ZELENSKY: ‘OUR FORCES CONTROL 74 SETTLEMENTS’: A week in, the outlines of Ukraine’s counter-invasion of Russia are becoming clearer. In a post on X, President Volodymyr Zelensky is seen getting a briefing from his top commander, Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, who reports that Ukrainian forces have captured an additional 15 square miles of Russian territory over the previous 24 hours.
“Fights are ongoing along the entire front line. The situation, despite the high intensity of combat, is under control,” Syrskyi said.
“Despite the difficult and intense battles, our forces continue to advance in the Kursk region, and our state’s ‘exchange fund’ is growing,” Zelensky says in the post, a reference to the potential to trade newly captured Russian troops for Ukrainian prisoners of war.
“I thank all our guys who are replenishing the exchange fund – this is very important for our state,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address. “Hundreds of Russian servicemen have already surrendered, and all of them will receive humane treatment. They did not experience such treatment even in their own Russian army.”
Zelensky says the Ukrainian forces are taking care to treat civilians in the newly occupied areas humanely to draw a contrast with Russia’s brutality. “Seventy-four communities are under Ukrainian control, where inspections and stabilization measures are being carried out. The development of humanitarian solutions for these territories continues.”
WHITE HOUSE SAYS IT WAS NOT INFORMED AHEAD OF UKRAINE’S RUSSIA INCURSION
UKRAINE FOREIGN MINISTRY: NO INTEREST IN HOLDING KURSK: While Russia is rushing fresh reserves, aircraft, drone teams, and artillery to Kursk to stop the Ukrainian advance, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry said Ukraine does not have long-term designs on Kursk but launched the operation to stop the constant artillery strikes that have been launched across the border into Ukraine.
“Unlike Russia, Ukraine doesn’t need what doesn’t belong to it. Ukraine is not interested in taking the territory of the Kursk region, but we want to protect the lives of our people,” spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said. “Just a reminder, from the districts of the Kursk region, since the beginning of this summer alone against Ukraine’s Sumy region, over 2,000 attacks. These include MLRS strikes, artillery shelling, mortar fire, drone attacks, 255 gilded bombs, and over 100 missiles.”
Tykhyi also said Ukraine’s Kursk offensive is aimed at preventing Russia from reinforcing its troops in Donetsk.
UKRAINE CITES RUSSIA RAID TO PUSH BIDEN FOR LONG-RANGE STRIKES
BOLTON: TRUMP’S TOUGH GUY TALK ‘MADE UP’: In an appearance on CNN Monday night, former Trump national security adviser John Bolton scoffed at former President Donald Trump’s oft-told anecdote about how he prevented the invasion of Ukraine while he was in office with his tough talk.
“I said to Vladimir Putin, I said, ‘Don’t do it. You can’t do it, Vladimir. You do it, it’s going to be a bad day. You cannot do it.’ And I told him things that – what I do, and he said, ‘No way.’ And I said, ‘way,’” Trump said in his Monday night conversation with Elon Musk. “I got along well with him. I hope to get along well with him again.”
“This is imagination on Trump’s part,” Bolton said on CNN. “It’s not even how Donald Trump talks. It’s how he wished he talked, and how he wished he could show that he’s the big alpha guy.”
“I think Trump’s making that up. He certainly didn’t have that conversation with Putin when I was in the White House. I don’t believe he had it before then. I can’t really speak to what came after. But this is another case of Trump making things up that it’s hard to prove or disprove. He can say he had some private conversation at a dinner, at a G20 meeting, or something like that,” Bolton said. “I don’t think it happened. And I don’t think that there was really an occasion for Trump to have that conversation. But it fits the persona that Trump thinks he has.”
“I personally, having watched Trump and Putin together, on several occasions, having listened to their phone conversations, having myself met Putin, on any number of occasions, going back to October of 2001, I think that Putin essentially thinks that Trump is an easy mark. He doesn’t respect him. But he understands that using flattery with Trump can get him a long way.” Bolton said. “I think if Trump did put together the meeting he says he wants to have between Zelensky and Putin, in a room together, to solve the Ukraine crisis, I think Putin would take Trump to the cleaners.”
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Good Wednesday 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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HAPPENING TODAY: Even as fighting continues in Gaza, and a threatened strike against Israel by Iran and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon looms, the U.S. is hoping ceasefire negotiations planned for tomorrow in Qatar could finally secure a deal that would end the fighting and free the remaining 110 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.
Chances for a breakthrough seem slim, as President Joe Biden conceded when he spoke to reporters yesterday after landing in Kenner, Louisiana. “It’s getting hard,” Biden said. “We’ll see what Iran does, and we’ll see what happens if there’s any attack. But I’m not giving up.”
Biden was asked whether a ceasefire deal would avert an Iranian strike. “That’s my expectation, but we’ll see,” he replied.
Asked about the phone call with Benjamin Netanyahu, where he reportedly told the Israeli prime minister to “stop bullshitting,” Biden said, “If I told you what pressure I was putting on, it wouldn’t be very much pressure, would it?”
IRANIAN OFFICIALS REVEAL ONLY WAY ISRAEL CAN POSTPONE RETALIATORY ATTACK
$20 BILLION IN ARMS APPROVED FOR ISRAEL: In a series of releases from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the U.S. announced that the State Department had approved a package of future arms sales to Israel totaling $20 billion.
The bulk of the package, $18.82 billion, is for more than 50 advanced Boeing F-15IA and F-15I+ fighter jets tailored for the Israeli Air Forces. The package also includes Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles, or AMRAAMs, 120 mm tank ammunition, high-explosive mortar cartridges, and tactical vehicles.
“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to U.S. national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability. This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives,” DSCA said in a release. “Incorporating F-15IAs into the Israel Air Force’s fleet of fighter aircraft will enhance Israel’s interoperability with U.S. systems and bolster Israel’s aerial capabilities to meet current and future enemy threats, strengthen its homeland defense, and serve as a deterrent to regional threats.”
These are new jets that Boeing must build, so they won’t be delivered to Israel until 2029.
ISRAELI FIREBRAND BEN GVIR CHALLENGES NETANYAHU ON TEMPLE MOUNT
WALZ: ‘I AM DAMN PROUD OF MY SERVICE’: In his first solo speech since being tapped as Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate, Tim Walz slipped in a defense of his 24-year military record without directly addressing the two main criticisms leveled at him by J.D. Vance and some military veterans, namely that he misrepresented his rank at retirement and that he “abandoned” his National Guard unit by choosing retirement over deployment to Iraq.
“These guys are even attacking me for my record of service. And I want to say, I’m proud to have served my country, and I always will be,” Walz said in remarks to a government employees union convention in Los Angeles.
“With my dad’s encouragement, a guy who served in the Army during the Korean War, I signed up for the Army National Guard two days after my 17th birthday. I served for the next 24 years for the same reason all my brothers and sisters in uniform do. We love this country,” Walz said. “Then, in 2005, I felt the call of duty again, this time being service to my country in the halls of Congress. My students inspired me to run for that office, and I was proud to make it to Washington. I was a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee and a champion of our men and women in uniform.”
“I’m going to say it again as clearly as I can, I am damn proud of my service to this country,” Walz said to enthusiastic applause from the friendly crowd. “And I firmly believe you should never denigrate another person’s service record. To anyone brave enough to put on that uniform for our great country, including my opponent, I just have a few simple words: thank you for your service and sacrifice.”
WALZ DEFENDS MILITARY RECORD AMID CONTROVERSY IN FIRST SOLO SPEECH
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: White House says it was not informed ahead of Ukraine’s Russia incursion
Washington Examiner: Ukraine cites Russia raid to push Biden for long-range strikes
Washington Examiner: US sending $20 billion weapon package to Israel amid growing concerns over war
Washington Examiner: Israeli firebrand Ben Gvir challenges Netanyahu on Temple Mount
Washington Examiner: Iranian officials reveal only way Israel can postpone retaliatory attack
Washington Examiner: Walz defends military record amid controversy in first solo speech
Washington Examiner: Biden tightening asylum process as illegal immigration surges on Canadian border
Washington Examiner: HHS under GOP fire for putting migrant children ‘in danger’
Washington Examiner: Trump plans $100 million suit against DOJ for Mar-a-Lago raid
Washington Examiner: ‘J6 praying grandma’ vows to appeal six-month home confinement sentence
Washington Examiner: Ilhan Omar survives primary as other ‘Squad’ members are booted from Congress
Washington Examiner: Maryland Democrat Steny Hoyer, 85, suffers mild stroke
Washington Examiner: Opinion: European crackdown on X and free speech deserves utter derision
Washington Examiner: Opinion: China carrier deployment underlines US Navy overstretch
New York Times: Deception and a Gamble: How Ukrainian Troops Invaded Russia
Wall Street Journal: Russia-Iran Ties Are Being Strained by Parallel Conflicts
AP: Russia says it thwarted a Ukrainian charge to expand its incursion
Wall Street Journal: Russian Pulls Some Forces Out Of Ukraine
Air & Space Forces Magazine: From Fighters to Tankers, US Military Flexes Airpower in Middle East as Iran Threatens Israel
Business Insider: The U.S. Naval Presence Around The Middle East Is Getting A Firepower Boost. Here Are The Warships Already There And What’s On The Way.
New York Times: Joint Military Exercises By China And Russia Highlight New Strategic Threat
Washington Post: Defense Secretary’s Intervention In 9/11 Cases Faces Judge’s Scrutiny
USNI News: SWO Boss: 75-Warship Readiness Goal Remains A Work In Progress
Defense One: F-35 Performance-Based Logistics Deal Is Dead—for Now
The War Zone: Super Quiet Special Operations Drones May Migrate to Pacific Theater
Soldier of Fortune: Against Enemy Fire: Inside Israel’s Daring Mission to Rescue Hostages in Gaza
Air & Space Forces Magazine: NORAD Boss Calls for Better Arctic Awareness
Defense News: Space Force, Allies Craft Global Supply Chain Strategy
Air & Space Forces Magazine: State Department Approves Sale of New, Updated F-15s to Israel
DefenseScoop: Beyond 5G: Pentagon Sets Sights on Next-Generation Wireless Tech with New Projects
SpaceNews: Lockheed Martin Taps General Dynamics for Solid Rocket Motor Manufacturing
Miliary.com: Air Force Bucks EPA Order to Clean Up ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Arizona, Citing Supreme Court Ruling
Task & Purpose: Seeking ‘Warfighter Mindset,’ Air Force Basic Trainees Now Carrying Rifles Through Boot Camp
Task & Purpose: Ditch Fast Food On Base To Reduce Obesity, Says Pentagon’s Top Senior Enlisted Leader
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force People Czar Wants to Make PCSing Easier by 2025
The Cipher Brief: Ukraine’s Kursk Invasion Sends Shockwaves Through Russia: ‘How Did We Miss It?’
The Cipher Brief: How Putin’s War on Georgia Foreshadowed His Invasion of Ukraine
The Cipher Brief: No Idle Threat: Cyber Attacks and the U.S. Water Supply
Breaking Defense: Opinion: The Army Wants Its Own ‘Space Force.’ They Shouldn’t Be Allowed to Have It.
National Security Journal: Iran: The Next Nuclear Weapons State?
National Security Journal: Ukraine’s Kursk Offensive Could Be a Real Game Changer
National Security Journal: Could South Korea Start Building Nuclear Weapons?
National Security Journal: Russia’s Lada-Class Submarines Are Coming Out of the Shadows
THE CALENDAR:
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
TUESDAY | AUGUST 20
10 a.m. — Brookings Institution virtual discussion: “The Wagner Group and Russia in Africa one year after Prigozhin’s death,” with Christopher Faulkner, assistant professor, College of Distance Education, U.S. Naval War College; Mark Galeotti, executive director, Mayak Intelligence; John Lechner, independent researcher; Angela Stent, nonresident senior fellow, Brookings Center on the United States and Europe; and moderator Vanda Felbab-Brown, senior fellow and director, Initiative on Nonstate Armed Actors, co-director, Brookings Africa Security Initiative https://www.brookings.edu/events/the-wagner-group-and-russia
FRIDAY | AUGUST 23
10 a.m. 2401 M St., NW — George Washington University Project for Media and National Security Defense Writers Group “coffee-conversation,” with Christopher Maier, assistant secretary of defense for special operation and low-intensity conflict RSVP: [email protected]