SECOND-GUESSING THE SWAP: No sooner than the news broke yesterday that President Joe Biden had ordered the release of notorious convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout to Russia in exchange for the release of WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner did the questions begin about whether Biden had been outmaneuvered by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Paul Whelan should have been part of this deal,” said Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID) “He is a Marine who fought for our country, and he is a hero. He has spent four years unjustly held and badly mistreated in Russian prisons. The Biden administration cannot forget him now that Griner has been released.”
Whelan himself, in an interview with CNN, said he was “greatly disappointed” that more has not been done to secure his release. “I’m happy that Brittney is going home today and that Trevor [Reed] went home when he did. But I don’t understand why I’m still sitting here. My bags are packed. I’m ready to go home.”
“It’s been over 4 years since his imprisonment. How much longer must his family wait?” tweeted Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL). “There is no place for weakness when it comes to lives of innocent Americans.”
“The Bout-for-Griner prisoner swap is not a trade, it’s an American surrender. This is not what American strength looks like. Terrorists and rogue states are smiling,” tweeted former national security adviser John Bolton.
GRINER SWAP LEAVING PAUL WHELAN BEHIND IS A ‘CATASTROPHE’ FOR HIM, BROTHER SAYS
GRINER OR NOTHING: The White House insisted it tried everything to get the Russians to include Whelan in the deal, a senior administration official said, telling reporters, “If we had exactly enough to bring Paul Whelan home, he’d be home today, too. It is an indication that we don’t right now, or at least in the Russians’ view we don’t.”
“This was not a choice of which American to bring home. The choice was one or none,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “I wholeheartedly wish that we could have brought Paul home today on the same plane as Brittney, just as, at the time, I wished we could have Brittney and Paul home when we secured the release of Trevor Reed back in April. But we will stay at it.”
“We have every reason to expect that the channel will remain open to continue to negotiate for Paul Whelan’s release,” the senior White House official said, and Biden pledged to continue to work to secure Whelan’s freedom.
“We are not giving up,” Biden said at the White House announcement of Griner’s freedom. “We’ll keep negotiating in good faith for Paul’s release. I guarantee that. I say that to the family: I guarantee you.”
BIDEN INSISTS HE HAS ‘NOT FORGOTTEN ABOUT PAUL WHELAN’ AS HE WELCOMES BRITTNEY GRINER HOME
TRUMP: ‘HE WOULD HAVE BEEN LET OUT FOR THE ASKING’: Former President Donald Trump immediately took to his Truth Social account to trash the deal and smear Griner as unpatriotic.
“What kind of a deal is it to swap Brittney Griner, a basketball player who openly hates our Country, for the man known as ‘The Merchant of Death,’ who is one of the biggest arms dealers anywhere in the World, and responsible for tens of thousands of deaths and horrific injuries,” Trump posted. “Why wasn’t former Marine Paul Whelan included in this totally one-sided transaction? He would have been let out for the asking. What a ‘stupid’ and unpatriotic embarrassment for the USA!!!”
Trump neglected to mention that Whelan was arrested in December 2018 during Trump’s time in office and that discussions with Russia about his release came to naught.
“There should be no American standing against getting home a wrongfully detained American who is being held overseas because hostile foreign countries are trying to start problems over here,” said Elizabeth Whelan, Paul’s sister, on CNN. “I would urge everyone to, you know, to keep their partisan sniping out of it. If they’ve got some better ideas on how this administration should be approaching getting people home, then I’m sure that the folks over at the NSC would be happy to hear what those ideas are.”
OPINION: BRITTNEY GRINER-VIKTOR BOUT TRADE GIVES VLADIMIR PUTIN TWO VICTORIES
Good Friday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Stacey Dec. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email and we’ll add you to our list. And be sure to follow us on Twitter: @dailyondefense.
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HAPPENING TODAY: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Adm. Christopher Grady, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will preside at a change-of-command ceremony at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska this morning as Air Force Gen. Anthony Cotton assumes command of America’s nuclear forces. Cotton takes over as commander of U.S. Strategic Command from the retiring Adm. Charles Richard. Austin’s and Grady’s remarks will be livestreamed on the Pentagon’s website at 11 a.m. EST.
350-80, NOW THAT’S BIPARTISAN! The House passed the annual National Defense Authorization Act, including a provision that will force the Pentagon to end its COVID-19 vaccine mandate, by a veto-proof margin of 350-80.
The $858 billion defense policy bill for fiscal 2023, which authorizes but does not allocate funds, includes a $45 billion plus-up over the Biden administration’s original request that was added by the armed services committees, again with wide bipartisan support.
The bill, which includes the authorization for $800 million in new security aid to Ukraine and $10 billion for Taiwan, now goes to the Senate.
HOUSE PASSES MAJOR DEFENSE SPENDING BILL
BLINKEN: ‘CONFIDENT’ FINLAND, SWEDEN WILL JOIN NATO: Secretary of State Antony Blinken met yesterday with Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom and Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto as the two countries await final approval of their applications to join NATO.
It’s been six months since the two Nordic nations were formally invited to join the alliance, and 28 of the 30 NATO nations quickly ratified the articles of succession. The two holdouts have been Hungary and Turkey. While Hungary’s Viktor Orban has promised his Parliament will take action next month, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues to delay, insisting neither country has fully met its obligations under a three-way agreement signed last summer.
“Finland and Sweden are ready to be NATO allies,” said Blinken. “Their troops have served shoulder to shoulder with U.S. and NATO forces in Kosovo, in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Libya.”
Asked about Turkey’s continued efforts to extract more concessions from the aspirants, Blinken said he is “confident” the process is moving forward. “I am convinced, based on everything I know, that we will soon be able to call both countries formally our allies.”
“Turkey has raised important security concerns in this process, and the process is being used effectively and productively to address those concerns,” Blinken said. “And we’ve seen these countries take tangible steps to, again, address the concerns that Turkey has raised.”
Haavisto said that all of the issues outlined in a trilateral memorandum signed last summer have been met, including the designation of the Kurdish PKK as a terrorist group.
“What we are still missing is the clear date and clear plan of the Turkish Parliament to deal with this issue. And we know that Turkey is going to the elections,” Haavisto said. “Of course, our hope is that this decision should come from Turkey rather sooner than later.”
FINLAND AND SWEDEN’S NATO AMBITIONS AT MERCY OF TURKEY AND HUNGARY
INDUSTRY WATCH: The Army has awarded two contracts aimed at speeding up the replenishment of stocks of 155 mm artillery munitions that the U.S. has been shipping to Ukraine from Army inventory.
The contracts to IMT Defense for the production of M795 155 mm projectile shell bodies and to General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems to build a new 155 mm artillery metal parts production line will “significantly increase production capacity,” according to an Army statement.
“Robust investment in production capacity through our industrial partners gives the Army the ability to ramp and surge production capacity as needed to meet its requirements,” said Douglas Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics, and technology. “Army leadership is also leveraging our allies to access additional artillery capability. Contracts have been awarded, and production is underway.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The Rundown
Washington Examiner: House passes major defense spending bill
Washington Examiner: Biden hears plea for long-term Ukraine policy
Washington Examiner: Putin uses Peter the Great as prop for faltering Russian morale
Washington Examiner: Finland and Sweden’s NATO ambitions at mercy of Turkey and Hungary
Washington Examiner: Governors ban TikTok over security concerns
Washington Examiner: Jan. 6 committee considering criminal referrals for four Trump allies
Washington Examiner: Biden insists he has ‘not forgotten about Paul Whelan’ as he welcomes Brittney Griner home
Washington Examiner: WATCH: Brittney Griner and Russian arms dealer cross paths on tarmac during prisoner swap
Washington Examiner: New pictures show Brittney Griner’s life in Russian penal colony
Washington Examiner: Griner swap leaving Paul Whelan behind is a ‘catastrophe’ for him, brother says
Washington Examiner: Biden administration says Whelan’s espionage charge complicates his release
Washington Examiner: Whelan ‘greatly disappointed’ in Biden administration’s efforts to secure release
Washington Examiner: ‘Deeply disturbing decision’: Viktor Bout release sparks concerns
Washington Examiner: Opinion: Brittney Griner-Viktor Bout trade gives Vladimir Putin two victories]
Politico: Pentagon Concerned Bout Could Return To Arms Trafficking After Griner Exchange
Wall Street Journal: Russians March On Foot To Advance Yards In Bloody Eastern Ukraine Battle
Task & Purpose: Afghan interpreter rescued by Marine officer denied visa to stay in US
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Kendall Warns Congress: Continuing Resolution Stopping 61 New Programs
Defense One: Cyber, Speed, and UFOs: A Tour of Tech Provisions in the 2023 NDAA
Air Force Times: Pentagon Worries Repealing COVID Vaccine Mandate Will Affect Readiness
CNN: U.S. Military Braces For Impact Of Covid Vaccine Mandate Repeal
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Stephen Colbert Visits Space Force in Greenland and Learns the Mission is No Laughing Matter
Air & Space Forces Magazine: DOD’s New Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability Will Underpin JADC2 But Require Cultural Shift, Officials Say
Defense News: How the Space Development Agency ‘Could Have Died Any Number of Ways’
Military.com: Ukraine Aid on the Line as Defense Hawks Prepare for New Congress and ‘Wokeness’ Fight
Defense One: U.S. Warships Need Faster Ways To Rearm, Repair, Navy Secretary Says
Reuters: U.S. Says China Seeks Stabilized Relations With Washington, In Short Term
Reuters: China Putting U.S. Space Assets At Risk, Senior U.S. Officer Says
South China Morning Post: U.S. Military Vows ‘More Lethal’ Force In 2023 To Deter Beijing Attack On Taiwan
Defense One: It’ll Be ‘Years’ Before The Pentagon Fully Implements Changes To Handling Sexual Assaults
19fortyfive.com: Ukraine Could Become the Ultimate Forever War
19fortyfive.com: Putin Makes It Clear: Russia Will Keep Hitting Ukraine’s Energy Grid
19fortyfive.com: Leopard 2 Tanks Headed to Ukraine to Fight Russia?
19fortyfive.com: Ukraine Is Using Ancient Drones to Strike Russia Hard
19fortyfive.com: Tempest: A New 6th Generation Fighter with Hypersonic Weapons?
Calendar
FRIDAY | DECEMBER 9
9: a.m. — German Marshall Fund of the U.S. virtual discussion: “A Marshall Plan Blueprint for Ukraine,” with Ukraine Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova; John Hewko, general secretary of the Rotary International and the Rotary Fund; David Ignatius, columnist at the Washington Post; and Heather Conley, GMFUS president https://www.gmfus.org/event/marshall-plan-blueprint-ukraine
TUESDAY | DECEMBER 13
10 a.m. 310 Cannon — House Homeland Security Intelligence and Counterterrorism Subcommittee hearing: “Examining the Operations of the Office of Intelligence and Analysis,” with Kenneth Wainstein, Homeland Security undersecretary for the Office of Intelligence and Analysis http://homeland.house.gov
WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 14
10 a.m. 2154 Rayburn — House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing: “The Rise of Anti-LGBTQI+ Extremism and Violence in the United States.” http://oversight.house.gov
2 p.m. — Stimson Center forum: “North Korea: Is denuclearization dead?” with Robert Gallucci, distinguished professor, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service; Siegfried S. Hecker, senior fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University; Sharon Squassoni, research professor of international affairs, George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs; and Joel Wit, distinguished fellow in Asian and Security Studies, Stimson Center https://www.stimson.org/event/north-korea-is-denuclearization-dead/
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“People are nervous about his age. It’s like, you know, grandpa wants to drive us from New York to Philadelphia and it’s rush-hour traffic. Grandpa wants to drive, and there’s nobody strong enough to pull him out of the driver’s seat. And so, I think they’ve just got to deal with that as a reality in terms of we have somebody who is not going to be moved out of that driver’s seat unless he wants to move himself.”
Van Jones, CNN commentator, on Democrats having to accept that Biden wants to run for reelection in 2024
