LONG-TERM FUNDING ON A SHORT-TERM BASIS: The news couldn’t be more unwelcome at the Pentagon. Five months into the fiscal year, and the Defense Department still doesn’t have the billions of additional dollars authorized by Congress for everything from buying new submarines, to developing hypersonic weapons, to giving troops a pay raise.
A stopgap government funding bill, known as a “continuing resolution,” is set to expire in 10 days, but Republicans and Democrats have yet to agree on a federal budget for FY 2022, which was supposed to be passed last fall.
Now, according to House Majority Leader Rep. Steny Hoyer, yet another temporary three-week extension will be needed to give negotiators “a little more time.”
“Negotiations are very vigorous, and I think that we’re going to get agreement both on the topline, how much spending is going to be in, and how it will be spent,” Hoyer said on MSNBC on Sunday. “I expect to do a continuing resolution to continue the authorization for government to operate and be funded this coming week, and hopefully the Senate will do the same,” he said, adding that the problem is “it’s very difficult to get agreement.”
The current CR expires on Feb. 18. The new one would run until March 11.
STOPGAP FUNDING BILL LIKELY AS BUDGET NEGOTIATIONS DRAG ON
CONTINUING FRUSTRATION WITH CONTINUING RESOLUTIONS: For 19 of the last 20 years, the Pentagon has had to begin its budget year under a continuing resolution, which limits spending to the previous year’s funding levels.
The services try to adjust to the reality by delaying major contracts and new initiatives until later in the year, but there’s a limit to how long they can kick the budget can down the road.
“Operating under CR has become the norm, and the Navy and Marine Corps sadly has become accustomed to prepare our program to limit that impact,” Rear Adm. John Gumbleton told reporters in a conference call two weeks ago. “However, this will not be the case if this current CR gets extended or worse yet extends to a yearlong.”
“So, while our peer competitors move forward with advancing technologies, building their capacity, we will not. We will be decreasing our pace and in some areas coming to a complete stop,” said Gumbleton, who is the Navy’s deputy assistant secretary for budget and director of the Fiscal Management Division. “The CR creates a smaller, less ready and less capable, less lethal force.”
‘WE ARE CONTINUING TO SPEND MONEY LIKE WE HAVE IT’: The Navy is banking on getting the money eventually, but everything gets more difficult as the weeks and months go by.
The new Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine, the Navy’s top acquisition priority, is facing a $500 million shortfall. Shipbuilding is particularly hard hit by the limits of stopgap funding because any new ship contract has to be put on hold.
“We are continuing to spend the money like we have it because we’ve been here before,” said Gumbleton. “If it does turn into a yearlong CR, the dramatic impacts would be, we would do, we would not do maintenance on five submarines and two aircraft carriers. And we would reduce the flying hour accounts to all our pilots, Navy and Marine Corps, by 10% or 20%, in the last quarter and a half of the fiscal year.”
In December, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned of the perils of funding defense on the fly.
“At a time when our adversaries are advancing their concepts and capabilities to erode our strategic advantages — and as we begin to knit together a truly groundbreaking vision of integrated deterrence — our hands will be tied,” Austin said in a statement. “We will be forced to spend money on things we don’t need and stop spending money on investments we desperately do need.”
PENTAGON PUTS ADDED EMPHASIS ON DEFENSE SYSTEMS AGAINST HYPERSONIC MISSILES
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HAPPENING TODAY: The Senate Armed Services Committee takes up the nomination of Army Lt. Gen. Michael. Kurilla to succeed Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie as the commander, U.S. Central Command.
Kurilla’s testimony begins at 9:30 a.m.
ALSO TODAY: Army Secretary Christine Wormuth takes part in a virtual conversation sponsored by the Center for a New American Security at 1 p.m. Wormuth will be discussing “Army priorities for 2022 and beyond” with CNAS’s Stacie Pettyjohn.
And Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger takes part in the National Defense Industrial Association’s virtual Expeditionary Warfare Conference at 11:40 a.m.
BIDEN: ‘I PROMISE YOU, WE’LL BE ABLE TO DO IT’: After meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the White House yesterday, President Joe Biden vowed that he will shut down Russia’s newly constructed but yet-to-open natural gas pipeline linking Russia and Germany.
“If Russia invades — that means tanks or troops crossing the border of Ukraine again — then … there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it,” Biden said. Pressed by a reporter how he would “do that exactly” since the project is within Germany’s control, Biden replied, “We will. I promise you, we’ll be able to do it.”
Scholz was a little less definitive, saying in English only that “This is a good idea to say to our American friends: We will be united, we will act together, and we will take all the necessary steps.”
Later in an interview on CNN, Scholz was asked point blank by Jake Tapper, “Why won’t you explicitly say, Russia, if you invade Ukraine, we’re canceling the pipeline?”
“We are doing much more as one step,” Scholz replied. “As the president said, we are preparing for that. And you can understand, and you can be absolutely sure that Germany will be together with all its allies, and especially the United States, that we take the same steps. There will be no differences in that situation.”
BIDEN DESCRIBES NORD STREAM 2 SANCTIONS TRIGGER AS ALLIES WORRY
RUSSIA ALREADY WEAPONIZED NATURAL GAS: At a meeting of the U.S.-EU Energy Council at the State Department yesterday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Russia of “increasing its energy leverage” by deliberately limiting natural gas deliveries to Europe during the winter heating season.
“Russia’s state-owned companies are currently holding back natural gas supplies, the same supplies that could ease the record high prices the European people are currently facing,” Blinken said. “As a result, we see people rationing the gas they use for heating, some skipping even a daily hot shower or cooking food in bulk to lower their bills. And some small businesses are considering shutting doors because of high energy costs.”
Blinken said the U.S. is doing everything it can to ease energy disruptions in Europe. “In the short term, we’re in discussions with governments and major producers around the world about surging natural gas capacity, and the market itself is adjusting,” he said. “These efforts are aimed at shoring up energy supply throughout Europe, including Ukraine, whose energy security is particularly threatened by Russian aggression.”
GET OUT: Biden said given that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions are unpredictable at this point, it may be time for Americans to get out of Ukraine for their own safety.
“I think it’d be wise to leave the country,” Biden said. “I’m not talking about our diplomatic corps; I’m talking about Americans who are there. I’d hate to see them get caught in a crossfire if, in fact, they did invade. And there’s no need for that … If I had anyone there, I’d say leave.”
Roughly 7,500 American citizens have registered with the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, and it’s believed there are likely several thousand more who have not registered. In the event they needed to evacuate, they could also depart by land to NATO countries: Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania.
And unlike Afghanistan, there are no large numbers of Ukrainian citizens who have worked for years with the U.S. military that would need to be airlifted out. The Pentagon says it has plans to evacuate the 300 Florida National Guard troops who are advising Ukrainian Forces, should that become necessary.
WOULD-BE 9/11 HIJACKER TO SAUDI ARABIA: Alabama Rep. Mike Rogers says he’s outraged to learn that the Biden administration is planning to transfer a man suspected of being among a group of 9/11 hijackers from Guantanamo to Saudi Arabia.
“On September 11th, 2001 Al-Qaeda terrorists killed nearly 3,000 people. Mohammed al-Qahtani was supposed to be one of the hijackers that day. He flew to America to participate in the attack and would have succeeded but for sharp-eyed INS agents. The leader of the 9/11 attacks, Mohamed Atta, was waiting in the airport parking lot to pick up al-Qahtani when he was denied entry to the United States,” said Rogers, who is the lead Republican of the House Armed Services Committee.
“According to press reports, the Biden-Harris Administration now plans to release al-Qahtani from Guantánamo Bay to Saudi Arabia,” Rogers said in a statement. “Letting a 9/11 hijacker walk free is an appalling capitulation to the far-left.”
INDUSTRY WATCH: PATRIOT UPGRADES FOR TAIWAN: The State Department has approved a $100 million worth of upgrades for Taiwan’s Patriot missile air defenses, including engineering services support “designed to sustain, maintain, and improve” the performance of reliability of the system.
“This proposed sale serves U.S. national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability,” said a release from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
“The proposed sale will help to sustain the recipient’s missile density and ensure readiness for air operations. The recipient will use this capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen homeland defense,” the statement said. “The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.”
The prime contractors are Raytheon Technologies and Lockheed Martin.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The Rundown
Washington Examiner: Stopgap funding bill likely as budget negotiations drag on
Washington Examiner: Biden describes Nord Stream 2 sanctions trigger as allies worry
Washington Examiner: US ramps up intelligence activity as Russia boosts preparation for war on Ukraine
Washington Examiner: State Department offers $10M reward for Kabul airport bomber info
Washington Examiner: Pentagon puts added emphasis on defense systems against hypersonic missiles
Washington Examiner: Mark Esper memoir moves forward following legal battle over classification redactions
AP: More diplomacy: Macron heads to Kyiv after talks with Putin
Business Insider: 3 NATO Allies Sent Carrier Strike Groups Into The Mediterranean For Joint Drills Amid Elevated Tensions In Europe
Bloomberg: Inflation Surge Fuels Delay in Estimating Pentagon’s Budget Goal
Bloomberg: Raytheon Tech’s Missiles Division CFO, Other Leaders Depart in Shakeup
Korea Herald: Top Nuclear Envoys Of S. Korea, U.S., Japan To Meet In Hawaii For Talks On NK
Reuters: U.S. Think Tank Identifies North Korea Base Likely Intended For ICBMs
USNI News: CENTCOM: Iran Wants Nuclear Agreement And To Retain Ballistic Missile Capability
Air Force Magazine: STRATCOM General on Facing Nuclear China and Russia: ‘We Have No History of This’
New York Times: Both Sides Of The Taiwan Strait Have Particular Interest In The Ukraine Conflict
Air Force Magazine: DOD Spokesman: Russia Adds More Options to Invade Ukraine Day by Day
Air Force Magazine: Andrew Hunter Takes Over USAF Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics
Defense News: New Naval Safety Command Will Help Units Better Assess, Mitigate Their Own Risk
CNN: Newly Leaked Video Shows F-35 Crashing In Flames On Aircraft Carrier
Air Force Times: Special Ops Wing Boss Defended Female Trainee Under Fire in Memo to Airmen
The Drive: Experimental Marine Unit Deploys ‘Hunter Wolf’ Unmanned Ground Vehicles For Mountain Training
19fortyfive.com: How the Ukraine Crisis Could Become a Disaster for Russia
19fortyfive.com: Ukraine Crisis: NATO Has F-35s and Aircraft Carriers Watching Russia Carefully
19fortyfive.com: Russia and China vs. America: What Should Joe Biden Do About It?
Fox News: Opinion: Sen. Josh Hawley: Russia-Ukraine crisis – China is America’s biggest enemy, not Moscow
Calendar
TUESDAY | FEBRUARY 8
9 a.m. 2799 Richmond Hwy., Arlington, Va. — Exchange Monitor Nuclear Deterrence Summit: “Nuclear Counterterrorism and Counterproliferation,” with Jay Tilden, associate administrator for counterterrorism and counterproliferation at the National Nuclear Security Administration https://www.exchangemonitor.com/go/nuclear-deterrence-summit
9:30 a.m. G50 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Committee considers the nomination of Army Lt. Gen. Michael Kurilla to be commander, U.S. Central Command https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings/nomination_-kurilla
9:25 a.m. — National Defense Industrial Association virtual Expeditionary Warfare Conference with the theme “Naval Expeditionary Operations in Joint All Domain Warfare,” with Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger; Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Michael Groen, director, Joint Artificial Intelligence Center; Maj. Gen. William Seely, director of Marine Corps intelligence; and Navy Rear Adm. Craig Clapperton, commander, Combined Joint Task Force, Cyber https://www.ndia.org/events/2022/2/8/2022-virtual-ewc
10:30 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “The Future of European Energy,” with European Union Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson https://www.csis.org/events/future-european-energy
12 p.m. — Atlantic Council virtual discussion: “The Arctic in Transition: Energy, Resilience and National Security,” with Michael McEleney, senior adviser at the Energy Department’s Arctic Energy Office; and Terzah Tippin Poe, nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/the-arctic-in-transition
1 p.m. — Center for a New American Security virtual discussion with Army Secretary Christine Wormuth on “Army priorities for 2022 and beyond.” https://www.cnas.org/events/virtual-fireside-chat
2 p.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel Hearing: “Military Personnel Talent Management Modernization and the Effects of Legacy Policies,” with Army Lt. Gen. Gary Brito, deputy chief of staff, G-1; Vice Adm. John Nowell, chief of naval personnel; Air Force Lt. Gen. Brian Kelly, deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel, and services; Marine Lt. Gen. David Ottignon, deputy commandant, manpower and reserve affairs; and Patricia Mulcahy, deputy chief of space operations for personnel https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings
2 p.m. — Hudson Institute virtual event: “Lessons from the Ukraine Crisis,” with Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo; and Ken Weinstein, Hudson senior fellow https://www.eventbrite.com/e/virtual-event-lessons-from-the-ukraine-crisis
2 p.m. — Center for a New American Security virtual conversation on “Army priorities for 2022 and beyond,” with Army Secretary Christine Wormuth; and Stacie Pettyjohn, senior fellow and director of the CNAS Defense Program https://www.cnas.org/events/virtual-fireside-chat
3 p.m. — Washington Post Live discussion about possible sanctions the Senate may impose on Russia and how the Biden administration should respond to any Russian aggression with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. Robert Menendez D-N.J.; and Washington Post opinions writer Jonathan Capehart https://menendezfeb2022.splashthat.com/
WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 9
9 a.m. 2799 Richmond Hwy, Arlington, Va. — Exchange Monitor Nuclear Deterrence Summit: “Perspectives on Defense Department Strategic Nuclear Deterrence: Modernize and Sustain the U.S. Nuclear Deterrent, with Drew Walter, deputy assistant defense secretary for nuclear matters https://www.exchangemonitor.com/go/nuclear-deterrence-summit
10 a.m. SVC-217 — Senate Foreign Relations Committee CLOSED hearing: “Iran: Update on Vienna Discussions,” with testimony from Robert Malley, State Department special envoy for Iran. https://www.foreign.senate.gov/hearings/iran-update-on-vienna-discussions
10 a.m. — National Defense Industrial Association virtual Expeditionary Warfare Conference, with the theme “Naval Expeditionary Operations in Joint All Domain Warfare,” with Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Fleet Readiness and Logistics Vice Adm. Ricky Williamson https://www.ndia.org/events/2022/2/8/2022-virtual-ewc
10 a.m. — Brookings Institution virtual discussion: “Saudi Arabia and Iraq: An evolving relationship,” with Kenneth Pollack, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute; Katherine Harvey, adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s Center for Security Studies; Bruce Riedel, director of the Brookings Intelligence Project; and Ranj Alaaldin, nonresident fellow at the Brookings Center for Middle East Policy https://www.brookings.edu/events/saudi-arabia-and-iraq
10:30 a.m. — National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations virtual discussion: “Iran Nuclear Deal Negotiations: Policy Implications for Success or Failure,” with former U.S. National Intelligence Manager for Iran Norman Roule, senior adviser at United Against a Nuclear Iran; Mohammed Alsulami, founder and president of Rasanah, the International Institute for Iranian Studies; David Des Roches, associate professor at National Defense University; and John Duke Anthony, founding president and CEO of NCUSAR https://www.youtube.com/watch
11 a.m. — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association virtual discussion on the Army’s “campaign to gain a strategic advantage in the cloud and use data in ways that provide warfighters a decisive advantage,” with Dovarius Peoples, Army Corp of Engineers CIO/G6; Angelica “Angel” Phaneuf, chief information security officer at the Army Software Factory; Paul Puckett, director of the Army Enterprise Cloud Management Office; Rob Schadey, business mission area director at the Army Program Executive Office Enterprise Information Systems; and Army Col. Melissa Solsbury, chief data officer at Project Ridgeway and 18th Airborne Corps https://dcevents.afceachapters.org/AFCEADCArmyLuncheon
2 p.m. — Hudson Institute virtual discussion: “Germany’s Worldview and the Crisis in Ukraine,” with Ulrich Speck, visiting senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund; Ulrike Franke, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations; Liana Fix, program director for international affairs at Korber-Stiftung; and Peter Rough, senior fellow at Hudson https://www.hudson.org/events/2065-virtual-event
THURSDAY | FEBRUARY 10
8 a.m. 2520 Wasser Terrace, Herndon, Va. — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association Northern Virginia Chapter Space Force IT Day, with the theme “Advancing Space Force Priorities: Delivering New Capabilities and Accelerating Innovation,” with Space Force Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. David Thompson; Defense CIO John Sherman; Lisa Costa, chief technology and innovation officer at the Space Force; Col. Steve Landry, innovation and digital transformation director at the Space Force; and Michael Torres, enterprise IT chief at the U.S. Space Force https://afceanova.swoogo.com/SpaceForce
9:45 a.m. — National Defense Industrial Association virtual Expeditionary Warfare Conference with the theme “Naval Expeditionary Operations in Joint All Domain Warfare,” with Office of Naval Research Chief Rear Adm. Lorin Selby https://www.ndia.org/events/2022/2/8/2022-virtual-ewc
10 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration virtual conference: “U.S.-Korea Defense Cooperation in the Biden Administration,” with South Korean Minister Kang Eun Ho, head of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration https://www.csis.org/events/csis-dapa-conference
11 a.m. — Heritage Foundation virtual discussion: “How the U.S. Army Will Overcome Its Challenges: What Policy and Defense Professionals Need to Know,” with Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville https://www.heritage.org/defense/event
12:30 p.m. — U.S. Institute of Peace virtual discussion: “Conflict and Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific,” with Carla Freeman, senior China expert at USIP; Daniel Markey, senior adviser for South Asia at USIP; Andrew Scobell, fellow on China at USIP; and Vikram Singh, senior adviser at the USIP Asia Center https://www.usip.org/events/conflict-and-cooperation-indo-pacific
1 p.m. — Defense One, Nextgov and Route Fifty virtual discussion: “Cyber Defenders: Securing 2022, with Chris Painter, associate fellow at the Chatham House International Security Program; and Nick Marinos, managing director for information technology and cybersecurity at the Government Accountability Office https://events.nextgov.com/cyberdefenders2022/
2 p.m. — Woodrow Wilson Center Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies virtual discussion: “Russia’s Aggression Toward Ukraine: The German View,” with German Minister of State Tobias Lindner https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/russias-aggression-towards-ukraine
2 p.m. — Hudson Institute virtual discussion: “Russian Aggression Against Ukraine: The View from Kyiv,” with former Ukrainian Parliament member Svitlana Zalishchuk, adviser to the CEO at Naftogaz; Hanna Hopko, Russian warfare expert and former chair of the Ukrainian Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee; Nolan Peterson, senior editor at Coffee or Die Magazine and former special operations pilot at the Air Force; and Peter Rough, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute https://www.hudson.org/events/2067-virtual-event-russian-aggression
3:30 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual book discussion: “The Twilight Struggle: What the Cold War Teaches Us About Great-Power Rivalry Today,” with author Hal Brands, professor of global affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies https://www.csis.org/events/what-can-cold-war-teach-us-about-us-china-rivalry
FRIDAY | FEBRUARY 11
9 a.m. — Woodrow Wilson Center Asia Program virtual discussion: “How to Avert an Economic Collapse in Afghanistan,” with former Afghan Finance Minister Khalid Payenda; former Afghan Central Bank Governor Khalil Sediq; Khisrow Fazli, CEO of Ghazanfar Bank; and Julia Friedlander, former senior policy adviser at the Treasury Department https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/hindsight-front
9 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion with former Korean Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Kim Sung-han, professor at Korea University https://www.csis.org/events/capital-cable-41-kim-sung-han
12:30 p.m. — New York University’s Brademas Center virtual discussion: “What’s at Stake in Ukraine?” with Volodymyr Ishchenko, research associate at the Free University of Berlin’s Institute of East European Studies; Sophie Lambroschini, associate researcher at the Marc Bloch Center, Berlin; Adam Tooze, professor at Columbia University; Masha Gessen, staff writer at the New Yorker; Zvi Ben-Dor Benite, professor of history at New York University; and Stefanos Geroulanos, professor of European intellectual history at New York University https://nyu.zoom.us/webinar/register
TUESDAY | FEBRUARY 15
2 p.m. — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Aerospace Nation discussion with Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall; and retired Lt. Gen. Dave Deptula, dean of The Mitchell Institute https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/
WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 16
All day — A two-day meeting of allied defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I think it’d be wise to leave the country … I’d hate to see them get caught in a crossfire … If I had anyone there, I’d say leave.”
President Joe Biden, advising the 7,500-plus Americans in Ukraine to get out now, in case Russia invades.
