharply criticized Greene for a tweet in which she described Teixeira as “white, male, Christian and anti-war. That makes him an enemy to the Biden regime. And he told the truth about troops being on the ground in Ukraine and a lot more.”
“It’s one of the most irresponsible statements you could make. The ability for America to gather intelligence from human resources on the ground has been compromised. We can’t have a chaotic intelligence-gathering system. If you give us information and it’s disclosed, you can lose your life,” Graham said. “There is no justification for this. And for any member of Congress to suggest it’s OK to leak classified information because you agree with the cause is terribly irresponsible and puts America in serious danger.”
LINDSAY GRAHAM CALLS MTG ‘IRRESPONSIBLE’ FOR COMMENTS ABOUT US INTELLIGENCE LEAKER
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HAPPENING TODAY: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin hosts British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace at the Pentagon at 4:30 p.m., ahead of Friday’s meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
ALSO TODAY, EARTH DAY CEREMONY: The Pentagon recognizes Earth Day with a celebration in the Pentagon center courtyard at 12 p.m. Speakers include Caroline Baxter, deputy assistant secretary of defense for force education and training; Brendan Owens, assistant secretary of defense for energy, installations, and environment; and Regina Meiners, director of the Washington Headquarters Services: https://www.defense.gov.
HAPPENING TOMORROW: Austin departs Tuesday for a stop in Sweden before continuing on to Germany. Sweden is still awaiting final approval for admission to NATO, as Hungary and Turkey continue to hold up its application.
“While in Sweden, Secretary Austin will discuss security-related topics of mutual interest between our two nations and speak with senior Swedish defense and government officials,” the Pentagon said in announcing the trip.
THE BIG QUESTION: It’s the question that’s being asked by almost everyone in Washington, but when it comes from a former defense secretary and Army secretary, it carries a little more weight.
“I don’t understand why a 21-year-old national guardsman had access to some of the most highly kept secrets in the United States, and in particular, finished products from the Joint Staff or finished products from the CIA operations center,” said Mark Esper on Fox Friday. “I don’t know why the Massachusetts National Guard needs access to those things either.”
The Pentagon has said the age of the junior enlisted airman is irrelevant. “If you are working in the intelligence community and you require a security clearance, you’re going to go through the proper vetting,” said spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder last week. “We entrust our members with a lot of responsibility at a very early age.”
“You receive training, and you will receive an understanding of the rules and requirements that come along with those responsibilities, and you’re expected to abide by those rules, regulations, and responsibility,” he said. “It’s called military discipline.”
But Esper said he can think of no reason why a young guardsman, whose job was to maintain the classified computer system, should be able to access some of the nation’s most sensitive real-time intelligence.
“I’m as befuddled as you are,” he told Fox’s Bill Hemmer. “I understand the need for a clearance in order to work on the equipment. That’s apparently what he did. He was a communications specialist who set things up, he did IT work. There is a need to have a clearance for that but there’s not a need for him to have access to the information on that system, let alone finished products from the joint staff and CIA.”
“The other question is, the leadership on the ground that this young man worked for, how the heck was he able to take classified documents, it sounds like, out of a SCIF [Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility], take pictures of them, take them home, and take pictures of them and put them on Discord?” asked Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) on Fox. “It’s crazy to think that this was happening and it’s clear that no one was watching where this young man was working, and what he was doing.”
WHO IS JACK TEIXEIRA, THE ACCUSED LEAKER OF PENTAGON CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS?
NO NEED TO KNOW: “I don’t think it’s so much about his age,” said retired Gen. Jack Keane, former Army vice chief of staff, on Fox. “The issue is, does he have a need to know? And on the surface of it, it looks like he doesn’t have a need to know.”
“He’s a tech supporter of helping to make a system work,” Keane said. “Does he have to have access to all the information on that system to help make it work? That’s the question that obviously needs to be answered.”
“There was no need for him to know the information that he was accessing,” said House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH) on CBS. “From the 9/11 Commission we learned that we needed to more widely disseminate classified information so that people had actionable intelligence that they could piece together puzzles. Clearly, we’ve gone too far.”
“We have an instance where someone in Massachusetts who’s looking at documents with respect to war plans in Ukraine,” Turner said. “That’s what our committee is going to be looking at is, how do we make certain we make changes.”
“We’re going to have an all-senators briefing this week. but we will also be having hearings in the Intelligence Committee and in the Armed Services Committee,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) on CNN. “We need to know the facts. We need to know who this airman was, why he felt he had the authority or ability to show off confidential documents, secret documents to his friends. It sounds like he was extremely immature and someone who did not understand the weight and the importance of these documents. And so we need to figure it out and put proper protections in place.”
PENTAGON LEAK: JACK TEIXEIRA SEARCHED CLASSIFIED NETWORKS FOR ‘LEAK’ KEYWORD
TAIWAN’S PRESIDENT: ‘WHEN AM I GOING TO GET MY WEAPONS?’: House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) is just back from leading a congressional delegation on a trip to the Indo-Pacific region that featured meetings with the presidents of Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.
“So when I meet President Tsai [Ing-wen], her first question is: ‘When am I going to get my weapons?’” McCaul said in an interview with Fox’s Maria Bartiromo on Sunday. “And why is that important? Because the weapons provide the deterrence. The deterrence promotes peace and stops conflict.”
Among the revelations from the recently leaked documents is the U.S. assessment that Taiwan is not prepared to repel a Chinese invasion should it come in the next few years. “The assessments state that Taiwan officials doubt their air defenses can ‘accurately detect missile launches,’ that barely more than half of Taiwan’s aircraft are fully mission capable and that moving the jets to shelters would take at least a week,” reported the Washington Post.
While not commenting directly on the intelligence leak, McCaul agreed Taiwan is not ready. “They have a ways to go. They need the weapons that we promised them we would provide them.”
And while President Joe Biden has given some verbal assurances that the U.S. would come to the aid of Taiwan in the event of an invasion, McCaul said it’s not at all clear how many allies would join the U.S.
“The question is a good one … that is, in the event of a conflict, would those countries stand by Taiwan if the United States decided to defend Taiwan?” McCaul said. “I say that with a big ‘if.’ I don’t know what the American people want to do.”
“But we have to have assurances. We have to start having these conversations now with them that they would allow us to operate out of these bases to provide the deterrence, and also, in the event of an invasion, to push back communist China aggression.”
OPINION: IS CHINA REALLY READY TO CONQUER TAIWAN
The Rundown
Washington Examiner: US helicopter raid leads to ‘probable’ death of ISIS leader
Washington Examiner: Chinese foreign minister pledges not to provide lethal aid to Russia
Washington Examiner: Biden directs Pentagon and intelligence community to ‘secure and limit’ documents after leak
Washington Examiner: Biden tries to contain classified documents leak fallout: ‘Stakes just got higher’
Washington Examiner: Lindsay Graham calls MTG ‘irresponsible’ for comments about US intelligence leaker
Washington Examiner: Reporter’s Notebook: What we’ve learned about the war in Ukraine from the leaked classified documents
Washington Examiner: Discord leaks underline importance and complexity of signals intelligence
Washington Examiner: No indication accused Pentagon leaker sought to be whistleblower
Washington Examiner: Pentagon leak: Jack Teixeira searched classified networks for ‘leak’ keyword
Washington Examiner: Suspect first leaked text of classified docs around December, affidavit says
Washington Examiner: Who is Jack Teixeira, the accused leaker of Pentagon classified documents?
Washington Examiner: Alleged national security document leaker had long wanted to be in military
Washington Examiner: Russia and North Korea assist China by pressuring US Pacific forces
Washington Post: Leaked secret documents detail up to four additional Chinese spy balloons
Washington Post: The military loved Discord for Gen Z recruiting. Then the leaks began.
Washington Post: Taiwan highly vulnerable to Chinese air attack, leaked documents show
Stars and Stripes: Navy Sends Destroyer Through Taiwan Strait Less Than A Week After Chinese Exercises
Washington Post: China Willing To Work With Russia To Maintain Global Security, Defense Minister Says
AP: China Says It Conducted Mid-Course Missile Interception Test
Wall Street Journal: Battle for Ukraine’s Bakhmut Reaches Highest Intensity Yet
AP: Ukraine Awaits U.S. Missile System After Latest Russian Strike
19fortyfive.com: ‘The Elite’: Putin Is Now Using His Best Troops to Wage War in Ukraine
19fortyfive.com: Ukraine Has 40,000 Troop ‘Storm Brigades’ Ready for War
19fortyfive.com: Logistics Could Doom the Mighty F-35 In a War
Air & Space Forces Magazine: After Years of Trying, Air Force Retires First A-10 to the Boneyard
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Why USAF’s New T-7 Trainer Won’t Start Production for 2 More Years
Air Force Times: Air Force Looks to Cut Nearly 50 Percent of Tactical Air Control Party Jobs
Defense News: South Korea to Develop Electronic Warfare Aircraft, Buy Helicopters
Air & Space Forces Magazine: How to Detect Insider Threats: Stopping Leaks in the Digital Age
Defense One: Pentagon Lags on Software-Buying Reforms, GAO Says
Calendar
MONDAY | APRIL 17
8:30 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Enjoying Jet Lag: Resuming In-Person Travel and U.S.-China Relations,” focusing on “the role of in-person travel and direct communication in increasing mutual understanding and stabilizing U.S.-China relations,” with Wang Jisi, founding president of Peking University’s Institute of International and Strategic Studies; Jia Qingguo, former dean of Peking University’s School of International Studies; and Susan Shirk, research professor at the University of California at San Diego https://www.csis.org/events/enjoying-jet-lag
9 a.m. — Washington Post live virtual discussion: “Press Freedom in Russia: The Detention of Vladimir Kara-Murza,” with Evgenia Kara-Murza, advocacy coordinator at the Free Russia Foundation and wife of Vladimir Kara-Murza; and Vadim Prokhorov, defense attorney for Vladimir Kara-Murza https://www.youtube.com/c/WashingtonPostLive
10 a.m. EDT Colorado Springs, Colorado — Space Foundation annual Space Symposium through Thursday, April 20. Full agenda at https://spacesymposium.org/agenda. Register: https://web.cvent.com/event
1 p.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Brookings Institution discussion: “The US Congress and national security,” with Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA); Michael O’Hanlon, senior fellow and director of the Brookings Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology; and Melanie Sisson, fellow at the Brookings Center for Security, Strategy and Technology https://connect.brookings.edu/register-to-watch-us-congress-national-security
6:30 p.m. EDT — Defense One virtual discussion: “Building the ‘Front Door’: How the Space Force is Streamlining Acquisitions,” with Air Force Maj. Phil Duddles, Space Enterprise Consortium program manager; and M.J. Jones, executive acquisition consultant at SAVI LLC https://events.defenseone.com/building-resiliency
5:30 p.m. 1763 N St. NW — The Middle East Institute film screening and discussion of the first episode of the PBS documentary “America and the Taliban,” with Martin Smith, founder of RAIN Media; and Iulia-Sabina Joja, director of MEI’s Black Sea Program https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink
TUESDAY | APRIL 18
TBA 2201 C St. NW — Opening session of State Department’s “18th annual NATO Conference on Arms Control, Disarmament and Weapons of Mass Destruction Non-Proliferation,” with Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman; and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. Livestreamed at https://www.state.gov/
9 a.m. 428-A Russell — Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) holds a Georgia Military Housing Oversight session on the mistreatment of military families living in privatized housing at Fort Gordon, Georgia, with testimony from Assistant Army Secretary for Installations, Energy, and Environment Rachel Jacobson; and Deputy Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Kevin Vereen https://www.facebook.com/SenOssoff
9 a.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Wilson Center Asia Program and the Korean Association of International Studies 2023 U.S.-ROK Policy Forum: “70 Years of the US-ROK Alliance: The Past and the Future,” with Edgard Kagan, National Security Council senior director for East Asia and Oceania https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/70-years-us-rok-alliance
9:30 a.m. 106 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Committee hearing: “The Posture of the Department of the Navy in Review of the Defense Authorization Request for FY2024 and the Future Years Defense Program,” with testimony from Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro; Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday; and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings
9:30 a.m. 2154 Rayburn — House Oversight and Accountability Select Coronavirus Pandemic Subcommittee hearing: “Investigating the Origins of COVID-19, Part 2: China and the Available Intelligence,” with testimony from John Ratcliffe, former director of national intelligence; and David Feith, former deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs https://oversight.house.gov/hearing/investigating-the-origins-of-covid-19
10 a.m. 192 Dirksen — Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing: “A Review of the President’s FY2024 Budget Request for the Air Force and Space Force,” with testimony from Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall; Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Brown, Jr.; and Air Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/hearings
10 a.m. EDT Colorado Springs, Colorado — Space Foundation annual Space Symposium through Thursday, April 20. Full agenda at https://spacesymposium.org/agenda. Register: https://web.cvent.com/event
10:30 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Committee hearing on “U.S. Military Posture and National Security Challenges in the Indo-Pacific Region,” with testimony from Navy Adm. John Aquilino, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command; Army Gen. Paul LaCamera, commander of the United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command/U.S. Forces Korea; and Jedidiah Royal, principal deputy assistant Defense secretary for Indo-Pacific security affairs https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings
10:30 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies International Security Program virtual report launch: “Seven Critical Technologies for Winning the Next War,” with Geof Kahn, senior counselor at Palantir Technologies; Schuyler Moore, chief technology officer at U.S. Central Command; and Emily Harding, deputy director of the CSIS International Security Program https://www.csis.org/events/report-launch
11 a.m. — Washington Post Live virtual discussion: “Investing in American economic competitiveness,” with Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA); and Chris Miller, author of Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology https://www.youtube.com/c/WashingtonPostLive
1 p.m. — Government Executive Media Group virtual discussion: “Empowering Defense through 5G Smart Warehousing: A Dispatch from Sea Air Space,” with Dan Elzie, deputy commander of Marine Force Storage Command; Joseph Damour, director of KPMG; and Michael Flaherty, director of emerging technologies at KPMG https://events.govexec.com/empowering-defense-through-5g
1:30 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Pausing Proliferation: Facing China’s Military Engine Development,” with Cynthia Cook, director of the Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group; retired Air Force Brig. Gen. David Stilwell, former assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs; and Jeremiah “J.J.” Gertler, senior associate (non-resident), Aerospace Security Project https://www.csis.org/events/pausing-proliferation
2 p.m. 2200 Rayburn — House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Indo-Pacific hearing: “Surrounding the Ocean: PRC Influence in the Indian Ocean,” with testimony from Darshana Baruah, fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Jeffrey Payne, research fellow, National Defense University; and Nilanthi Samaranayake, research program director, Center for Naval Analyses https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing/surrounding-the-ocean
2 p.m. 2362-B Rayburn — House Appropriations Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on “FY2024 Request for Navy and Marine Corps Military Construction and Family Housing,” with testimony from Meredith Berger, assistant Navy secretary for energy, installations, and environment; Vice Adm. Ricky Williamson, deputy chief of naval operations for fleet readiness and logistics; and Lt. Gen. Edward Banta, deputy Marine Corps commandant for installations and logistics http://appropriations.house.gov
2:30 p.m. 192 Dirksen — Senate Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing: “A Review of the President’s FY2024 Funding Request for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and for the National Science Foundation,” with testimony from Bill Nelson, NASA administrator; and Sethuraman Panchanathan, National Science Foundation director http://appropriations.senate.gov
2:30 p.m. 232A Russell — Senate Armed Services Airland Subcommittee hearing: “Army Modernization in Review of the Defense Authorization Request for FY2024 and the Future Years Defense Program,” with testimony from Douglas Bush, assistant Army secretary for acquisition, logistics and technology; Gen. James Rainey, commanding Gen. of the Army Futures Command; and Maj. Gen. Michelle Schmidt, director of force development, G-8, at the Army https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings
2:30 p.m. HVC-210, U.S. Capitol — House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee hearing: “Great Power Competition Implications in Africa: The Chinese Communist Party,” with testimony from Rick Waters, China coordinator and deputy assistant secretary of state for China and Taiwan; Amy Holman, deputy assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of African Affairs; and Janean Davis, deputy assistant administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Africa http://foreignaffairs.house.gov
3 p.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee hearing: “FY24 Budget Request for Missile Defense and Missile Defeat Programs,” with testimony from John Hill, deputy assistant secretary of defense for space and missile defense; Vice Adm. Jon Hill, director, Missile Defense Agency; Lt. Gen. Daniel Karbler, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command; and Maj. Gen. David Miller, director of operations, training, and force development, U.S. Space Command https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings
3:30 2212 Rayburn — House Armed Services Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee hearing: “Air Force Projection Forces Aviation Programs and Capabilities Related to the President’s 2024 Budget Request,” with testimony from Andrew Hunter, assistant Air Force secretary for acquisition, technology and logistics; and Lt. Gen. Richard Moore, deputy Air Force chief of staff for plans and programs https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings/spf-hearing-air-force
4:45 p.m. 222 Russell — Senate Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee hearing: “The Department of Energy’s Atomic Energy Defense Activities and Department of Defense Nuclear Weapons Programs in Review of the Defense Authorization Request for FY2024 and Future Years Defense Program,” with testimony from Jill Hruby, National Nuclear Security Administration administrator; William White, senior adviser for environmental management at the Energy Department; Navy Adm. James Caldwell, Jr., deputy administrator for naval reactors at the National Nuclear Security Administration; Marvin Adams, deputy administrator for defense programs at the National Nuclear Security Administration; Gen. Thomas Bussiere, commander of the Air Force Global Strike Command; and Vice Adm. Johnny Wolfe, director of Navy Strategic Systems Programs https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings
5:30 p.m. 1152 15th St. NW — Center for a New American Security discussion on “National Security in the Era of Climate Change,” with Alice Hill, senior fellow for energy and the environment at the Council on Foreign Relations; Paul Angelo, director of the National Defense University’s William Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies; and Jocelyn Trainer, research assistant of the CNAS Energy, Economics, and Security Program https://www.cnas.org/events/make-room-study-session
WEDNESDAY | APRIL 19
7:15 a.m. EDT Stockholm — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin tentative joint press conference with Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson https://www.defense.gov/News/Live-Events/
9 a.m. — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace virtual discussion: “China-EU Relations One Year into the Ukraine War,” with Chan Heng Chee, professor at Singapore University of Technology and Design; Liu Yawei, senior adviser on China at the Carter Center; Paul Haenle, visiting senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore; and Dan Baer, director of CEIP’s Europe Program https://carnegieendowment.org/2023/04/19/china-eu-relations
9 a.m. — Peterson Institute for International Economics virtual discussion: “China, Russia, and transatlantic relations,” with Lithuanian Foreign Affairs Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis https://www.piie.com/events/lithuanias-foreign-minister
9 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW — Atlantic Council discussion: “Italy’s defense posture in light of Russia’s continued war in Ukraine and systemic changes to the European security architecture,” with Italian Chief of Defense Adm. Giuseppe Cavo Dragone https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/a-conversation
9:30 a.m. 222 Russell — Senate Armed Services Cybersecurity Subcommittee hearing: “Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Applications to Enable Cybersecurity,” with Mark Ryland, director of the Amazon Web Services Office of the Chief Information Security Officer; Josh Lospinoso, co-founder and CEO of Shift5; and Daniel Ragsdale, vice president of Department of Defense strategy at Two Six Technologies http://www.armed-services.senate.gov
10 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Committee hearing: “Department of the Army FY2024 Budget Request,” with testimony from Army Chief of Staff Gen. James C. McConville; Army Secretary Christine Wormuth https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings
10 a.m. 2008 Rayburn — House Appropriations Committee Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing: “FY2024 Request for the U.S. Coast Guard,” with testimony from Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan http://appropriations.house.gov
10 a.m. EDT Colorado Springs, Colorado — Space Foundation annual Space Symposium through Thursday, April 20. Full agenda at https://spacesymposium.org/agenda. Register: https://web.cvent.com/event
10:30 a.m. 124 Dirksen — Senate Appropriations Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing: “A Review of the President’s FY2024 Budget Request for Military Construction and Family Housing,” with Brendan Owens, assistant defense secretary for energy, installations, and environment; Vice Adm. Ricky Williamson, deputy chief of naval operations for fleet readiness and logistics; Lt. Gen. Edward Banta, deputy Marine Corps commandant for installations and logistics; Lt. Gen. Kevin Vereen, deputy Army chief of staff; Lt. Gen. Tom Miller, deputy Air Force chief of staff for logistics, engineering, and force protection; and Bruce Hollywood, associate Space Force chief operations officer http://appropriations.senate.gov
10:30 a.m. 232-A Russell — Senate Armed Services Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee hearing: “The Mission, Activities, Oversight, and Budget of the All-Domain Anomaly (UFOs) Resolution Office,” with Sean Kirkpatrick, director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings
10:30 a.m. HVC-210 U.S. Capitol — House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing: “Exposing Putin’s Crimes: Evidence of Russian War Crimes and Other Atrocities in Ukraine,” with testimony from Prosecutor Gen. of Ukraine Andriy Kostin http://foreignaffairs.house.gov
12:30 p.m. 1030 15th St. NW — Atlantic Council discussion: “Unmanned aircraft systems: Lessons for Ukraine and NATO,” with Matthew Kroenig, vice president of the Atlantic Council’s Center for Strategy and Security; and Margarita Konaev, nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Center for Strategy and Security https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/unmanned-aircraft-systems
1 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual book discussion: Security Assistance in the Middle East: Challenges … and the Need for Change, with co-author Hicham Alaoui, founder and director of the Hicham Alaoui Foundation; and co-author Robert Springborg, research fellow at the Italian Institute of International Affairs https://www.csis.org/events/security-assistance-middle-east-conversation
2:30 p.m. 232-A Russell — Senate Armed Services Readiness and Management Support Subcommittee hearing: “Military Construction, Energy, Installations, Environmental, and Base Closure Programs in Review of the Defense Authorization Request for FY2024 and the Future Years Defense Program,” with Brendan Owens, assistant defense secretary for energy, installations, and environment; Rachel Jacobson, assistant Army secretary for installations, energy, and environment; Meredith Berger, assistant Navy secretary for energy, installations, and environment; Ravi Chaudhary, assistant Air Force secretary for energy, installations, and environment; and Elizabeth Field, director of defense capabilities and management at the Government Accountability Office https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings
3 p.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee hearing on “FY2024 Rotary Wing Aviation Budget Request,” with testimony from Douglas Bush, assistant Army secretary for acquisition, logistics, and technology, Maj. Gen. Michael “Mac” McCurry, commanding general, U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence; Frederick “Jay” Stefany; and acting assistant Army secretary for research, development, and acquisition; Rear Adm. Andrew Loiselle, director, Air Warfare Division, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations; and Lt. Gen. Michael Cederholm, deputy Marine Corps commandant for aviation https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings/tal-hearing
3 p.m. — Advanced Nuclear Weapons Alliance Deterrence Center virtual forum: “Strategic Nuclear Threats from U.S. Adversaries,” with Anthony Cordesman, emeritus chair in strategy, Center for Strategic and International Studies; Adam Lowther, director, Strategic Deterrence Programs, National Strategic Research Institute; Evan Montgomery, senior fellow and director, research and studies, Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments; and John Swegle, former senior advisory scientist, Savannah River National Laboratory https://www.eventbrite.com/e/strategic-nuclear-threats
3:30 p.m. 2212 Rayburn — House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee hearing: “Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Request for Military Readiness,” with testimony from Gen. Randy George, vice chief of staff of the Army; Adm. Lisa Franchetti, vice chief of naval operations; Gen. Eric Smith, assistant Marine Corps commandant; Gen. David Allvin, Air Force vice chief of staff https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings/rdy-hearing
QUOTE OF THE DAY “Like most people, I don’t understand why a 21-year-old national guardsman had access to some of the most highly kept secrets in the United States, and in particular, finished products from the Joint Staff or finished products from the CIA operations center.” Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, interviewed on Fox News Friday.