‘Everything is burning’: Cluster bombs rain down on Russian troops in Ukraine
Jamie McIntyre
‘EVERYTHING IS BURNING’: United States-provided cluster munitions made their debut on the battlefields of Ukraine this week, with Ukrainian commanders reporting they are making a difference as efforts continue to break through Russian defenses.
“We have gotten some initial feedback from the Ukrainians, and they’re using them quite effectively,’ NSC spokesman John Kirby said in a White House briefing. “They’re using them appropriately … and they are actually having an impact on Russia’s defensive formations and Russia’s defensive maneuvering.”
Intercepted messages posted on Twitter by a pro-Ukrainian media platform indicate the controversial weapons are having a psychological impact on entrenched front-line Russian troops. “At the moment, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are demolishing our positions in the Bakhmut direction with cluster munitions,” one message says. “The counter-battery fight does not work. Everything is burning all around. The men are holding on, waiting for aviation. The General Staff has not yet handed over cluster bombs and rockets with cluster munitions to our guys for answers. It remains only to believe in our guys and our pilots.”
Kirby described the current level of fighting as “pretty vicious,” and said Ukraine admits its counteroffensive is “not going as far or as fast on a daily basis as they would like.”
“There is an awful lot of contact between the forces all along that front, all the way from Bakhmut, where Ukrainians are trying to encircle the city … down to Zaporizhzhia and even Kherson, [where] the Ukrainians are continuing to try to probe and to find a way to break through the Russian defenses.”
“Standing in their way are sometimes three-deep Russian lines of defense, and, of course, some significant minefields. It is difficult to go through a minefield … when you’re being shelled, which the Ukrainians are.”
UKRAINE UTILIZING US-PROVIDED CLUSTER MUNITIONS IN BATTLE
PRIORITY ON ‘FOUR As,’ NOT F-16s: In a separate interview on Fox News, Kirby said that U.S. F-16s will likely join the battle by the end of the year, but quickly added, “It’s not our assessment that the F-16s alone would be enough to turn the tide here.”
“What they really need are the four As: artillery, ammunition, air defense, and armor tanks,” he said. “And on all four of those, we have provided an extraordinary amount of support at, quite frankly, unprecedented speed.”
“That’s why the president made a difficult decision to provide cluster munitions as a bridging solution, as we build up our production capacity of normal, conventional artillery rounds. That’s what they’re firing, thousands of them a day. It’s really a gunfight.”
“Defense is the stronger form of war. So, we knew this was going to be a tough slog for the Ukrainians. And it has turned out to be that,” Kirby added.
FALSE FLAG WARNING: As Russia refused to extend the Black Sea grain deal, it issued an ominous threat to all ships going in or out of Ukrainian seaports. “With the Black Sea Grain Initiative expired, all vessels heading for Ukrainian ports via the Black Sea will be regarded as potential carriers of military cargo” subject to attack by Russian warships.
“It’s important to remind them and the whole world that civilian ships in the Black Sea, in this case, would be doing nothing more than trying to get food to people that need food,” said Kirby. “And there’d be no basis whatsoever, no legal basis for an attack on a civilian ship.”
Kirby said the U.S. has declassified intelligence indicating Russia may attempt to create a “false flag” incident, citing a video Russia put out “detonating a mine, claiming it was Ukrainian. We have no evidence that, in fact, it was.”
“We had other information, too, that the Russians were going to try to create an environment where there would be an attack on civilian shipping so that they could blame it on the Ukrainians,” Kirby said. “It’s entirely possible that this video that he put out was a precursor to establishing that false flag justification and blaming it on Ukraine.”
Ukraine issued its own warning to Russia, parroting the language of the Russian declaration. “Ministry of Defense of Ukraine warns that from 00:00 July 21, 2023, all vessels heading through the waters of the Black Sea in the direction of seaports of the Russian Federation and Ukrainian seaports located on the territory of Ukraine that is temporarily occupied by Russia may be considered by Ukraine as carrying military cargo with all the associated risks.”
It ended with the warning, “The fate of the cruiser ‘Moscow’ proves that the Defense Forces of Ukraine have the necessary means to repel Russian aggression at sea.”
WHITE HOUSE WARNS OF POSSIBLE RUSSIAN FALSE FLAG AGAINST CIVILIAN SHIPS IN BLACK SEA
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NOMINATIONS ADVANCE, BUT SOME REMAINED STALLED: The Senate Armed Services Committee approved, by unanimous voice vote, a list of 2,699 military nominations in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force.
This list includes 19 general officer and flag officer promotions that are still subject to holds by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) as he shows no inclination to compromise over his objection to the Pentagon’s policy facilitating travel for servicewomen who need to travel to obtain legal abortions or other reproductive services.
The committee approved Air Force Gen. C. Q. Brown to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Gen. Randy George to be chief of staff of the Army, and sent them to the floor, where their fate remains uncertain.
“Senator Tuberville is holding up military nominations not because of their qualifications, but because he disagrees with the DOD policy,” said Sabrina Singh, deputy Pentagon spokeswoman. “This unprecedented hold directly impacts readiness and our national security.”
SENATE APPROPRIATORS BEGIN MARKING UP SPENDING BILLS ABOVE DEBT CEILING CAPS
TUBERVILLE: POLICY IS ‘RADICAL, EXTREME, DOWNRIGHT WRONG’: In remarks on the Senate floor, Tuberville called a private briefing the Pentagon leaders gave members of the Armed Services Committee this week “a complete debacle” and said he had no intention of ending his blockade of more than 250 senior officer promotions.
“To be clear, the DoD has the authority to perform abortions in cases of rape, incest, and life of the mother. That was passed on this floor in 1984,” Tuberville said. “Now, what we’re talking about with this new policy that no one in this building voted on is taxpayer funding for elective late-term abortions. This is radical. It’s extreme. It’s downright wrong.”
“Democrat’s media machine is throwing the kitchen sink at this hold. Doesn’t bother me,” he said. “The more Joe Biden attacks me, the more I’m convinced that I’m doing the right thing.”
Tuberville is insisting the Pentagon rescind the policy, and then if it wants to reinstate it, the Senate should vote on whether to permit it. A stand-alone bill would have little chance of getting the necessary 60 votes.
MARINES TO GULF REGION: Under orders from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the U.S. Central Command is sending a Marine Expeditionary Unit, which includes amphibious ships and small aircraft carriers with F-35s, to the Persian Gulf region in response to recent attempts by Iran to seize commercial ships.
“In the past two years, Iran has attacked, seized, or attempted seizure of nearly 20 internationally flagged merchant vessels in the CENTCOM area of operations,” the U.S. military said in a statement.
The dispatch of Marines and their aviation assets comes after the U.S. already sent land-based F-35s and F-16s, along with a guided missile destroyer, to the region.
“These significant new rotational deployments are part of the military buildup that the Department of Defense started in May in response to Iranian maritime aggression,” said Bradley Bowman, senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “ It is noteworthy that Iranian naval forces seeking to illicitly seize commercial vessels tend to think twice when the U.S. military shows up.”
“These additional forces provide unique capabilities, which alongside our partners nations in the region, further safeguard the free flow of international commerce and uphold the rules-based international order, and deter Iranian destabilizing activities in the region,” said Gen. Erik Kurilla, commander, U.S. Central Command.
WATCHDOG: SEVEN AFGHANISTAN LESSONS APPLICABLE TO UKRAINE: In response to a request from four members of Congress, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction has provided a list of lessons learned from 20 years in Afghanistan that should be considered as the U.S. and other nations assist war-torn Ukraine in rebuilding in the years ahead.
The office of SIGAR is the independent Pentagon watchdog that oversees how money is spent and seeks to identify waste and fraud. Here are the seven key implications for Ukraine:
Rebuilding Ukraine will require patience and a long-term strategy. The failed reconstruction effort in Afghanistan serves as a stark reminder of the critical importance of donor coordination, particularly in a conflict setting. In a little more than a year, U.S. appropriations for the Ukraine response nearly equaled the amount the U.S. spent rebuilding Afghanistan between 2002 and 2015 — and the amount spent in Afghanistan over those 14 years was so high it was impossible to ensure it was used appropriately and effectively. Corruption in Ukraine is likely to be a significant obstacle to the country’s recovery. The security and justice sectors in Ukraine have a history of predation that may worsen with an influx of recovery aid. Over the course of two decades in Afghanistan, the United States spent an average of $375 million each month on security assistance. By comparison, the U.S. is currently spending $2.5 billion each month, nearly seven times the average monthly amount it spent in Afghanistan, on security assistance in Ukraine. Because the U.S. government is rapidly spending a massive amount of money on assistance in Ukraine, there is a potential for the same failings in monitoring and evaluation that occurred in Afghanistan.
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The Rundown
Washington Examiner: Senate appropriators begin marking up spending bills above debt ceiling caps
Washington Examiner: White House warns of possible Russian false flag against civilian ships in Black Sea
Washington Examiner: Ukraine utilizing US-provided cluster munitions in battle
Washington Examiner: Ukrainian weapon used to damage Crimea bridge remains a mystery
Washington Examiner: Mayorkas: ‘China bears responsibility’ for US fentanyl epidemic
Washington Examiner: US unsuccessfully reaches out to North Korea through ‘multiple channels’ over soldier
Washington Examiner: Chinese consulate damaged by Russian missile strike
Washington Examiner: Pentagon official backs effort to prevent adversaries from buying US land
Washington Examiner: Senate approves legislation to ban SPR sales to China
Washington Examiner: After tilting toward Russia in Ukraine war, Turkey may be turning back to the West
AP: By pulling out of the Ukrainian grain deal, Russia risks alienating its few remaining partners
AP: Propaganda tool? Bargaining chip? What North Korea may have in mind for Travis King
Wall Street Journal: U.S. Envoy To China Hacked In Spying Operation
New York Times: China’s Hacking of Government Email Was Traditional Espionage, Official Says
Washington Times: CIA Rebuilding Spy Networks In China A Decade After Losing Agents, Director Reveals
NBC News: Chinese Spy Balloon Exposed Gaps in US Ability to Detect Threats, NORAD Commander Says
USNI News: Eastern European Navies Expand As Russian Occupation Of Ukraine Drags On
Washington Post: Iraq orders expulsion of Swedish ambassador over Quran controversy
AP: Why does Sweden allow Quran burnings? Like much of West, it has no blasphemy laws
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Breaking Defense: Lockheed Secures $221M Army Deal for High-Powered Air Defense Laser Prototype
Defense Scoop: US Military Tests New Smartphone App That Could Help Shoot Down Drones
19fortyfive.com: Electronic Warfare: Is the U.S. Military Falling Behind?
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Space News: Space Force Using Anduril Software to Integrate US Space Surveillance Sensors
Air & Space Forces Magazine: So Long, JSTARS: One of the Last E-8s Hits the Highway for its Final Destination
AP: Former Trump State Department official convicted for attacking police during Capitol riot
Real Clear World: Uzbekistan’s Recent Election Is an Advance in Its Political Development
Long War Journal: AFRICOM launches ‘self-defense’ airstrikes against Shabaab in Somalia
The Cipher Brief: What Impact Has Prigozhin’s Mutiny Really Had on Putin?
19fortyfive.com: How Putin Keeps ‘Taking the World Hostage’ with Nuclear War Threats
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The Cipher Brief: Manila’s Envoy to Beijing Weighs-In on Recent U.S.-China Tensions
Calendar
FRIDAY | JULY 21
9 a.m. 201 Waterfront St., National Harbor, Maryland — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association and the Intelligence and National Security Alliance Intelligence and National Security Summit, with Julian Gewirtz, deputy coordinator for China global affairs at the State Department; Rear Adm. Thomas Henderschedt, intelligence director, J2, at the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command; Lt. Gen. Robert “Bob” Ashley Jr., CEO of Ashley Global Leadership and Security and former deputy chief of staff for intelligence, G2, at the Army; Aastha Verma, chief of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s Cybersecurity Division; Rachel Grunspan, AI lead for the intelligence community in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence; Lakshmi Raman, CIA director of artificial intelligence innovation; and Jason Wang, technical director of the National Security Agency’s Computer and Analytic Sciences Research Group; and Jon Finer, deputy national security adviser https://www.insaonline.org/detail-pages/event
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies in-person and virtual event: “Acquisition for Decision Advantage: The Role of the CDAO in Scaling Software Solutions,” with Margie Palmieri, deputy chief digital and artificial intelligence officer, Department of Defense; and Cynthia Cook, director, Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group, and senior fellow, International Security Program https://www.csis.org/events/acquisition-decision-advantage
10 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies call-in press briefing to preview the 2023 Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations, with Charles Edel, CSIS Australia chair; James Carouso, CSIS senior adviser; Lavina Lee, CSIS nonresident adjunct fellow; and Mick Ryan, CSIS nonresident adjunct fellow. RSVP: Paige Montfort, [email protected]
10:30 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Brookings Institution discussion: “U.S. Alliances and Partnerships in the Indo-Pacific,” with Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs; and Ely Ratner, assistant defense secretary for Indo-Pacific security affairs https://www.brookings.edu/events/a-conversation
10:50 a.m. Aspen, Colorado — Aspen Institute 2023 Aspen Security Forum, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken; Senate Foreign Relations ranking member James Risch (R-ID); Sen. Christopher Coons (D-DE); Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX); Canadian Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland; Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK); Navy Vice Adm. Frank “Trey” Whitworth, director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; Bonnie Jenkins, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security; former Defense Secretary Mark Esper; and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan https://aspeninstitute.wufoo.com/forms
TUESDAY | JULY 25
9 a.m. 601 13th St. NW — Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress in-person discussion: “Russia, Ukraine, and the Future of European Security,” with retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, former commanding general of U.S. Army Europe and senior adviser, Human Rights First; and Joshua Huminski, director, Mike Rogers Center for Intelligence and Global Affairs. RSVP: [email protected]
9 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies in-person and virtual event: “The Dangers of Premature Peace Plans in the Russo-Ukrainian War,” with Keir Giles, senior consulting fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program, Chatham House; Sam Greene, director, democratic resilience, Center for European Policy Analysis; Liana Fix, fellow for Europe, David Rockefeller Studies Program, Council on Foreign Relations; and moderator Max Bergmann, director, Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program and Stuart Center, CSIS https://www.csis.org/events/dangers-premature-peace-plans-russo-ukrainian-war
2 p.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Brookings Institution in-person and virtual discussion: “; “Lost and broken: Reflections on mental health, health care, and the US armed forces,” with Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), ranking member, House Armed Services Committee, and moderator Michael O’Hanlon, senior fellow and director, Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology, Brookings https://www.brookings.edu/events/lost-and-broken-rep-adam-smith
WEDNESDAY | JULY 26
9 a.m. 216 Hart — Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the nominations of Air Force Lt. Gen. Gregory M. Guillot to be commander of the U.S. Northern Command and commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command; and Space Force Lt. Gen. Stephen N. Whiting to be commander of the U.S. Space Command https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings
10 a.m. 2141 Rayburn — House Judiciary Committee hearing: “Oversight of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security,” with testimony from Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas https://judiciary.house.gov/committee-activity/hearings
10 a.m. 2154 Rayburn — House Oversight and Accountability National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee hearing: “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Implications on National Security, Public Safety, and Government Transparency” https://oversight.house.gov/hearing/unidentified-anomalous-phenomena
1 p.m. 2154 Rayburn — House Oversight and Accountability Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation Subcommittee hearing: “Getting Nowhere: DoD’s Failure to Replace the Defense Travel System,” with testimony from Jeff Register, director of the Special Operations Division, Defense Human Resources Activity in the Office of the Defense Undersecretary for Personnel & Readiness; and Elizabeth Field, director of defense capabilities and management at the Government Accountability Office https://oversight.house.gov/hearing/getting-nowhere
2 p.m. 310 Cannon — House Homeland Security Border Security and Enforcement Subcommittee and Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence Subcommittee hearing: “The Real Cost of an Open Border: How Americans are Paying the Price” http://homeland.house.gov
4 p.m. 106 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee hearing: “Potential Budgetary Efficiencies Achieved Through Improvement To Management And Planning Processes Within Defense Department Personnel Programs,” with testimony from Michael Roark, deputy inspector general, evaluations component, Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General; David Mosher, assistant director for national security, Congressional Budget Office; and Elizabeth Field, director, Defense Capabilities and Management, Government Accountability Office https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings
7 p.m. 390 Cannon — House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party hearing: “Commanding Heights: Ensuring U.S. Leadership in the Critical and Emerging Technologies of the 21st Century,” with testimony from Josh Wolfe, co-founder and managing partner, Lux Capital; William Evanina, former director, National Counterintelligence and Security Center and CEO of The Evanina Group; and Lindsay Gorman, senior fellow for emerging technologies, German Marshall Fund https://selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/committee
THURSDAY | JULY 27
10 a.m. HVC-210 — House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability hearing: “A Failure to Plan: Examining the Biden Administration’s Preparation for the Afghanistan Withdrawal,” with testimony from retired Col. Seth Krummrich, vice president, Global Guardian, former chief of staff, Special Operations Command Central; and Command Sgt. Maj. Jacob Smith https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/press-release
10:30 a.m. 106 Dirksen — Senate Appropriations Committee markup of the “Defense Appropriations Act” https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/hearings
1:30 p.m. The Center for the National Interest virtual discussion: “The U.S. Push for Saudi-Israel Normalization,” with Jonathan Lord, senior fellow and director, Middle East Security program, Center for a New American Security; Firas Maksad, senior fellow and director of strategic outreach at the Middle East Institute; and Greg Priddy, senior fellow, Middle East at the Center https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register
2 p.m. 2253 Rayburn — House Transportation and Infrastructure Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee hearing: “Review of the Recapitalization of the United States Coast Guard Surface, Air, IT, and Shoreside Assets” https://transportation.house.gov/calendar/
QUOTE OF THE DAY “What we’re seeing is a military buildup second to none, at the speed and rate at which it’s being delivered … And it’s not just hypersonic missiles, it’s all capabilities. It’s capabilities in the maritime environment, in the air domain, in space, hypersonics, and missile capability … They continue to develop absolutely, to include their nuclear capability, the largest buildup that we’ve seen, the fastest buildup in history.” Adm. John Aquilino, commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, speaking at the Aspen Security Forum this week on China’s rapidly growing military power.