AUSTIN, GALLANT MEETING STILL ON: As of yesterday, the scheduled Pentagon meeting between Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Israeli counterpart, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, was still on for today despite the sudden cancellation of the visit of a high-level Israeli delegation by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Secretary Austin is still planning to meet with Minister Gallant,” Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters at the Pentagon yesterday, indicating Gallant was already in Washington meeting with other officials Monday, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan. “This meeting was separate from the meeting that was to occur at the White House.”
In the latest fissure in what has become a deepening rift between Netanyahu and President Joe Biden, Netanyahu reacted angrily to the decision by the United States to abstain from a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Without a U.S. veto, the resolution passed 14-0.
The U.S. had planned to share suggestions with the Israeli delegation for minimizing the harm to innocent civilians while going after Hamas in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
“We think that a ground invasion, especially without any type of credible plan, is a mistake, given the large number of displaced people that are there at the moment,” Ryder said. “There are ways to go about addressing the threat of Hamas while also taking into account civilian safety. A lot of those are from lessons, our own lessons conducting operations in urban environments.”
ISRAEL SCRAPS VISIT TO DC AFTER US ABSTAINED FROM UN SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION
US ‘PERPLEXED,’ ‘WE STILL HAVE ISRAEL’S BACK’: In high-level talks over the weekend, administration officials relayed to Israel the U.S. intention to abstain from the ceasefire resolution and thought it was understood that this was not intended as a change in U.S. policy.
“We have been clear and we’ve been consistent in our support for a ceasefire as part of a hostage deal. That’s how the hostage deal is structured, and the resolution acknowledges the ongoing talks,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters in a morning conference call. “We wanted to get to a place where we could support that resolution, but because the final text does not have key language that we think is essential, like a condemnation of Hamas, we could not support it. Though because it fairly does reflect our view that a ceasefire and the release of hostages come together, we abstained.”
Shortly thereafter, Netanyahu released a statement accusing the U.S. of “abandoning” its previous policy. “Regrettably, the United States did not veto the new resolution, which calls for a ceasefire that is not contingent on the release of hostages,” Netanyahu said. “This constitutes a clear departure from the consistent US position in the Security Council since the beginning of the war.”
By the afternoon, Kirby was expressing surprise at the Israeli reaction. “We’re kind of perplexed by this,” Kirby said at a regular White House briefing. “No. 1, it’s a nonbinding resolution. So, there’s no impact at all on Israel and Israel’s ability to continue to go after Hamas. No. 2, as I said in my opening statement, it does not represent a change at all in our policy. It’s very consistent with everything that we’ve been saying we want to get done here.”
“It seems like the prime minister’s office is choosing to create a perception of daylight here when they don’t need to do that,” Kirby said. “The prime minister’s office seems to be indicating through public statements that we somehow changed here. We haven’t. And we get to decide what our policy is.”
TALKS WILL CONTINUE: Even as the high-level visit has been canceled, the U.S. still plans to share its concerns about Israel’s planned military operation in Rafah and offer alternatives to a full-scale ground invasion.
“Just because this meeting is now not going to happen doesn’t mean that we aren’t still going to look for an avenue and an approach to be able to share those alternatives with the Israelis,” Kirby said. “It probably won’t be a full replacement for what we were hoping to do with a broader and larger delegation of Israeli counterparts.”
“We still believe that we have learned some key lessons about how to dismantle a terrorist network, how to decapitate its leadership, how to starve it of resources, how to put pressure on its fighters on the battlefield,” Kirby said. “And we were looking forward to and I think still are looking forward to having the opportunity to share some of those lessons and perspectives with the Israelis.”
US LAMENTS NETANYAHU SNUB IN WAKE OF UN ABSTENTION: ‘WE DON’T EXPECT THEM TO MAKE THREATS’
Good Tuesday 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 me on Threads and/or on X @jamiejmcintyre
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP OR READ BACK ISSUES OF DAILY ON DEFENSE
NOTE TO READERS: Daily on Defense goes on spring break from April 1 to April 15. While we’re away, you can still find breaking defense news on the Washington Examiner’s national security and defense page.
ISIS STILL ‘A THREAT’: The Pentagon said the Friday terrorist attack at a Moscow concert hall that killed more than 130 people is the latest evidence that the Islamic State has not been defeated.
“They still are a threat,” Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said at yesterday’s press gaggle. “I’ve seen some press reporting saying, ‘Is it a rising threat, growing threat?’ I would say it’s a threat, right, among other terrorist groups.”
“What you saw after the counter-ISIS campaign in Iraq and Syria was some of the elements of that group move to other parts of the world,” Ryder said. “So, you’ve got ISIS-K essentially coming out of Central Asia. And, of course, you see ISIS elements in Africa as well.”
Ryder said U.S. intelligence keeps close tabs on ISIS, which was why it was able to warn Russia two weeks ahead of the attacks that “extremists” had “imminent plans” for a mass casualty attack. “We’re monitoring these things,” Ryder said. “I really can’t go too deep into intelligence, other than to say, as you heard the White House say over the weekend, that we had notified Moscow in advance and Russia in advance about a planned terrorist attack in Moscow. And it had also issued an advisory to Americans to avoid going to any public places.”
Under a 2015 directive from then-national intelligence director James Clapper, the U.S. has a duty to warn “U.S. and non-U.S. persons of impending threats of intentional killing, serious bodily injury or kidnapping.”
MOSCOW CONCERT ATTACK SUSPECTS APPEAR IN COURT WITH APPARENT SIGNS OF TORTURE
NONCOMBAT-RELATED DEATH: The Pentagon announced the first U.S. casualty in the Red Sea operation that is engaged in operations against Houthi forces in Yemen, but it said the death was not related to the combat mission.
“Aviation Machinist Mate 2nd Class Oriola Michael Aregbesola, 34, of Miramar, Florida, died March 20, 2024, as a result of a non-combat related incident,” the Pentagon said in a statement. “Aregbesola was assigned to USS Mason deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, as part of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group.”
The incident remains under investigation.
BOEING CEO TO STEP DOWN: The head of troubled airplane maker Boeing has decided to resign as CEO by the end of the year as Boeing faces increasing scrutiny since a panel blew off a Boeing 737 Max jetliner in January.
“I have decided this will be my last year as CEO of our great company, and I have notified the board of that decision,” David Calhoun said in a letter to Boeing employees.
Calhoun called the incident on the Alaska Airlines flight “a watershed moment for Boeing” and said he remains committed to responding to the accident “with humility and complete transparency.”
“The eyes of the world are on us, and I know we will come through this moment a better company, building on all the learnings we accumulated as we worked together to rebuild Boeing over the last number of years,” he wrote.
In an interview with CNBC, Calhoun said the decision to step aside was “100%” his decision. “I’ve entered my fifth year. At the end of this year, I’ll be close to 68 years old. I’ve always said to the board, and the board has been very prepared, I would give them plenty of notice so that they could understand and plan succession in regular order,” Calhoun told Phil LeBeau. “That’s what this is about. It’s me giving them notice that at the end of this year, I plan to retire.”
BOEING CEO DAVE CALHOUN ANNOUNCES HE WILL STEP DOWN FOLLOWING PLANE MANUFACTURING CONCERNS
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: Israel scraps visit to DC after US abstained from UN Security Council resolution
Washington Examiner: US laments Netanyahu snub in wake of UN abstention: ‘We don’t expect them to make threats’
Washington Examiner: Moscow concert attack suspects appear in court with apparent signs of torture
Washington Examiner: Moscow terrorist attack raises fears of renewed ISIS threat
Washington Examiner: China threatens more clashes after damaging Philippine vessel
Washington Examiner: Biden signs $1.2 trillion bill funding government through fiscal year
Washington Examiner: McCaul warns that ousting Johnson could ‘throw the balance of power’ to Democrats
Washington Examiner: Rep. Tenney warns that House GOP is pushing Hakeem Jeffries to speakership: ‘We’re perilous’
Washington Examiner: Trump ignores Johnson plea to end infighting with call for challenger against GOP incumbent
Washington Examiner: Kamala Harris’s strategy to stop illegal immigration slammed by Republicans despite $5B investment
Washington Examiner: Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun announces he will step down following plane manufacturing concerns
AP: US Fighters Hit Storage Facilities in Houthi-Controlled Areas of Yemen
Bloomberg: Houthis Warn Saudi Arabia Of Retaliation If It Backs U.S. Attacks
Breaking Defense: Purported Houthi Strike On Chinese Vessel In Red Sea Likely A ‘Mistake’: Experts
AP: ‘Duty to warn’ guided US advance warning of the Moscow attack. Adversaries don’t always listen
Task & Purpose: ISIS Still a Threat but More Active in Asia and Africa, Pentagon Says
New York Times: U.S. And Britain Say China Hacked Into Infrastructure And Voter Rolls
Washington Post: Putin Says ‘Radical Islamists’ Attacked Concert Hall, Suggests Link To Ukraine
New York Times: Ukraine Mocks Suggestion It Had Any Role In Assault
AP: Kyiv Endures A Third Bombardment In 5 Days As Russia Steps Up Targeting Of Ukrainian Cities
Politico: Congress Approved $300M for Ukraine Last Week. The Pentagon Spent It 4 Months Ago.
Reuters: North Korea Says Japan’s Kishida Wants To Meet Kim Jong Un
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Congress Boosts Air Force 2024 Budget With More F-35s, Engine Spares
Defense One: Air Force’s Wish list Includes Money for Reorganization
DefenseScoop: US Must Establish Independent Military Cyber Service to Fix ‘Alarming’ Problems—Report
Washington Technology: Air Force Opens $12.5B Network Modernization Vehicle up for Bids
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Why Setting Up Maj. Gen. Stewart’s Court-Martial Could Be ‘a Real Challenge’
Defense News: More Turnover in Pentagon Policy Office as Baker Leaves Top Role
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Generals Nominated to Lead US Forces in Japan and Alaska
The War Zone: TU-2S Dragon Lady Resurrected for the Twilight of the Spy Plane’s Service
The Cipher Brief: The Tragedy in Moscow Isn’t Over Yet, says CIA’s former Chief of Central Eurasia Division
The Cipher Brief: After Moscow Terror, Kremlin Wages Mass Disinformation Campaign
The Cipher Brief: Opinion: Russia is Learning that Countries that live in Gas Houses Shouldn’t Throw Drones
The Cipher Brief: Opinion: Navigating the Frontier of Venture Capital and National Security
THE CALENDAR:
TUESDAY | MARCH 26
9 a.m. — Wadhwani Center for AI and Advanced Technologies virtual discussion: “Scaling AI-enabled Capabilities at the DOD: Government and Industry Perspectives,” with Navy Capt. M. Xavier Lugo, algorithmic warfare division chief for artificial intelligence scaffolding/integration, Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office; Col. Matthew Strohmeyer, joint all-domain command and control experimentation division chief, Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office; and Jason Brown, general manager for defense, Applied Intuition https://www.csis.org/events/scaling-ai-enabled-capabilities
10 a.m. 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace discussion: “Germany’s Nuclear Choices: Disarm or Proliferate?” with Liana Fix, fellow for Europe at the Council on Foreign Relations; Ulrich Kuhn, CEIP nonresident scholar; Amy Nelson, Brookings Institution fellow; and George Perkovich, CEIP vice president for studies https://carnegieendowment.org/2024/03/26/germany-s-nuclear-choices
10:30 a.m. 1957 E St. NW — George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs discussion: “Leadership in National Security,” with Army Secretary Christine Wormuth https://calendar.gwu.edu/event/leadership-in-national-security
11 a.m. 1789 Massachusetts Ave. NW, — American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research book discussion: We Win, They Lose: Republican Foreign Policy and the New Cold War with co-author Matthew Kroenig, vice president of the Atlantic Council’s Center for Strategy and Security, and Dan Negrea, senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Center https://www.aei.org/events/discussing-republican-foreign-policy
11 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Brookings Institution forum: “U.S.-Vietnam Relations,” with Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son https://www.brookings.edu/events/us-vietnam-relations
2 p.m. — Vandenberg Coalition virtual book discussion: We Win, They Lose: Republican Foreign Policy and the New Cold War with Matthew Kroenig, vice president and senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, and co-author Dan Negrea, senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Center https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register
2 p.m — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Understanding China’s Regionally Administered Totalitarianism,” with Chenggang Xu, senior research scholar at Stanford University’s Center on China’s Economy and Institutions https://www.csis.org/events/understanding-chinas-regionally-administered-totalitarianism
2:30 p.m. — Center for a New American Security virtual discussion: “Autonomy and International Stability: Confidence-Building Measures for Uncrewed Systems in the Indo-Pacific,” with Thomas Shugart, adjunct senior fellow at the CNAS Defense Program, and Paul Scharre, CNAS director of studies https://www.cnas.org/events/virtual-event
3:30 p.m. 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace discussion: “Transatlantic Public Opinion on the War in Ukraine,” with Sylvie Kauffmann, editorial director, lead write and columnist at Le Monde; Ivan Krastev, chairman of the Center for Liberal Strategies; Mark Leonard, co-founder and director of the European Council on Foreign Relations; Jeremy Shapiro, ECFR research director; Sophia Besch, fellow at the CEIP Europe Program; and Dan Baer, senior vice president for policy research and director of the CEIP Europe Program https://carnegieendowment.org/2024/03/26/transatlantic-public-opinion
WEDNESDAY | MARCH 27
10 a.m. — Wadhwani Center for AI and Advanced Technologies virtual discussion: “The DARPA Perspective on AI and Autonomy at the DOD,” with Matt Turek, deputy director, Information Innovation Office, and Gregory Allen, director, Wadhwani Center for AI and Advanced Technologies https://www.csis.org/events/darpa-perspective-ai-and-autonomy
11 a.m. — Government Executive Media Group virtual discussion: “State of the Navy,” with Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti https://events.defenseone.com/state-of-defense
12 p.m. 1211 Connecticut Ave. NW — Henry L. Stimson Center discussion: “The Israel-Hamas War: Impacts and Prospects, Six Months On,” with Shibley Telhami, professor at the University of Maryland; Mairav Zonszein, senior Israel analyst at the International Crisis Group; Lara Friedman, president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace; and Ali Vaez, director of the International Crisis Group’s Iran Project https://www.stimson.org/event/the-israel-hamas-war-impacts
7 p.m. 610 Water St. SW — Politics and Prose Bookstore book discussion: Nuclear War: A Scenario, with author Annie Jacobsen; retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Charlie Moore, former deputy commander of U.S. Cyber Command; and Jon Wolfsthal, director of global risk at the Federation of American Scientists https://www.politics-prose.com/annie-jacobsen
7 p.m. — Middle East Policy Council discussion: “The Middle East at War: What’s Next for Israel and the Region?” with Nimrod Novik, Israel Policy Forum fellow. Register at https://ipfatidmar27dc.rsvpify.com
THURSDAY | MARCH 28
8 a.m. — Center for a New American Security virtual discussion: “Forging a New Era of U.S.-ROK-Japan Trilateral Cooperation,” with Duyeon Kim, adjunct senior fellow at the CNAS Indo-Pacific Security Program; Hannah Kelley, research associate at the CNAS Technology and National Security Program; Evan Wright, research assistant at the CNAS Indo-Pacific Security Program; and Lisa Curtis, senior fellow and director at the CNAS Indo-Pacific Security Program https://www.cnas.org/events/virtual-event-forging-a-new-era
11:30 a.m. — U.S. Institute of Peace virtual discussion: “The Road to Washington’s NATO Summit,” with Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Mirna Galic, chairwoman of the USIP Expert Study Group on NATO and Indo-Pacific Partners https://www.usip.org/events/road-washingtons-nato-summit
2 p.m. — Government Executive Media Group virtual forum: “State of the Air Force,” with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin https://events.defenseone.com/state-of-defense
FRIDAY | MARCH 29
2 p.m. 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies book discussion: Living U.S.-China Relations: From Cold War to Cold War, with author David Lampton, director of China studies at SAIS https://sais.jhu.edu/campus-events
