BOOTS ON THE WATER: The U.S. will use the Army’s Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore capability to make the temporary port in Gaza, Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. PAT RYDER said Friday. JLOTS, as the capability is known, allows the U.S. military to make a port in places that don’t have existing infrastructure to allow landings. Ryder said elements of the 7th transportation brigade expeditionary out of Joint Base Langley Eustis, in Virginia, have been tasked to help build the “expeditionary floating pier.” Navy logistics support vessels will transport aid from the pier to a “floating causeway” approximately 1800 feet long, Ryder said. The causeway will need to be anchored to the shore, but that work won’t be done by US forces. Ryder said DOD expects it will require about 1,000 U.S. forces and take up to 60 days to complete. ‘COME TO JESUS’: Biden revealed a tough message he’d given to Israeli Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU via hot mic shortly after his SOTU address. "I told him, Bibi, and don't repeat this, but you and I are going to have a ‘come to Jesus’ meeting," Biden said in conversation with Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN, Sen. MICHAEL BENNET (D-Colo.) and Transportation Secretary PETE BUTTIGIEG. Biden then realized the cameras caught the video and audio. “I’m on a hot mic here. Good. That’s good,” he said. Biden has been at this game for decades, so it’s wholly possible he knew what he said would be picked up and eventually shown to Netanyahu. And even if he didn’t, the real mystery is what he meant by his remark? We asked the NSC but didn’t hear back, so we’re left to speculate a bit. Analysts we spoke to said it was either Biden would threaten something big, like conditions on military aid, or just have a frank discussion about the state of the war. The first is unlikely, though, as Biden doesn’t want to further rupture U.S.-Israel relations. And the second, while potentially satisfying in the moment, is unlikely to change the conflict’s trajectory. At a minimum, though, it showed Biden further embracing public broadsides against Bibi. MORE SETTLEMENTS: The United Nations said Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories have expanded by a record amount, threatening a potential two-state solution, Reuters’ EMMA FARGE reports. "Settler violence and settlement-related violations have reached shocking new levels, and risk eliminating any practical possibility of establishing a viable Palestinian State," U.N. rights chief VOLKER TURK said in a statement. His comment will accompany a U.N. report, which will be presented to the Human Rights Council in Geneva in late March, according to the outlet. The report found 24,300 new Israeli housing units in the occupied West Bank in a one year period ending in October, the highest since tracking began seven years ago. In response, an Israeli spokesperson told Reuters that the U.N. routinely ignores Israeli human rights. Turk argued that the growth of settlements amounts to Israel transferring its own population, which he emphasized was a war crime. Last month, Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN called Israeli settlements “inconsistent” with international law. FORCED INTO WAR: India said it uncovered a “major human trafficking ring” that has tricked young men into heading to Russia in pursuit of jobs — only to be forced to fight against Ukraine in the war, Reuters’ SAKSHI DAYAL and KRISHN KAUSHIK report. Indian authorities said about 35 men have been sent to Russia as part of the scheme, and at least two of the men have died in fighting, according to the families. The Indian embassy in Russia confirmed one of those deaths to the outlet. The traffickers used local agents and social media to lure the men into the plot, sometimes offering them admission to "dubious private universities" in Russia and "free discounted visa extensions,” Reuters reported. OUT OF THIS WORLD: The Pentagon has disclosed that the government once considered a program to recover and reverse-engineer any captured alien spacecraft, an effort that never came to fruition but fueled conspiracy theories about a cover-up, our own LARA SELIGMAN and LEE HUDSON report. The Defense Department today released a public version of a congressionally ordered comprehensive review of classified U.S. government programs since 1945 that debunked decades of speculation about UFOs, saying it found no evidence of extraterrestrial activity or efforts to withhold information from Congress. However, DOD’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office did discover a proposal to DHS in the 2010s for a program, code-named “Kona Blue,” to reverse-engineer any recovered extraterrestrial craft. The effort was eventually rejected by DHS leaders “for lacking merit,” and never actually recovered any other-worldly craft, according to the report. DRINKS WITH NATSEC DAILY: Today is a special edition of this feature, because we’re toasting Alex on his last day in charge of NatSec Daily. Alex has been the anchor of this newsletter since July 2021, covering everything from the fall of Afghanistan to the defense of Ukraine to Chinese spy balloons. With drink in hand — water during work hours, of course — he aimed to help readers understand what was happening inside the nerve centers of Washington and world capitals. “I did my best,” said a (very) tired Alex. “I learned a lot, and always looked forward to Fridays when we could reveal some of the, umm, let’s say ‘interesting’ drink choices of D.C.’s power players.” Which came to mind? “Off the top of my head, Sen. CHRIS MURPHY enjoying Red Bull vodkas in his front yard. Not the vibe I expected!” Alex also mentioned that NED PRICE was the first person (read: victim) to agree to this feature. We’ll always be thankful he played along. Alex now looks forward to handing the reins over to Matt, who he hastened to note is “the best, most talented and dependable partner a guy could ask for.” (If you laughed at anything in NatSec Daily, it’s likely that Matt wrote it and Alex took credit for it.) ERIC BAZAIL-EIMIL will join Matt to fill out the rest of the newsletter and serve as an equally trusted co-writer. Alex is turning into a new-ish role covering how national security really gets done in Washington, so you’ll see him floating around the White House, Congress — and probably a bar or two. “NatSec Daily is in new and, let’s face it, probably better hands now,” Alex said, “I wish you all well.” What’s the first thing he’s going to do now that his watch has ended? “I need a drink,” he said. “Join me?” We can’t — we have a newsletter to run. Cheers, Alex! IT’S FRIDAY. WELCOME TO THE WEEKEND: 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 X at @alexbward and @mattberg33. While you’re at it, follow the rest of POLITICO’s national security team: @nahaltoosi, @PhelimKine, @laraseligman, @connorobrienNH, @paulmcleary, @leehudson, @magmill95, @johnnysaks130, @ErinBanco, @reporterjoe, and @JGedeon1.
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