PUTIN: HOW DARE THEY: In a meeting with his top security and defense officials, Russian President Vladimir Putin put on a display of faux outrage at Ukraine’s audacity in invading and taking over a chunk of Russian territory larger than New York City.
“It seems the opponent is aiming to strengthen their negotiating position for the future. However, what kind of negotiations can we have with those who indiscriminately attack civilians and civilian infrastructure, or pose threats to nuclear power facilities? What is there to discuss with such parties?” Putin said at the start of the meeting, according to the official Kremlin transcript. “These actions clearly aim to achieve a primary military objective: to halt the advance of our forces in their effort to fully liberate the territories of the Lugansk and Donetsk people’s republics, the Novorossiya region.”
Putin maintained the Ukrainian offensive, which surprised and embarrassed Moscow, was having little effect on his war effort and was doomed to failure. “The pace of offensive operations by the Russian Armed Forces, volunteers, and veterans has not only remained steady but has actually increased by fifty percent. Our troops are advancing along the entire front,” Putin said. “The leaders of the Kyiv regime are not only perpetrating crimes against the Russian people but are also, in effect, pursuing the destruction of their own citizens, the Ukrainian people, whom they evidently no longer view as their own.”
“The casualties among the Ukrainian armed forces are rising sharply, including among their most effective units and divisions, which are being redeployed to our borders,” Putin asserted. Meanwhile, Russia’s state-controlled RT network claimed more than 1,300 Ukrainian troops had been “lost” in the operation. “The adversary will undoubtedly face a strong response, and all the objectives we have set will certainly be achieved,” Putin insisted.
PUTIN: UKRAINE RAID INTO RUSSIA COULD EXPAND BEYOND KURSK REGION
ZELENSKY: ‘RUSSIA BROUGHT WAR TO OTHERS, AND NOW IT IS COMING HOME:’ In a video shared on social media, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could be seen walking briskly into a meeting with his war Cabinet and receiving an update on the week-old surprise attack into Russia from his top commander Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi.
“We continue to conduct an operation in the Kursk region. Currently we have about 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles)under our control,” Syrskyi could seen seen reporting via a video hookup. “The forces are fulfilling their tasks. Fighting is taking place virtually along the entire front. The situation is under our control,” he said.
It was the first official confirmation of the Kursk incursion, which has seen Ukraine capture more territory in a week than Russia was able to gain with its costly offensive along Ukraine’s eastern front. In his nightly video address, Zelensky compared the successful invasion to the 2000 Kursk submarine disaster, in which all 118 Russian crew members perished, including 23 survivors of the initial torpedo explosion, who waited at the bottom of the sea for a rescue that never came.
“We see how Russia really moves in the times of Putin. Twenty-four years ago, there was the Kursk disaster, the symbolic beginning of his rule. And now we can see what the end for him is, and it is also Kursk —the disaster of his war,” Zelesnky said. “Russia brought war to others, and now it is coming home.”
GRAHAM AND BLUMENTHAL: KURSK CAMPAIGN ‘BOLD, BRILLIANT AND BEAUTIFUL’: Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CN) had a private meeting with Zelensky in Kyiv yesterday and afterward urged increased military support for Ukraine, and pledged to introduce a bipartisan bill to codify the bilateral security agreement with Ukraine reached by the Biden administration.
“What do I think about Kursk? Bold, brilliant and beautiful. Keep it up,” Graham said at a press availability. “Putin started this. Kick his ass.”
In a joint statement, both senators called on the Biden administration “to lift restrictions on weapons provided by the United States so they can strike the Russian invaders more effectively.”
“Let these people fight. Give them weapons to fight a war they can’t afford to lose,” Graham said.
“Additionally, President Zelensky told us both that he would be looking to supplement his Air Force by establishing a program to enlist retired NATO F-16 fighter pilots,” the statement said. “We support this effort. Ukraine is already fielding units of freedom fighters on the ground, and this volunteer force should be replicated in the air.”
UN NUCLEAR CHIEF WORRIED UKRAINE’S RAID WILL ENDANGER RUSSIA’S KURSK NUCLEAR PLANT
Good Tuesday 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 Christopher Tremoglie. 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.
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WHITE HOUSE: IRAN ATTACK COULD COME THIS WEEK: Tension remains high as all signs point to Iran likely conducting a large-scale, coordinated attack against Israel in the days ahead.
“We do share the assessment made by our Israeli counterparts that something could happen as soon as this week by Iran and its proxies,” White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby told reporters in a conference call yesterday. “That is a U.S. assessment as well as an Israeli assessment. Our assessment matches the Israeli assessment.”
The assessment is consistent with the analysis by the Institute for the Study of War, which says Iran and its “Axis of Resistance,” i.e., Iranian proxies, will most likely conduct “a coordinated, large-scale drone and missile attack on Israel in response to Israel killing senior Axis of Resistance leaders.”
While an attack could come at any time, the U.S. is hoping a meeting planned for Thursday in Doha, a last-ditch attempt to reach a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hama, will still take place.
“We fully expect that those talks are going to move forward, and they need to move forward,” Kirby said. “All negotiators should return to the table and bring this deal to a close. It’s time to do that. The details are of such a nature that we think they can be hashed out.”
“If something does happen this week, the timing of it can certainly have an impact on these talks,” Kirby said. “But as you and I are sitting here right now, with nothing flying through the air in a significant way, we still believe these talks are important. We want to see them happen on Thursday.“
WHITE HOUSE EXPECTS IRAN TO REPEAT APRIL ROCKET ATTACK ON ISRAEL THIS WEEK
US ASSEMBLES ARMADA OF DETERRENCE: The Pentagon announced yesterday that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered additional U.S. warships to the region in an effort to send a strong message to Iran that any attack against Israel will be met with a punishing response.
“Reinforcing this commitment, Secretary Austin has ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group, equipped with F-35C fighters, to accelerate its transit to the Central Command area of responsibility,” spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a readout of Austin’s phone call with Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant. “Additionally, the secretary has ordered the USS Georgia guided missile submarine to the Central Command region.”
The Lincoln and its escort ships will join the USS Theodore Roosevelt already operating in the Arabian Gulf, providing two full carrier strike groups once it arrives.
Submarine deployments are usually kept private in order to preserve their stealthy advantage. However, in this case, the cruise missile-firing submarine is meant to send a clear message. While the same size as ballistic missile submarines that carry nuclear-tipped missiles, the Georgia has been converted to carry more than 100 conventional attack missiles and can also deploy special operations forces from a mini-sub.
“These U.S. military posture adjustments are designed to improve U.S. force protection, to increase support for the defense of Israel, and to ensure the United States is prepared to respond to various contingencies,” Ryder said in a meeting with reporters at the Pentagon Monday. “We recognize the tensions in the region. We’re doing everything we can to deter aggression, deter conflict, prevent this from becoming a wider war — while at the same time ensuring that we have the capabilities in the region to be able to protect our own forces [and] also defend Israel, should it be attacked.”
WHITE HOUSE REBUKES ‘DEAD WRONG’ ISRAELI LAWMAKER WHO CALLED CEASEFIRE DEAL A ‘TRAP’
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: Putin: Ukraine raid into Russia could expand beyond Kursk region
Washington Examiner: UN nuclear chief worried Ukraine’s raid will endanger Russia’s Kursk nuclear plant
Washington Examiner: White House expects Iran to repeat April rocket attack on Israel this week
Washington Examiner: White House ‘strongly condemns’ reports of Trump campaign hack by Iran
Washington Examiner: Chinese-owned ship ‘unintentionally’ behind Baltic pipeline damage: Report
Washington Examiner: White House rebukes ‘dead wrong’ Israeli lawmaker who called ceasefire deal a ‘trap’
Washington Examiner: Wife of American wrongfully detained by Taliban airs frustration
Washington Examiner: Never’ Harris: Border Patrol agents divulge how they feel about Kamala
Washington Examiner: Biden could lift border executive action that helped lower migrant crossings
Washington Examiner: White House ‘strongly condemns’ reports of Trump campaign hack by Iran
Washington Examiner: Blinken pressed to disclose money to foreign adversaries after $293 million sent to Taliban
Washington Examiner: Senior investigator of House Foreign Affairs Committee resigns over committee’s ‘disappointing lack of courage’
Washington Examiner: Opinion: Expect the White House to criticize Ukraine’s impressive offensive
CBS News: US Troops Suffer Minor Injuries from Drone Attack in Syria, Pentagon Says
AP: A ship in the Red Sea is targeted in a third attack by suspected Houthis
AP: Trump and Musk talk about assassination attempt and deportations during glitchy chat on X
Militarycom: Space Force Guardian’s Historic Launch to ISS Delayed Due to Issues with Stranded Astronauts
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Space Force Payload Launches Aboard Allied Satellite in Historic First
Inside Defense: DSB Recommends Military Use of Commercial PNT Systems
The War Zone: Chinese Cargo Drone Capable of Carrying Two Tons Has Flown
AP: The US Navy’s warship production is in its worst state in 25 years. What’s behind it?
Defense One: National Security Workforce Needs Young People, Former NSA Chief Says
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Surging Demand Has Airmen Interpreters Feeling the Pinch
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force, Boeing Ink $2.5 Billion Deal for First E-7s
Defense News: The US Tried to Fix Its Foreign Military Sales System. Did It Work?
DefenseScoop: Key to the Pentagon’s Concept for Modern War Is Standardization
Air & Space Forces Magazine: F-22s Make Historic Tour Across Three South China Sea Allies
Military.com: Military Families Finally Have a Database for Housing ComplaintsTHE CALENDAR:
TUESDAY | AUGUST 13
11 a.m. — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin meets with Brunei’s Defense Minister II Halbi bin Mohammad Yussof at the Pentagon.
5 p.m. — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace virtual discussion: “The Houthi Factor: Gaza, the Axis of Resistance, and Middle East Stability,” with Abdulkhaleq Abdullah, nonresident senior fellow, Harvard University Belfer Center for Sciences and International Affairs; Ibrahim Jalal, nonresident scholar, Carnegie Middle East Center; Tamer Badawi, consultant and Ph.D. candidate at Kent University; Afrah Nasser, nonresident fellow at the Arab Center in Washington, D.C.; and Nadwa Al-Dawsari, Middle East Institute nonresident scholar https://carnegieendowment.org/events/2024/08/the-houthi-factor
WEDNESDAY | AUGUST 14
9 a.m. — Intelligence and National Security Alliance virtual discussion: “Top priorities at the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency,” with DCSA Director David Cattler https://www.insaonline.org/detail-pages/event/2024/08/14/default-calendar/coffee-conversation-with-david-cattler
9:30 a.m. — Henry Stimson Center virtual discussion: “Afghanistan’s Evolving Terrorism Landscape under the Taliban,” with Amira Jadoon, assistant professor at Clemson University; Arian Sharifi, lecturer at Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs; Iftikhar Firdous, founder and editor of the Khorasan Diary; and Elizabeth Threlkeld, director of the Stimson South Asia Program https://www.stimson.org/event/afghanistans-evolving-terrorism-landscape
11 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Recent Developments in North Korea,” with Bruce Klingner, Heritage Foundation senior research fellow on Northeast Asia; and Victor Cha, CSIS senior vice president for Asia and Korea chair https://www.csis.org/events/impossible-live-podcast-recent-developments-north-korea
4:30 p.m. 14th and F Sts. NW — National Press Club hosts “A Concert for Austin Tice,” to mark the 12th anniversary of his abduction in Syria, with country musician Scotty Hastings; Debra Tice, mother of Austin Tice; Tony Hunter, CEO of McClatchy; Robert O’Brien, former White House director of national security; and Emily Wilkins, president of the National Press Club https://www.press.org/events/concert-austin-tice
2 p.m. Omaha, Nebraska — U.S. Strategic Command Deterrence Symposium with keynote remarks by Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
THURSDAY | AUGUST 15
8 a.m. 7920 Jones Branch Dr., McLean, Virginia — Potomac Officers Club 2024 Navy Summit, with Nickolas Guertin, assistant Navy secretary for research, development and acquisition; and Franklin Parker, assistant Navy secretary for manpower and reserve affairs https://potomacofficersclub.com/events/poc-2024-annual-navy-summit/
10 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute discussion: “One Year after Camp David: How Durable Are Trilateral (U.S., Japan and South Korean) Ties?” with Mira Rapp-Hooper, senior director for East Asia and Oceania at the National Security Council; Wooseon Choi, director general of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy’s Department of International Security and Unification Studies (virtual); Myong-hyun Go, director, Institute for National Security Strategy’s Hybrid Threat Research Center (virtual); and Tetsuo Kotani, professor, Meikai University https://www.hudson.org/events/one-year-after-camp-david
12 p.m. — Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft virtual book discussion: “Illusions of Control: Dilemmas in Managing U.S. Proxy Forces in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria,” with author Erica Gaston, head of the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research’s Conflict and Sustaining Peace Programme; Adam Weinstein, deputy middle east director at the Quincy Institute https://quincyinst.org/events/book-talk-illusions-of-control
FRIDAY | AUGUST 16
2 p.m. Colorado Springs, Colorado — National Defense Industrial Association “2024 Space Warfighting Forum,” with Space Force Gen. Stephen Whiting, Commander, U.S. Space Command https://www.ndia.org/events/2024/8/14/2024-space-warfighting-forum