“So, high cost, battle of attrition, grinding, not lost yet in the Donbas, and the Ukrainians intend to continue the fight.”

RUSSIA HAS TAKEN 60,000 CASUALTIES IN UKRAINE: CIA CHIEF

MORE HIMARS ON THE WAY: The Pentagon confirmed yesterday that all 12 Lockheed Martin HIMARS, or High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, promised to Ukraine are now in use on the battlefield and playing a big part in slowing Russian advances.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that the next package of U.S. military aid to Ukraine will include four more of the deadly accurate weapons, bringing the total to 16, along with additional stocks of precision GLMR munitions that are fired by the HIMARS launchers.

“The Ukrainians have made excellent use of HIMARS, and you can see the impact on the battlefield,” said Austin. “I have to applaud them. They are very resourceful, their ability to very quickly learn how to operate and maintain a piece of equipment is really impressive.”

“The Ukrainians are effectively employing these HIMARS, with strikes against Russian command and control nodes, their logistical networks, their field artillery near defense sites and many other targets,” said Milley. “These strikes are steadily degrading the Russian ability to supply their troops, command and control of their forces, and carry out their illegal war of aggression.”

US PROMISES ADDITIONAL HIMARS TO UKRAINE IN SOON-TO-BE-ANNOUNCED AID PACKAGE

LAVROV CONFIRMS US INTEL: Just a day after the White House said Russia had wider territorial ambitions and would soon seek to annex more of Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gave an interview with Russian state-controlled media in which he named the parts of Ukraine that Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks to make part of Russia.

“It is not only the [Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics], it is also the Kherson region, the Zaporizhzhia region, and a number of other territories,” Lavrov said.

“You heard the foreign minister of Russia, Sergey Lavrov, today, basically confirm publicly in an interview what we confirmed from the podium yesterday, that they do in fact have larger, broader territorial objectives in mind inside Ukraine,” said John Kirby, NSC coordinator for strategic communications, on CNN. “What we said yesterday, we’ll say again today. We’re not going to tolerate that and neither will the international community.”

“Russia is attempting to set the conditions on the ground by seeking to establish branches of Russian banks, to establish the ruble as the default currency in these areas, and to sabotage civilian internet access,” Kirby said in a Tuesday briefing.

“We felt it was important, based on the information we were getting and seeing them increase their momentum toward further annexation, to call it out for what it is so that Mr. Putin knows we know exactly what he’s doing,” Kirby said on CNN.

“We’re also going to be watching these sham referenda that we know that they’re going to lay out before the Ukrainian people to sort of force them to basically submit to Russian rule,” he said. “We’re going to continue to work with our allies and partners to make sure to Mr. Putin he understands that’s unacceptable. It won’t be recognized by the international community.”

RUSSIA’S GOALS IN UKRAINE NOW INCLUDE TERRITORY OUTSIDE THE DONBAS, LAVROV SAYS

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HAPPENING TODAY: The House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol holds its eighth and final hearing of the summer with a prime-time production that will focus on the 187 minutes between the time pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol until the time President Donald Trump told them to go home in a video address.

The hearing will feature outtakes from remarks Trump delivered on Jan. 7 that are said to show Trump’s reluctance to repudiate the attack, as well as testimony from two White House aides who resigned in the wake of the attack, Matt Pottinger, who was Trump’s deputy national security adviser, and Sarah Matthews, a press aide.

The 8 p.m. hearing will be livestreamed at https://www.youtube.com/watch

JAN. 6 COMMITTEE WILL PLAY OUTTAKES FROM TRUMP SPEECH DAY AFTER CAPITOL RIOT

SECRET SERVICE MAY HAVE BROKEN THE LAW: The Jan. 6 committee has released the letter it received from the Secret Service in which the agency says, “all documents and communications relating to the January 5th and 6th, 2021 text messages that were erased as part of a USSS device-replacement program.”

The Secret Service said employees were given instructions on how to preserve content on their phones so that they could save information “that they were obligated or desired to preserve.”

In a statement, the Jan. 6 committee said the procedure for preserving the texts “appears to have been contrary to federal records retention requirements and may represent a possible violation of the Federal Records Act.” It notes that four House committees had already sought these critical records from the Department of Homeland Security before the records were apparently lost.

ZELENSKA’S APPEAL: In her speech to members of Congress, Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska made an impassioned appeal for more weapons to protect against Russia’s indiscriminate missile strikes, which have inflicted a horrific toll on Ukrainian civilians, in particular, children.

“Those are Russia’s Hunger Games, hunting for peaceful people in peaceful cities of Ukraine,” Zelenska said after recounting the stories of some of the children killed or maimed by the more than 3,000 missiles Russia has lobbed into Ukraine.

“I am asking for something now I would never want to ask. I am asking for weapons, weapons that would not be used to wage a war on somebody else’s land, but to protect one’s home and the right to wake up alive in that home,” Zelenska said. “I appeal to all of you on behalf of those who were killed, on behalf of those people who lost their arms and legs, on behalf of those who are still alive and well, and those who wait for their families to come back from the front.”

‘RUSSIA’S HUNGER GAMES’: UKRAINE’S FIRST LADY APPEALS TO CONGRESS FOR MORE AID

TIME TO SEND FIGHTER JETS? High on Ukraine’s weapons wish list from Day 1 has been the desire for modern fighter jets to match Russia’s air power. Ukrainian pilots have been making do with aging Soviet-era Mig-29s and have been begging for U.S. F-16s or similar fighter jets to be able to go toe-to-toe with the Russians and perhaps neutralize some of the missile strikes that are launched from Russian bombers.

At the Aspen Security Forum yesterday, Air Force chief of staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown was asked if the U.S. might sell or provide U.S. fighter platforms to Ukraine. Brown didn’t answer directly but ticked off a number of Western fighter jets that could possibly be provided to Ukraine.

“There’s U.S., there’s Gripen out of Sweden, there’s the Eurofighter, there’s the Rafale. So there’s a number of different platforms that could go to Ukraine,” Brown said, “Probably not MiGs. I think it will be tougher to get parts in the future from the Russians. It will be something non-Russian, I can probably tell you that, but I can’t tell you exactly what it will be.”

NUCLEAR POWER PLANT ATTACKED BY UKRAINIAN KAMIKAZE DRONES, RUSSIAN OFFICIALS SAY

BIDEN: PELOSI TAIWAN TRIP ‘NOT A GOOD IDEA’: Apparently, Beijing isn’t alone in thinking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s reported planned trip to Taiwan could be destabilizing. According to President Joe Biden, some folks at the Pentagon are of a like mind.

“Mr. President, do you think it’s a good idea for Speaker Pelosi to travel to Taiwan this summer?” Biden was asked as he arrived back at Joint Base Andrews last night. “Well, I think that the military thinks it’s not a good idea right now, but I don’t know what the status of it is,” Biden replied.

The Financial Times reported on Tuesday that Pelosi was planning to lead a congressional delegation to Taipei after a planned trip in April was canceled because Pelosi contracted COVID-19. Pelosi’s office has not confirmed the report, citing security protocols.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijiang said a visit by Pelosi, who would be the highest-ranking American lawmaker to travel to Taiwan in a quarter of a century, would “severely undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, gravely impact the foundation of China-U.S. relations and send a seriously wrong signal to Taiwan independence forces.”

CHINA WILL LEARN FROM RUSSIA’S MISTAKES IF IT MOUNTS TAIWAN ATTACK: CIA CHIEF

The Rundown

Washington Examiner: US promises additional HIMARS to Ukraine in soon-to-be-announced aid package

Washington Examiner: Russia’s goals in Ukraine now include territory outside the Donbas, Lavrov says

Washington Examiner: Russia has taken 60,000 casualties in Ukraine: CIA chief

Washington Examiner: ‘Russia’s Hunger Games’: Ukraine’s first lady appeals to Congress for more aid

Washington Examiner: Nuclear power plant attacked by Ukrainian kamikaze drones, Russian officials say

Washington Examiner: China will learn from Russia’s mistakes if it mounts Taiwan attack: CIA chief

Washington Examiner: NATO ally Erdogan accuses United States of training terrorists to attack Turkey

Washington Examiner: Jan. 6 committee will play outtakes from Trump speech day after Capitol riot

Washington Examiner: Inspector general hid vanishing Secret Service texts from Congress: Report

Washington Examiner: Lindsey Graham to accept subpoena in Fulton County election inquiry

Washington Examiner: Wrongfully detained American calls family as mural honoring plight is unveiled

Washington Examiner: Iran expects Republicans to win midterm elections, hampering nuclear deal talks

Washington Examiner: One dead after lightning strike hits 10 soldiers at Army base

Washington Examiner: Opinion: Visiting Aspen, China’s ambassador reaffirms absurd demands

Washington Times: CIA Chief: China Set For Takeover Of Taiwan In Next Few Years

Bloomberg: CIA Chief Says Russia’s Iran Drone Deal Shows Military Weakness

New York Times: Europeans Told To Curb Gas Use Over Russia Risk

Foreign Policy: The Taliban Detained Me for Doing My Job. I Can Never Go Back.

AP: As Recruiters Struggle, Air Force Seeks Lift From ‘Top Gun’

USNI News: Marine Corps Exceed Retention Goals Early, Hit More Than 100 Percent

Air Force Magazine: Czech Republic Plans to Buy F-35 as New Fighter, Would Be 16th Customer

Marine Corps Times: Marines To Buy Iron Dome-Based Missile Interceptor After Successful Live-Fire Test

Air Force Magazine: Airbus, Boeing Reveal New Progress on Autonomous Refueling

Air Force Magazine: SASC Wants Space Force to Report on Strategic Priorities

Washington Post: A Historic Nominee To Lead U.S. Africa Command

USNI News: Marines Pause Amphibious Combat Vehicle Operations at Sea After 2 ACVs Disabled in Heavy Surf

19fortyfive.com: The Aircraft Carrier Question: Obsolete or Not?

19fortyfive.com: Why China’s Navy Needs at Least 6 or 7 Aircraft Carriers

19fortyfive.com: Putin’s Ukraine Disaster: The Russian Military “Is Running Out of Steam”

19fortyfive.com: The Russian Military’s Tanks Keep Getting Slaughtered in Ukraine

19fortyfive.com: If Putin Falls from Power in Russia, Could His Successor Be Worse?

Calendar

THURSDAY | JULY 21

8:30 a.m. — Jewish Institute for National Security of America virtual discussion: “Advancing Abraham Accords Through Regional Air Defense,” with Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa; and Michael Makovsky, president and CEO of JINSA https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register

9 a.m. — Arab Center virtual discussion: “Iran and the Regional Order,” with Mahsa Rouhi, research fellow at the National Defense University’s Center for Strategic Research https://dohainstitute-org.zoom.us/webinar/register

9:30 a.m. G50 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing for Lt. Gen. Bryan Fenton for promotion to general and to be commander, U.S. Special Operations Command; and Lt. Gen. Michael Langley for promotion to general and to be commander, U.S. Africa Command https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings

3 p.m. — Atlantic Council virtual discussion:”Sweden and Finland’s application to join NATO and the future of security in Europe,” with Finnish Ambassador to the U.S. Mikko Hautala; and Swedish Ambassador to the U.S. Karin Olofsdotter https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/ambassadors

WEDNESDAY | JULY 27

TBA Fort Bragg, North Carolina — Association of the U.S. Army two-day, in-person “Warfighter Summit and Exposition,” with Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville; Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston; Alejandro Villanueva, former Army Ranger and former offensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens; as well as leaders from Army Forces Command, the XVIII Airborne Corps and the 82nd Airborne Division. Register at https://meetings.ausa.org/warfighter/index.cfm

9 a.m. 10 Daniel French Dr., S.W. — Korean War Veterans Memorial “Wall of Remembrance Dedication Ceremony,” in which an addition featuring names of more than 36,000 American war dead and 7,000 Koreans who fought alongside them will be unveiled, with President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attending. https://koreanwarvetsmemorial.org/event/wall-of-remembrance-dedication/

THURSDAY | JULY 28

1:30 p.m. — Center for a New American Security virtual fireside chat with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr.; and Stacie Pettyjohn, senior fellow, director, CNAS Defense Program. https://www.cnas.org/events/virtual-fireside-chat