‘THIS IS WHAT SURRENDER LOOKS LIKE’: As an unexpectedly heavy snowfall closed government offices and forced most federal workers to telework, Congress was scheduled to begin work this afternoon to avert a partial government shutdown in just four days.
A bipartisan agreement announced Sunday night would extend the deadline to fund the government in two stages, mirroring the two-tiered continuing resolution that would defund about 20% of the government Friday.
“It is clear that a continuing resolution is necessary to give the Appropriations Committee additional time to finish drafting their bills to reflect the new agreement,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said in a statement. “Following discussions with Speaker Johnson, Leader McConnell, and Leader Jeffries, and the White House, I will put on the Senate floor a clean CR that will extend funding until March 1 and March 8, maintaining the same structure as the CR Congress passed in November.”
The Senate is scheduled to reconvene at 3 p.m., at which time Schumer is expected to begin the process of passing a “clean” continuing resolution, meaning a temporary funding measure with no controversial amendments.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) will need Democratic votes to pass a stop-gap measure that will have to be brought to the floor under suspension of the rules, which requires a two-thirds vote. Johnson is working with a shrinking majority, with Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) out for cancer treatment and Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY) hospitalized after a car crash.
The House Freedom Caucus has already denounced the deal for another temporary extension. “@HouseGOP is planning to pass a short-term spending bill continuing Pelosi levels with Biden policies, to buy time to pass longer-term spending bills at Pelosi levels with Biden policies,” the caucus posted on X. “This is what surrender looks like.”
JOHNSON STARES DOWN TOUGH WEEK WITH EVEN SLIMMER HOUSE GOP MAJORITY
BORDER DEAL IN FLUX: Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), the lead negotiator for Senate Republicans on a possible border security deal, took to social media Saturday to deny reports that a draft compromise bill hammered out with Democrats would allow 5,000 immigrants per day to enter the U.S.
“The Senate’s Schumer-Lankford ‘border deal’ is a deal for illegal aliens — not Americans,” Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) posted on X. “We need to be securing the border and removing illegal aliens from our country — not giving illegal aliens work permits and taxpayer-funded lawyers.”
“I encourage people to read the border security bill before they judge the border security bill. I also advise people not to believe everything you read on the internet,” Lankford posted on the internet. “A lie will go round the world while truth is pulling its boots on,” he said, invoking a famous quote from English Baptist minister Charles Spurgeon.
President Joe Biden said Saturday he’s ready to make “major changes” at the border to cut a deal that would also free up funding for Ukraine. “I’m prepared to make significant alterations at the border. And there are negotiations going on for the last five weeks, so I’m hopeful we’ll get there,” Biden said, indicating that if no deal is reached, he’s also ready to act through executive orders.
“I’ve been pushing for fundamental change on the border for a long time — a long time,” he said. “And so, I’m hopeful. I’m going to let those negotiations play out. But other than that, I’m going to take action myself.”
Meanwhile, Johnson has reportedly told his caucus that he will hold out for a deal that includes a version of H.R. 2 — the House-passed bill that sharply restricts asylum claims and would restart border wall construction.
“Johnson says House GOP position is HR2. And reiterated he won’t take the Senate deal,” Jake Sherman of Punchbowl News posted on X. “Johnson says Congress can’t solve border until Trump is elected or a Republican is back in the White House.”
That’s fueling Democrat conspiracy theories that some Republicans don’t actually want a border deal with Biden because they want to keep the issue alive for the November election. “I’ve read one Republican said, ‘We don’t want our border (inaudible) it’ll only help Biden,’” the president said, according to a White House transcript.
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Good Thursday 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 Conrad Hoyt. 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 me on Threads and/or on X @jamiejmcintyre
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HAPPENING TODAY: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to address the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, which runs through Saturday. Zelensky is in Switzerland along with a delegation that includes his foreign and defense ministers, who have met with representatives from more than 50 countries and international organizations.
“The talks focused on the implementation of the Ukrainian Peace Formula, strengthening global security, including food security, and bilateral cooperation on a wide range of issues of mutual interest,” according to Zelensky’s official website.
In a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Zelensky expressed thanks for the air defenses, which have proven very effective in blunting Russian drone and missile attacks
“It’s really great that we have air defense, that we have defense deterrence from United States and from other — our European friends. It really helps people to survive in this bloody aggression from Russia,” Zelensky said.
“We’re determined to sustain our support for, and we’re working very closely with Congress in order to do that,” Blinken said. “I know our European colleagues are doing the same thing. And it’s our determination that, even as you succeed militarily against this Russian onslaught, that you also build a Ukraine for the future, one that can stand strongly on its own two feet militarily, economically, democratically.”
ZELENSKY’S 2024 STRATEGY: PLAY DEFENSE AND SHOW PUTIN CRIMEA DOESN’T PAY
SHOOTDOWN CLAIM: Ukraine claimed yesterday to have downed one Russian aircraft plane and damaged another over the Sea of Azov. A Russian Beriev A-50 early warning and control plane was shot down, and an Il-22 airborne command post aircraft was severely damaged but managed to land.
“Ukrainian commander in chief Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi posted flight tracking footage indicating that Ukrainian forces struck the A-50 and Il-22 over the Sea of Azov,” the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said in its latest update. “Ukrainian Air Force Spokesperson Col. Yuriy Ihnat stated that Ukrainian forces were able to hit two targets while initially targeting the A-50. Ihnat stated that the Ukrainian strike forced the Il-22 to land in Anapa, that the Il-22 is likely irreparable, and that there were wounded and dead among its crew.”
There has been no official comment from Moscow, while Russian war bloggers argued the planes had been accidentally hit by “friendly fire.”
“The A-50 is used to coordinate Russian air and possibly air defense activity, and the claim that Russian air defenses shot down the A-50 would amount to a calamitous failure on the part of Russian forces, if true,” the ISW said. “Ukraine’s Southern Operational Command stated that Russia had only three A-50s in service out of a total of six prior to this strike.
TAIWAN ELECTION: Taiwan’s current Vice President Lai Ching-te, who also goes by William Lai, prevailed in a three-way race for president Saturday, maintaining the status quo, in which Taiwan governs itself but refrains from declaring formal independence.
The victory by Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party, which has been in power for eight years, signals that Taiwan will continue to build ties with the United States while trying not to provoke China into taking military action to reunite the island with the mainland.
“More than any one politician or political party, Taiwan’s democracy is the real victor today,” said Craig Singleton, senior China fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
“Today’s high turnout and the inevitable, peaceful transition of power that will no doubt occur this summer exemplify the resilience of Taiwan’s democracy and the determination of its people, that is despite robust Chinese efforts to undermine both,” Singleton said in an email. “Chinese leader Xi Jinping is unlikely to accept this defeat gracefully,” said Singleton. “Simply put, China’s marathon of military drills and narrative shaping efforts failed to secure the ruling party’s defeat, casting serious doubt on Beijing’s ability to achieve reunification through non-kinetic means alone.”
AUSTIN DISCHARGED: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was released from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center yesterday, two weeks after he was admitted for complications following surgery to treat prostate cancer.
“I want to thank the doctors and nursing staff at Walter Reed for their professionalism and superb support during my stay. Now, as I continue to recuperate and perform my duties from home, I’m eager to fully recover and return as quickly as possible to the Pentagon,” Austin said in a statement.
Austin has come under intense criticism for attempting to keep his cancer diagnosis and subsequent hospitalization private, failing to notify Congress or the White House when he was incapacitated and delegated his authority to his deputy, who was also kept in the dark.
CONGRESS SEEKS ANSWERS ON LLOYD AUSTIN’S HOSPITALIZATION
HOUTHI ATTACKS CONTINUE: Despite two rounds of attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen, attacks on ships in the Red Sea continue, with a U.S.-owned commercial ship hit yesterday and a U.S. warship targeted Sunday.
“On Jan. 15 at approximately 4 p.m. (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and struck the M/V Gibraltar Eagle, a Marshall Islands-flagged, U.S.-owned and operated container ship,” the U.S. Central Command said in a statement. “The ship has reported no injuries or significant damage and is continuing its journey.”
The attack came one day after a U.S. Navy destroyer came under fire.
“On Jan. 14 at approximately 4:45 p.m. (Sanaa time), an anti-ship cruise missile was fired from Iranian-backed Houthi militant areas of Yemen toward USS Laboon (DDG 58), which was operating in the Southern Red Sea,” CENTCOM said. “The missile was shot down in vicinity of the coast of Hudaydah by U.S. fighter aircraft. There were no injuries or damage reported.”
A HUNDRED MUNITIONS, 60 TARGETS, AND 16 LOCATIONS: BREAKDOWN OF US-UK HOUTHI STRIKES
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: Johnson stares down tough week with even slimmer House GOP majority
Washington Examiner: Hard-line conservatives freeze House action in revolt of Johnson’s spending deal
Washington Examiner: Cutting a deal with Democrats on spending like ‘negotiating with the arsonist’: GOP senator
Washington Examiner: Houthi attacks continue after US strikes: Vessel struck by missile off Yemen
Washington Examiner: A hundred munitions, 60 targets, and 16 locations: Breakdown of US-UK Houthi strikes
Washington Examiner: Zelensky’s 2024 strategy: Play defense and show Putin Crimea doesn’t pay
Washington Examiner: Trump told EU he would never help if continent were attacked, top European official reminds world
Washington Examiner: John Kirby believes Lloyd Austin’s prolonged stay at hospital due to doctor’s orders
Washington Examiner: Congress seeks answers on Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization
Washington Examiner: Miss America crowns active-duty Air Force officer as 2024 winner
Washington Examiner: Opinion: No, Erdogan should never again step foot in the White House
Washington Examiner: Opinion: Why China will sink deeper into economic doom
Washington Examiner: Sen. Bob Menendez files motion to dismiss bribery indictment against him
Washington Examiner: Speaker Johnson ‘strongly encouraged’ Biden to move on border security demands in phone call
Breaking Defense: Strikes in Yemen May Be First for US, UK But Not Designed to Escalate Conflict: Analysts
Inside Defense: DOD Says Sensitive Weapons Sent to Ukraine Were Not ‘Diverted’
AP: Iran strikes targets in northern Iraq and Syria as regional tensions escalate
AP: Ships and aircraft search for 2 Navy SEALs missing after mission to confiscate Iranian missile parts
Washington Post: How Lloyd Austin’s medical mystery ignited a firestorm
AP: North Korea scraps agencies managing relations with South as Kim Jong Un cites hostility with rival
AP: US Military Academies Focus on Oaths and Loyalty to Constitution as Political Divisions Intensify
Air & Space Forces Magazine: VCASF Slife: New Force Generation Model Better Explains ‘Capacity, Risk, and Readiness’
Air & Space Forces Magazine: US Halts Recovery Effort for Osprey Crash with One Airman Not Found
Air & Space Forces Magazine: New Defense Industrial Base Strategy Warns of Long Recovery to Reverse Atrophy
Space News: SDA to Acquire Satellites with Custom Payloads to Enable Faster Targeting on Battlefields
Defense News: France Buys 42 Rafale Jets for More Than $5.5 Billion
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Taps Selfridge ANGB to House 12 New KC-46 Tankers
DefenseScoop: DISA Poised to Create Intelligence Entity in 2024
The Cipher Brief: The High Price of Losing Ukraine
The Cipher Brief: Sweden’s Path to NATO Still has Pitfalls
THE CALENDAR:
TUESDAY | JANUARY 16
8:45 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion: “Indo-Pacific Forecast 2024,” focusing on “economic, political and security developments across the region.” https://www.csis.org/events/indo-pacific-forecast-2024
10 a.m. — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace virtual discussion: “Ukraine in 2024: In Search of the Best U.S. Policy,” with Dara Massicot, senior fellow at the CEIP Russia and Eurasia Program; Eric Ciaramella, senior fellow at the CEIP Russia and Eurasia Program; and Aaron David Miller, CEIP senior fellow https://carnegieendowment.org/2024/01/16/ukraine-in-2024
10 a.m. — Wilson Center’s Asia Program virtual discussion: “What’s Next for Post-Election Taiwan” with former Congressional Research Service Asian affairs specialist; Ivan Kanapathy, CSIS senior associate; and Shihoko Goto, director of the CSIS Asia Program https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/whats-next-post-election-taiwan
11 a.m. — Defense Priorities virtual discussion: “Keeping the U.S. out of war in the Middle East,” with Andrew Bacevich, chair, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft; Barbara Slavin, distinguished fellow, Stimson Center; Benjamin Friedman, policy director, Defense Priorities; and Daniel DePetris, fellow, Defense Priorities https://keepingusoutofwarinmiddleeast.splashthat.com
12 p.m. — Wilson Center Middle East Program virtual discussion: “Understanding the Economic Ramifications of the Hamas-Israel War on Israel,” with Noach Hacker, minister for economic affairs at the Embassy of Israel; Merissa Khurma, director of the Wilson Center’s Middle East Program; and Mark Kennedy, director of the Wilson Center’s Wahba Institute for Strategic Competition https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/understanding-economic-ramifications
1 p.m. — Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft virtual discussion: “Demilitarizing the U.S.-Mexico Relationship,” with Aileen Teague, non-resident fellow at the Quincy Institute and assistant professor at the Texas A&M University Bush School of Government and Public Service’s International Affairs Department; Christy Thornton, non-resident fellow at the Quincy Institute and assistant professor of sociology and Latin American studies at Johns Hopkins University; Miguel Tinker Salas, non-resident fellow at the Quincy Institute and professor emeritus of Latin American history, and Chicano/a Latino/a studies at Pomona College; and Kelley Beaucar Vlahos, senior adviser at the Quincy Institute and editorial director of the Quincy Institute’s Responsible Statecraft magazine https://quincyinst.org/event/demilitarizing-the-u-s-mexico-relationship/
1 p.m. 1030 15th St. NW — Atlantic Council Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Forward Defense Program event to launch the final report of the “Commission on Defense Innovation Adoption,” with former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, board director and CDIA co-chair at the Atlantic Council; former Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James, board director and CDIA co-chair; Matthew MacGregor, MITRE acquisition subject matter expert and CDIA report author; Whitney McNamara, nonresident senior fellow at the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security’s Forward Defense Program; Pete Modigliani, vice president of national security and technology at Beacon Global Strategies, CDIA report author; Jenna Ben-Yehuda, executive vice president of politics and diplomacy and security and defense at the Atlantic Council; Clementine Starling, director of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security’s Forward Defense Program; and Stephen Rodriguez, senior adviser at Forward Defense and the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. RSVP: [email protected]
1:15 Honolulu, Hawaii — Pacific Forum “Operationalizing Integration in the Indo-Pacific: 2024,” with Adm. John Aquilino, commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command; Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet; and Laura Taylor-Kale, assistant secretary of defense for industrial base policy https://pacforum.swoogo.com/2024-oiip
1:30 p.m. — Government Executive Media Group and the Advanced Technology Academic Research Center virtual discussion: “Quantum Information Science at AFRL (Air Force Research Laboratory),” with Michael Hayduk, deputy director of the AFRL Information Directorate https://atarc.org/event/wg-quantum-information-science
2 p.m. — Defense News virtual discussion: “Data-driven Defense: How AI Propels the US Military,” with Eileen Vidrine, Air Force chief data and AI officer; Air Force Lt. Col. Lucas Will, branch chief of AI Tech Infrastructure; Kyle Rice, Federal CTO, Virtualitics https://www.defensenews.com/events/
5 p.m.1521 16th St. NW -— Institute of World Politics book discussion: Finding Waypoints: A Warrior’s Journey Toward Peace and Purpose, with co-authors, retired Col. Gregory Gadson, former commander of the U.S. Army Fort Belvoir garrison; and Terese Schlachter, chief storyteller at Ridgeback Communications, LLC. RSVP: [email protected]
WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 17
8 a.m. — Atlantic Council virtual discussion: “Get it Strait: Digesting Taiwan’s Presidential Election Outcome,” with Shelley Rigger, professor of East Asian politics at Davidson College; and Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, China reporter at Axios https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/get-it-strait
9 a.m. — U.S. Institute of Peace virtual discussion: “What Taiwan’s Elections mean for Cross-Strait Relations,” with Vincent Chao, head of international affairs of the Taiwan Democratic Progressive Party; Alexander Huang, director of international affairs of the Kuomintang Party; and Evan Medeiros, USIP senior adviser https://www.usip.org/events/what-taiwans-elections-mean
9 a.m. — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies virtual discussion of the policy paper: “Securing Cislunar Space and the First Island Off the Coast of Earth,” with the paper’s author Charles Galbreath, senior resident fellow for space studies at the Mitchell Institute; Thomas Lockhart Jr., director of capability and resource integration at the U.S. Space Command; former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine; Joel Mozer, former director of science, technology, and research at the Space Force; and retired Air Force Gen. Kevin Chilton, explorer chairman of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence and former commander of the U.S. Strategic Command https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/event/1-17-policy-paper
9:30 a.m. 211 Connecticut Ave. NW — Henry Stimson Center discussion: “Bias in Nuclear Security Implementation,” with Viviana Moreno, gender policy officer at the World Institute for Nuclear Security; Jack Brosnan, program officer for nuclear materials security at the Nuclear Threat Initiative and program officer at Gender Champions in Nuclear Policy; and Christina McAllister, director and senior fellow of the Stimson Center’s Partnerships in Proliferation Prevention Program https://www.stimson.org/event/bias-in-nuclear-security-implementation/
10 a.m. 562 Dirksen — Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing: “The Cyber Safety Review Board: Expectations, Outcomes, and Enduring Questions” http://www.hsgac.senate.gov
10 a.m. HVC-210, U.S. Capitol — House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing: “Examining the Flow of U.S. Money into China’s Military Might,” with testimony from Matthew Pottinger, chairman of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’s China Program; Jason Matheny, president and CEO of the RAND Corporation; and Peter Harrell, nonresident fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace http://foreignaffairs.house.gov
10 a.m. 2154 Rayburn — House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing: “The Biden Administration’s Regulatory and Policymaking Efforts to Undermine U.S. Immigration Law” http://oversight.house.gov
10 a.m. 2318 Rayburn — House Science, Space, and Technology Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee hearing: “Returning to the Moon: Keeping Artemis on Track,” with testimony from Catherine Koerner, associate NASA administrator for the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate; William Russell, director of contracting and national security acquisitions at the Government Accountability Office; George Scott, acting NASA inspector general; and Michael Griffin, co-president of LogiQ, Inc. http://science.house.gov
10 a.m. — Brookings Institution Foreign Policy Program virtual discussion: “The threat of hostage-taking,” with Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens; Jeffrey Feltman, visiting fellow in international diplomacy at the Brookings Institution’s Foreign Policy Program, former U.S. special envoy for the Horn of Africa at the State Department and former UN under-secretary-general for political affairs; Cynthia Loertscher, director of research, hostage advocacy and government affairs at the James Foley Legacy Foundation; and Suzanne Maloney, vice president and director of foreign policy at the Brookings Institution https://connect.brookings.edu/register-to-watch-hostage-affairs
12 p.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute discussion: “National Defense Implications of the Federal Budget Challenge,” with retired Army Brig. Gen. Mike Meese, president of the American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association; and Harold Furchtgott-Roth, director of the Hudson Center for the Economics of the Internet https://www.hudson.org/events/national-defense-implications
2 p.m. HVC-210, U.S. Capitol — House Foreign Affairs Committee Indo-Pacific Subcommittee hearing: “Protecting Emerging Technologies for Peace and Stability in the Indo-Pacific,” with testimony from Nathaniel Fick, ambassador at large in the State Department’s Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy; C.S. Eliot Kang, assistant secretary of State for the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, U.S. State Department; and Thea Rozman Kendler, assistant Commerce secretary for the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation http://foreignaffairs.house.gov
THURSDAY | JANUARY 18
9 a.m. — U.S. Institute of Peace virtual discussion: “Religious Actors and Peacebuilding in Ukraine,” with Denys Brylov, co-founder and director of the European Center for Strategic Analytics; Tetiana Kalenychenko, co-founder and director of the European Center for Strategic Analytics; Andrii Kryshtal, project manager of Conciliation Resources; Catherine Wanner, professor of anthropology and religious studies at Pennsylvania State University; and Nicholas Danysenko, chair in theology at Valparaiso University https://www.usip.org/events/religious-actors-and-peacebuilding-ukraine
9 a.m. — U.S. Institute of Peace virtual discussion: “Religious Actors and Peacebuilding in Ukraine,” with Denys Brylov, co-founder and director of the European Center for Strategic Analytics; Tetiana Kalenychenko, co-founder and director of the European Center for Strategic Analytics; Andrii Kryshtal, project manager of Conciliation Resources; Catherine Wanner, professor of anthropology and religious studies at Pennsylvania State University; and Nicholas Danysenko, chair in theology at Valparaiso University https://www.usip.org/events/religious-actors-and-peacebuilding-ukraine
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion: “The administration’s arms control agenda, including updates on U.S.-Russia and U.S-China engagement,” with Pranay Vaddi, National Security Council senior director for arms control, disarmament, and nonproliferation https://www.csis.org/events/armchair-discussion-pranay-vaddi
10 a.m. — Arab Center virtual discussion: “Gaza and the Crime of Genocide: Legal and Political Dimensions of Accountability,” with Michael Barnett, professor at George Washington University; Noura Erakat, associate professor at Rutgers University; Maria LaHood, deputy legal director of the Center for Constitutional Rights; Raz Segal, associate professor at Stockton University; and Yousef Munayyer, Arab Center senior fellow https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register
11:15 a.m. — Brookings Institution virtual discussion: “A new maritime partnership for the Atlantic,” with Jessye Lapenn, senior coordinator for Atlantic cooperation at the State Department’s Bureau of Oceans and International Environment and Scientific Affairs; Daniel Hamilton, nonresident senior fellow in foreign policy at the Brookings Institution’s Center on the U.S. and Europe; Ali Kamal-Dean, executive director of the Centre for Maritime Law and Security Africa, senior lecturer at the University of Professional Studies, Accra and adjunct professor at Nelson Mandela University; Bruce Jones, senior fellow in foreign policy at the Brookings Institution’s Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology and the Brookings Institution’s Center for East Asia Policy Studies; and Melanie Sisson, fellow of foreign policy at the Brookings Institution’s Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology https://connect.brookings.edu/register-to-watch-maritime-partnership-atlantic
1 p.m. — Washington Post Live virtual discussion: “The record surge of migrants, border security and a possible government shutdown,” with Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live
4 p.m. — RAND Corporation virtual discussion: “What Americans Think About Veterans — And Why it Matters,” with retired Brig. Gen. Michael Meese, president of the American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association; Melissa Bryant, former adviser for strategic engagement to the secretary of Veterans Affairs; Meredith Kleykamp, RAND senior sociologist; and Kayla Williams, RAND senior policy researcher https://www.rand.org/events/2024/01/what-americans-think-about-veterans
5 p.m. 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace book discussion: The Dissident: Alexey Navalny, Profile of a Political Prisoner, with author David Herszenhorn, Russia, Ukraine, and East Europe editor at the Washington Post https://carnegieendowment.org/2024/01/18/dissident-book-talk
8 p.m. 1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore, Maryland — Stevenson University “Baltimore Speaker Series,” with former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch https://baltimorespeakers.org/
FRIDAY | JANUARY 19
8:30 a.m. 11493 Sunset Hills Rd., Reston, Virginia — Government Executive Media Group forum: “Doing Business with the Space Force,” with Jeremy Leader, deputy director of the Space Force Commercial Space Office https://events.washingtontechnology.com/wt-power-breakfast
9 a.m. — Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress book discussion: “The Arms of the Future, with author Jack Watling, senior research fellow at RUSI in London https://www.addevent.com/event
10 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Brookings Institution discussion: “Navigating the uncertainties of U.S.-China relations over the next decade,” with Conor Seyle, vice president of operations at Pax Sapiens and senior strategic adviser at One Earth Future; Ren Libo, founder and president of the Grandview Institution; Dennis Wilder, adjunct professor at Georgetown University and senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues; Betty Sue Flowers, teaching professor emerita at the University of Texas; Patricia Kim, fellow in foreign policy at the Brookings Institution’s Center for East Asia Policy Studies and fellow at the Brookings Institution’s China Center; Ryan Hass, director of the Brookings Institution’s China Center, senior fellow in foreign policy at the Brookings Institution’s Center for East Asia Policy Studies and the China Center and chair in Taiwan studies at the Brookings Institution https://www.brookings.edu/events/navigating-the-uncertainties-of-us-china-relations
2 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion: “Tactically Responsive Space: A Holistic Approach,” with U.S. Space Force Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. Michael Guetlein; Bretton Alexander, chief revenue officer at Firefly Aerospace; Kurt Eberly, director of space launch at Northrop Grumman; Jason Kim, CEO of Millennium Space Systems; and Maj. David Ryan, program manager of the defense space portfolio at U.S. Space Force https://www.csis.org/events/tactically-responsive-space-holistic-approach
