ANOTHER VICTORY AT SEA: As Ukrainian ground forces are facing challenging times, Ukraine’s drone war against Russian ships in the Black Sea continues to rack up victories. A video posted by Ukraine’s Defense Ministry shows a drone’s-eye view of the attack on the Russian patrol ship Sergey Kotov, which apparently sank after being hit with multiple Magura V5 “uncrewed vessels.”
The Sergey Kotov is a patrol ship armed with cruise missiles and reportedly carrying a crew of around 60. But the overnight sinking of the Russian warship near the Kerch Strait comes as Ukrainian troops are defending against a series of ground offensives, in which Russian forces are attempting to press their advantage while Ukraine’s ammunition reserves are depleted.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s strategy, according to White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, is to try to force Ukraine to burn through its remaining ammunition stocks before the United States and other allies can resupply the front-line troops.
“He’s throwing a hell of a lot of metal into the air so that he can get the Ukrainians to fire back at it and defend themselves because he knows they’re working their way through inventory right now,” Kirby told reporters in a teleconference Monday. “He’s certainly taking advantage of what he’s seeing happen on Capitol Hill. And the dysfunction in our own system up there on Capitol Hill is definitely giving him an opportunity to place his own military positions at greater advantage.”
MEDVEDEV: ‘UKRAINE CERTAINLY IS RUSSIA’: If there was any doubt about whether Putin is giving up on his maximalist ambitions to conquer all of Ukraine, one only need listen to the lecture former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev gave at the Russian World Youth Festival yesterday.
Medvedev, who serves as deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia and is Putin’s chief hatchet man on social media, stood in front of a huge map that depicted almost all of Ukraine, except for Kyiv, as Russian territory and declared that Ukrainians will only prosper under Russian rule.
“One of the former Ukrainian leaders once said that Ukraine was not Russia,” Medvedev told the audience at the Kremlin-organized event. “This concept must disappear forever. Ukraine certainly is Russia.”
“The map shows Ukraine existing as a rump state only within the borders of Kyiv Oblast and the rest of modern-day Ukraine as part of Russia — well beyond the areas that Russian forces currently occupy, and the four oblasts Russia has illegally annexed,” said the Institute for the Study of War in its latest analysis. “The fact that Medvedev reused a map from 2022 underscores that the Kremlin’s maximalist territorial objectives have remained unchanged since the beginning months of the war.”
HERTLING: ‘THIS IS CRIMINAL’: “He’s not stopping,” Kirby told reporters yesterday. “He’s got Avdiivka. And over the last few days, he’s taken a couple other towns and villages to the west of Avdiivka. He’s moving forward against Ukrainian defensive lines, defensive lines that they are having a harder time defending and holding because they’re not getting the support from the United States that they have been counting on.”
“So it’s way past time for us to get that national security supplemental passed, way past time for us to start restocking Ukrainian shelves so that they can better defend themselves,” Kirby said.
“Ukraine is certainly being pushed back because of that breakage of almost four months in their supply chains, and it’s very difficult for them to continue with their fighting as they have over the last two years,” retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, former commander of U.S. Army Europe, said on CNN. “Once you have a supply chain breakage — and I’ve experienced this in combat — it’s exponentially more difficult to establish all the momentum in logistics support.”
“I’m now hearing the GOP saying, hey, they’re putting a plan together that they may vote on at the end of March or early April. And my response to that is you’ve got to be kidding me,” Hertling said. “This is criminal what the GOP is doing in terms of delaying arms to one of our partners. And it’s only going to increase the deaths and the potential for civilian deaths due to President Putin’s continued criminal activities and commission of war crimes.”
GERMANY’S SCHOLZ FACES FALLOUT OVER EMBARRASSING UKRAINE LEAK
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HAPPENING TODAY: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin meets with Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas at the Pentagon at 10:30 a.m.
Yesterday Austin met with Slovakian Defense Minister Robert Kalinak and stressed the importance of continuing to “strengthen Ukraine’s defenses and to reinforce NATO’s Eastern flank.” Austin also spoke by phone with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. “Secretary Austin reiterated that the United States and our coalition of some 50 Allies and partners will continue to support Ukraine in its ongoing fight against Russian aggression,” the Pentagon said in a readout. “The two leaders agreed on the urgent need to pass President Biden’s bipartisan National Security Supplemental and pledged to remain in close contact.”
TEIXEIRA FACES LONG PRISON TERM: Jack Teixeira, the 22-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman who admitted posting some of the nation’s most sensitive secrets on the social media platform Discord, has pleaded guilty to six violations of the Espionage Act. Teixeira has agreed to a plea deal that could see him spend at least 11, and possibly the next 16, years in prison.
He “callously disregarded the national security of the United States, and he betrayed his solemn oath to defend the country and the trust of the American people that he swore to protect. Being entrusted with the security clearance carries the responsibility to be a good steward of our nation’s most sensitive information,” said Matt Olsen, the assistant attorney general for national security at the Department of Justice. “And whether someone embodies this duty by handing classified information directly to a foreign adversary or by willfully posting such information online for all to see, the national security consequences are severe.”
Sentencing is scheduled for September at U.S. federal court in Boston.
AIR FORCE EMPLOYEE CHARGED WITH SHARING CLASSIFIED INFORMATION WITH WOMAN HE MET ON DATING SITE
UNDERWATER CABLES CUT: Three underwater cables that provide internet and telecommunications around the world have been cut in the Red Sea, the Associated Press reported. It’s not clear how the cables were severed, but the disruption comes as Houthi forces in Yemen continue their attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The cut lines include Asia-Africa-Europe 1, the Europe India Gateway, and Seacom and TGN-Gulf, the Associated Press reported, citing Hong Kong-based HGC Global Communications as saying the cuts are affecting 25% of the traffic flowing through the Red Sea.
In its latest “Red Sea Update,” the U.S. Central Command said the Houthis fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles targeting the M/V MSC SKY II, a Liberian-flagged, Swiss-owned container vessel.
“One of the missiles impacted the vessel causing damage,” according to a CENTCOM release. “Initial reports indicate there were no injuries; the ship did not request assistance and continued on its way.”
The U.S. responded by conducting “self-defense strikes” against two anti-ship cruise missiles “that presented an imminent threat,” according to CENTCOM. “These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for merchant and U.S. Navy vessels.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: Israel agreed to ceasefire deal, Hamas hasn’t yet: US
Washington Examiner: UN: ‘Convincing’ evidence Hamas committed sexual violence against hostages
Washington Examiner: US aid airdrop into Gaza highlights divides between Israel and Biden administration
Washington Examiner: Benny Gantz confronts reports he’s in US against Benjamin Netanyahu’s wishes
Washington Examiner: Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira pleads guilty, and prosecutors seek 16-year sentence
Washington Examiner: Air Force employee charged with sharing classified information with woman he met on dating site
Washington Examiner: Texas building military base to house thousands of National Guard members at border
Washington Examiner: Germany’s Scholz faces fallout over embarrassing Ukraine leak
Washington Examiner: Bob Good leads House GOP on resolution condemning calls for Israel ceasefire in Gaza
Washington Examiner: Russia could ‘overmatch’ NATO forces, allies fear
Washington Examiner: Opinion: Germany must not dance to Russian intelligence’s Taurus waltz
Washington Examiner: Opinion: GOP leadership hopefuls forget John McCain and form a ‘swamp’ alliance with Kari Lake
Reuters: China Drops ‘Peaceful Reunification’ Reference To Taiwan; Raises Defence Spending By 7.2%
AP: What you should know from the opening of China’s legislature
New York Times: Harris Presses Top Israeli Official For A Pause In Fighting
Washington Post: Harris takes the spotlight in calling out Israel over Gaza
AP: Israel escalates its criticism of a UN agency in Gaza. It says 450 of its workers are militants
New York Times: A Shift In Russian Tactics Intensifies Air War In Ukraine
AP: A look at Taurus missiles, the weapon at the heart of a leaked audio and Russian-German tensions
Reuters: Ships Entering Yemeni Waters Must Obtain Permit, Houthi Minister Says
Navy Times: How The Navy’s Current Red Sea Clashes Parallel The 1980s
Defense News: The Pentagon’s Budget Season Is Approaching. Experts Say Buckle Up.
Military.com: When Will Ospreys Fly Again? That’s Still a Question Mark After Defense Secretary Briefing.
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Deploys Live Hypersonic ARRW Missile to Guam
Defense News: Drones, Robotic Tech Pose Threat to US Nuclear Security, General Says
Breaking Defense: Iran Shows Off Naval Guns, Missiles, and UAV Named ‘Gaza’ at Qatari Defense Show
Air & Space Forces Magazine: In Brunei, USAF F-35s Are First 5th-Gen Fighters to Land on Island Nation
SpaceNews: Space Force Eyes Smaller, Cheaper GPS Satellites to Augment Constellation
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Space Force Gives Boeing $439 Million Contract For New SATCOM Satellite
Defense One: AFWERX’s Private-Sector Collab Program Abruptly Closes Up Shop
Air Force Times: Here’s How the Air Force’s New Task Forces Will Reshape Deployments
The Cipher Brief: China’s New State Security Rules Spark Fears Among Foreign Business
The Cipher Brief: Can the Gaza War End with Hamas Leaders at Large and Netanyahu in Power?
The Cipher Brief: Opinion: An Open Letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson
THE CALENDAR:
TUESDAY | MARCH 5
8 a.m. 7920 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, Virginia — Potomac Officers Club 2024 Space Summit with Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander, U.S. Space Command, and Derek Tournear, director of the Air Force Space Development Agency https://potomacofficersclub.com/events/poc-2024-space-summit
9:20 a.m. Tysons Corner, Virginia — GovExec OpenText Government Summit with David McKeown, Pentagon senior information security officer and deputy chief information officer for cybersecurity https://events.govexec.com/opentext-government-summit
10 a.m. — Hudson Institute virtual discussion: “When Deterrence Fails: The Iranian Proxy Threat in the Middle East,” with Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) https://www.hudson.org/events/when-deterrence-fails
10 a.m. — Wilson Center’s Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy virtual book discussion: North Korea and the Geopolitics of Development with author Kevin Gray, professor in international relations at the University of Sussex; Jenny Town, senior fellow at the Stimson Center; Andrew Yeo, chairman in Korea studies at the Brookings Institution’s Center for East Asia Policy Studies; and Kayla Orta, senior associate at the Wilson Center’s Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/north-korea
1 p.m. — Air and Space Forces Association virtual discussion with Col. Raj Agrawal, commander of space delta 2-space domain awareness and space battle management at the Peterson Space Force Base’s Space Operations Command https://www.afa.org/events/air-space-warfighters-in-action-col-raj-agrawal/
2 p.m. — Rand Corporation discussion: “U.S. Armed Forces in the Arctic Understanding Operating Capabilities in a Challenging Region,” with Coast Guard Deputy Commandant for Operations Vice Adm. Peter Gautier; Abbie Tingstad, visiting Arctic research professor at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy; Stephanie Pezard, director of the Rand Associate Research Department; Yuliya Shokh, Rand technical analyst; Scott Stephenson, professor of policy analysis at the Pardee Rand Graduate School; and Scott Savitz, professor of policy analyst at the Pardee Rand Graduate School http://tinyurl.com/mr3sjdjb
2 p.m. 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace discussion: “Making Sense of U.S. Policy Amid North Korea’s Strategic Shift,” with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Jung Pak; Evan Feigenbaum, CEIP vice president of studies; and Darcie Draudt-Vejares, fellow at the CEIP Asia Program https://carnegieendowment.org/2024/03/05/making-sense-of-u.s.-policy
3:30 p.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee hearing: “Army Aviation Rebalancing and the Path Ahead,” with testimony from Douglas Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics, and technology; Gen. James Rainey, commanding general of the Army Futures Command; Maj. Gen. Michael McCurry, commanding general of the Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Novosel; and Brig. Gen. David Phillips, program executive officer in the Army’s Program Executive Office Aviation https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings/tal-hearing-army-aviation
4:30 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group, CSIS Australia Chair, CSIS International Security Program and Australian Defence Department virtual discussion: “Strengthening Australia-U.S. Defence Industrial Cooperation,” with Hugh Jeffrey, deputy secretary of strategy, policy, and industry, Australian Defense Department; Cynthia Cook, director, CSIS Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group and senior fellow for the CSIS International Security Program; and Charles Edel, CSIS senior adviser and CSIS Australia chairman https://www.csis.org/events/strengthening-australia-us-defence
WEDNESDAY | MARCH 6
9 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute in-person and virtual discussion: “Growing Expectations for the U.S.-Japan Alliance,” with former Japanese National Security Adviser Shigeru Kitamura; Marine Corps Brig. Gen. James Wellons, assistant deputy commandant for programs and headquarters; Sugio Takahashi, director of policy studies at the Japan National Institute for Defense Studies; and Kenneth Weinstein, Japan chairman at the Hudson Institute https://www.hudson.org/events/growing-expectations-us-japan-alliance
10 a.m. 1000 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Cato Institute book discussion: The Internationalists: The Fight to Restore American Foreign Policy After Trump, with former acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller; author Alex Ward, national security reporter at Politico; Emma Ashford, senior fellow at the Stimson Center; and Justin Logan, director of defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute https://www.cato.org/events/internationalists
10 a.m. 1501 Langston Blvd, Arlington, Virginia — Air and Space Forces Association discussion: “How the Department of the Air Force is reoptimizing for great power competition, and the role operational readiness will play in that effort,” with Ravi Chaudhary, assistant secretary of the Air Force for energy, installations, and environment, and retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Doug Raaberg, AFA executive vice president https://www.afa.org/events/air-space-warfighters-in-action
12 p.m. — Association of the U.S. Army “Noon Report” webinar: “Rebuilding the Army Reserve: Ready Now, Shaping Tomorrow,” with Command Sgt. Maj. Andrew Lombardo, the U.S. Army Reserve’s senior enlisted leader https://www.ausa.org/events/noon-report/csm-lombardo
3:30 p.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee hearing: “Army Aviation Rebalancing and the Path Ahead,” with testimony from Douglas Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics, and technology; Gen. James Rainey, commanding general of the Army Futures Command; Maj. Gen. Michael McCurry, commanding general of the Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Novosel; and Brig. Gen. David Phillips, program executive officer in the Army’s Program Executive Office Aviation https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings/tal-hearing-army-aviation
4 p.m. 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace discussion: “Evaluating the West’s Ukraine Strategy in 2024,” with Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna https://carnegieendowment.org/2024/03/07/evaluating-west-s-ukraine-strategy
THURSDAY | MARCH 7
9 a.m. HVC-210, U.S. Capitol — House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party hearing: “Growing Stakes: The Bioeconomy and American National Security” https://selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov
12:30 p.m. — Atlantic Council virtual discussion: “Special operations forces in an era of strategic competition,” with Christopher Maier, assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low intensity conflict https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/special-operations-forces
2 p.m. 2141 Rayburn — House Judiciary Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee hearing: “Presidential Power to Secure the Border” https://judiciary.house.gov/committee-activity/hearings
9:30 p.m. — Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) the Republican address to the nation following the president’s State of the Union address.