| | | | |  | | By Alexander Ward and Matt Berg | | 
John Bass, a career diplomat who served as the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan from 2017 to 2020, said he was provided little to no details about the withdrawals cooked up in Washington. | Burhan Ozbilici/AP Photo | With help from Nahal Toosi and Daniel Lippman Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Matt FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY –– The Trump administration’s slapdash efforts to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan hurt the prospects of a negotiated settlement between Kabul and the Taliban, according to secret congressional testimony obtained by NatSec Daily. Two career diplomats who served during the Trump years and a Biden administration official testified last summer to the then-Democrat-led House Foreign Affairs Committee that Afghanistan-focused officials were kept out of the loop by senior Trump aides. That ultimately put personnel at risk, endangered a fragile diplomatic effort and left a new administration in the dark about their inheritance, they said in previously unreported comments. The Trump administration struck a deal with the Taliban in February 2020 that set the conditions for a U.S. withdrawal by May 2021. But after the ink dried, the administration removed some of the 13,000 troops still in the country, lowering the total to 8,500 service members within months. That was followed by a reduction to 4,500 in November 2020 and then to 2,500 five days before JOE BIDEN’s inauguration day. President DONALD TRUMP was also secretly angling for a full withdrawal of American forces by the end of his term. In his unclassified opening remarks during the June 15, 2022, classified HFAC briefing, JOHN BASS, a career diplomat who served as the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan from 2017 to 2020, said he was provided little to no details about the withdrawals cooked up in Washington. “We did not know whether U.S. forces would be zeroed out. We did not know how rapidly U.S. force reductions would occur,” he told the lawmakers, noting he wasn’t made aware if peace talks would proceed. He continued, “we did not know if the president would keep our embassy open, or retain some U.S. counterterrorism forces in-country.” Choosing to announce a U.S. military withdrawal while trying to broker a deal between enemies simply couldn’t work, Bass said: “Our main policy efforts not only didn’t reinforce each other — they all were in tension, or contradicted each other. These contradictory signals were amplified by President Trump’s periodic statements supporting rapid force reductions.” MOLLY PHEE, a deputy to U.S. negotiator ZALMAY KHALILZAD from 2018 to 2020, said there was very weak enforcement of the U.S.-Taliban deal, ultimately sinking the low-probability process. “It is my judgment that the unilateral decision to reduce to 4,500 troops…without explicitly tying this move to a requirement for the Taliban to act, significantly weakened the prospect for successful intra-Afghan negotiations as the Taliban appeared to conclude that President Trump was intent on withdrawal regardless of their conduct,” she said. This gave the Taliban confidence that they didn’t need “to meet specific political or military conditions contained in the agreement, she continued. “Because of the unilateral way in which the withdrawals were conducted, it is also my assessment that Taliban expectations hardened, so that by the time President Biden took office, the United States would have been subject to renewed Taliban attacks if we belatedly attempted — nearly a year after the agreement’s conclusion — to begin insisting on the conditions in the agreement and delay our complete withdrawal.” Enter the Biden transition during the late fall of 2020, which strained for information from the Trump administration about its plans. They weren’t provided much — or anything at all — by the team still in power. “During the transition, we were not presented with a comprehensive plan for the completion of the withdrawal by May 1,” DEREK CHOLLET, now a senior State Department official, told the lawmakers last year. It gets worse: “we only learned after the fact, from press reports, that at that time there were serious discussions by the outgoing administration about removing all troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year or the inauguration.” It’s unclear why the briefers — who would have had access to officials inside agencies during the Trump years — couldn’t extract any information from Trump’s White House, State Department or Pentagon. But Chollet’s testimony, in particular, counters claims by Trump-era officials, like acting DoD chief CHRISTOPHER MILLER and Pentagon chief of staff KASH PATEL, that there were clear plans in place for a peace process and an orderly withdrawal of U.S. troops. All this testimony to HFAC came from the nearly four-hour briefing last year, one of the first to dig deep into Trump’s Afghanistan decision-making. The panel, then led by chair Rep. GREGORY MEEKS (D-N.Y.), allowed for unclassified opening statements, which were subsequently compiled into a 20-page document by the State Department upon request last year from Rep. MICHAEL McCAUL (R-Texas). That document was sent months later to McCaul’s office on Feb. 10. “These statements should have been provided in June 2022, when they were first requested. I'm glad POLITICO was able to obtain these documents,” McCaul, who is now the HFAC chair, told NatSec Daily. But he’s upset that these officials, in his view, are “continuing to try and blame the Trump administration for their failures in Afghanistan,” adding that it’s “laughable at this point.” “For years, the Trump administration withheld information and blocked Congressional oversight on its negotiations with the Taliban and preparations to meet the exit date. I organized this bipartisan briefing during my time as chair to allow Members of both parties to get the facts and exhaust all their questions to better understand the circumstances surrounding this period of the war in Afghanistan," Meeks said in a statement to NatSec Daily. “The State Department is committed to working with all Congressional committees with jurisdiction to appropriately accommodate their need for information to help them conduct oversight for legislative purposes," a spokesperson for the agency told NatSec Daily on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive congressional engagements. The statements come as a McCaul-led HFAC is digging deeper into the Biden administration’s full withdrawal from Afghanistan. A Marine who was injured in the bombing at the Kabul airport that killed 13 service members called the process catastrophic during a Wednesday hearing, while Biden’s team maintains they were dealt an impossible hand by Trump.
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | | | | DOD’S BUDGET HOPES: The Pentagon is asking Congress to more than double funding for the military’s presence in the Pacific, signaling the Biden administration’s increasing sense of urgency toward countering China’s aggression in the region, our own LARA SELIGMAN and LEE HUDSON report. Alongside President JOE BIDEN’s budget request for next year, the Pentagon will submit a new $15.3 billion plan to fund Pacific forces, according to an unclassified version of the report. That’s much more than what DoD asked for last year ($6.1 billion) and a significant boost from what Congress authorized ($11.5 billion). The money will go toward buying missile defense systems, radars and space sensors, as well as increasing exercises and training. “The security environment in the Indo-Pacific is becoming more dangerous and defined by an increasing risk of confrontation and crisis,” according to the report. “The strategic competition with the U.S. now encompasses all domains to include efforts to coerce our strongest allies in an attempt to dominate the region.” JETS TO TEHRAN: Iran has finalized a deal to buy advanced Sukhoi SU-35 fighter jets from Russia, a sign that Tehran and Moscow are moving closer and closer together. MOJTABA BABAEI, Iran’s mission to the United Nations, confirmed the deal to Semafor’s JAY SOLOMON three days after his story detailing an effort by the Saudis, Emiratis and Israelis to persuade Moscow not to arm Tehran. The deal, they warned, could destabilize the region and isolate Russia in future conflicts. After the Iran-Iraq war ended in 1988, “Iran asked a bunch of countries to buy fighter jets, and Russia said it was open to selling,” Babaei wrote without detailing the number of fighter jets sold or the delivery date. “The SU-35 fighter jets were technically acceptable to Iran, so after October 2020 and the end of Iran's restrictions on conventional weapons purchases (UN Resolution 2231), Iran finalized the deal to buy them.” UKRAINE BOMBARDED: Russia launched a massive rocket attack across Ukraine overnight, striking critical infrastructure and residential buildings in 10 regions, the Associated Press’ HANNA ARHIROVA and ELENA BECATOROS report. At least six people died, as Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY blasted Moscow on social media for targeting civilians. “The occupiers can only terrorize civilians. That’s all they can do,” he said. Russia hit Ukraine with 81 missiles and eight Shahed drones — its largest missile attack in weeks. Almost half of Kyiv’s residents were left without heat, and the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant lost power. ‘MORE QUICKLY ELEVATING’: Chinese leader XI JINPING called for “more quickly elevating the armed forces to world-class standards” in a Wednesday speech to delegates representing the People’s Liberation Army. Beijing must grow its “national strategic capabilities” to “systematically upgrade the country’s overall strength to cope with strategic risks, safeguard strategic interests and realize strategic objectives,” he said in a speech carried by state-run Xinhua and reported by the Associated Press. The remarks come just days after new Foreign Minister QIN GANG accused the U.S. of seeking confrontation with China — a charge the Biden administration responds to by saying it only wants to “compete” with Beijing in key sectors while avoiding war. NOT SO FAST: The U.S. is trying to convince Europe nations to join link up to confront China, but they may not be ready to cut ties with the critical trade partner, our own SUZANNE LYNCH, NAHAL TOOSI, BARBARA MOENS and ERIN BANCO report. Ahead of Biden’s meeting with European Union chief URSULA VON DER LEYEN in Washington tomorrow, U.S. officials have been offering Europe both urgent warnings about Beijing and pledges to smooth over trade disputes. However, Europe’s response has been ambivalent at best, with many countries hesitant to pull away from the profitable Chinese market, including Germany, which has shared concerns that China could arm Russia with weapons. IT’S THURSDAY: 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 mberg@politico.com, and follow us on Twitter at @alexbward and @mattberg33. While you’re at it, follow the rest of POLITICO’s national security team: @nahaltoosi, @woodruffbets, @politicoryan, @PhelimKine, @laraseligman, @connorobrienNH, @paulmcleary, @leehudson, @magmill95, @johnnysaks130, @ErinBanco and @Lawrence_Ukenye.
| | A message from Lockheed Martin: Our mission is to prepare you for the future by engineering advanced capabilities today.
Many of today’s military systems and platforms were designed to operate independently. Through our 21st Century Security vision, Lockheed Martin is accelerating innovation, connecting defense and digital to enhance the performance of major platforms, to equip customers to stay ahead of emerging threats. Learn more. | | | | | | DEAR DON: Trump is planning to spill the tea in a new book, publishing 150 private letters sent to him over the years from influential figures like OPRAH WINFREY and North Korean leader KIM JONG UN. “Letters from Trump,” which is marketed as a “colorful photo book” that includes private correspondence between the billionaire and “countless world leaders” and celebrities, will be released on April 25. Axios’ MIKE ALLEN first reported the plans. Other big names in the book include RICHARD NIXON, RONALD REAGAN, BILL CLINTON, PRINCESS DIANA, HILLARY CLINTON, TED KENNEDY, MARIO CUOMO, ARNOLD PALMER, JAY LENO, LIZA MINNELLI and REGIS PHILBIN.
| | | FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY –– CYBER LEADERS TO VANDY: Two senior U.S. cyber leaders will speak at Vanderbilt’s Summit on Modern Conflict and Emerging Threats in May, NatSec Daily has learned. Gen. PAUL NAKASONE, the head of the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command, will be at the event alongside Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency chief JEN EASTERLY when the event takes place from May 4 to 5. HOUSE LEAK: The personal data of House members and staff was compromised due to a recently uncovered breach of health care group DC Health Link, our own MAGGIE MILLER reported Wednesday night. In an email, House Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY and Minority Leader HAKEEM JEFFRIES described an “egregious security breach within DC Health Link’s insurance marketplace.” The leaders noted the breach “compromised the personal information of numerous House Members, spouses, dependents and employees in both parties,” but they did not identify affected members.
| | | TEAMING UP: Boeing Phantom Works and Shield AI on Wednesday announced their plans to collaborate on autonomy and artificial intelligence projects for both current and future defense programs. Shield AI, a defense tech company focused on artificial intelligence, owns the algorithm made (in)famous after it beat an experienced Air Force F-16 pilot and five other AI pilots during the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Alpha Dogfight trials three years ago. Within the next decade, the U.S. military will see rapid transformations in how it incorporates artificial intelligence and autonomous systems into its everyday use, BRANDON TSENG, Shield AI’s president and co-founder, told NatSec Daily. “By 2030, I think we’ll have widespread intelligent unmanned systems that are operating in teams with human teams,” he said. “It’ll be interwoven in terms of the DNA of how the military conducts operations and structures their forces.”
| | | | DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID. | | | | | | | | FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY –– KEEP 2SS ALIVE: More than 80 House Democrats have written to Biden urging him to work with Israeli and Palestinian leaders to avoid any derailment of a two-state solution. “Consistent and sustained U.S. diplomatic leadership is critical to preempt counterproductive unilateral actions and prevent violent escalations,” the lawmakers led by Reps. ROSE DeLAURO (D-Conn.), JAN SCHAKOWSKY (D-Ill.) and JIM McGOVERN (D-Mass.) wrote in a Wednesday letter seen first by NatSec Daily. “We urge you to make clear that the U.S. will firmly oppose any moves toward annexation that the Israeli government may pursue as a result.” The House members are concerned that Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU’s plans for a judicial overhaul would embolden the far-right elements of his governing coalition to “entrench settlement of the West Bank and advance a pro-annexation agenda, undermining the prospects for a two-state solution and threatening Israel’s existence as a Jewish and democratic state.” Protests against the plan made it impossible for Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN to meet with Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Thursday. Instead, they had to chat at the airport in Tel Aviv. BALLOON FACTS: Leading Senate Republicans say they still don’t have answers from the Pentagon on the sequence of events that alerted President Joe Biden to a Chinese spy balloon traveling across U.S. airspace last month, our own LEE HUDSON reported Wednesday evening. In a letter sent Wednesday to SecDef Austin, Sens. ROGER WICKER (R-Miss.) and MARCO RUBIO (R-Fla.), the top Republicans on the Armed Services and Intelligence committees, note that they’ve been waiting weeks for a response. They sent a similar letter to Austin in early February, and were disappointed that a “subordinate” — DoD policy chief COLIN KAHL — was who answered their initial request, they write. “In particular, we await documentation demonstrating when senior officials learned of the balloon and at what point you, and the President, were provided response options. The simple point of the letter was to establish baseline facts to inform all members of Congress,” the senators wrote.
| | | ‘OPENLY OFFENSIVE’: A week after Argentina’s ambassador to the U.S., JORGE ARGÜELLO sent a stinging letter to Rep. MARIA ELVIRA SALAZAR (R-Fla.) regarding comments she made about the country’s alleged ties with China, the ambassador doubled down on his frustrations in an interview with our own PHELIM KINE. During a hearing in late February, Salazar said Argentina is “openly considering purchasing Chinese JF-17 fighter jets and making them in Argentina at specially built Chinese factories'' and had permitted “the Chinese Communist Party complete control” of a deep space monitoring station in the country. Argentinian officials have denied the fighter jet claims, but U.S. officials have expressed concerns about the space monitoring station. “Certain statements she made are openly offensive and others are so due to their connotations. The image of my country and of the authorities of my country was portrayed unfairly for domestic political considerations,” Argüello told Phelim in China Watcher. “The very notion that a country — be it the United States or China — intends to impose its will on Argentina is absolutely unacceptable.” Salazar has no desire to continue this spat with a letter, we’re told. But if she were to write a letter, she’d probably mention how Argentina has a Chinese military-run space station within the country, which has led to warnings about it from U.S. military leaders.
| | | |   | | | | | | –– FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY: JEN DASKAL is joining the National Security Council to serve as principal deputy NSC legal adviser, associate counsel to the president and special assistant to the president, DANIEL LIPPMAN has learned. She most recently has been deputy general counsel and acting general counsel at DHS. — CHRISTOPHER GUNDERMANN is now special assistant to Amb. JAYME WHITE in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. He most recently was a consultant at Crowell and Moring International and special assistant to Amb. ROBERT HOLLEYMAN.
| | | — MANANA KOCHLADZE and MARIAM PATSATSIA, POLITICO: Putin-style ‘foreign agent’ bill in Georgia threatens civil society — JAMES HOHMANN, The Washington Post: MARCO RUBIO’s plan to wean America off its China addiction — SHYAM SANKAR, The Wall Street Journal: Ukraine’s Software Warrior Brigade
| | | — The Government Executive Media Group, 8:15 a.m.: Doing Business with the Air Force — House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee, 9 a.m.: U.S. and Adversary Hypersonic Programs — The Hudson Institute, 10 a.m.: Support for Ukraine's Defense in the 118th Congress — The United States Institute of Peace, 10 a.m.: Are China's Intentions Toward Taiwan Changing? CORRECTION: Yesterday’s edition of NatSec Daily misstated the timing of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Thanks to our editor, Heidi Vogt, who also criticizes us in secret briefings. We also thank our producer, Kierra Frazier, who we publicly praise all the time.
| | A message from Lockheed Martin: Our mission is to prepare you for the future by engineering advanced capabilities today.
Many of today’s military systems and platforms were designed to operate independently. Through our 21st Century Security vision, Lockheed Martin is accelerating innovation, connecting defense and digital to enhance the performance of major platforms, to equip customers to stay ahead of emerging threats. Learn more. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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