VANCE ON UKRAINE: TRUMP WILL ‘BRING THIS THING TO A RAPID CLOSE’: Former President Donald Trump’s selection of Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) to be his running mate foreshadows that bottomless U.S. aid to Ukraine is just months away from bottoming out.
During his Trump-endorsed campaign for Senate in Ohio, Vance famously opined, “I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another. He considers Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a puppet of the Biden administration and the war in Ukraine a lost cause, views also espoused by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In a speech at the Munich Security Conference in February, Vance laid out his view that America has neither the money nor the industrial capacity to continue to prop up Ukraine in a war that has no end in sight, arguing against sending further aid to Ukraine. “I have to be honest to you, that is not going to fundamentally change the reality on the battlefield,” Vance said.
Last night, in an appearance on Fox News following his formal nomination to be vice president, Vance told host Sean Hannity that further aid to Ukraine would just be throwing good money after bad. “We have now spent $200 billion. What’s the goal? What are we trying to accomplish? Is there a risk of escalation into nuclear war? Because there is when you have a buffoon running foreign policy, and we have got a lot of them right now in Washington, D.C.”
“I think what President Trump has promised to do is go in there, negotiate with the Russians and Ukrainians, bring this thing to a rapid close, so that America can focus on the real issue, which is China,” Vance said. “That’s the biggest threat to our country. And we’re completely distracted from it.”
ZELENSKY: 6-MONTH DELAY MEANT UKRAINE ‘LOST THE INITIATIVE’: In his first news conference since returning to Ukraine after the NATO conference in Washington, Zelensky touted the results of his intensive lobbying for continued support, which he said “encompasses everything from money to weaponry, from humanitarian aid to reconstruction, cybersecurity, air defense, and more,” valued at $38 billion.
But Zelesnky also said Ukraine needs much more, it’s going to regain the momentum lost while House Republicans blocked military assistance for six months, allowing Russia to gain the upper hand on the front lines. While he secured the promise of five more air defense systems, he said Ukraine needs at least 25 Patriot missile batteries to defend critical infrastructure, including the energy grid, which has been degraded by about 50% over the past year.
He is also pressing for more than the 20 F-16s, which are scheduled to be delivered in two waves, one this summer and a second by the end of the year.
Regarding the prospect of a Trump election, which could curtail or end U.S. aid to Ukraine, Zelensky said, “I am not afraid,” expressing his belief that the majority of Republicans in Congress remain steadfast in their belief that Ukraine must prevail in its war with Russia.
O’BRIEN: BIDEN ‘ALWAYS A HALF-STEP TOO LATE’: At an event on the sidelines of the Republican National Convention, Robert O’Brien, one of Trump’s former national security advisers, placed the blame for Ukraine’s current predicament on President Joe Biden’s delays early on as he feared escalation with Russia.
“We’ve been too little, too late with all the weapons we’ve given to Zelensky,” O’Brien said during an event sponsored by CNN and Politico. “Every time the Ukrainians were on the verge of winning and getting their territory back — we prevented them from getting Polish MiGs; I was talking about the Polish foreign minister. They were prepared early in the war to give them MiGs. We said no. F-16s, they came too little, too late.”
“I applaud the Biden folks for giving Ukraine aid, but it’s always been a half-step too late,” he added.
O’Brien argued that Trump will pursue a “muscular, tough foreign policy” that won’t disappoint wary European allies and will project certainty in the face of Russian and Chinese aggression,” according to Politico, but avoided weighing in on the question of whether Biden should restrictions on the use of U.S. weapons to strike deeper into Russian territory.
US ‘TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE’ ON UKRAINE AID, TRUMP’S EX-NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER SAYS
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HAPPENING TODAY: The Republican National Convention heads into its second day, with Donald Trump and J.D. Vance being nominated last night for president and vice president, respectively. Vance is scheduled to speak tomorrow night, and Trump will give his formal acceptance speech Thursday night.
Tonight’s headliner is a last-minute addition, Nikki Haley, the former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina governor who was Trump’s last-standing primary rival, and who only agreed to speak on his behalf after Saturday’s attempt on his life.
Trump received an energetic standing ovation as he entered the arena with a bandage on his right ear, with the crowd at one point waving their fists in the air chanting, “Fight, Fight, Fight,” mimicking Trump’s response on the stage in the moments after a bullet winged him.
Tonight’s agenda was initially set to focus on immigration and border security, but expect to hear many mentions of Trump’s show of strength following his brush with death.
SOUTHERN BORDER ARRESTS DROP IN JUNE TO LOWEST EVER UNDER BIDEN
BIDEN: IT WAS A MISTAKE TO USE THE WORD’: In an interview that aired last night, President Joe Biden said he regretted his choice of words when, in a private call with donors last week, he said it was “time to put Trump in the bullseye.”
“What I guess I was talking about at the time was there was very little focus on Trump’s agenda,” Biden told NBC’s Lester Holt. “Yeah, the term was “bullseye,” Holt pointed out.
“It was a mistake to use the word. I didn’t mean — I didn’t say ‘cross-hairs.’ I meant ‘bullseye.’ I meant focus on him. Focus on what he’s doing. Focus on his policies. Focus on the number of lies he told in the debate.”
When Holt turned to the subject of who Biden listens to on the question of whether he should stay in the race, Biden replied, “Me.”
“Look, I’ve been doing this a long time. The idea that I’m the old guy, I am. I’m old. But I’m only three years older than Trump, No. 1. And No. 2, my mental acuity’s been pretty damn good,” Biden said.
“I’ve gotten more done than any president has in a long, long time in three and a half years. So I’m willing to be judged on that. I understand. I understand why people say, “God, he’s 81 years old. Whoa. What’s he gonna be when he’s 83 years old, or 84 years?” It’s a legitimate question to ask.”
BIDEN ADMITS ‘MISTAKE’ IN USING THE WORD ‘BULLSEYE’ WHILE TALKING ABOUT TRUMP
STARTLING NEW DETAILS ON SECURITY AT TRUMP RALLY: Citing a local law enforcement officer in Butler, Pennsylvania, CBS News is reporting that the building that Thomas Matthew Crooks used as the perch for his rooftop firing position to target Trump was occupied at the time by a police sniper team, who actually saw Crooks outside and looking up at the roof.
Crooks disappeared but then came back. “At that point, one of the snipers took a picture of him. Crooks took out a rangefinder, and the sniper radioed to the command post. Crooks disappeared again and then came back a third time with a backpack. The snipers called in with information that he had a backpack and said he was walking towards the back of the building,” the report said. “By the time other officers came for backup, he had climbed on top of the building and was positioned above and behind the snipers inside the building,” the officer told CBS.
As the FBI and Congress open investigations into the security lapses that allowed Crooks to take a kill shot at Trump, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas conceded in an interview on CNN that Crooks should never have had a clear line of sight to the former president.
“When I say that something like this cannot happen, we are speaking of a failure,” Mayorcas said. “We are going to analyze, through an independent review, how that occurred, why it occurred, and make recommendations and findings to make sure it doesn’t happen again. I couldn’t be clearer.”
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: US ‘too little, too late’ on Ukraine aid, Trump’s ex-national security adviser says
Washington Examiner: NATO allies decided to craft Russia strategy with next US president in mind
Washington Examiner: Opinion: Europe can’t ‘Trump-proof’ NATO on the cheap
Washington Examiner: Judge dismisses Trump classified documents case
Washington Examiner: Congress launches bipartisan investigations into Trump assassination attempt
Washington Examiner: House Oversight issues sweeping records request to Secret Service ahead of hearing
Washington Examiner: Gunman should never have had ‘direct line of sight’ to Trump: Mayorkas
Washington Examiner: Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle won’t resign after Trump assassination attempt
Washington Examiner: Secret Service director no longer appearing at security conference following Trump assassination attempt
Washington Examiner: FBI has conducted nearly 100 interviews since Trump assassination attempt
Washington Examiner: FBI gains access to Trump shooter’s phone
Washington Examiner: Biden admits ‘mistake’ in using the word ‘bullseye’ while talking about Trump
Washington Examiner: Biden extends Secret Service detail to RFK Jr. following Trump assassination attempt
Washington Examiner: Bennie Thompson defends bill that could have dropped Trump Secret Service detail
Washington Examiner: Opinion: Trump assassination attempt: Secret Service critiques vary between the justified and the ignorant
Washington Examiner: Netanyahu says he could be targeted for Trump-style assassination attempt
Washington Examiner: Israel delayed strike on Hamas commander’s compound hoping for more senior leader: Report
Washington Examiner: Southern border arrests drop in June to lowest ever under Biden
Washington Examiner: Biden gets testy when pressed on debate performance
Washington Examiner: ‘I’m tired of the neocons’: Republicans embrace Trump-Vance turn on foreign policy
Washington Examiner: Opinion: Russia gives China another lesson on how to hunt US submarines
New York Times: Ukraine Battles to Contain Russian Advances Across the Front
Aviation Week: Taiwan Optimistic It Will Get 66 F-16s from US by 2026
Breaking Defense: UK Promises ‘New Era’ of Defense with Launch of Strategic Review
New York Times: Taiwan’s Blunt-Talking Leader Faces China’s Backlash
AP: A North Korean diplomat in Cuba defected to South Korea in November, Seoul says
AP: Signs of trouble at Trump rally were evident in minutes before gunman opened fire
AP: Two Suspected Attacks By Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Strike Ships In The Red Sea
Air & Space Forces Magazine: USAF ‘Absolutely Committed’ to Keep Minuteman Going While Sentinel Is Delayed
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Space Force Appoints First Ever Foreign Officer for Command Staff
Air & Space Forces Magazine: New Report: Pilot Error, Overbearing Supervisor Caused MQ-9 Crash
SpaceNews: US Nuclear Command Satellites Need Hardening Against Attacks, Report Warns
The Cipher Brief: Assassination Attempt on Trump Could Fuel FBI’s Biggest Fear: Terrorism
The Cipher Brief: After Trump Shooting, A Dangerous Flood of Disinformation The Cipher Brief: Israel’s Fragile North and the Art of ‘Intelligence’ Diplomacy
THE CALENDAR:
TUESDAY | JULY 16
10 a.m. — D-Fend Solutions virtual discussion: “Small Drones – Big Impact: Protecting Our Airspace Before the Big One Hits,” with retired Air Force Col. Dawn Zoldi https://tinyurl.com/5fja25ms
10:30 a.m. Eastern time Milwaukee, Wisconsin — American Jewish Committee discussion: “Israel and the Path to Peace.” https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ajc-at-the-2024-political-conventions
1:00 p.m. — Hudson Institute in-person and virtual discussion: “Leading in the Cyber Competition with China,” with Israel Soong, director, East Asia and Pacific cyber policy, National Security Council; and Miles Yu, senior fellow and director, China Center https://www.hudson.org/events/leading-cyber-competition-china
3 p.m. Eastern time Grand Hall, Milwaukee, Wisconsin — European Union discussion: “Transatlantic Approaches to China: Meeting the Major Challenge of the 21st Century: RVVP: [email protected]
2 p.m. — U.S. Institute of Peace discussion: “Why Peace Remains Elusive on the Korean Peninsula: Reassessing the U.S. Approach to North Korea 70 Years After the 1954 Geneva Conference,” with Mark Tokola, vice president of the Korea Economic Institute of America; retired, Lt. Gen. Dan Leaf, former deputy command of U.S. Pacific Command; and Frank Aum, USIP Northeast Asia senior expert https://www.usip.org/events/why-peace-remains-elusive
4 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual and in-person book discussion: The New Cold War: How the Contest Between the US and China Will Shape Our Century, with author Sir Robin Niblett, distinguished fellow, Chatham House; and John Hamre, CSIS President and CEO, and Langone Chair in American Leadership https://www.csis.org/events/new-cold-war-conversation-sir-robin-niblett
5 p.m. Eastern time Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin — Republican National Committee holds 2024 Republican National Convention
7 p.m. Aspen, Colorado — Aspen Institute annual Aspen Security Forum,with U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns; Singaporean Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen; Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, former homeland security and counterterrorism adviser to President Obama; and Homeland Security Adviser Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall https://www.aspensecurityforum.org/2024-asf
WEDNESDAY | JULY 17
3 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies International Security Program virtual discussion: “The Importance of National Resilience: Implications for Taiwan,” with CSIS experts: Seth Jones, senior vice president; Harold Brown chair; and director, International Security Program; Bonny Lin, director, China Power Project and Senior Fellow, Asian Security; Daniel Byman, senior fellow, Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program; and Jude Blanchette, Freeman chair in China Studies, CSIS https://www.csis.org/events/importance-national-resilience-implications-taiwan
4 p.m. Aspen, Colorado — 2024 Aspen Security Forum in-person and virtual discussion: “The Next Gen Industrial Base,” with Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander, U.S. Space Command: Lt. Gen. Jeff Kruse, director, Defense Intelligence Agency; and Doug Beck, director, Defense Innovation Unit. aspeninstitute.wufoo.com/forms
4 p.m. — Franciscan Action Network virtual discussion: “Nuclear Weapons: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You,” with James Acton, co-director of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Nuclear Policy Program; Ira Helfand, member of steering group of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons; and Maylene Hughes, regional grassroots organizing and policy coordinator at Physicians for Social Responsibility in Los Angeles https://franciscanactionnetwork.salsalabs.org/nuclearweaponswebinar
6:45 p.m. Eastern time Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin — Republican National Committee holds the 2024 Republican National Convention, with Donald Trump Jr. delivering remarks
8 p.m. — Jews United for Democracy virtual discussion: “Defining Success in Ukraine and Gaza,” with Richard Haass, former State Department director of policy planning and former president of the Council on Foreign Relations; and Patt Morrison, columnist for the Los Angeles Times https://www.jewsunitedfordemocracy.org/event
THURSDAY | JULY 18
9 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “How Does the Taiwan Public View the U.S. and China?” with James Lee, assistant research fellow at Academia Sinica’s Institute of European and American Studies; Wen-Chin Wu, research fellow at Academic Sinica’s Institute of Political Science; Hsin-Hsin Pan, associate professor of sociology at Soochow University; and Chien-Huei Wu, research fellow at Academia Sinica’s Institute of European and American Studies https://www.csis.org/events/how-does-taiwan-public-view-us-and-china
11:10 a.m. Aspen, Colorado — 2024 Aspen Security Forum in-person and virtual discussion: “NATO, Europe, and Ukraine, with Gen. Christopher Cavoli, supreme allied commander Europe and commander, U.S. European Command https://aspeninstitute.wufoo.com/forms
12:30 p.m. Aspen, Colorado — 2024 Aspen Security Forum in-person and virtual discussion: “Resiliency and National Security,” with Army Secretary Christine Wormuth https://aspeninstitute.wufoo.com/forms
1:05 p.m. Aspen, Colorado — 2024 Aspen Security Forum in-person and virtual fireside chat with Gen. Laura Richardson, commander, U.S. Southern Command https://aspeninstitute.wufoo.com/forms
6:45 p.m. Eastern time Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin — Republican National Committee holds the 2024 Republican National Convention, with Former President Donald Trump delivering remarks
FRIDAY | JULY 19
9 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion: “U.S.-China relation,” with U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns https://www.csis.org/events/fireside-discussion-us-ambassador-china-nicholas-burns
10:30 a.m. — Center for a New American Security virtual discussion: “Adapting NATO’s Nuclear Posture to Current Threats,” with Vipin Narang, acting assistant defense secretary for space policy; and Stacie Pettyjohn, director of the CNAS Defense Program https://www.cnas.org/events/virtual-event-adapting-natos-nuclear-posture
TUESDAY | JULY 23
6:30 a.m. 2425 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Virginia — Association of the U.S. Army “Coffee Series” in-person event with Lt. Gen. Sean Gainey, commanding general of U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command https://www.ausa.org/events/coffee-series/ltg-gainey
WEDNESDAY | JULY 24
11:30 a.m. — Washington Post Live virtual discussion: “Cyber landscape, terrorism threat and transnational repression,” with Matthew Olsen, assistant attorney general for national security https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live/2024/07/24/matt-olsen
2 p.m. House Chamber — Joint meeting of the House and Senate to receive an address from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu