WHAT ABOUT NORD STREAM 2? President Joe Biden announced a series of sanctions yesterday aimed at punishing Russia for election interference and the massive SolarWinds hack of federal agencies and private companies. The sweeping measures imposed sanctions against dozens of people and companies, including the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats.
But missing from the sanctions was any mention of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which, when completed, will transport natural gas from Russia to Germany and increase Europe’s dependence on Moscow for energy.
“He ends the XL Pipeline but does nothing to stop Nord Stream within Russia, even though Congress on a bipartisan basis passed the bill to put sanctions, he chose different sanctions and a weakness,” said House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California. “I just watched that the president now has called back two ships from going to the Black Sea; I don’t know how Putin responds to that as he builds up 80,000 troops along the border of Ukraine.”
“If the Biden administration is serious about imposing real costs on the Putin regime’s efforts to undermine U.S. democratic institutions and weaken our allies and partners, then it must ensure the Russian malign influence Nord Stream 2 pipeline project is never completed,” said Rep. Michael McCaul, lead Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “Therefore, I urge the Biden administration to make additional sanctions designations today on the numerous entities widely known to be actively involved in the pipeline project as is required by congressionally mandated sanctions.”
95% COMPLETE: In a March 5 letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, McCaul and four of his fellow Republicans argue that with the pipeline now 95% complete, there is no room for delay, and they identify numerous entities they say are engaged in sanctionable activity that have still not been designated by the Biden administration.
“To be clear, we support this administration’s efforts to reinvigorate the U.S.-German relationship. Strong bilateral relations with Germany are critical to U.S. national security interests,” the lawmakers write. “However, Nord Stream 2 is not simply an irritant in bilateral relations with Berlin. It is a Russian malign influence project that threatens to deepen Europe’s energy dependence on Russia and, consequently, enhance the Putin regime’s ability to exert political pressure throughout Europe.”
‘MEASURED AND PROPORTIONATE’: Biden said yesterday that when he spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin this week, he told him that he would shortly be responding to the election interference and hacking “in a measured and proportionate way.”
“I was clear with President Putin that we could have gone further, but I chose not to do so … I chose to be proportionate,” Biden said. “The United States is not looking to kick off a cycle of escalation and conflict with Russia. We want a stable, predictable relationship.”
As for further sanctions against companies helping to complete the pipeline project, as required by Congress, Biden called it “a complicated issue affecting our allies in Europe.”
“I’ve been opposed to Nord Stream 2 for a long time, from the beginning, when I was … out of office and even … before I left office as vice president. But that still is an issue that is in play.”
US PINS SOLARWINDS CYBERATTACK ON RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
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HAPPENING TODAY: President Joe Biden meets with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga at the White House, the first in-person visit of a foreign leader of his administration. The two leaders will have a joint news conference at 8 p.m.
Suga meets with Vice President Kamala Harris at 11 a.m. at her ceremonial office, then heads over to the White House for what was described as a long “tete-a-tete between the two leaders, in which they’re going to have a chance to really get to know one another.”
Among the topics will be North Korea, China, and Taiwan. “The United States is nearing the completion of its review on North Korea policy. Japan has been consulted all along, but the two leaders will now have a chance to put the finishing touches on what is an important initiative for the United States,” said a senior administration official on a conference call with reporters.
“We will also talk in depth about China and the cross-strait circumstances. And I think the United States and Japan seek to play a steady, careful role to underscore our mutual commitment in the maintenance of peace and stability, and to take steps to calm tensions and to discourage provocations.”
ALSO TODAY: At 10 a.m., Biden delivers pre-recorded remarks at a virtual ceremony to celebrate the inaugural raising of the U.S. flag over the newly constructed National World War I Memorial site in Washington, D.C.
NO FIRST USE: Democrats Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Rep. Adam Smith of Washington have reintroduced their No First Use Act that would prohibit any U.S. president from launching nuclear weapons in a first strike.
It’s one of the shortest bills on record, reading in its entirety, “It is the policy of the United States to not use nuclear weapons first.”
“A no first use policy will reduce the likelihood of nuclear war in two ways. First, no president will be able to start a nuclear war based on faulty information, like the false warnings of incoming nuclear attacks that have happened too many times in the past,” said Stephen Young of the Union of Concerned Scientists. “Also, adversaries will be less pressured to use their nuclear weapons first during a crisis if they are confident that the United States won’t attack them first and wipe out their nuclear arsenals.”
“Given our non-nuclear capabilities and the nature of today’s threats, it’s hard to envision a plausible scenario in which the first use of nuclear weapons by the United States would be necessary or make sense,” Biden said as vice president just before leaving office in January of 2017. “Deterring, and, if necessary, retaliating against a nuclear attack should be the sole purpose of the U.S. nuclear arsenal,” he added.
But as many previous presidents have noted, perspective changes once in office, especially when it comes to giving up powers of the executive branch.
BIDEN ADVOCATED ‘NO FIRST USE’ POLICY AS VP. WOULD HE CHANGE NUCLEAR DOCTRINE AS PRESIDENT?
SHAKY INTEL ON ALLEGED RUSSIAN ‘BOUNTIES’: During the previous administration, Democrats excoriated President Donald Trump for failing to hold Russia accountable in the wake of reports that Russian agents paid “bounties” to the Taliban and other militants in Afghanistan to kill U.S. and foreign troops.
But yesterday, the White House admitted what U.S. commanders had said for months, that evidence of the so-called bounties was inconclusive at best.
“We felt the reports were enough of a cause of concern that we wanted our intelligence community to look into those reports as a part of this overall assessment,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. “They assess with low to moderate confidence … that Russian intelligence officers sought to encourage Taliban attacks against U.S. and coalition personnel in Afghanistan.”
REED CALLS FOR ‘NEW TYPE OF PRESENCE’ TO HELP AFGHANISTAN: Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, the Democratic chairman of the Armed Services Committee, is not known for giving dramatic speeches, but he took to the Senate floor yesterday to warn of the grim prospects ahead for Afghanistan and to call for a new policy to mitigate the fallout from the likely demise of the Afghan government and the rise of the Taliban.
“We must transition to a new type of presence — leaving the country but staying in the region in a meaningful capacity. We must build an anti-terrorist infrastructure on the periphery of Afghanistan. We must continue to direct the proper level of attention, intelligence, and resources to evaluate the evolving terrorist threat in the region. This also includes closer cooperation with our allies and partners,” he said.
Reed blamed a “deeply flawed” agreement negotiated with the Taliban by the Trump administration for putting the U.S.-backed Afghan government on the brink of collapse and Biden in a no-win situation.
“The Trump administration’s agreement with the Taliban included the departure of all security personnel, logisticians, and contractors, which means that when the U.S. leaves, the international presence that is the foundation for Afghan assistance is removed,” he said. “The intelligence community’s annual threat assessment for 2021 noted, ‘the Afghan government will struggle to hold the Taliban at bay if the coalition withdraws support.’ And according to the New York Times, American intelligence agencies assessed that if U.S. troops leave before a peace deal is reached between the Afghan government and the Taliban, Afghanistan ‘could fall largely under the control of the Taliban within two or three years after the withdrawal of international forces.’”
“Given President Biden’s difficult decision to leave Afghanistan, I believe we must take actions to mitigate some of these threats. The withdrawal of U.S. forces should not mean an end to our counterterrorism efforts.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The Rundown
Washington Examiner: Could war with China be lost in cyberspace?
Washington Examiner: Biden rolls out sanctions against Russia for election interference and cyberattacks
Washington Examiner: Putin’s desire for Biden photo-op might trump sanctions rage
Washington Examiner: US pins SolarWinds cyberattack on Russian intelligence agency
Washington Examiner: Russia’s SVR intelligence service in the spotlight for SolarWinds hack
Washington Examiner: Biden signals globally dispersed terrorism fight, renewed look at Africa
Washington Examiner: Manafort ally Konstantin Kilimnik gave polling data to Russian spies in 2016, Treasury says
Washington Examiner: Republicans introduce legislation to ban TikTok on all federal government devices
USNI News: EUCOM Commander: Russia Not Likely to Invade Ukraine Soon
AP: Iran starts enriching uranium at 60%, its highest level ever
New York Times: U.S. Surveys Options to Strike From Afar After Exit From Afghanistan
Washington Post: Blinken Makes Unannounced Stop In Afghanistan
Wall Street Journal: Concerns Mount On Resurgence Of the Taliban
Breaking Defense: How Long US Will Fund Afghan Military An ‘Open Question’
Washington Post: Armed ‘quick reaction force’ was waiting for order to storm Capitol, Justice Dept. says
Washington Post: Biden administration asks Supreme Court not to hear challenge to all-male military draft
Washington Post: VMI selects first Black superintendent as racial climate comes under scrutiny
Air Force Magazine: Senators Seek Answers for Deterring Cyber Threats
Air Force Magazine: Jolly Green II Finishes Developmental Test
Marine Corps Times: Commandant Wants To See Marines Fighting In A New Way By 2023
Asia Times: U.S. Comes To Philippines’ Rescue In South China Sea
19fortyfive.com: Did China Simulate An Attack On A U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier?
19fortyfive.com: Coming Soon: Russia’s Okhotnik Stealth Strike Drone
The Drive: Adversary Drones Are Spying On The U.S. And The Pentagon Acts Like They’re UFOs
Foreign Affairs: The Taliban Are Ready to Exploit America’s Exit
Calendar
FRIDAY | APRIL 16
10 a.m. — Heritage Foundation virtual discussion: “U.S.-Taiwan Partnership in the Pacific Islands,” with Sandra Oudkirk, U.S. senior official for APEC and deputy assistant secretary of State for Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs; and Chung-kwang Tien, deputy minister of foreign affairs and chancellor of the Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan). https://www.heritage.org/asia/event/virtual-event
11 a.m. — Business Executives for National Security virtual discussion with Lt. Gen. Jody J. Daniels, chief of Army Reserve and Commanding General, U.S. Army Reserve Command. https://www.bens.org
11:15 a.m. — George Washington University Project for Media and National Security Defense Writers Group conference call conversation with Gen. Michael X. Garrett, commanding general, U.S. Army Forces Command. https://nationalsecuritymedia.gwu.edu
TUESDAY | APRIL 20
11 a.m. — Lockheed Martin Corporation releases 20210 1st quarter earnings results in a webcast https://investors.lockheedmartin.com/events
11 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Committee hearing: “National Security Challenges and U.S. Military Activities in the Greater Middle East and Africa,” with Amanda Dory, acting undersecretary of defense for Policy; Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander, U.S. Central Command; Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander, U.S. Africa Command. https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings
2:30 p.m. — Association of the U.S. Army “Thought Leaders” webinar with retired Gen. George Joulwan, former supreme NATO commander to discuss his new memoir: Watchman at the Gates: A Soldier’s Journey from Berlin to Bosnia. https://info.ausa.org
WEDNESDAY | APRIL 21
4 p.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces hearing: “FY22 Strategic Forces Posture,” with Melissa Dalton, acting assistant secretary of defense, strategy, plans and capabilities; Adm. Charles Richard, commander. U.S. Strategic Command; and Gen. James Dickinson, commander. U.S. Space Command. https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings
THURSDAY | APRIL 22
9 a.m. — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies virtual Nuclear Deterrence Forum with Air Force Lt. Gen. James Dawkins, deputy chief of staff for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration; and retired Lt. Gen. Dave Deptula, dean of the Mitchell Institute. Video posted afterward at https://www.mitchellaerospacepower.org/
9:30 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Subcommittees on Tactical Air and Land Forces and Readiness Joint hearing: “Update on F-35 Program Accomplishments, Issues, and Risks,” with Diana Maurer, director, military structure and operations issues, GAO; Greg Ulmer, executive vice president of aeronautics, Lockheed Martin; Matthew Bromberg, president, military engines, Pratt & Whitney; Lt. Gen. Eric Fick, program executive officer, F-35 Joint Program Office; Brig. Gen. David Abba, director, F-35 Integration Office, U.S. Air Force. https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings
9:50 a.m. — U.S. Army Futures Command and the Lieber Institute for Law and Land Warfare at West Point virtual seminar: “The Future Character of War and the Law of Armed Conflict.” https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-future-character-of-war
10 a.m. — American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research event “Priorities for the fiscal year 2022 defense budget,” with Rep. Adam Smith, chairman, House Armed Services Committee; and Mackenzie Eaglen, Resident Fellow, AEI. https://www.aei.org/events/a-conversation
11 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Committee hearing: “National Security Challenges and U.S. Military Activities in Europe, with Air Force Gen. Tod Wolters, commander, U.S. European Command. https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings
4 p.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Committee hearing: “Department of Defense Inspector General and the Services Inspector Generals: Roles, Responsibilities and Opportunities for Improvement,” with Gordon Heddell, former inspector general of the Department of Defense; Mandy Smithberger, director of the Center for Defense Information Project on Government Oversight; Sean O’Donnell, acting/inspector general of the Department of Defense; Lt. Gen. Leslie Smith, inspector general of the Army; Lt. Gen. Sami Said, iInspector general of the Air Force; Vice Adm. Richard Snyder, inspector general of the Navy; and Maj. Gen. Robert Castellvi, inspector general of the Marine Corps. https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“It is the policy of the United States to not use nuclear weapons first.”
The entire text of a bill introduced by Rep. Adam Smith and Sen. Elizabeth Warren to establish the policy of the United States regarding the no-first-use of nuclear weapons.
