$6 BILLION FOR THE FUTURE: The last time the Ukraine Defense Contact Group met, the United States had little new to offer in aid to Ukraine, its hands tied by the gridlock in Congress. Now flush with $6 billion in emergency funds from the bipartisan foreign assistance package passed this week and signed into law by President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will tout an immediate infusion of $1 billion in weapons and ammunition from U.S. stocks already en route to Ukraine, along with orders for future weapons funded under the newly replenished Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.
The Associated Press, Bloomberg and Politico all reported the $6 billion figure last night, along with the expectation it would be announced today.
During a visit to Poland this week, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged a package of arms worth $620 million to Ukraine and promised to increase overall U.K. defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by the end of the decade to meet the challenge posed by Russia.
Austin is scheduled to make remarks opening the virtual meeting of the contract group’s countries at 8 a.m., which will be livestreamed on the Pentagon website. After the meeting, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. will join Austin to brief reporters at the Pentagon.
ZELENSKY: ‘PROBLEMS HAVE ACCUMULATED OVER THE PAST SIX MONTHS’: While critical aid to Ukraine was blocked by a faction of Republicans in Congress, Ukraine saw its fortunes fade on the battlefield. Russia capitalized on Ukraine’s desperate shortage of artillery shells and air defense to pound Ukrainian positions mercilessly, using 1,000- and 2,000-pound glide bombs to level cities and air-launching missiles to cripple the country’s energy production by destroying every thermal power plant in Kharkiv.
“We are preparing for tomorrow’s meeting and will discuss, among other things, how to overcome the difficulties and problems that have accumulated over the past six months while we have been waiting for decisions on American support,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly video address. “Politically, we have already achieved the support. Now we need to work on filling the packages with the necessary weapons and ensuring logistics.”
In an interview with Fox News, Zelensky continued to express frustration that the U.S. and its allies won’t do for Ukraine what they did for Israel: mount a full-fledged defense of the skies to protect long-suffering Ukrainians.
“Give us this air defense to defend our people. I’m speaking about civilians. I’m not speaking about our soldiers. But we need support for soldiers also,” Zelensky told Greg Palkot, Fox News senior foreign affairs correspondent. “We saw real effect when all the alliance [had] been together and defended Israel people after big, huge, massive missile attack of Iran. We saw it, and that’s why I think it’s — if we want to be real allies, Ukraine and Western countries, they have to show the same on our territory.”
“If our allies have possibilities — and we saw it in the case of Israel this possibility — so if our allies have this possibility to secure us, to close our sky, the question is not why. The question is when,” he said.
MISSILE DEFENSE PROVES ITS METTLE IN THE SKIES OVER ISRAEL AND UKRAINE
RUSSIA CONTINUES TO PRESS ITS ADVANTAGE: The six-month pause in U.S. aid to Ukraine has breathed new life into the Russian military campaign. The latest British intelligence update noted that the Russian forces west of Avdiivka, a town Russia captured over the winter after flattening it, are now advancing and have “created a narrow salient further into Ukrainian territory to enter the town of Ocheretyne.”
The intelligence report identified the Donetsk area as one of the primary areas of Russian occupation and noted that “despite sustaining continued high losses it’s highly likely that [Russian ground forces] are able to continually target Ukrainian positions in the area and have taken control of several small settlements.”
“Russian forces have committed roughly a reinforced division’s worth of combat power to the frontline northwest of Avdiivka and appear to be attempting to widen their penetration of the Ukrainian defense in the area following significant advances into Ocheretyne (northwest of Avdiivka),” the Institute for the Study of War said in its overnight assessment.
Russia has its eye on a bigger prize, Chasiv Yar, which constitutes strategic high ground. “Russian pressure on Chasiv Yar is more significant. Russian forces currently on the eastern outskirts of Chasiv Yar have been intensifying efforts to seize the city since March,” the ISW said. “Russian forces do pose a credible threat of seizing Chasiv Yar, although they may not be able to do so rapidly.”
UKRAINE ‘CAN AND WILL PREVAIL’ IN WAR WITH RUSSIA, WHITE HOUSE SAYS
Good Friday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Stacey Dec. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email and we’ll add you to our list. And be sure to follow me on Threads and/or on X @jamiejmcintyre
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP OR READ BACK ISSUES OF DAILY ON DEFENSE
HAPPENING TODAY: It wasn’t a certainty, but Secretary of State Antony Blinken did secure a face-to-face meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping today in Beijing as he wraps up a three-day fence-mending trip to China.
“I had an in-depth and substantive meeting today with People’s Republic of China Director Wang Yi,” Blinken posted on X. “As part of our effort to responsibly manage competition, we discussed areas of difference, in addition to areas of shared interest — like counternarcotics — where we can build on progress to deliver benefits for both our peoples.”
Blinken met with both Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong before his session with Xi.
“We are committed to maintaining and strengthening lines of communication between us” so that the two sides can prevent “any miscommunications, any misperceptions, and any miscalculations,” Blinken said.
“Overall, the China-U.S. relationship is beginning to stabilize,” Wang told Blinken before they met. “But at the same time, the negative factors in the relationship are still increasing and building, and the relationship is facing all kinds of disruptions.”
CHINA’S MILITARY ‘MOVING AT BREATHTAKING SPEED IN SPACE,’ US WARNS
US BEGINS BUILDING GAZA PIER: The Pentagon has confirmed that construction of a floating pier off the coast of Gaza has begun, with the arrival of Army ship USNS Benavidez. At the same time, Israel said “terrorists” shot mortars at a humanitarian work site toward the pier, which is intended to facilitate humanitarian aid to Gaza by way of a maritime corridor.
“We’re aware of reports that a small number of mortars landed in the vicinity of the marshaling yard area for humanitarian assistance that will eventually be the delivery site that this pier will support,” Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said at yesterday’s Pentagon briefing. “The temporary pier and the causeway, those are being constructed offshore, out at sea … essentially nowhere near mortar range. It’s important also to highlight that this occurred before any U.S. forces, you know, have started moving anything. There’ll be no U.S. forces on the ground.”
“Work on the maritime corridor is progressing along the expected timeline,” a senior administration official told reporters yesterday. “We are on track to begin delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza from the sea in early May.”
Despite the Pentagon playing down the threat to U.S. troops, former Defense Secretary Mark Esper said he thinks the risk is greater than the military admits.
“I think it is a very big vulnerability. I’m not sure we’ve worked out all the issues,” Esper said on CNN, where he is a paid contributor. “You’re talking about 1,000 service members or so constructing this pier. This pier is going to be relatively narrow, but it’s going to stretch up to 1,800 feet out into the Mediterranean in order to connect the floating pier to the vessels that will be offloading cargo a little bit further away.”
“So they’re quite open to both direct fire, think about rifles and machine guns, but indirect fire, which are mortars and artillery,” Esper said. “And, of course, you could shoot mortars and artillery from miles and miles away without attribution and cause harm to U.S. forces, kill service members. If not that, you could destroy the pier quite easily and certainly disrupt operations.”
“Nothing we do is risk-free,” Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Charles Q. Brown said during an appearance at Georgetown University yesterday. “I feel strongly that it will be protected. … That doesn’t mean it won’t potentially have some threat against it, but it’s something we are focused on.”
US MILITARY BEGINS CONSTRUCTION OF GAZA HUMANITARIAN AID PIER
US DEPARTS NIGER AND CHAD: Although it hasn’t given up, the Pentagon said the U.S. military will be withdrawing most of its counterterrorism troops from the West African nations of Niger and Chad, at least for now.
In Niger, discussions have begun to plan for the “orderly withdrawal” of some 1,100 U.S. forces, Ryder told reporters yesterday, adding it’s “a safe bet” that all the U.S. forces will end up leaving.
“As talks continue with Chadian officials, USAFRICOM is currently planning to reposition some U.S. military forces from Chad, a portion of which were already scheduled to depart,” Ryder said. “This is a temporary step as part of an ongoing review of our security cooperation, which will resume after Chad’s May 6 presidential election.”
The U.S. has about 100 troops in Chad. “The bottom line is that we will continue to monitor threats throughout the Sahel in order to protect our personnel, our assets, and our interests, as well as the welfare of our partners,” Ryder said. “We’re going to continue to explore options, understanding that this is an important national security interest and a vital mission.”
INDUSTRY WATCH: Huntington Ingalls Industries’s Newport News Shipbuilding division has delivered a new Virginia-class fast-attack submarine, the USS New Jersey (SSN 796), to the U.S. Navy.
It’s the 11th Virginia-class submarine delivered by HII’s shipbuilding division and the 23rd built as part of a joint agreement with General Dynamics Electric Boat. The New Jersey was christened in November 2021 and is expected to be commissioned later this year.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: Macron touts France’s nuclear weapons to back support for Ukraine
Washington Examiner: US military begins construction of Gaza humanitarian aid pier
Washington Examiner: US, UK, and Canada sanction Iranian drone network
Washington Examiner: Biden and other world leaders demand Hamas release hostages
Washington Examiner: Can Germany, Austria, and Switzerland stay neutral amid rising Sino-Russian threats?
Washington Examiner: Ukraine ‘can and will prevail’ in war with Russia, White House says
Washington Examiner: Missile defense proves its mettle in the skies over Israel and Ukraine
Washington Examiner: US seeks to ‘reassure’ allies they don’t need nuclear weapons
Washington Examiner: China’s military ‘moving at breathtaking speed in space,’ US warns
Washington Examiner: Philippines planning ‘maritime law enforcement’ against China with US and allies
Washington Examiner: Republicans cheer tough police response to UT Austin protest: ‘Don’t mess with Texas’
Washington Examiner: House plans vote on campus antisemitism bill as anti-Israel protests spread
Washington Examiner: White House ignores Johnson’s call to send in National Guard to Columbia University
Washington Examiner: Johnson works to turn down House temperature as rebels weigh revolt
Washington Examiner: White House employs Mitch McConnell for latest attack line against Trump
Washington Examiner: Opinion: Can Germany, Austria, and Switzerland stay neutral amid rising Sino-Russian threats?
Bloomberg: Austin to Announce Up to $6 Billion Arms Commitment to Ukraine
Politico: US Preparing to Announce $6B in Weapons Contracts for Ukraine
Reuters: US and allies aim to help Ukraine bolster defenses after aid gap
New York Times: Ukraine Could Use New Weapons to Hit Russian Targets In Crimea, Pentagon Says
AP: Ukraine Pulls US-Provided Abrams Tanks from The Front Lines Over Russian Drone Threats
The Guardian: Poland and Lithuania pledge to help Kyiv repatriate Ukrainians subject to military draft
Defense Scoop: US to Give Israel $1.2B for Iron Beam Laser Weapon
New York Times: NATO Puts on a Show of Force in the Shadow of Russia’s War
Breaking Defense: Russia Vetoes US-Japan Resolution Against Nukes in Space, ‘Unprecedented Escalation’ in UN Fight
AP: Putin Announces Plans to Visit China In May
The War Zones: Ukrainian Fighter Jets ‘Using iPads’ To Control Western Weapons
Reuters: ByteDance prefers TikTok shutdown in US if legal options fail, sources say
Breaking Defense: Sullivan: Defense Industry ‘Still Underestimating’ Global Need for Munitions
Bloomberg: Pentagon’s Top Tester to Abstain From Assessing Lockheed Weapons
Defense One: Pentagon Canceled Northrop’s Classified Satellite Program Due to ‘Budgetary Concerns’
Inside Defense: Without FY24 Funding for Multiyear Procurement, AMRAAM Enters Single-Year Buying Strategy
Washington Post: Mortar Attack on Gaza Coast Spotlights Risk to US Pier Mission
AP: US to Pull Troops from Chad and Niger as the African Nations Question Its Counterterrorism Role
The Guardian: Senior Democrat calls for arrests of ‘leftwing fascists’ urging Gaza ceasefire
Military.com: Economic Hardship Bonuses for Enlisted Troops? Clock Is Ticking on Pentagon Decision.
Air & Space Forces Magazine: ‘Interchangeable Almost:’ NATO Air Deputy Pushes Even Deeper Integration
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Want to Be a Warrant Officer? Air Force Opens Up Applications Until May 31
THE CALENDAR:
FRIDAY | APRIL 26
8 a.m. — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin delivers opening remarks at a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group https://www.defense.gov/News/Live-Events
9:35 a.m. Berlin — Joint news conference with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz Livestream at https://www.nato.int
12:30 p.m. — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. brief reporters at the Pentagon following a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group https://www.defense.gov/News/Live-Events
MONDAY | APRIL 29
9:30 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “The Future of the Indo-Pacific with the Coast Guard Commandant,” with Adm. Linda Fagan, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard; and Seth Jones, senior vice president, and director, CSIS International Security Program https://www.csis.org/events/future-indo-pacific-coast-guard-commandant
2 p.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Brookings Institution Governance Studies program and Count Every Hero in-person and virtual panel discussion: “The recent surge in non-federal National Guard deployments and what that means for the U.S. military and the 2024 elections,” with Scott Anderson, fellow, governance studies and general counsel and senior editor, Lawfare; Kyle Miller, Pennsylvania policy strategist, Protect Democracy; retired Gen. Craig McKinley, U.S. Air Force; 26th chief of the National Guard Bureau; Paul Stockton, former assistant secretary of defense, homeland security; retired Gen. Joseph Lengyel, U.S. Air Force; 28th chief of the National Guard Bureau; retired Maj. Gen. Daryl Bohac, U.S. Air Force, former adjutant general of Nebraska, and immediate past president of the Adjutants General Association of the U.S.; and retired Brig. Gen. Allyson Solomon, U.S. Air Force, former assistant adjutant general of Maryland https://www.brookings.edu/events/domestic-deployment-of-the-national-guard
TUESDAY | APRIL 30
9 a.m. — Hudson Institute virtual discussion: “Northern Europe, NATO, and the War in Ukraine: A Conversation,” with Lithuanian Minister of Defense Laurynas Kasciunas; Peter Rough, senior fellow and director, Center on Europe and Eurasia; and Tomas Janeliunas, visiting fellow, Center on Europe and Eurasia https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-conversation
10 a.m. 192 Dirksen — Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing: “A Review of the President’s FY2025 Budget Request for the Army, with testimony from Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George; and Army Secretary Christine Wormuth http://appropriations.senate.gov
10 a.m. H-140, U.S. Capitol — House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing: “FY2025 Request for the National Guard and Reserves Forces, with testimony from Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau; Lt. Gen. Jody Daniels, chief of Army Reserve and commanding general of the U.S. Army Reserve Command; Vice Adm. John Mustin, chief of Navy Reserve; Lt. Gen. Leonard Anderson IV, commander of Marine Forces Reserve; and Lt. Gen. John Healy, chief of Air Force Reserve http://appropriations.house.gov
10 a.m. H-140, U.S. Capitol — House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing: “FY2025 Request for the United States Air Force and Space Force, with testimony from Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall; Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin; and Space Force Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations http://appropriations.house.gov
10 a.m. 2200 Rayburn — House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing: “Roundtable — Americans Detained Abroad, with testimony from Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX); Debra Tice, mother of Autin Tice; Maryem Kamalmaz, wife of Majd Kamalmaz; Anna Corbette, wife of Ryan Corbett; and Yuki Gambaryan, wife of Tigran Gambaryan http://foreignaffairs.house.gov
2:30 p.m. 232-A Russell — Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee hearing: “The Department of Defense’s efforts to ensure servicemembers’ access to safe, high-quality pharmaceuticals”, with testimony from Assistant Defense Secretary for Health Affairs Lester Martinez-Lopez; David Smith, deputy assistant Defense secretary for health readiness policy and oversight; Matthew Beebe, director of acquisition (J7) at the Defense Logistics Agency; and Melissa Barber, postdoctoral fellow at the Yale Law School and Yale School of Medicine and affiliate at the Yale Collaboration for Regulatory Rigor, Integrity and Transparency http://www.armed-services.senate.gov
2:30 p.m. 419 Dirksen — Senate Foreign Relations East Asia, the Pacific and International Cybersecurity Policy Subcommittee hearing: “U.S. Policy on Taiwan,” with testimony from Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink http://foreign.senate.gov
WEDNESDAY | MAY 1
10 a.m. 2362-A Rayburn — House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing: “FY2025 Request for the United States Coast Guard,” with testimony from Coast Guard Commandant Linda Fagan http://appropriations.house.gov
10:30 a.m. 124 Dirksen — Senate Appropriations Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing: “A Review of the FY2025 Budget Request for Military Construction and Family Housing,” with testimony from Assistant Defense Secretary for Energy, Installations, and Environment Brendan Owens; Vice Adm. Jeffrey Jablon, deputy chief of naval operations for installations and logistics at the Navy; Deputy Marine Corps Commandant Installations and Logistics Lt. Gen. Edward Banta; and Lt. Gen. Kevin Vereen, deputy chief of staff for installations (G-9) at the Army; Lt. Gen. Tom Miller, deputy chief of staff for logistics, engineering, and force protection at the Air Force; and Bruce Hollywood, associate chief operations officer at the Space Force http://appropriations.senate.gov
2 p.m. 2362-A Rayburn — House Appropriations Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing: “FY2025 Request for the United States Army,” with testimony from Rachel Jacobson, assistant secretary of the Army for installations, energy and environment; and Lt. Gen. Kevin Vereen, deputy chief of staff (G9), Installation Management Command http://appropriations.house.gov
2 p.m. 2172 Rayburn — House Foreign Affairs Indo-Pacific Subcommittee hearing: “From 1979 to 2024: Evaluating the Taiwan Relations Act and Assessing the Future of U.S.-Taiwan Relations,” with testimony from Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink http://foreignaffairs.house.gov
2 p.m. 232-A Russell — Senate Armed Services Readiness and Management Support Subcommittee hearing: “The current readiness of the Joint Force” http://www.armed-services.senate.gov
4:30 p.m. 222 Russell — Senate Armed Services Seapower Subcommittee hearing: “Navy and Marine Corps investment programs in review of the Defense Authorization Request for FY2025 and the Future Years Defense Program” http://www.armed-services.senate.gov
WEDNESDAY | MAY 8
4 p.m. 1789 Massachusetts Ave. NW — American Enterprise Institute in-person virtual discussion: “True North: The Future of US-Canada Relations, with Jonathan Berkshire Miller, director, foreign affairs, national defense and national security, Macdonald-Laurier Institute; Balkan Devlen, director, transatlantic program, Macdonald-Laurier Institute; and Colin Dueck, nonresident senior fellow, American Enterprise Institute https://www.aei.org/events/true-north-the-future-of-us-canada-relations