COMMAND DECISION: SPACECOM STAYS IN COLORADO: Donald Trump once bragged that, in the final week of his presidency, he “single-handedly” decided Alabama — a red state that voted for him — would get the prized headquarters of the newly-reestablished U.S. Space Command.
Yesterday, President Joe Biden single-handedly decided Colorado — a blue state that voted for him — will be the permanent home of SPACECOM, overruling a Trump-era recommendation of the Air Force, while citing the argument made by current U.S. Space Commander Gen. James Dickinson that moving the headquarters would jeopardize military readiness.
“This was really a decision based on one thing and one thing only for the president, and that was operational readiness,” said NSC spokesman John Kirby on CNN. “It’s in the best national security interests of the country if we leave Space Command in Colorado because moving it, especially a move that would take place over some time between the next five and 10 years, at a critical time in the space domain when [China] is developing incredible capabilities in that regard, that moving it could have a negative effect on Space Command’s readiness, and the president finds that unacceptable.”
According to unnamed officials who spoke to the Associated Press, “Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, who ordered his own review of the matter, leaned toward Huntsville, while Dickinson was staunchly in favor of staying put.” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is said to have presented both options to Biden, who was swayed by Dickinson.
“From the start, DOD and the Department of the Air Force have worked diligently to ensure the basing decision resulted from an objective and deliberate process informed by data and analysis, in compliance with federal law and DOD policy,” said Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder in a statement. “Secretary Austin, Secretary of the Air Force Kendall, and U.S. Space Command commander Gen. Dickinson all support the President’s decision.”
‘THIS FIGHT IS FAR FROM OVER’: The reaction from Alabama lawmakers was fast and furious. “It’s clear that far-left politics, not national security, was the driving force behind this decision,” fumed House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL), who vowed to open a congressional investigation into Biden’s decision. “This fight is far from over.”
“Huntsville, Alabama was chosen to be the headquarters of U.S. Space Command because it was the strongest location and investigations by the DOD IG and GAO have upheld this decision,” Rogers said in a statement. “Yet, the Biden administration decided to make Colorado Springs, Colorado, which came in fifth in the Selection Phase, the location of the headquarters for U.S. Space Command.”
“The top three choices for Space Command headquarters were all in red states — Alabama, Nebraska, and Texas. Colorado didn’t even come close,” said Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL). “This decision to bypass the three most qualified sites looks like blatant patronage politics.”
“As soon as Joe Biden took office, he paused movement on that decision and inserted politics into what had been a fair and objective competition — not because the facts had changed, but because the political party of the sitting president had changed,” Tuberville said in a statement. “This is absolutely not over. I will continue to fight this as long as it takes to bring Space Command where it would be best served — Huntsville, Alabama.”
Tuberville’s long-running battle with the Pentagon over its policy funding travel for military members seeking abortions was not a factor in Biden’s decision, White House officials insisted. Alabama is one of several states that strictly limit abortions, and locating Space Command personnel there would move them from a state whose constitution guarantees a right to abortion.
BIDEN DECIDES TO KEEP SPACE COMMAND IN COLORADO, BUCKING TRUMP’S ALABAMA PICK
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MOSCOW HIT AGAIN: A high-rise building in a tiny part of Moscow, which is said to house government offices, including the Ministry of Economic Development, was hit by a drone this morning. It’s the same building that was hit over the weekend by what appear to be Ukrainian-made “Beaver” attack drones.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed it shot down two drones targeting Moscow this morning and jammed a third, which sent it into the skyscraper in the Moscow City business district. Video on social media showed broken windows and damage to the building’s facade.
“I think that the objective here is to again bring the war to the Russian people, particularly those in Moscow,” said retired Army Gen. David Petraeus on CNN. “What they’re trying to do is, again, to acquaint the Russian people with the fact that a war is going on. That it can have an impact on them.”
“They are targeting, according to individuals with whom I spoke, in fact, seven weeks ago, in Kyiv, legitimate military targets,” said Petraeus, a former head of the U.S. Central Command. “They don’t always end up hitting those, of course, because the air defense can deflect them.”
The Russian military also said Ukraine targeted two warships in the Black Sea overnight, using its home-grown sea drones but claimed that all three maritime drones were shot out of the sea. The ships that were attacked were said to be two patrol vessels, Sergei Kotov and Vasily Bykov.
WAITING FOR RUSSIAN FORCES TO CRACK: Intense fighting in southern Ukraine is likely causing “battle fatigue and attrition” among Russian troops on the front lines, according to the latest intelligence assessment from the British Defense Ministry.
“The focus of Ukrainian assaults have been against Russia’s 58th Combined Arms Army,” the U.K. said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Across the south, common problems for Russian commanders are highly likely to include shortage of artillery ammunition, a lack of reserves and problems securing the flanks of units in the defense.”
“What they’re doing now I think … is described as ‘starve, stretch, and strike,’” said Petraeus. Ukraine, he said, is targeting ammo and fuel storage locations, as well as the lines of communication from Crimea to Russia and from Crimea to Ukraine across a 600-mile front.
“You stretch those forces. You keep Russians deployed everywhere. And then once you’ve set the conditions by this attrition, once you’ve picked your way through the minefields with sappers, engineers, and so forth, and you have an opportunity, you then press forward with these tanks and infantry fighting vehicles provided by the West,” Petraeus said.
“I think the key is going to be whether Russian forces can hold up. They’ve been in the line for over a year. They’re not rotating forces the way the Ukrainians are. They’re not that well looked after.” The question is, he said: “Will they crack?”
THE HOUSE ANALOGY: In an interview with David Remnick in the New Yorker, historian Stephen Kotkin argued that Ukraine is facing a scorched earth strategy that Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to abandon, even as his losses mount. “Putin’s strategy could be described as ‘I can’t have it? Nobody can have it!’’’
“Think of a house,” Kotkin said. “Let’s say that you own a house and it has ten rooms. And let’s say that I barge in and take two of those rooms away, and I wreck those rooms. And, from those two rooms, I’m wrecking your other eight rooms and you’re trying to beat me back. You’re trying to evict me from the two rooms. You push out a little corner, you push out another corner, maybe. But I’m still there and I’m still wrecking. And the thing is, you need your house. That’s where you live. It’s your house and you don’t have another. Me, I’ve got another house, and my other house has a thousand rooms. And, so, if I wreck your house, are you winning or am I winning? Unfortunately, that’s the situation we’re in.”
CISNEROS DEPARTS: The Pentagon has announced that Gilbert Cisneros, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, will step down from his position in early September.
As personnel chief, Cisneros, a Navy veteran and former two-term congressman from California, helped craft the Pentagon’s policies on sexual harassment as well as its controversial policy granting paid leave and travel expenses for military members and their dependents to obtain reproductive services, including abortions.
“His commitment to the ‘people first’ approach helped the Department improve the quality of life of our Service members and their families,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement. “Under his leadership, the [Personnel and Readiness] team established policies to ensure access to reproductive health care and contraceptives, promoted the safety, health, and well-being of the force during the COVID-19 pandemic, and advanced initiatives to integrate strategic readiness across the Department.”
UNDERSECRETARY OF DEFENSE GILBERT CISNEROS TO STEP DOWN
The Rundown
Washington Examiner: Biden decides to keep Space Command in Colorado, bucking Trump’s Alabama pick
Washington Examiner: Ukrainian drone attacks near Moscow are attempts to ‘strike at the Russian psyche’
Washington Examiner: Russia boasts about ‘adoption’ of Ukrainian children despite war crimes charges
Washington Examiner: Russia’s Medvedev threatens nuclear attack if Ukrainian counteroffensive successful
Washington Examiner: Saudi Arabia to host peace talks with Ukraine but without Russia
Washington Examiner: Niger’s hostage president waits for a rescue plan that doesn’t get him killed
Washington Examiner: Opinion: How Biden’s new drone policy will weaken counterterrorism efforts
Washington Examiner: Country singer Craig Morgan reenlists in US Army during concert
Washington Examiner: Undersecretary of Defense Gilbert Cisneros to step down
AP: Analysis: Buildup of American forces in Persian Gulf a new signal of worsening US-Iran conflict
ABC News: Inside The Large-Scale Military Exercise In Australia To Counter China’s Influence In The Pacific
Reuters: China’s Xi Calls For Combat Readiness As PLA Marks Founding Anniversary
Bloomberg News: China Unveils New Head Of Rocket Force Amid Reported Probes
AP: China Restricts Civilian Drone Exports, Citing Ukraine And Concern About Military Use
New York Times: In Ukraine’s Attacks Inside Russia, Small Strikes Hold Big Ambitions
Washington Post: Extensive Minefields Impede Ukraine’s Counteroffensive, Military Analysts Say.
The New Yorker: How the War in Ukraine Ends
Space News: Space Force Programs Get Trimmed in Senate Appropriations Bill
Air Force Times: What’s Next for Air Mobility, According to Gen. Mike Minihan
Air & Space Forces Magazine: KC-135 Recapitalization Requirements, Request for Information Coming in September
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Brown: New CCA Drones Will ‘Break the Mold’ on Weapons Life Cycles
Air & Space Forces Magazine: William Tell — USAF’s Ultimate Fighter Contest — is Back, After 19 Years
Breaking Defense: Big Money for Zero Trust: DISA Awards $1.86B Thunderdome Deal to Booz Allen Hamilton
Flying Magazine: Air Force Awards Archer $142 Million Contract For Midnight eVTOL
Defense Scoop: Air Force Finalizing Cloud One Follow-On Acquisition Strategy with RFP Coming Soon
OilPrice.com: Who Will Solve The Water Conflict Between Iran And Afghanistan
Forbes: As Pentagon Works To Rebuild The US Industrial Base, FTC Targets America’s Most Innovative Companies
Calendar
TUESDAY | AUGUST 1
8 a.m. — George Washington University Project for Media and National Security Defense Writers Group conversation with Mara Karlin, assistant secretary of defense for strategies, plans, and capabilities. RSVP: Thom Shanker [email protected]
8 a.m. 7920 Jones Branch Dr., McLean, Va.— Potomac Officers Club annual Army Summit, with Doug Bush, assistant Army secretary for acquisition, logistics and technology; and Gabe Camarillo, Army undersecretary and chief management officer https://potomacofficersclub.com/events/poc-8th-annual-army-summit
10 a.m. — Air and Space Forces Association virtual discussion: “Joint and combined Total Force integration, utilization, health of the force, and joint development for enlisted personnel,” with Ramon “CZ” Colon-Lopez, senior enlisted adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff https://www.afa.org/events/air-space-warfighters-action-seac-ramon-cz-colon-lopez
11 a.m. — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association virtual discussion: “‘Digital Chatter’ — The Growing Challenge of Mis/Disinformation,” with Hannah Becker, vice president and adjunct faculty at Becker Digital; Welton Chang, co-founder and CEO of Pyrra Technologies Inc.; John Gilligan, president and CEO of the Center for Internet Security; Andy Norman, author and executive director of the Cognitive Immunology Research Collaborative; Maj. Trisha Wyman, leader in psychological and special operations at the U.S. Army Special Operations Command; and Kimberly Underwood, director of digital news media at SIGNAL Magazine https://www.workcast.com/register?cpak=3086672029831705
11 a.m. — Washington Post Live virtual discussion: “The Ukraine war, climate change, and the Democratic Party,” with Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live
2 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual book discussion: Beijing Rules: How China Weaponized Its Economy to Confront the World, with author Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, China reporter at Axios https://www.csis.org/events/book-launch-beijing-rules
WEDNESDAY | AUGUST 2
11 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute discussion: “Securing American Competitiveness: The Importance of Critical Supply Chains in Strategic Rivalry with China,” with Robert O’Brien, chairman of American Global Strategies LLC; and Miles Yu, director of Hudson’s China Center https://www.hudson.org/events/securing-american-competitiveness
11 a.m. — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association virtual discussion: “Utilizing Data Literacy in the Military,” with Capt. Derrick Kozlowski, chief data officer at the U.S. Army Signal School; Sgt. Brian Picerno, senior career manager at the U.S. Army Cyber School; Diego Laje, senior reporter at SIGNAL Media; and Kimberly Underwood, director of digital news media at SIGNAL Magazine https://www.workcast.com/register
THURSDAY | AUGUST 3
8:30 a.m. — Air and Space Forces Association virtual discussion: “How the Expeditionary Center Is Shaping ACE and the Future Fight,” with Air Force Maj. Gen. John Klein, commander of U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center https://www.afa.org/events/air-space-warfighters-action-maj-gen-john-klein
5:30 p.m. 7920 Jones Branch Dr., McLean, Virginia — Intelligence and National Security Alliance discussion: “AI and emerging tech, intelligence community data strategy, the future of Open Source and collaboration with industry partners,” with Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Stacey Dixon https://www.insaonline.org/detail-pages/event
FRIDAY | AUGUST 4
9:30 a.m Summerall Field, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia — Relinquishment of Responsibility ceremony for outgoing Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville and Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston https://home.army.mil/jbmhh/index.php
10 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies Smart Women, Smart Power and Aerospace Security Project virtual conversation: “Looking South: Security Challenges in Latin America,” with Army Gen. Laura Richardson, commander, U.S. Southern Command; Kathleen McInnis, director, CSIS Smart Women, Smart Power Initiative; and Kari Bingen, director, CSIS Aerospace Security Project https://www.csis.org/events/looking-south-conversation
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“To my Russian friends who talk about using nuclear weapons in Ukraine: You need to understand that would be an attack on NATO itself, given Ukraine’s proximity to NATO territory. Time to sober up, realize that your barbaric invasion of Ukraine is not working, withdraw and save many young Russians from a pointless death.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), in response to a threat from Russia’s Dmitry Medvedev to use a nuclear weapon if Ukraine’s counteroffensive succeeds.
