‘WE WILL DO WHAT WE NEED TO DO’: With 11 Americans confirmed dead at the hands of Hamas terrorists and others feared to be among the hostages Hamas has threatened to execute, the United States has not ruled out conducting a high-risk special operations commando rescue mission if U.S. citizens are confirmed among the kidnapped.
“We take the safety and security of Americans overseas very, very seriously. And you have seen us act as efficiently and effectively as we can to get Americans that are being held hostage or wrongfully detained, in some cases, back home with their families. We will continue to do that in this case as well,” NSC spokesman John Kirby said during a series of media appearances yesterday.
“We do not know with certainty the number of Americans who might be held there,” Jon Finer, deputy national security adviser, said on MSNBC. “We strongly suspect that there were Americans not just among the dead, but among those being held in Gaza at this time.”
“We have to accept the very grim possibility and the likelihood that there are Americans being held hostage,” Kirby said on Fox. “We’re in constant touch with Israeli officials right now to try to get a sense of the whereabouts of all the unaccounted-for Americans because who knows where they are or what condition they’re in.”
Any rescue effort would require exquisite intelligence about the location and conditions under which the more than 150 civilian and military hostages are being held, along with close coordination with Israeli forces who may be launching rescue missions of their own. “There are continual conversations across the U.S. government with all of our Israeli counterparts about the situation of hostages that Hamas is holding in Gaza,” a senior defense official told reporters in an afternoon conference call.
“We have hostage rescue teams in our special forces. They need to be shipped immediately, to get on those C-17s and C-5s, and fly to Israel to prepare to rescue these American citizens,” former national security adviser Robert O’Brien said on Fox. “We ought to have the FBI hostage rescue team also deployed to Israel.”
“We don’t even know if, or how many, are being held hostage. But how we would go about doing that? Obviously, we wouldn’t detail too much publicly,” Kirby said on CNN. “I would tell you, broadly speaking, that we will do what we need to do to protect our national security interests there in the region.”
ISRAEL WAR: HAMAS THREATENS TO EXECUTE A HOSTAGE FOR EVERY UNANNOUNCED ATTACK ON GAZA
‘THIS IS ISIS-LEVEL SAVAGERY’: The senior official who briefed Pentagon reporters said the terror tactics employed by Hamas are vastly different from the tensions and conflicts between Palestinians and Israelis in the past.
“This is ISIS-level savagery,” the official said. “This is different. It’s unprecedented. Hamas militants going across Israel, murdering children in front of their parents, massacring with indiscriminate violence music festivals, burning down entire houses while families sheltered in their bunkers.”
“We back Israel and its right to respond, to ensure that its own citizens and its territory are safe from Hamas terror and recognize that there’s going to need to be a response for Israel to restore deterrence,” the official said, echoing remarks made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Hamas terrorists bound, burned and executed children. They are savages. Hamas is ISIS,” Netanyahu said in an English language statement. “And just as the forces of civilization united to defeat ISIS, the forces of civilization must support Israel in defeating Hamas.”
ISRAEL DECLARES WAR ‘FOR THE WESTERN WORLD’ IN SHOWDOWN WITH HAMAS
MUNITIONS TO ISRAEL: The U.S. has already responded to Israel’s urgent request for more arms and ammunition, the Pentagon confirmed yesterday.
“We are working as fast as possible to provide critically needed munitions of various types and other equipment. We’re also contacting U.S. industry to gain expedited shipment of pending Israeli orders for military equipment that otherwise may have been considered routine for movement,” the senior defense official said in yesterday’s briefing. “We’re also working across the DOD enterprise, including with U.S. Central Command, to assess what munitions and other equipment are in U.S. inventory that can be made quickly available for Israel.”
“There’s already a new tranche of material going to Israel,” Kirby said on MSNBC. “It’s definitely on the way. And it does include interceptor missiles, some artillery ammunition, and other types of munitions that we know will be important for the Israeli Defense Forces.”
The official insisted the U.S. has the capability to continue to support both Ukraine and Israel while maintaining the global readiness of the U.S. military.
ISRAEL WAR: WHAT IS ISRAEL’S IRON DOME DEFENSE SYSTEM?
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HAPPENING TODAY: President Joe Biden is scheduled to deliver remarks from the State Dining Room on the terrorist attacks in Israel at 1 p.m.
“He will talk about the conversations that he’s had with Prime Minister Netanyahu, the importance of making it clear to the prime minister how solidly we stand behind them, the support that we are providing and we will likely have to provide in coming days and weeks,” Kirby said. “And I think you will also hear him talk very plainly about our concerns over Americans there in Israel. Obviously, we now have 11 families, American families, that got the worst news possible … I think you will hear the president talk in a very heartfelt tone about the importance to get all the information possible on these Americans, get in communication with their families, and do whatever we can to get them home.”
JOHN KIRBY BREAKS DOWN ON LIVE TV HEARING ABOUT ATROCITIES IN ISRAEL
ALSO TODAY: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is traveling to NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, for the scheduled meeting tomorrow of defense ministers, as well as another gathering of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.
Ukraine is still awaiting word that the U.S. will supply the long-range Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, that will allow it to strike more Russian targets deeper behind the front lines.
US STRIKE FORCE MOVES INTO EASTERN MED: An armada of U.S. warships, led by America’s newest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, has been ordered into the Eastern Mediterranean Sea as a show of force to deter Iranian-backed Hezbollah from trying to take advantage of the situation as Israeli forces are concentrated on Gaza.
“We are deeply concerned about Hezbollah making the wrong decision and choosing to open a second front to this conflict,” said the senior defense official who briefed Pentagon reporters. “It’s one of the main reasons why we adjusted our posture so quickly to increase our maritime presence in the Eastern Mediterranean because Iran-backed adversaries like Lebanese Hezbollah should not question the commitment of the U.S. government to support the defense of Israel.”
The carrier strike group included the guided missile cruisers USS Normandy, USS Thomas Hudner, USS Ramage, USS Carney, and USS Roosevelt. In addition, more U.S. Air Force F-15, F-16, and A-10 fighter jets have been moved to the region.
US CARRIER STRIKE GROUP DEPLOYMENT IS FOCUSED ON LEBANESE HEZBOLLAH
THE IRAN CONNECTION: The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that Iranian security officials helped plan Hamas’s surprise attack and gave the green light for the assault at a meeting in Beirut a week ago, quoting senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah.
It’s a charge the Biden administration said it hasn’t been able to verify, even as it says Iran’s support of Hamas is well known.
“There’s no question that Iran has complicity here,” Kirby said on CNN. “They have been supporting Hamas now for many, many years, tools, training, capabilities, certainly, rhetorically, the supreme leader out there basically cheering on this attack.”
“But what we haven’t seen — and our Israeli counterparts have said the same thing — we just haven’t seen a piece of intel or evidence that directly links Iran to these complex, very complicated set of attacks over the last couple of days,” he said. “That doesn’t mean that we won’t still. We’re still looking at that.”
“Hamas doesn’t fire a BB gun without the Iranian regime’s permission or resources,” Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) said on Fox. “Iran is 100% behind this all-out war against Israel.”
“There’s credible intelligence in the sense of just your average intelligence,” Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, said on CNN. “There’s no doubt that this war benefits Iran. There’s no doubt that Iran is the number one backer of Hamas that has provided them with the missiles.”
“I think we should just rely on the logic of the situation, both in terms of what Iran has always supplied to Hamas and also to Hezbollah. But also Iran’s clear interests in trying to stop the movement of the peace effort between Israel and Saudi Arabia and other Arab states. Iran, you know, fears that peace effort,” he said.
ISRAEL WAR: WHITE HOUSE NOT ‘GIVEN UP’ ON SAUDI NORMALIZATION HOPES AFTER HAMAS ATTACKS
The Rundown
Washington Examiner: Israel declares war ‘for the Western world’ in showdown with Hamas
Washington Examiner: What is Hamas, and who is the commander known as ‘The Guest’ behind the terror attack on Israel?
Washington Examiner: US carrier strike group deployment is focused on Lebanese Hezbollah
Washington Examiner: Israel war: McCarthy says US vulnerable to similar attack and dodges speakership questions
Washington Examiner: Israel war: What is Israel’s Iron Dome defense system?
Washington Examiner: Israel war: White House not ‘given up’ on Saudi normalization hopes after Hamas attacks
Washington Examiner: John Kirby breaks down on live TV hearing about atrocities in Israel
Washington Examiner: Israel war: Biden cash to Iran and Gaza under congressional scrutiny after Hamas attack
Washington Examiner: Israel war: Hamas threatens to execute a hostage for every unannounced attack on Gaza
Washington Examiner: Centrist Republicans float reinstating McCarthy as speaker following Israel attacks
Washington Examiner: McCarthy keeps door open to return as speaker: ‘Whatever the conference wants, I will do’
Washington Examiner: Israel war: US working to expedite military aid in wake of Hamas attack
Washington Examiner: Israel war: Hamas attack compared to ‘ISIS-level savagery’
Washington Examiner: Israel war: Fighting near northern border raises fears of conflict with Hezbollah and Hamas
Washington Examiner: Israel blames Europe for Hamas attack: EU funded ‘antisemitic propaganda’ at root
Washington Examiner: Israel war: Questions emerge over ignored warnings of possible attacks
Washington Examiner: Trump’s submarine comments would be stupid but do not appear classified
Washington Post: Biden May Link Ukraine And Israel Aid Requests, Despite GOP Opposition
AP: Israel strikes downtown Gaza City and mobilizes 300,000 reservists as war enters fourth day
Washington Post: Israel Orders ‘Full Siege’ Of Gaza Strip
Breaking Defense: In Wake of Hamas Attack, Israel May Have to Change Intel, Tech Strategy
Task & Purpose: 11 Americans Confirmed Dead in Israel Fighting
CNN: Tuberville To Continue His Block On Pentagon Nominations Which Impacts Military Appointments In The Middle East
Defense News: Where Is Russia’s S-500 Air Defense System?
Washington Post: In Ukraine, Russia’s Winter Attacks On Infrastructure Have Started
Business Insider: The U.S. Navy Turned The Tables On Iran, Sending Drones That Look Like Speedboats To Spy On Its Warships And Troublesome Gunboats
Defense One: US Army Scrambles to Catch Up to Rising Drone Threat
Marine Corps Times: Watch: Marine Corps Flies Its Valkyrie Robotic Aircraft For The 1st Time
Reuters: Inside Asia’s Arms Race: China Near ‘Breakthroughs’ With Nuclear-Armed Submarines, Report Says
New York Times: Xi Suggests Improving Ties In Meet-Up With Schumer
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Modernized ‘BEAST’ B-1 Bomber Makes First Flight
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Space Force Conducts Its Biggest Electronic Warfare Exercise Ever
Air & Space Forces Magazine: F-35s Leave Middle East After Deployment to Deter Iran and Russia
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Divesting Fighters Now Undermines USAF’s Capacity to ‘Fight and Win’ Later
AP: The Marines are moving gradually and sometimes reluctantly to integrate women and men in boot camp
Air Force Times: Want to Join the Air Force? Now You Have to Deadlift
Federal News Network: Air Force Discovers Higher Salaries Aren’t the Only Answer to Its Child Care Shortage
Calendar
TUESDAY | OCTOBER 10
7:30 a.m. 801 Mount Vernon Place NW — Day two of the Association of the U.S. Army Annual Meeting and Exposition, with Gen. Gary Brito, commanding general of the Army Training and Doctrine Command; Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Weimer; Deputy Army Undersecretary Mario Diaz; Army Undersecretary Gabe Camarillo; and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George https://meetings.ausa.org/annual/index.cfm
10 a.m. — Atlantic Council virtual discussion on “Protecting U.S. interests: How to defeat Putin and set Ukraine on the path to NATO,” with former Supreme NATO Commander retired Gen. Wesley Clark, Atlantic Council board director; former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst, senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center; former NATO Deputy Secretary-General Alexander Vershbow, Atlantic Council fellow; and Debra Cagan, senior adviser at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/how-to-defeat-putin
10 a.m. — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies virtual discussion: “How the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) develops, acquires, launches, and operates the latest space-based intelligence assets,” with Space Force Maj. Gen. Christopher Povak, NRO deputy director; and retired Air Force Gen. Kevin Chilton, explorer chair at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence https://afa-org.zoom.us/webinar/register
3:30 p.m. — Atlantic Council virtual discussion: “Modernizing the U.S. Air and Space Forces,” with Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/a-conversation-with-secretary-frank-kendall
4 p.m. — Hudson Institute “Presidential Speech Series,” with Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), GOP presidential candidate, delivering an address on foreign policy, followed by a discussion with Michael Doran, senior fellow and director, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East; and Sarah May Stern, chair of the board of trustees, Hudson Institute https://www.eventbrite.com/e/presidential-speech-series
5:15 p.m. 1239 9th St. NW— Defense One discussion with Army leaders on lessons learned from Ukraine and “how it affects the service’s strategies and readiness in the Pacific,” with Brig. Gen. Guillaume Beaurpere, commanding general of the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School; Maj. Gen. Christopher Eubank, commanding general of the Army Network Enterprise Technology Command; Capt. Jon Gruen, chairman and CEO of Fortem Technologies; and Patrick Tucker, science and technology editor at Defense One https://events.defenseone.com/cocktails-conversation-ausa/
WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 11
3 a.m. Brussels, Belgium — NATO defense ministers meet for two days at NATO headquarters in Brussels. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg gives “doorstop” statement https://www.nato.int/
4 a.m. Brussels, Belgium — Meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group chaired by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Charles Q. Brown. Austin’s opening remarks will be livestreamed at https://www.defense.gov/News/Live-Events/
7 a.m. — 801 Mount Vernon Place NW — Final day of the Association of the U.S. Army Annual Meeting and Exposition with Army Secretary Christine Wormuth; Army chief of staff Gen. Randy George; and Gen. Charles Hamilton, commanding general of U.S. Army Materiel Command https://meetings.ausa.org/annual/index.cfm
9:15 a.m. Brussels, Belgium — Post Ukraine Defense Contact Group news conference by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Charles Q. Brown https://www.defense.gov/News/Live-Events/
10:30 a.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Wilson Center’s Global Europe Program book discussion: The Arms of the Future: Technology and Close Combat in the Twenty-First Century, with author Jack Watling, senior research fellow for land warfare at the Royal United Services Institute https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/arms-future-book-launch-dr-jack-watling
11 a.m. — Foundation for Defense of Democracies Center on Military and Political Power in-person discussion: “Latin America’s China Challenge,” with Army Gen. Laura Richardson, commander, U.S. Southern Command https://www.fdd.org/events/2023/10/11/latin-americas-china-challenge
12:30 p.m. Brussels, Belgium — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg news conference https://www.nato.int
4 p.m. — Hudson Institute “Presidential Speech Series,” with Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND), GOP presidential candidate, delivering an address on foreign policy; and John Walters, Hudson President and CEO. https://www.hudson.org/events/presidential-speech-series
THURSDAY | OCTOBER 12
1:30 a.m. Brussels, Belgium — NATO defense ministers meet for a second day at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg gives “short remarks” https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news
8:45 a.m. Brussels, Belgium — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin news conference at the conclusion of the the two-day meeting of NATO defense ministers https://www.defense.gov/News/Live-Events
9 a.m. — Atlantic Council virtual discussion: “Applying an Irregular Warfare Lens to Outer Space,” with Col. El Gardner, director of strategy, policy, and plans at U.S. Space Force; Dean Cheng, senior fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies; John Klein, faculty member at George Washington University’s Space Policy Institute and author of Fight for the Final Frontier: Irregular Warfare in Space; Franco Ongaro, chief space business officer at Leonardo S.p.A; Theresa Hitchens, reporter for space and Air Force at Breaking Defense; and Audrey Schaffer, vice president of strategy and policy at Slingshot Aerospace and former White House space policy official https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/applying-an-irregular-warfare-lens-to-outer-space
9 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Association of the U.S. Army and Center for Strategic and International Studies “Strategic Landpower Dialogue,” with Gen. Charles Flynn, commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific https://www.csis.org/events/strategic-landpower-dialogue
10 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute in-person discussion: “The Future of the U.S.-Finland Alliance,” with Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen; and Peter Rough, director of Hudson’s Center on Europe and Eurasia. https://www.hudson.org/events/finnish-foreign-minister
11 a.m. — Brookings Institution virtual discussion: “Poland’s election and the direction of democracy in Central Europe,” with former U.S. Ambassador to Poland Daniel Fried, fellow at the Atlantic Council; Milan Nic, senior research fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations; Adam Traczyk, director of More in Common Poland; Anna Grzymala-Busse, nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Center on the U.S. and Europe; and Constanze Stelzenmuller, director of the Brookings Center on the U.S. and Europe https://www.brookings.edu/events/polands-election
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“We were participants in what can only be called a pogrom. This is not a military event. It’s not a military strike. The historic interpretation or explanation of a pogrom is when a military strikes at civilians … In short, this is a human rights outrage that really echoes with the kind of pogroms that made my grandparents leave Europe for the safety of America.”
Brandeis professor Ilan Troen, who was on the phone with his daughter as she and her husband were murdered by Hamas terrorists and their 16-year-old son was wounded.
