| | | | | |  | | By Alexander Ward and Quint Forgey | Presented by Lockheed Martin | With help from Paul McLeary and Daniel Lippman. | 
Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.). | Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images | Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Quint FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY — In light of new reporting that former national security adviser MICHAEL FLYNN pushed the Pentagon to seize ballots during the 2020 presidential election, a House Armed Services Committee member is calling on the retired general to lose his military pension. In a new letter to Secretary of Defense LLOYD AUSTIN sent today and obtained exclusively by NatSec Daily, Rep. RUBEN GALLEGO (D-Ariz.) said taxpayers should no longer foot the former Defense Intelligence Agency chief's bill. Flynn should be "stripped of any military benefits he receives due to his encouragement of and involvement in violent attempts to overturn our democratic process," the lawmaker and former Marine wrote. "These outrageous actions are unacceptable for anyone who currently serves or previously served in uniform. Any retiree or servicemember who suggests committing treasonous acts such as overthrowing our democratically-elected government forfeits their moral entitlement to the support of the people of the United States." NatSec Daily had a brief call with Gallego to understand why he's leading this charge. "Because he's a traitor," he said of Flynn. "I think he should go to jail, but what's currently within the power of the DoD is to remove his pension." ABC News' JONATHAN KARL describes in his book a scene in which Flynn frantically called his friend and DOD official EZRA COHEN and implored him to overturn the presidential election results. Flynn told Cohen, the Pentagon's top intelligence official at the time, that he "needed to get orders signed, that ballots needed to be seized, and that extraordinary measures needed to be taken to stop Democrats from stealing the election." "Sir, the election is over," Cohen responded, per Karl's book titled "Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show." "It's time to move on." Flynn snapped back: "You're a quitter! This is not over! Don't be a quitter!" Some fear that canceling Flynn's pension could set a precedent for politically motivated reprisals. But Gallego insists Flynn's conservatism, penchant for conspiracy and loyalty to former President DONALD TRUMP doesn't rise to the level of ending his pension payments. Heck, he doesn't even wish that on veteran Jan. 6 insurrectionists who rioted non-violently inside the Capitol. The red line, he says, should be anyone who tries to orchestrate the overthrow of legitimate American election results. As for next steps, the lawmaker says the Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs have the authority to stop the money flow to Flynn's accounts. The cessation of payments doesn't require an act of Congress, though he hopes Republicans will support him in this "crusade," as he calls it. "I'm really going to ramp this up after the information we just got," he said of the revelations in Karl's book. A suspension of a retiree's pay can happen for many reasons, such as not disclosing that they work for a foreign government or they're mentally incapable of managing their own affairs. It's unclear if DoD has "attempted to overthrow an election" as one of its criteria. And it's also unclear what Flynn's retirement pay is, exactly, but a four stars' pension can be in the high $200,000s. The Defense Department and Flynn didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
| | | MISSILE EXPERTS RIP HYTEN'S CHINA HYPE: Gen. JOHN HYTEN, the vice chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for a few more days, angered the missile expert community with his CBS News interview on China's hypersonic missile test . The chat was billed as the top military official offering more detail on the test, but analysts said there was nothing new and that Hyten hyped the threat. For example, the general said the tested glider looks like a "first-use weapon," which isn't necessarily accurate, some argue. "This is a really dumb thing for General Hyten to say. Hypersonic gliders are ineffective first-strike weapons because they are *slower* than ICBMs with traditional RVs," tweeted JEFFREY LEWIS of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, using an abbreviation for "reentry vehicles." JOSHUA POLLACK , also of MIIS, tweeted a similar argument: "This sounds awfully sinister, doesn't it? But the obvious reason to build a hypersonic glider is to evade ballistic missile defenses. There's nothing particularly 'first-use' or 'second strike' about this concept." Gen. MARK MILLEY, chair of the Joint Chiefs, memorably argued last month that China's hypersonic weapons test was "very close" to a "Sputnik moment," referring to the first artificial satellite launched into space by the Soviet Union in 1957. And two weeks ago, Milley issued another warning: "We're witnessing one of the largest shifts in global geostrategic power that the world has witnessed." But to be fair to Hyten, he didn't fully ascribe to the "Sputnik moment" idea. Sputnik "created a sense of urgency in the United States," he said. "The test on July 27 did not create that sense of urgency. I think it probably should create a sense of urgency." NEW DETAILS OF LIVERPOOL BOMBER: The man behind the Liverpool bombing was planning his attacks for months and had a history of mental illness, per authorities. "The police have said they believe the man, who was the only person killed in the blast, was a 32-year-old named EMAD AL SWEALMEEN. According to the police, he was originally from Iraq, but the authorities have said they are still trying to understand the motivation for the attack in the northern English city, which is being treated as an act of terrorism," the New York Times' MEGAN SPECIA reported. The perpetrators had been making "relevant purchases" of equipment to make an explosive device, said RUSS JACKSON, head of counterterror policing for the U.K.'s northwest. "Our enquiries have found that Al Swealmeen has had episodes of mental illness — this will form part of the investigation and will take some time to fully understand," he added without describing the assailant's condition. Britain's terrorism level has risen to "severe," warning citizens that another attack in the near term is "highly likely." U.S., CHINA NEGOTIATE PRESS PACT: The state-run China Daily newspaper reported Wednesday that the governments of President JOE BIDEN and Chinese leader XI JINPING — ahead of the two leaders' virtual meeting Monday — reached a deal to ease restrictions on journalists from each other's countries, per The Associated Press. "Under the agreement," the AP reports, "the U.S. will issue one-year multiple-entry visas to Chinese journalists and will immediately initiate a process to address 'duration of status' issues, China Daily said. China will reciprocate by granting equal treatment to U.S. journalists once the U.S. policies take effect, and both sides will issue media visas for new applicants 'based on relevant laws and regulations.'" Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson ZHAO LIJIAN described the agreement as a "hard-won achievement," while the State Department told the AP that China had pledged to issue visas for a group of U.S. reporters "provided they are eligible under all applicable laws and regulations. … We will also continue issuing visas to (Chinese) journalists who are otherwise eligible for the visa under U.S. law." STATE STAFFERS BROKEN BY AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL: The frantic U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan — and simultaneous government efforts to evacuate Americans and at-risk Afghans — wreaked organizational chaos across the State Department and took a serious psychological toll on individual staffers at Foggy Bottom, our own NATASHA KORECKI and NAHAL TOOSI report. As State Department employees "feverishly attempted to assist Afghans and Americans stranded in the war-torn country and fielded a crush of calls and emails — the inbox where the State Department directed Afghans to send Special Immigrant Visa applications crashed at least once — officials say they were unclear of their own authorities and what policies they were allowed to employ to help evacuate people. It all triggered mental health issues for some staffers, from which some are still attempting to recover, months later." The frontline staffers "were so shaken under the strain of the evacuation," Korecki and Toosi report, "that at one point, the Department of Veterans Affairs … offered to provide mental health assistance to staffers at Foggy Bottom." According to a U.S. official familiar with the issue, the State Department "sought more information about the VA's offer but ultimately decided its services were not needed." Although department officials "said they made mental health professionals available to staffers in the United States and abroad" — as well as therapy dogs and other types of support — "[t]hey acknowledged … that given the flood of information staffers had to deal with, many may have missed the notices on mental health." MERKEL SAYS GERMANY INITIALLY NAIVE ON CHINA: In an exit interview before she leaves office after 16 years in charge, German Chancellor ANGELA MERKEL said her country was initially too trusting when it came to its relationship with China. "Maybe initially we were rather too naive in our approach to some cooperation partnerships," she told Reuters' ANDREAS RINKE . "These days we look more closely, and rightly so." Under her leadership, China became Germany's top trading partner, and she still says the relationship is net positive: "Total decoupling wouldn't be right in my view, it would be damaging for us." Those comments will only fuel critics — many of them in the U.S. who've long said Merkel is partly responsible for how close Europe and China got in recent years, which some allege led the continent to soften its human rights critiques of Beijing. That said, Europe as a whole has grown far more antagonistic toward China in recent years, namely due to the crackdown on Hong Kong's democracy and detainment of Uyghur Muslims. IT'S WEDNESDAY: Thanks for tuning in to NatSec Daily. This space is reserved for the top U.S. and foreign officials, the lawmakers, the lobbyists, the experts and the people like you who care about how the natsec sausage gets made. Aim your tips and comments at award@politico.com and qforgey@politico.com, and follow us on Twitter at @alexbward and @QuintForgey. While you're at it, follow the rest of POLITICO's national security team: @nahaltoosi, @woodruffbets, @politicoryan, @PhelimKine, @BryanDBender, @laraseligman, @connorobrienNH, @paulmccleary, @leehudson, @AndrewDesiderio and @JonnyCustodio. | | A message from Lockheed Martin: LMXT: America's next strategic tanker.
Lockheed Martin's LMXT is built in America by Americans for Americans. The LMXT leverages 60 years of experience producing tanker aircraft for the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, and multiple operators around the world. Learn More | | | | | | ETHIOPIA ROUNDING UP TIGRAYANS: A disturbing story in The New York Times today: The Ethiopian government has been rounding up hundreds — perhaps thousands — of Tigray ethnic group members throughout the country in recent weeks. "On Nov. 2, the government declared a state of emergency, and the resulting roundups have swept up anyone of Tigrayan descent, many of whom had no ties to the rebels or even affinity for them. They were not just young men and women, but also mothers with children and the elderly, according to human rights advocates and interviews with nearly a dozen family members and friends of detainees," reports the Times' ABDI LATIF DAHIR . "They have been seized off the streets, in their homes and even in workplaces — including banks, schools and shopping centers — and taken to overcrowded cells in police stations and detention facilities. Tigrayans have been targeted by the police based on a mix of hints: their surnames, details listed on identification cards and drivers licenses, even the way they speak Amharic, the national language of Ethiopia." Add this to the growing list of human rights violations plaguing Ethiopia as the war between the government and rebels worsens. Yesterday, the State Department reiterated that all Americans should get out of the country immediately before fighting over the capital of Addis Ababa begins.
| | | FBI FEELS LEFT OUT BY NEW BILL: The FBI is upset that a new bill proposed in both chambers sidelines the FBI and empowers the Department of Homeland Security by compelling organizations to tell DHS about cyber intrusions — but not the law enforcement agency. "Current incident reporting legislation being considered fails to recognize the critical expertise and role that DOJ, including the FBI, play when it comes to cyber incident reporting," BRYAN VORNDRAN, the assistant director of the FBI's cyber division, told the House Oversight and Reform Committee yesterday, per our own BETSY WOODRUFF SWAN and ERIC GELLER (for Pros!). "Cyber is the team sport, and the Department of Justice and the FBI are a key player," Vorndran continued. "It is time for legislation to reflect this reality." Since its creation in 2018, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency inside DHS has turned into the go-to agency for all cyber-related matters. That hasn't sat well with other government agencies — and now the FBI is making its displeasure known. | | | | BECOME A GLOBAL INSIDER: The world is more connected than ever. It has never been more essential to identify, unpack and analyze important news, trends and decisions shaping our future — and we've got you covered! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Global Insider author Ryan Heath navigates the global news maze and connects you to power players and events changing our world. Don't miss out on this influential global community. Subscribe now. | | | | | | | | INFLATION HITS MILITARY FAMILIES: As housing and consumer costs rise across the country, the Pentagon is pumping money into housing allowances and food security programs for military families who are struggling. SecDef Austin announced the moves Wednesday afternoon during a brief press conference at the Pentagon. The increases in housing allowances "won't solve all the economic worries that our military families face," Austin said, but they'll offset some of the dire news about inflation, as consumer prices are up about 6.2 percent from a year ago, the largest increase in 30 years. Specifically, the Pentagon will temporarily raise the basic allowance for housing in areas that have had a 10 percent increase in rental costs this year, extend temporary lodging expense reimbursements so military families have more time to find a home, and help connect families with programs to obtain food. WITHER THE SPACE ECONOMY?: Russia's anti-satellite test — which splattered roughly 1,500 pieces of space debris into orbit — has spooked government and industry officials who felt the space economy was on the verge of really taking off, our own BRYAN BENDER reports (for Pros!). "People are investing billions of dollars and they should be concerned about it," ROB MEYERSON, the former CEO of Blue Origin, told Bender, adding the new level of uncertainty is likely to give pause to "anyone who's looking to invest in space, especially in low-Earth orbit." "The whole industry, the whole space sector, is frustrated that we haven't made any progress on this issue [space debris] in the United States," said SANDY MAGNUS, executive director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. AIR FORCE'S B-21 BOMBER TO COST OVER $200B: A new Air Force estimate says that the under-development B-21 bomber will cost taxpayers $203 billion well into the 2050s, Bloomberg News' ANTHONY CAPACCIO reports. "The figure represents the most complete estimate to date for the heavily classified program won by Northrop Grumman Corp. in 2015. It's also an attempt by the Air Force to make good on a vow to help prevent sticker shock among lawmakers by providing more transparency on cost data as the secretive aircraft proceeds through development," he wrote. "According to figures provided to Bloomberg News, the total cost, priced in fiscal year 2019 dollars, includes $25.1 billion for development, $64 billion for production, and $114 billion for 30 years of sustaining and operating a fleet of 100 bombers."
| | | CHINA BILL COMPLICATES NDAA: Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER's move to include to shoehorn a big anti-China bill inside the National Defense Authorization Act has thrown the process to pass the bill into chaos, our own ANDREW DESIDERIO, MARIANNE LEVIN, and CONNOR O'BRIEN report. "The China bill is a top priority for Schumer, but Sen. JIM INHOFE , the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said GOP senators were prepared to vote against the procedural motion on the defense bill if Schumer tried to add the China legislation without holding a separate vote on it," they wrote. "We're not ready for a motion to proceed until we know what we're proceeding to," Inhofe told reporters. "It's just an unnecessary obstacle. … That's what's holding it up now. It's Schumer doing something unprecedented in as long as I can remember." The push to include the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act — which authorizes funding for a series of scientific and development projects to keep pace with China — in a planned manager's package of bipartisan and largely uncontroversial amendments forced senators to shelve the procedural vote to advance the defense bill, which was initially set for Wednesday morning. CRITICS BLAST RUBIO FOR CHINA AMB HOLD: Sen. MARCO RUBIO (R-Fla.) announced yesterday that he'd place a hold on NICHOLAS BURNS' bid to be the next U.S. ambassador to China, mainly a symbolic move, since another senator — Missouri Republican JOSH HAWLEY — already has holds on all of Biden's nominees. Still, Rubio's decision, which he said is based on Burns' "failure to understand the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party," drew ire from nearly all Democratic corners. "Unbelievable. Nothing like benching your starting quarterback if you want a winning strategy for strategic competition? The only winners from this move are in Beijing," read a message from the Democrats' Senate Foreign Relations Committee Twitter account. Even White House deputy press secretary CHRIS MEAGHER weighed in: "Unacceptable. It's long past time for GOP Senators to get out of the way and let the Senate quickly confirm these national security nominees so they can advocate for the interest of the American people around the world." | | | |   | | | | | | ANTIWAR GROUPS CALL ON U.S. TO PREVENT HUMANITARIAN DISASTER IN AFGHANISTAN: Nearly 20 leaders of anti-war and pro-restraint groups sent a letter to Biden yesterday calling on him to shift U.S. policy to help prevent a growing humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan. "Millions more Afghans will descend into abject poverty this winter and thousands will starve to death unless swift action is taken by the United States and our international partners," the leaders of groups like the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, Common Defense and CODEPINK wrote. To help, the authors suggest the U.S. "grant a more expansive general license exempting aid organizations from sanctions," tell organizations that "providing food and healthcare to Afghans will not place them in violation of U.S. laws," and develop programs that "provide conflict resolution skills, human rights monitoring, and other fundamental elements of a safe and stable society." The leaders cc'd Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN and Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN on the letter. DENMARK TO WEAR GEAR CRITICAL OF QATAR DURING WORLD CUP: We know you come to NatSec Daily not only for the foreign policy news, but also Alex's soccer obsession. With that in mind, here's something to keep an eye on: Denmark will wear training kits featuring "human rights messages" on them while in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup. "The Danish soccer federation, known as DBU, said the two sponsors for the training outfits would refrain from exposure on the clothes and would instead carry 'critical messages and markings,'" the Associated Press reported. "The federation added it would also minimize the number of trips to Qatar for staff and partners so 'participation in the World Cup finals is primarily about sporting participation and not promoting the World Cup organizers' events.'" Qatar's preparation for soccer's premier event has been sullied by credible allegations of human rights violations. A new report by Amnesty International details how the country forcibly ties migrant workers to their bosses even after multiple promises to reform that practice. "A new 48-page Amnesty report, Reality Check 2021, quotes one migrant worker saying she was threatened by her employer when she wanted to change jobs and told she had to pay 6,000 Qatari riyals [$1,648] — more than five times her monthly salary — for a no-objection certificate or else be sent home," the Guardian's SEAN INGLE reported. | | | — CAMILLE FRANÇOIS has joined Niantic Labs as the first global director for trust and security. The former Google employee currently teaches at Columbia University. — WENDY ANDERSON has joined the Board of Advisers of the Truman Center for National Policy. Anderson, an Obama DoD and Commerce alum, is senior counselor at Palantir Technologies and a founding member of Chief. | | | | DON'T MISS THE HALIFAX INTERNATIONAL SECURITY FORUM: Back in person for the first time since 2019, tune in as international security leaders from democracies around the world discuss key challenges at the 13th annual Halifax International Security Forum live from Nova Scotia. As an official media partner, POLITICO will livestream the conversation beginning at 3 p.m. on November 19. Check out the full three-day agenda is here. | | | | | | | | — ROB SCHMITZ and MARCO STOREL, NPR: "Here's what it's like for migrants trapped between Belarus and Poland" — REBECCA HEILWEIL, Recode by Vox: "The space debris problem is getting dangerous" — MICHAEL KREPON, Inkstick: "No Use. Period."
| | | — Biden hosts the North American Leaders' Summit with Canadian Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU and Mexican President ANDRÉS MANUEL LÓPEZ OBRADOR: Biden also will participate in separate bilateral meetings with Trudeau and López Obrador, per the White House. — The Overseas Development Institute, 5 a.m.: "Getting Back on Track to End Poverty in South Asia — with MANJISTHA BANERJEE, VIDYA DIWAKAR, MARTA EICHSTELLER, IHSANULLAH GHAFOOR, IMRAN MATIN and ANDREW SHEPHERD" — Chatham House, 7 a.m.: "Negotiating with the Taliban — with RENATA DWAN, PATRICIA ESCOLANO GUIOTE, ORZALA NEMAT and INDRIKA RATWATTE" — The Wilson Center, 9 a.m.: "Ground Truth Briefing: The 2021 North American Leaders' Summit — with DAVID JACOBSON and EARL ANTHONY WAYNE" — House Foreign Affairs Committee, 10 a.m.: "Subcommittee Hearing: Personnel is Policy: UN Elections and U.S. Leadership in International Organizations — with ERICA BARKS-RUGGLES" — Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, 10:15 a.m.: "Full Committee Hearing: Nominations — with LAUREL A. BLATCHFORD, ERIK A. HOOKS, MICHAEL KUBAYANDA, EBONY M. SCOTT and DONALD W. TUNNAGE" — The Center for Strategic and International Studies, 11 a.m.: "Maritime Security Dialogue: The Aegis Approach with Rear Admiral TOM DRUGGAN — with PETER H. DALY and TOM KARAKO" — The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, 12:15 p.m.: "Why Nations Rise: Narratives and the Path to Great Power — with MANJARI CHATTERJEE MILLER" — The Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1 p.m.: " Pulling Back the Curtain on China's Maritime Militia — with JUDE BLANCHETTE, TABITHA MALLORY, GREGORY B. POLING and YUN SUN" — The Middle East Institute, 2 p.m.: "Resisting Sectarianism: Queer Activism in Postwar Lebanon — with CHRISTOPHE ABI-NASSIF, TAMIRACE FAKHOURY and JOHN NAGLE" — The Atlantic Council, 3 p.m.: "State of the Space Industrial Base 2021: Building Space Infrastructure and Services for Security and Prosperity — with STEVEN J. BUTOW, JACQUELINE FELDSCHER, ERIC FELT, JOHN M. OLSON, DAVID PALAZZO, STEPHEN RODRIGUEZ, MIR SADAT, MANDY VAUGHN and STEPHANIE WANDER" Have a natsec-centric event coming up? Transitioning to a new defense-adjacent or foreign policy-focused gig? Shoot us an email at award@politico.com or qforgey@politico.com to be featured in the next edition of the newsletter. | | A message from Lockheed Martin: LMXT: America's next strategic tanker.
Improved range and fuel offload, INDOPACOM base flexibility, automatic air-to-air refueling, and enhanced defensive systems come together in our next strategic tanker. Learn More | | | And thanks to our editor, Ben Pauker, who we think should keep his pension — for now. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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