After collision with U.S. drone, Russia seeks to avoid confrontation

Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., Anatoly Antonov, repeated the Kremlin’s line that the U.S. drone violated a “temporary airspace regime” established off the coast of Russian-occupied Crimea and was “moving deliberately and provocatively towards Russian territory with its transponders turned off.”

But in comments to reporters and tweets, Antonov insisted Moscow is not seeking conflict with Washington. “We believe it is important that the lines of communication should remain open,” he tweeted. “Russia does not seek confrontation and stands for pragmatic cooperation in the interests of the peoples of our countries.”

RUSSIAN AIRCRAFT COLLIDES WITH UNMANNED US DRONE OVER THE BLACK SEA

CALLED ON THE CARPET: Antonov was summoned to the State Department, where spokesman Ned Price said the U.S. conveyed “strong objections” to the “unsafe, unprofessional intercept,” while in Moscow, U.S. ambassador to Russia, Lynne Tracy, conveyed a similar “strong message” to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In a Telegram posting, Antonov was unrepentant. “I categorically rejected all the insinuations of the US side,” he said. “The unacceptable actions of the United States military in the close proximity to our borders are cause for concern. We are well aware of the missions such reconnaissance and strike drones are used for.”

“If, for example, a Russian strike drone appeared near New York or San Francisco, how would the U.S. Air Force and Navy react? I am quite confident that the US military would act in an uncompromising way and would not allow its airspace or territorial waters to be breached,” Antonov said.

US BLAMES RUSSIAN PILOT’S ‘LACK OF COMPETENCE’ FOR DRONE INCIDENT

DENIAL REJECTED: “It won’t surprise you that we obviously refute the Russian denial,” said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on CNN. “And I think anybody, after a year now, should take everything that the Russians say about what they’re doing in and around Ukraine with a huge grain of salt.”

“Somebody could have gotten hurt. Nobody wants to see that happen. And it could lead to miscalculations between, you know, two militaries that are operating not obviously in Ukraine together, but certainly in proximity in the region. And we don’t want to see this war escalate beyond what it already has done to the Ukrainian people,” Kirby said.

Now the race is on to recover the wreckage. The U.S. doesn’t currently have any ships in the Black Sea, but Kirby indicated efforts are being made to get to the crash site before the Russians.

“Without getting into too much detail, what I can say is that we’ve taken steps to protect our equities with respect to that particular drone, that particular aircraft, and it’s the United States property. We obviously don’t want to see anybody getting their hands on it beyond us.”

“To my knowledge, at this point in time, the Russians have not recovered that aircraft,” said spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder from the Pentagon. “I don’t have anything right now to provide in terms of recovery operations.”

RUSSIAN JET COLLISION A ‘WAKE-UP CALL TO ISOLATIONISTS,’ TOP ARMED SERVICES REPUBLICAN SAYS

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HAPPENING TODAY, UKRAINE DEFENSE CONTACT GROUP MEETS: With both sides on the front lines running low on ammunition, the focus of this morning’s virtual meeting of the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group will be on rushing more artillery shells, precision missiles, and drones to Ukrainian forces ahead of a planned spring offensive.

“This is now a war of attrition, which is a battle of logistics. This is about, you know, getting the supplies, the ammunition, the fuel to the frontline, to the soldiers,” says NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who will be attending the tenth meeting of more than 50 nations virtually from NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will make opening remarks at 8 a.m. from the Pentagon, and then at 2:15 p.m., Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley will address reporters. Both events will be live-streamed at https://www.defense.gov/News/Live-Events

DESANTIS HIGHLIGHTS GOP RIFT OVER AIDING UKRAINE: NOT A ‘VITAL’ INTEREST

UK: RUSSIA RATIONING SHELLS: The Russian shortage of ammunition has become so acute that “extremely punitive shell-rationing is in force on many parts of the front,” according to the latest intelligence update from the British Defense Ministry.

“Russia has almost certainly already resorted to issuing old munitions stock which were previously categorized as unfit for use,” the U.K. assessment concludes. “This has almost certainly been a key reason why no Russian formation has recently been able to generate operationally significant offensive action.”

In a Wednesday update, the Ukrainian General Staff said, “The enemy does not stop trying to capture the city of Bakhmut, where constant positional battles continue.”

“During the day, the enemy carried out 40x air strikes, 12x missile strikes and launched more than 100x attacks from MLRS. One of the rocket strikes hit the city of Kramatorsk – a three-story residential building was damaged, there were dead and wounded among the local population,” the update said.

ZELENSKY: DEFENSE OF BAKHMUT WILL CONTINUE: After a meeting with his General Staff, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to continue to defend Bakhmut with reinforcements.

“There is a clear position of the entire Staff: to reinforce this direction, to inflict maximum possible damage upon the occupier,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address. “We will win this war. We are doing everything for this.”

LINDSEY GRAHAM PUSHES BACK AGAINST REPUBLICAN SKEPTICISM OF UKRAINE SUPPORT

ALSO TODAY: McAleese FY2024 Defense Programs Conference, Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, Washington, D.C. Here’s the line-up:

• 7:45 a.m. — Army Gen. James Rainey, commanding general, Army Futures Command
• 8:15 a.m. — Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville
• 8:50 a.m. — Army Secretary Christine Wormuth
• 9:25 a.m. — Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology Douglas Bush
• 10:15 a.m. — Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman
• 10:50 a.m. — Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael M. Gilday
• 11:25 a.m. — Vice Adm. William Galinis, commander, Naval Sea Systems Command
• 11:50 a.m. — Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr.
• 12:50 p.m. — Undersecretary of Defense (Comptroller) Michael McCord 
• 1:25 p.m. — Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro
• 2 p.m. — Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger
• 2:30 p.m. — Navy Vice Adm. Jon Hill, director, Missile Defense Agency
• 3 p.m. — Rear Adm. Peter Stamatopoulos, chief, Navy Supply Corps 
• 3:15 p.m. — Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, commander, U.S. Transportation Command
• 3:45 p.m. — Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment William LaPlante
• 4:20 p.m. — Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Heidi Shyu
• 4:55 p.m. — Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall

INDUSTRY WATCH: It’s impractical, if not downright impossible, to string wires in space, so the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory is set to test an experimental laser designed to beam power from point A to point B in outer space.

The Space Wireless Energy Laser Link, or SWELL, will be among several experiments aboard today’s SpaceX Dragon cargo vehicle mission to the International Space Station.

“Power beaming is a means of delivering energy in the form of electromagnetic waves that does not require the transport of mass, so energy can be sent almost instantly. Its feasibility and safety have been proven on the ground, and now these efforts are expanding to space,” said a release from the NRL. “By eliminating the need for moving fuel or batteries, or for stringing wires, SWELL could be a compelling option for the utilization of lunar resources and development on the Moon.”

“By employing laser transmitters and photovoltaic receivers, power beaming links will be established that will pave the way for rapid, resilient, and flexible energy delivery systems,” said Paul Jaffe, electronics engineer and SWELL principal investigator. “Power beaming might also be used for distributing power for and around Earth, including from satellites that collect solar energy in space.”

SAUDI ARABIA AGREES TO BUY UP TO 121 PLANES FROM BOEING FOR $37 BILLION

The Rundown

Washington Examiner: Russian aircraft collides with unmanned US drone over the Black Sea

Washington Examiner: US blames Russian pilot’s ‘lack of competence’ for drone incident

Washington Examiner: Russian jet collision a ‘wake-up call to isolationists,’ top Armed Services Republican says

Washington Examiner: DeSantis highlights GOP rift over aiding Ukraine: Not a ‘vital’ interest

Washington Examiner: Lindsey Graham pushes back against Republican skepticism of Ukraine support

Washington Examiner: Rubio rejects DeSantis’s claim that war in Ukraine is mere ‘territorial dispute’

Washington Examiner: Nikki Haley knocks DeSantis on Ukraine and says he’s copying Trump

Washington Examiner: Hungary scraps parliamentary session as Finland and Sweden await NATO vote

Washington Examiner: Honduras switches diplomatic ties from Taiwan to China

Washington Examiner: China’s new defense minister previously sanctioned by U.S. for buying weapons from Russian military

Washington Examiner: MTG co-sponsors Dan Crenshaw bill to ‘declare war’ on Mexican drug cartels

Washington Examiner: Saudi Arabia agrees to buy up to 121 planes from Boeing for $37 billion

AP: Poland may hand MiG-29 jet fighters to Ukraine within weeks

Politico: Senators from Both Parties Press Austin on Sending F-16s to Ukraine

New York Times: The Black Sea Is A Crucial Theater In The War Between Russia And Ukraine.

Inside Defense: DOD Acquisition Chief Says New Surge in Munitions Investments Must ‘Stick’ in Future Budgets

Stars and Stripes: We Have To Adapt’: Marine Commandant Says Future Dominance Depends On Ability To Change

Washington Post: A railroad fan photographed Putin’s armored train. Now he lives in exile.

Air Force Times: Air Force May Shrink Middle East Presence, Proposed Budget Cut Shows

Bloomberg: A Warmer Arctic Challenges Troops Training For Subzero Warfare

19fortyfive.com: SSN(X): The U.S. Navy Has Big Plans for a Next-Generation Attack Submarine

Air & Space Forces Magazine: Deliveries of New F-35s Resume After Three Months

Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Skips AETP Engines for F-35, Presses on with NGAP

19fortyfive.com: It Has No Equal: The F-35 Is Far More Than A Stealth Fighter

Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Promotes Most New Senior Master Sergeants Since 2012

Breaking Defense: US Gets an ‘F’ for Erratic, Unfocused Funding of Defense Innovation, Says Reagan Foundation

19fortyfive.com: What Happens if Russia and Ukraine Run out of Ammo?

Stars and Stripes: Japanese Missile Base To Open For Business This Week On Island Near Taiwan

Honolulu Star-Advertiser: Sen. Mazie Hirono Concerned About Lack Of Missile Defense For Hawaii

Naval Technology: China’s Navy Launches New Destroyers At Dalian Shipyard

Voice of America: U.S. Intelligence Officials See China Preparing for Fight ‘They Don’t Want’

The Cipher Brief: Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Chief Predicts How War Will End

The Cipher Brief: Is the US About to Enter a New Big Power Nuclear Arms Race

Calendar

WEDNESDAY | MARCH 15

9:30 a.m. G50 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the nominations of Ronald Keohane to be assistant secretary of defense for manpower and reserve affairs, and Nickolas Guertin to be assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings

10:30 a.m. — U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom virtual hearing: “Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: Implications for Religious Freedom,” with Dmytro Vovk, member of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights’ Expert Panel on Freedom of Religion or Belief; Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Conference of European Rabbis and former chief rabbi of Moscow; Rachel Denber, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Europe and Central Asia Division; Nury Turkel, USCIRF chair; Abraham Cooper, USCIRF vice chair; and Sharon Kleinbaum, USCIRF commissioner https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register

3 p.m. 222 Russell — Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel hearing: “Military and Civilian personnel programs in the Department of Defense,” with testimony from Gilbert Cisneros, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness; Shawn Skelly, assistant secretary of defense for readiness; Thomas Constable, performing the duties of the assistant secretary of defense for manpower and reserve affairs; Lester Martinez-Lopez, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs; Elizabeth Foster, executive director of force resiliency; Agnes Schaefer, assistant secretary of the Army for manpower and reserve affairs; Franklin Parker, assistant secretary of the Navy for manpower and reserve affairs; and Alex Wagner, assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings

4 p.m. — Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft virtual discussion: “Is Congress Captured by the Arms Industry?,” with former Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA); Dan Grazier, senior defense policy fellow at the Project on Government Oversight; William Hartung, senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute; and Kelley Vlahos, senior adviser at the Quincy Institute https://quincyinst.org/event/is-congress-captured-by-the-arms-industry

THURSDAY | MARCH 16

7 a.m. 1700 Army Navy Dr. — National Defense Industrial Association: “Senior Defense Leaders Forum” to review the FY2024 Defense Department budget with Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs Lt. Gen. Richard Moore; Deputy Assistant Navy Secretary for Budget Rear Adm. John Gumbleton; and Assistant Deputy Marine Corps Commandant for Programs and Resources Brig. Gen. Daniel Shipley https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-3-16-ndia-dc-chapter

9 a.m. — Henry Stimson Center virtual discussion: “Japan’s New National Security Strategy: Northeast Asia,” with Madoka Fukuda, professor at Hosei University; and Yasuyo Sakata, professor of international relations at Kanda University of International Studies https://www.stimson.org/event/the-northeast-asia-security-environment

9:30 a.m. G50 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Committee hearing: “Posture of U.S. Central Command and U.S. Africa Command,” with testimony from Army Gen. Michael Kurilla, commander, U.S. Central Command; and Marine Gen. Michael Langley, commander, U.S. Africa Command https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings

9:30 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies and Defense Acquisition Program Administration Republic of Korea-U.S. Defense Industrial Cooperation for a Resilient Global Supply Chain Conference, with Michael Vaccaro, principal deputy assistant defense secretary for industrial base policy; and Pat Mason, deputy assistant Army secretary for defense exports and cooperation https://www.csis.org/events/dapa-csis-conference-2023-rok-us

11 a.m. — Government Executive Media Group Defense One discussion: “State of the Marines,” with Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger; and Brig. Gen. Joseph Clearfield, deputy commander of Marine Corps Forces Pacific https://d1stateofdefense.com/

11 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW — Atlantic Council discussion on a new report: “C4ISR (Command and Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance): Assessment and Recommendations After Madrid,” with retired Army Maj. Gen. Gordon Davis; retired Marine Corps Gen. James Cartwright, board director of the Atlantic Council; John Baylouny, executive vice president, chief operating officer, Leonardo DRS; and Sherill Lingel, director, Force Modernization and Employment Program, RAND Project Air Force https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/report-launch-the-future-of-nato-c4isr

12 p.m. 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace discussion: “Making AUKUS (Australia-United Kingdom-U.S.) Work for the U.S.-Australia Alliance,” with Stacie Pettyjohn, director of the defense program at the Center for a New American Security; and William Greenwalt, nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute https://carnegieendowment.org/2023/03/16/making-aukus-work

1 p.m. 1000 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Cato Institute discussion: “The Iraq War at 20 Years” https://www.cato.org/events/iraq-war-20-years

FRIDAY | MARCH 17

10 a.m. — Wilson Center’s Asia Program virtual discussion: “Taiwan and Its Partners Beyond the Silicon Shield,” with Shelley Rigger, professor at Davidson College; and Dan Blumenthal, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/taiwan

11 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Attracting and Scaling Private Capital in Support of National Security,” with Jason Rathje, director of the Defense Department’s Office of Strategic Capital https://www.csis.org/events/dods-office-strategic-capital

12 p.m. 112 Elden St., Herndon, Va. — Clare Boothe Luce Center for Conservative Women discussion: “The Communist China Threat,” with Victoria Coates, senior research fellow for international affairs and national security at the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Freedom. RSVP: Lindsey Cruz, [email protected]

1 p.m. 1957 E Street NW — George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs discussion: “Nuclear Security: Our View from Vienna,” with Laura Holgate, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Vienna Office https://calendar.gwu.edu/event/nuclear_security

MONDAY | MARCH 20 

10 a.m. — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies “Aerospace Nation” webinar with Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, commander, Pacific Air Forces, air component commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. Register: https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/event/march-20

TUESDAY | MARCH 21

9 a.m. Brussels, Belgium — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg presents his annual report for 2022, at NATO Headquarters https://www.nato.int