AUSTIN: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany this morning, leading the 20th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, made up of the nearly 50 nations that are collectively arming Ukraine.
While U.S. aid to Ukraine is bottled up in the House of Representatives, Austin vowed that America will not abandon Ukraine in its time of need.
“Ukraine’s troops face harsh conditions and hard fighting and Ukraine civilians endure a constant barrage of Russian missiles and Iranian drones, but Ukraine won’t back down and neither will the United States,” Austin said. “So our message today is clear. The United States will not let Ukraine fail, this coalition will not let Ukraine fail, and the free world will not let Ukraine fail.”
Austin noted that while Russia is making some gains as Ukraine suffers an ammunition gap, the Ukrainian forces continue to inflict heavy losses on Russia’s navy and air forces. “Ukraine has sunk, destroyed, or damaged some 20 medium to large Russian navy vessels, and Ukraine continues to down Russian warplanes,” Austin said. “Putin’s war of choice will cost Russia $1.3 trillion in previously anticipated economic growth through 2026.”
Austin noted that despite the congressional gridlock, the U.S. was able to find $300 million in funding to send Ukraine desperately needed air defense artillery and anti-tank munitions: “Ukraine survival is on the line [and] all of our security is on the line, so we will continue to stand together to resist Putin’s campaign of conquests, and we will continue to keep the faith with the people of Ukraine.”
JOHN KIRBY ADMITS FEARS THAT AID TO UKRAINE HAS AFFECTED US READINESS
GRAHAM MEETS ZELENSKY: Once one of the biggest backers of U.S. aid to Ukraine, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) met with President Volodymyr Zelensky Monday in Kyiv and delivered a new message: that critical military assistance for Ukraine must come after funds are secured for the U.S.-Mexico border.
After former President Donald Trump opposed it, Graham voted against a $60 billion aid package for Ukraine last month. Graham also saluted smartly and adopted Trump’s latest position that any aid to Ukraine should be in the form of a loan.
“President Trump’s idea of turning aid from the United States into a no-interest, waivable loan is the most likely path forward,” Graham said in a statement. “Once Ukraine gets back on its feet, they will be an economic powerhouse because of their access to mass deposits of critical minerals, oil and gas.”
Graham cited the “crisis” at the southern border and America’s “overwhelming debt” for his tempering of support. “I reiterated that the House’s Ukraine aid legislation must include some American border security provisions,” he said after the meeting. “I know Americans want to help our friends and allies, but I also believe we must consider our economic situation as we help others.”
Graham also called on lawmakers to lower the age of conscription for the Ukrainian military, currently 27. “I would hope that those eligible to serve in the Ukrainian military would join. I can’t believe it’s at 27,” he told reporters Monday. “You’re in a fight for your life, so you should be serving — not at 25 or 27.”
LINDSEY GRAHAM MAKES SURPRISE VISIT TO UKRAINE AFTER VOTING AGAINST AID BILL
TRUMP: ‘IT’S A VERY UNFAIR WAR’: At his Saturday rally in Ohio, Trump railed against Zelensky, whom he portrayed as taking advantage of U.S. taxpayers. “I’ll tell you Zelensky is one of the greatest salesmen in history. Every time he comes to the country, he walks away with $50 billion or $60 billion,” Trump said. “I’ve never been able to do that. He’s a better salesman. He’s a much better salesman than I am.”
Trump continues to argue that Russian President Vladimir Putin would never have invaded Ukraine had he been in the White House. And he promised to end the war as soon as he wins the November election. “Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after we win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled,” Trump told the rally crowd in Ohio.
In an interview with Howard Kurtz, host of the Fox News Sunday program Media Buzz, Trump called the war a “disaster” that “never should have happened” and is “very unfair” because of Russia’s superior military might.
“Russia’s a very big military power, and they’re sort of proving that with time. And I agree that the Ukrainians have been very brave. But this is something that should have been negotiated. I would have negotiated a deal,” Trump said.
Asked by Kurtz if he would be “willing to see Putin swallow part or all of Ukraine” or would continue to provide military aid, Trump was noncommittal.
“I hope that it doesn’t come to that. That’s a long time,” Trump said. “Seven months, a little more than seven months for the election itself. That’s an eternity in terms of war and in terms of politics and in terms of the world.”
OPINION: FRANCE’S MACRON TAKES A WELCOME LEAD FOR EUROPEAN SECURITY
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HAPPENING TODAY: AUSTIN AND BROWN: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. will brief reporters in Germany at the conclusion of today’s Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting. The Pentagon will stream the briefing on its website at 11:30 a.m.
ALSO TODAY: AFGHANISTAN REVISITED: Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, is still not satisfied with the Biden administration’s answers about what went wrong during the chaotic end to the 20-year U.S. mission in Afghanistan. The title of today’s hearing says it all, “A ‘Strategic Failure’: Biden’s Withdrawal, America’s Generals, and the Taliban Takeover.”
Appearing before the committee will be retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, former commander of the U.S. Central Command, and retired Gen. Mark Milley, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who have agreed to testify.
“All we want for the families of the 13 servicemen and women who were killed at Abbey Gate and, quite frankly, the Afghans who were killed and the Americans left behind and our Afghan partners left behind in the chaos in Afghanistan during that evacuation, we just want the truth,” McCaul said on Fox News Sunday.
In an interview last year with Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin, McKenzie denied that the U.S. had a description of the suicide bomber whose attack killed 13 American service members and 170 Afghans in the 2021 suicide attack at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport.
Marine Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews, who lost an arm and a leg in the 2021 attack, testified a year ago he had spotted a person matching the description of the expected suicide bomber, but McKenzie told Griffin that there was no actionable intelligence. “I honor his sacrifice and everybody else who got injured or killed as a result of the Abbey Gate attack, but I can tell you there was no ‘be on the lookout’ for a person meeting that description on that day or prior to that day in Afghanistan.”
“I want the DOD to provide the documents that the sniper testified to. He said, I saw the suicide bomber. It identified the BOLO — be on the lookout. He sent the pictures over to the command center. They’ve yet to produce these a year later. And I’ll be talking about that a lot at the hearing,” McCaul told Fox News yesterday. “We want to get answers to what happened. How did this go so badly? And, you know, most importantly … how can we fix the problem so this never happens again?
FORMER MILITARY LEADERS WHO OVERSAW AFGHAN WITHDRAWAL TO TESTIFY TO CONGRESS
BUDGET BILLS BACK ON TRACK: “Congressional negotiators have struck a deal on appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security, the final component of the annual spending legislation that must be passed before the shutdown deadline later this week,” reported the Washington Examiner’s Cami Mondeaux, citing two sources familiar with talks.
“The deal means Congress can move forward with its six-bill appropriations legislation to fund roughly 70% of the federal government,” Mondeaux reported. “Funding for those government agencies is scheduled to lapse just after midnight on Friday, giving lawmakers only four working days to pass some sort of spending legislation through both chambers of Congress.”
READ MORE: LAWMAKERS OVERCOME IMPASSE ON BORDER SECURITY TO STRIKE DEAL ON FINAL SPENDING BILLS
OHIO PRIMARY, A REFERENDUM ON TRUMP? In today’s Ohio primary elections, all eyes will be on the Republican Senate matchup, where state Sen. Matt Dolan, who is the establishment candidate, is facing Bernie Moreno, a businessman backed by former President Donald Trump, and another Trump-aligned candidate, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose.
Moreno was endorsed by Trump at his Saturday rally in Dayton, where he was also backed by Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), and Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD), all Trump backers.
Dolan is backed by Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) and former Sen. Rob Portman. Incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) is considered to be among the most vulnerable Democrats as Republicans look to take back the Senate.
There are five presidential primaries today: Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, and Ohio, even though the nomination threshold has been reached by both major party candidates. In Florida, Democrats canceled their primary and just gave all 224 of their delegates to President Joe Biden.
COHEN: CASH-STRAPPED TRUMP SECURITY RISK: With lawyers for Trump arguing there’s no way he can come up with the $464 million bond he needs to appeal his New York fraud case, Trump’s former personal attorney and fixer Michael Cohen said the former president’s financial straits make him a prime target for blackmail should a nefarious foreign backer come to his rescue.
“As Americans, we should be very concerned about where that money is coming from,” Cohen said in an appearance on MSNBC. “What if, hypothetically, the money is coming from Saudi Arabia, from Qatar? What if, by chance, it’s coming through a backdoor channel of Russia? … It leaves a presidential candidate basically owing a foreign entity, all at the expense of America’s national security.”
“This is no joke. This places our national security in jeopardy and continues to make Donald Trump the single most dangerous thing in America to our national security and democracy,” Cohen said. “He doesn’t care where the money comes from as long as he gets it, I mean, even if that places our national security in risk.”
TRUMP’S $464 MILLION BOND IS ‘PRACTICAL IMPOSSIBILITY’ TO PAY: LAWYERS
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: Former military leaders who oversaw Afghan withdrawal to testify to Congress
Washington Examiner: Lindsey Graham makes surprise visit to Ukraine after voting against aid bill
Washington Examiner: John Kirby admits fears that aid to Ukraine has affected US readiness
Washington Examiner: Lawmakers overcome impasse on border security to strike deal on final spending bills
Washington Examiner: The Debrief with David Mark: The GOP’s shrinking House majority
Washington Examiner: ‘Famine is imminent’ in northern Gaza, experts warn
Washington Examiner: Hezbollah terrorist caught at border planned to go to New York and ‘make a bomb’
Washington Examiner: Israel’s Netanyahu hangs by a paradox
Washington Examiner: Supreme Court prevents Texas from implementing sweeping immigration law
Washington Examiner: Arizona Democrats issue fentanyl-fighting demand ahead of DHS funding deadline
Washington Examiner: Cory Mills rescues 13 Americans from Haiti in second rescue mission
Washington Examiner: Kevin O’Leary says there is ‘no chance’ TikTok will be sold for $100 billion without algorithm
Washington Examiner: North Carolina representative apologizes over vote for TikTok ban
Washington Examiner: Israel killed Hamas No. 3 Marwan Issa, Sullivan confirms
Washington Examiner: Niger junta calls for end of partnership with US military
Washington Examiner: NIH study finds no MRI-detectable brain abnormalities associated with ‘Havana syndrome’
Washington Examiner: Elon Musk’s SpaceX to work with US intelligence on new spy satellite network: Report
Washington Examiner: US warns Cuba to ‘refrain from violence’ against protests
Washington Examiner: FBI retrieves and orchestrates return of artifacts taken after Battle of Okinawa
Washington Examiner: Putin admits he wanted Navalny gone
Washington Examiner: White House condemns Russia issuing arrest warrant for Washington Examiner columnist
Washington Examiner: Opinion: France’s Macron takes a welcome lead for European security
AP: Netanyahu agrees to send Israeli officials to Washington to discuss prospective Rafah operation
Soldier of Fortune: ‘We Are Fire’: Inside Atesh, the Resistance Movement That Stalks Russian Targets
Wall Street Journal: Taiwan’s Tough Call on How to Stop China: Bigger Weapons or Lots of Cheap Ones
Military.com: Pentagon Won’t Say If Troop Deployment Tempo Exceeds Recommended Goal
Stars and Stripes: Largest US Base in Middle East Works Nonstop to Get Aid by Air into Gaza
Air & Space Forces Magazine: While USSF Budget Dips, Funds for New Nuclear Command and Control Satellites Jump
Air & Space Forces Magazine: New F-15EX Is ‘Awesome’ to Fly, Guard F-15C Pilots Say Ahead of Transition
Defense News: Japan Set to Lift Export Restrictions on F-X Fighter Jet
Military.com: Largest Number of A-10s Yet Could Be Headed to Boneyard as Air Force Shifts Strategy and Aircraft
Breaking Defense: New Zealand in AUKUS ‘No Guarantee,’ but Discussions Active: Defense Minister
Defense One: China’s Moon Plans Worry Space Force
Space News: National Reconnaissance Office Embracing Mix of Big and Small Satellites
DefenseScoop: Tournear: Deorbiting Services Could Have Cost-Saving Benefits for SDA
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Niger Junta Calls for US to Leave, but Pentagon Says Troops Remain at Air Bases for Now
Breaking Defense: SDA’s Data Relay, Missile Tracking Networks to Be Operational by End of 2025: Tournear
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air National Guard No. 2 Nominated to Become New Director
Military.com: A Better Way to Give Pay Raises to Junior Enlisted? Key Senator Says It’s Under Consideration This Year.
Task & Purpose: Alaska Airman Who Died on Duty Identified, Loaded Weapons on F-22s
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: Opinion: Why North Korea’s new spy satellite could actually be a good thing
The Cipher Brief: After TikTok Vote, Will a Ban or Sale Come Next?
The Cipher Brief: What Will the U.S. Do if Israel Crosses “Red Line” in Gaza?
The Cipher Brief: Opinion: The Houthi Regime is an Integrated Propaganda Machine
THE CALENDAR:
TUESDAY | MARCH 19
9:30 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute discussion: “America’s Commitment to Defend Taiwan,” with Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) and Kenneth Weinstein, Hudson Institute Japan chairman https://www.hudson.org/events/representative-young-kim
11 a.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE — Heritage Foundation book discussion: We Win, and They Lose: A Conservative Strategy to Win the New Cold War, with co-author Matthew Kroenig, professor at Georgetown University; co-author Dan Negrea, senior director, Atlantic Council Freedom and Prosperity Center; Kimberly Reed, former chairwoman, board, president, and CEO, Export-Import Bank, U.S.; and Robert Greenway, director, Heritage Center for National Security https://www.heritage.org/asia/event/we-win-and-they-lose
1 p.m. 2172 Rayburn — House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing: “A ‘Strategic Failure’: Biden’s Withdrawal, America’s Generals, and the Taliban Takeover,” with testimony from retired Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, former commander, U.S. Central Command, and retired Gen. Mark Milley, former chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff http://foreignaffairs.house.gov
1:30 p.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute book discussion: We Win, and They Lose: A Conservative Strategy to Win the New Cold War, with co-author Matthew Kroenig, professor at Georgetown University and vice president, Atlantic Council Center for Strategy and Security; co-author Dan Negrea, senior director, Atlantic Council Freedom and Prosperity Center; and Rebeccah Heinrichs, director, Hudson Institute Keystone Defense Initiative https://www.hudson.org/events/we-win-they-lose
2 p.m. — Government Executive Media Group virtual forum: “The State, Marine Corps,” with Gen. Christopher Mahoney, assistant Marine Corps commandant, and Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl, commanding general, Marine Corps Combat Development Command and deputy commandant for combat development and integration https://events.defenseone.com/state-of-defense
2 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Section 702, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA): Privacy and Civil Liberties Reforms,” with Sharon Bradford Franklin, chairwoman, Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board https://www.csis.org/events/section-702-fisa-privacy-and-civil-liberties-reforms
WEDNESDAY | MARCH 20
8 a.m. 14750 Conference Center Dr., Chantilly, Virginia — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association Space Force IT Day forum: “Connecting to Win,” with Chief Master Sgt. Jacob Simmons, command senior enlisted leader, U.S. Space Command; Deputy Air Force Chief Information Officer Winston Beauchamp; Lisa Costa, chief technology and innovation officer at the Space Force; and Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert “Bob” Skinner, director and commander, Defense Information Systems Agency and Joint Force Headquarters https://afceanova.swoogo.com/SpaceForceITDay
8:30 a.m. 14th and F Sts. NW — Billington CyberSecurity State and Local CyberSecurity Summit with Army Maj. Gen. Joe Jarrard, director of operations at the National Guard Bureau; Brig. Gen. Teri Williams, vice director of operations (CYBER) at the National Guard Bureau; Steven Hernandez, chief information security officer and director of information assurance services Education Department; and Michael Geraghty, director, New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell https://billingtoncybersecurity.com/inaugural
8:30 a.m. — Wilson Center virtual discussion: “Completing the U.S. Strategic Rebalance,” focusing on the Indo-Pacific,” with Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN), former U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives Robert Blake; former U.S. Ambassador to Thailand, the Philippines, and Ecuador Kristie Kennedy; and former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Mark Lippert https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/completing-us-strategic-rebalance
8:45 a.m. 850 16th St. NW — Ronald Reagan Institute Center for Peace Through Strength second annual National Security Innovation Base Summit, with Sen. Todd Young (R-IN); House Armed Services ranking member Adam Smith (D-WA); Gen. James Slife, Air Force vice chief of staff; Douglas Bush, assistant Army secretary for acquisition, logistics, and technology; Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ); Gen. Michael Guetlein, vice chief of space operations; Anne Neuberger, deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology; Rep. Robert Wittman (R-VA); Heidi Shyu, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering; and Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks https://nsibsummitvirtual2024.rsvpify.com
9:30 a.m. 216 Hart — Senate Armed Services Committee hearing: “The Final Report, Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution Reform Commission,” with testimony from former Defense Undersecretary (Comptroller) Robert Hale, chairman, Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution Reform Commission; former Defense Undersecretary for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord, vice chairwoman, Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution Reform Commission; and Laura Sayer, executive director, Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution Reform Commission and former comptroller for the commander, Navy Installations Command and Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings
10 a.m. — Brookings Institution virtual discussion: “Asia Goes to the Polls: elections in Taiwan, South Korea and India,” with Richard Bush, Brookings nonresident senior fellow; Tanvi Madan, Brookings senior fellow; Thomas Pepinsky, Brookings nonresident senior fellow; Andrew Yeo, Brookings senior fellow; and Mireya Solis, Brookings senior fellow https://www.brookings.edu/events/asia-goes-to-the-polls
10 a.m. — Counter Extremism Project webinar: “Cruel And Unusual Punishment — How The Houthis Target Women, Journalists And Religious Minorities,” with Edmund Fitton-Brown, CEP senior adviser; Nura al Jarwi, president, Association for the Protection of Violated Women and Survivors of Houthi Prisons; and Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director, CEP Counter Extremism Project https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register
10:30 a.m. 2362-A Rayburn — House Appropriations Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing: “Oversight Hearing — Quality of Life in the Military,” with testimony from Army Sgt. Maj. Michael Weimer; Navy Master Chief Petty Officer James Honea; Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Carlos Ruiz; Air Force Chief Master Sgt. David Flosi; and Space Force Chief Master Sgt. John Bentivenga http://appropriations.house.gov
10:30 1211 Connecticut Ave. NW — Stimson Center discussion: “The U.S.-Japan Alliance: From Peace and Prosperity in the Indo-Pacific to a Global Partnership,” with Derek Mitchell, former U.S. ambassador to Myanmar; Masami Oka, former vice minister of defense for international affairs; and Yuki Tatsumi, director, Stimson Japan Program https://www.stimson.org/event/the-us-japan-alliance
11 a.m. — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace virtual discussion: “Can Israel Win its War With Hamas?” with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Aaron David Miller, CEIP senior fellow https://carnegieendowment.org/2024/03/20/can-israel-win-its-war
11:15 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Committee hearing: “U.S. Military Posture and National Security Challenges in the Indo-Pacific Region,” with testimony from Adm. John Aquilino, commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command; Gen. Paul LaCamera, commander, U.S. Forces Korea, U.N. Command, and Combined Forces Command; and Ely Ratner, assistant defense secretary for the Indo-Pacific Region https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings
2 p.m. 222 Russell — Senate Armed Services Committee Readiness and Management Support Subcommittee hearing: “The state, Defense Department acquisition system,” with testimony TBA http://www.armed-services.senate.gov
3:30 p.m. 2212 Rayburn — House Armed Services Intelligence and Special Operations Subcommittee hearing: “U.S. Special Operations Forces and Command — Challenges and Resource Priorities for Fiscal Year 2025,” with testimony from Christopher Maier, assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, and Army Gen. Bryan Fenton, commander, U.S. Special Operations Command https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings/iso-hearing
4 p.m. 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW — American University School of International Service book discussion: Netanyahu vs The Generals: The Battle for Israel’s Future, with author Guy Ziv, associate professor at AU School of International Service http://www.american.edu/media
6:30 p.m. 14th and F Sts. NW — National Press Club film screening and discussion: “Anna, focusing on the life of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya,” with Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA); former CIA Director John Brennan; actor Sean Penn; and Bob Woodward, Washington Post associate editor https://www.press.org/events/npc-headliners-screening-anna
THURSDAY | MARCH 21
7 a.m. 1700 Army Navy Dr., Arlington, Virginia — National Defense Industrial Association Senior Defense Leaders Forum with service representatives to review the fiscal 2025 Defense Department budget. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2024-3-21-ndia-dc-chapter
8 a.m. 3111 Fairview Park Dr., Falls Church, Virginia — Potomac Officers Club Artificial Intelligence Summit, with William Streilein, chief technology officer at the Defense Department’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office, and Kathleen Fisher, director, Defense Advanced Research Project Agency Information Innovation Office https://potomacofficersclub.com/events/poc-5th-annual-artificial-intelligence-summit/
10 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Committee hearing: “U.S. Military Posture and National Security Challenges in the Greater Middle East and Africa,” with testimony from Celeste Wallander, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs; Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, commander, U.S. Central Command; Gen. Michael Langley, commander, U.S. Africa Command; and Gen. Paul LaCamera, commander, U.S. Forces Korea, Combined Forces Command, and U.N. Command https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings
10 a.m. 210 Cannon — House Budget Committee hearing: “The President’s FY2025 Budget Request,” with testimony from Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young https://budget.house.gov
10 a.m. 2172 Rayburn — House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing: “Countering China on the World Stage: Empowering American Businesses and Denying Chinese Military Our Technology,” with testimony from Alan Estevez, commerce undersecretary for the Bureau of Industry and Security, and Jose Fernandez, undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy, and the environment http://foreignaffairs.house.gov
12 p.m. — Washington Institute for Near East Policy virtual discussion: “The Islamic State Five Years Later: Persistent Threats, U.S. Options,” with Ian McCary, State Department deputy special envoy to the global coalition to defeat ISIS https://washingtoninstitute-org.zoom.us/webinar/register
12 p.m. 37th and O Sts. NW — Georgetown University Center for Contemporary Arab Studies lecture: “What Was Hamas Thinking?” with Tareq Baconi, president, board, Al Shabaka Palestinian Policy Network [email protected]
2 p.m. — Government Executive Media Group virtual discussion: “State, Army,” with Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George; Army Brig. Gen. David Gardner, commanding general, Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Johnson; and Army Brig. Gen. Curt Taylor, commanding general, National Training Center and Fort Irwin https://events.defenseone.com/state-of-defense
3:30 p.m. 2172 Rayburn — House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee hearing: “FY2025 Strategic Forces Posture,” with testimony from John Plumb, assistant secretary of defense for space policy; Gen. Anthony Cotton, commander, U.S. Strategic Command; Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander, U.S. Space Command; Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander, U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command http://www.armedservices.house.gov
FRIDAY | MARCH 22
8:30 a.m. 3351 Fairfax Dr., Arlington, Virginia — National Defense Industrial Association Human Systems Conference with Patrick Mason, head, Office of Naval Research Warfighter Performance Department https://www.ndia.org/events
9 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation Subcommittee hearing: “The Technology and AI Fight for 21st Century Operations in the Department of Defense,” with testimony from John Sherman, DOD chief information officer; Craig Martell, DOD chief digital and artificial intelligence officer; and Lt. Gen. Robert Skinner, director, Defense Information Systems Agency https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings/citi-hearing
7 p.m. 1324 4th St. NE — Politics and Prose Bookstore book discussion: Collisions: The Origins of War in Ukraine and the New Global Instability, with author Michael Kimmage, professor of history at the Catholic University of America, and Linda Kinstler, executive editor, the Dial https://www.politics-prose.com/michael-kimmage