Key bridges linking Crimea with Ukraine are the latest targets as Kyiv seeks to cripple Russian supply lines
Jamie McIntyre
KEY BRIDGES STRUCK: Using what appeared to be British Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles, Ukraine successfully targeted two small but strategically significant bridges that link Russian-occupied Crimea to southern Ukraine.
The Sunday strike, aimed at disrupting the resupply of Russian troops, forced the rerouting of road traffic from shorter eastern routes to longer western routes, according to the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War. Images posted on social media showed part of one bridge collapsed and a large hole in the deck of the other.
“Ukrainian forces in the southeast are attempting to liberate the two provinces of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia,” said retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, a CNN military analyst. “When you interrupt that passage of supplies, whether it be ammunition, food, resupply, personnel, equipment, arms, all of those things will hinder the defensive operations of Russia. And that’s what I believe the Ukrainian main effort is.”
Hertling said he believes Ukraine is adapting its tactics, after facing formidable Russian defenses, to “continue their offensive operation in a smaller way than anticipated” and instead focus on “taking away the capability of Russia to reinforce and resupply their forces on the front lines.”
‘TWO CAN PLAY THAT GAME’: After Russia pulled out of the grain deal, threatened commercial shipping in the Black Sea, and began targeting port facilities in Odesa, Ukraine countered with a threat of its own. Ukraine posted a notice to mariners Friday declaring six Black Sea ports to be in the war zone and potential military targets.
”Two can play that game,” the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said in a post on the social media site formerly known as Twitter. The same day, Ukraine used a sea drone to target a Russian oil tanker about 16 miles south of the Kerch Strait, scoring what appeared to be a direct hit on the ship’s engine room.
In a previous day’s attack, a Russian amphibious “roll-on, roll-off” landing ship “suffered serious damage” when it was hit by a sea drone in its home port of Novorossiysk, and it is likely out of commission, according to British intelligence. “Images of the vessel listing at 30-40 degrees suggest that several watertight compartments were breached, or that the crew’s damage control efforts were ineffectual,” the U.K. Defense Ministry posted over the weekend.
“One of the things that is a little surprising is how far away they were,” said former Navy Secretary Ray Mabus in an appearance on CNN. “I mean, the estimates are that these unmanned, uncrewed sea drones had to go about 450 miles or more. And what it says to the Russians is, there is no place safe. Doesn’t matter how far away you are, it doesn’t matter how protected you are, if you are a Russian ship, either an oil tanker or military ship … We can find you. We can hit you.”
‘SURFBOARDS ON STEROIDS’: While the individual strikes on Russian ships are not a game changer in themselves, they force Russia to worry about protecting its shipping lanes.
“It’s definitely psychological warfare,” Hertling said. “Russia now has realized they have to defend in places they didn’t anticipate defending in. Hundreds of miles away from the territory of Ukraine in the southeast sector of the Black Sea. That’s almost 500 miles away from the coastline of Ukraine.”
And U.S. military experts continue to marvel at Ukraine’s ability to leverage drone technology to gain an asymmetric advantage against the superior Russian forces. “It’s an adapting of a civilian type of capability, a remote-controlled motorboat basically, to strike a ship, and it’s been fascinating to watch Ukraine adapt in many of these ways,” Hertling said.
“These things are very hard to detect. They ride low in the water. They’re fast. Obviously, they’ve got a very long range,” said Mabus. “And it is sort of ironic that the Russian Navy is losing to a country that basically doesn’t have a navy in, you know, [a] traditional sense.”
“They’ve been able to make these surfboards on steroids carrying almost a thousand pounds using onboard cameras and a joystick,” said retired Army Brig. Gen. Steve Anderson, another military analyst, on CNN. “I mean, every 11-year-old’s dream is to be able to drive one of these things into a ship and make it blow up. And that’s exactly what they’ve been able to do. They’re leveraging their technology, and they’re taking it to the Russians.”
RUSSIA ATTACKS UKRAINE’S GRAIN BECAUSE THEY CAN’T HIT MILITARY TARGETS, OFFICIALS SAY
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HAPPENING TODAY: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin welcomes Iraqi Defense Minister Thabet Muhammad Al-Abbasi to the Pentagon at 3 p.m.
AUSTIN ON TUBERVILLE’S HOLDS: ‘I’M CONFIDENT THAT WE’LL GET THIS FIXED’: Speaking at a ceremony Friday for retiring Army chief of staff Gen. James McConville, Austin again warned that the fact the Senate has not confirmed McConville’s replacement is hurting readiness and endangering recruitment.
The problem is solely the result of one senator, Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), using the Senate rules to block all military promotions in an effort to force the Pentagon to stop paying for travel for military members and dependents to obtain legal abortions.
“Unfortunately, today, for the first time in the history of the Department of Defense, two of our services will be operating without Senate-confirmed leadership … 301 nominations for our general and flag officers are being held up,” Austin said. “So let me be clear. In our dangerous world, the security of the United States demands orderly and prompt transitions of our confirmed military leaders.”
“The failure to confirm our superbly qualified senior uniformed leaders undermines our military readiness. It undermines our retention of some of our very best officers. And it is upending the lives of far too many of their spouses, children, and loved ones,” he said.
“This disruption is the last thing that America’s military families deserve, but I’m confident that we’ll get this fixed … And I am confident that the United States Senate will meet its responsibilities and swiftly confirm our 41st chief of staff of the Army,” Austin said, referring to Gen. Randy George, the current vice chief, who is serving as acting chief pending his confirmation.
ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF RETIRES BEFORE SENATE CONFIRMS SUCCESSOR
THE RUSSIA-CHINA ARMADA: We learned over the weekend that the U.S. Navy dispatched four warships, as well as a reconnaissance airplane after nearly a dozen Chinese and Russian ships conducted a joint naval patrol near Alaska’s Aleutian Islands last week.
“Air and maritime assets under our commands conducted operations to assure the defense of the United States and Canada. The patrol remained in international waters and was not considered a threat,” the U.S. Northern Command told the Wall Street Journal, which was the first to report the appearance of a provocative flotilla.
“The incursion by 11 Chinese and Russian warships operating together off the coast of Alaska is yet another reminder that we have entered a new era of authoritarian aggression led by the dictators in Beijing and Moscow,” Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) said in a joint statement with Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). “I’ve been pressing the Navy and each successive administration to commit to a greater Naval, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps presence in Alaska, more Arctic-capable vessels, and more infrastructure to host these assets, like the deep-water port of Nome.”
“We have been in close contact with leadership from Alaska Command for several days now and received detailed classified briefings about the foreign vessels that are transiting U.S. waters in the Aleutians,” said Murkowski. “This is a stark reminder of Alaska’s proximity to both China and Russia, as well as the essential role our state plays in our national defense and territorial sovereignty.”
Former Green Beret Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) was more pointed in his reaction on the social media platform X. “China and Russia sends 11 warships off the coast of Alaska and we can only pull together 4 to respond to defend the homeland. Yet Biden’s defense budget is retiring more ships than its building!” he posted.
CONGRESS HAS PAID MAJOR CAMPAIGN CASH TO SCORE ADS IN CHINESE FOREIGN AGENT NEWSPAPER
CHINESE VESSEL USES WATER CANNON ON PHILIPPINE BOAT: The U.S. is protesting the actions of a Chinese coast guard ship, which trained a powerful water cannon on a Filipino supply boat in the South China Sea Saturday.
“Firing water cannons and employing unsafe blocking maneuvers, PRC ships interfered with the Philippines’ lawful exercise of high seas freedom of navigation and jeopardized the safety of the Philippine vessels and crew,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement. “By impeding necessary provisions from reaching the Filipino servicemembers stationed at Second Thomas Shoal, the PRC has also undertaken unwarranted interference in lawful Philippine maritime operations.”
“The PRC has no lawful claim to the maritime area around Second Thomas Shoal, which is located well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone,” Miller said. “The United States reaffirms an armed attack on Philippine public vessels, aircraft, and armed forces — including those of its Coast Guard in the South China Sea—would invoke U.S. mutual defense commitments under Article IV of the 1951 U.S. Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty.”
THREE TAKEAWAYS ON CHINA’S SPIES IN THE NAVY
The Rundown
Washington Examiner: Army chief of staff retires before Senate confirms successor
Washington Examiner: Russia attacks Ukraine’s grain because they can’t hit military targets, officials say
Washington Examiner: Putin cronies excited to drive ‘modest’ Russian cars
Washington Examiner: Three takeaways on China’s spies in the Navy
Washington Examiner: Congress has paid major campaign cash to score ads in Chinese foreign agent newspaper
Washington Examiner: Trump attorneys argue he committed a ‘technical violation of the Constitution,’ but no crime
Washington Examiner: Editorial: The DEI threat to our military academies
Military Times: State Dept. To Hire New Chief Diversity Officer As Pentagon Stays Mum
The War Horse: The Military Is Missing Recruitment Goals. Are Thousands Being Unnecessarily Disqualified?
The War Zone: Air-To-Air Missiles From UK Now Being Used By Ukraine As SAMs
NBC News: Is Ukraine’s Counteroffensive Failing? Kyiv And Its Supporters Worry About Losing Control Of The Narrative
Washington Post: Kyiv’s Elite Forces Are Leaning On Technology
The Guardian: ‘Like playing a computer game’: on the frontline with one of Ukraine’s deadliest drone pilots
AP: China Releases TV Documentary Showcasing Army’s Ability To Attack Taiwan
New York Times: After Turbulence In China’s Military, Xi To Redouble Quest For Control
Reuters: China Tells Philippines To Remove Grounded Warship In South China Sea
CNN: International Backlash Grows After Chinese Vessel Fires Water Cannon On Philippine Boats
NBC News: A Key U.S. Ally Wants To Walk Back Its ‘Atrocious’ Embrace Of China
DefenseScoop: Head of Southern Command Warns of China’s Growing Technological Grip in Region
Reuters: Exclusive: U.S. Declines To Invoke Prisoner Of War Status For Travis King
Washington Post: A US Airman Was Accused of Betrayal in Syria. Then The Case Crumbled.
AP: Ukrainians move to North Dakota for oil field jobs to help families facing war back home
Washington Times: ‘Weird And Unexplainable’: America’s Top General On UFOs, The Pentagon’s Search For Answers
Breaking Defense: Space Force Intel Focus: 50 Percent on China; 25 Percent on Russia
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Tyndall Finally Has Its First Four F-35s. What Happens Next?
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Lockheed Could Adapt F-22 Stealth Fuel Tanks for Other Aircraft Like F-35
Breaking Defense: After Azerbaijan, Will Pakistan Also Join Turkey’s 5th Generation Fighter Program?
Air & Space Forces Magazine: New ‘Air Mobility Teams’ Can Help USAF Move Faster—If the Kinks Get Worked Out
Defense One: 1/4 of DOD Cyber Jobs Are Vacant. Here’s the Plan to Fill Them
Air Force Times: Blended Retirement System Is Helping Troops Prepare for Their Future
Task & Purpose: Air Force Rolls Out New Mental Health Policies Under the Brandon Act
Space News: Lockheed Martin Opens New Factory Focused on Small Satellites
Defense News: Opinion: The US Needs to Modernize Its Approach to Munitions
The Cipher Brief: Opinion: Haiti Needs More Than a Glimmer of Hope
Calendar
MONDAY | AUGUST 7
8:30 a.m. 330 21st St. NW — Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivers remarks at the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, with Molly Phee, assistant secretary of state for African affairs; Prudence Bushnell, former U.S. ambassador to Kenya; and John Lange, charge d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Livestream at https://www.state.gov or https://www.youtube.com/@StateDept
10 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute discussion: “A Requiem for Dominance: New U.S. Strategies to Deter Aggression,” focusing on China, with Navy Rear Adm. Mike Studeman, former commander of the Office of Naval Intelligence; Bryan Clark, director of the Hudson Center for Defense Concepts and Technology; Dan Patt, senior fellow at the Hudson Center for Defense Concepts and Technology; and Ezra Cohen, Hudson adjunct fellow https://www.hudson.org/events/requiem-dominance
3 p.m. Pentagon River Entrance — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin welcomes Iraqi Defense Minister Thabit Muhammad Al-Abbasi to the Pentagon
TUESDAY | AUGUST 8
8 a.m. — Government Executive Media Group virtual workshop: “Department of Defense Cloud” with Deputy Defense Intelligence Agency Chief Information Officer E.P. Mathew https://events.defenseone.com/dod-cloud/
9:20 a.m. Huntsville, Alabama — National Defense Industrial Association three-day “Space & Missile Defense Symposium,” with Lt. Gen. Dan Karbler, commanding general of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command; Gen. James Dickinson, commander of the U.S. Space Command; William Nelson, deputy to the commanding general at the Army Futures Command; Lt. Gen. Maria Barrett, commanding general of U.S. Army Reserve Cyber; Lt. Gen. Jon Braga, commanding general of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command; Royal Air Force Air Commodore Adam Bone, head of operations, plans, and training at the U.K. Space Command https://smdsymposium.org/registration
2 p.m. — Intelligence and National Security Alliance virtual discussion: “Space Resiliency: Leveraging Commercial Innovation to Advance the Mission,” with Jeremy Leader, acting deputy director for the U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command’s Commercial Space Office; Pete Muend, director of the National Reconnaissance Office’s Commercial Systems Program Office; and Bishop Garrison, INSA vice president for policy https://register.gotowebinar.com/register
5 p.m. Sierra Vista, Arizona — House Judiciary Committee Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee; and House Oversight and Accountability Committee National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee joint field hearing: “Biden’s Border Crisis and its Effect on American Communities,” with testimony from Andrew Arthur, resident fellow in law and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies; Cochise County, Arizona, Sheriff Mark Dannels; and John W. Ladd, rancher http://judiciary.house.gov
WEDNESDAY | AUGUST 9
9:20 a.m. 700 Monroe St. SW, Huntsville, Alabama — National Defense Industrial Association “Space & Missile Defense Symposium,” day two, with Coast Guard Rear Adm. Sean Regan, director of training, exercises, and wargaming at the U.S. Northern Command; Lt. Gen. Robert Rasch, director of the Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office; Keith Krapels, director of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command Technical Center; Dayna Ise, deputy director at the NASA Science and Technology Office; Lt. Gen. Dan Karbler, SMDC commanding general; Army Command Sgt. Maj. John Foley; and Heidi Shyu, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering https://smdsymposium.org/registration
11 a.m. — Washington Post Live virtual discussion: “Putin and the War in Ukraine,” with exiled Russian journalist Mikhail Zygar, founding editor of TV Rain and author of War and Punishment; and Shane Harris, Washington Post intelligence and national security reporter https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live
1 p.m. — Washington Post Live virtual discussion: “Jan. 6 indictment and American democracy,” with federal Judge J. Michael Luttig; and David Shipley, Washington Post editorial page editor https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live
THURSDAY | AUGUST 10
8 a.m. 2941 Fairview Park Dr., Falls Church, Virginia — Potomac Officers Club “Integrating for Mission Success Forum,” with Schuyler Moore, CTO of the U.S. Central Command; and Bob Ritchie, CTO of SAIC https://potomacofficersclub.com/events
9 a.m. — Intelligence and National Security Alliance virtual discussion: “Reflections on Six Decades of Service to the Nation,” with Navy Rear Adm. Michael Studeman, commander of the Office of Naval Intelligence; and retired Navy Adm. William Studeman, former deputy director of the CIA and director of the National Security Agency https://www.insaonline.org/detail-pages/event
9 a.m. 700 Monroe St. SW, Huntsville, Alabama — National Defense Industrial Association “Space & Missile Defense Symposium,” day three with Gen. Charles Hamilton, commanding general of the U.S. Army Materiel Command; and Lt. Cmdr. Joe Mroszczyk, commander of the first Multi-Domain Task Force Missile Defense Executive Board https://smdsymposium.org/registration/
10 a.m. — Hudson Institute virtual book discussion of: Russia, China and the Revisionist Assault on the Western Liberal International Order, with author Gerlinde Groitl, assistant professor of international politics and trans-Atlantic relations at the University of Regensburg, Germany https://www.hudson.org/events/russia-china-revisionist-assault
10 a.m. — Arab Center virtual discussion: “China’s Growing Role in the Middle East: Regional Geopolitics and U.S. Policy,” with Chas Freeman, former assistant defense secretary for international security affairs; Abdullah Baabood, visiting professor at Waseda University; Jennifer Kavanagh, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Maria Papageorgiou, associate lecturer at University College London; and Khalil Jahshan, executive director of the Arab Center https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register
12 p.m. — Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments virtual discussion on new report, Extending Deterrence by Detection: The Case for Integrating Unmanned Aircraft Systems into the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness, with co-author Thomas Mahnken, CSBA president and CEO; co-author Travis Sharp, CSBA director of defense budget studies; co-author Tim Sadov, CSBA research assistant; Whitney McNamara, CSBA nonresident senior fellow; and Sameer Lalwani, CSBA nonresident senior fellow https://csbaonline.org/about/events/report-release-webinar
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies in-person and virtual conversation: “A Front Row View of the NSA: Reflections from Gen. Paul Nakasone,” with Glenn Gerstell, CSIS senior adviser and former NSA general counsel; April Doss, NSA general counsel; and Tom Bossert, president, Trinity Cyber, Inc., and former White House homeland security adviser https://www.csis.org/events/front-row-view-nsa-reflections-general-paul-m-nakasone
2 p.m. — Atlantic Council Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center event: “A conversation with Alicia Barcena, Mexico’s newly confirmed Secretary of Foreign Affairs,” with Jason Marczak, senior director, Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/a-conversation-with-alicia-barcena
TUESDAY | AUGUST 15
8 a.m. 2401 M St., NW — George Washington University Project for Media and National Security Defense Writers Group conversation with Bob Hale and Ellen Lord, chairman and vice chair Congressional Commission on Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution Reform. RSVP: Thom Shanker at [email protected]
QUOTE OF THE DAY “They’ve been able to make these surfboards on steroids carrying almost a thousand pounds using onboard cameras and a joystick. I mean, every 11-year-old’s dream is to be able to drive one of these things into a ship and make it blow up. And that’s exactly what they’ve been able to do. They’re leveraging their technology, and they’re taking it to the Russians.” Retired Army Brig. Gen. Steve Anderson, a military analyst on CNN.