| BATTLELINES DRAWN ON NDAA: After two weeks of debate, the Senate last night passed its version of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, which eschews many of the hot-button culture issues included in the House version. The final vote, which came just hours before the Senate was scheduled to leave on its August recess, was 86-11, reflecting a broad bipartisan consensus. In contrast, the House version of the annual defense policy bill passed two weeks ago on a narrow, largely party-line vote, after far-right Republicans added amendments on abortion, diversity, and transgender issues. "House Republicans should look to the bipartisan Senate to see how to get things done. We are passing important bipartisan legislation. They are throwing partisan legislation on the floor that has no chance of passing," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said on the Senate floor last night. The two versions of the bill will have to be reconciled in a conference committee when Congress returns next month, where it will be working in a tight window of less than three weeks before the start of the next fiscal year on October 1. And during that time, 12 separate appropriations bills must be passed or face the prospect of a stopgap continuing resolution or even a government shutdown. SENATE PASSES DEFENSE SPENDING BILL IN BIPARTISAN VOTE AFTER PARTISAN FIGHTS ABORTION TRAVEL IMPASSE: One major difference between the House and Senate versions of the NDAA is that the House included language that would force the Pentagon to rescind its policy of granting paid leave and reimbursing travel expenses for military members and dependents seeking out-of-state abortions or other restricted reproductive medical care. That's the issue motivating Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) to invoke a Senate rule to block all senior military promotions, leaving more than 270 generals and admirals languishing in limbo. Last night, Schumer indicated he has no plans to use scarce Senate floor time to take up the nominations one at a time, which would get around Tuberville's blockade but would take weeks, if not months, and set a precedent that lone senators could impose their will on the majority. It will be up to Republicans, Schumer said, to convince Tuberville to back down, which the Alabama senator has vowed not to do. "The Republican Party used to always support the military, but today, they are undermining the military," President Joe Biden said in remarks yesterday at a civil rights symposium. "But something dangerous is happening … By the fall, we may not have a chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. We might not have the military leaders for our Army and Navy either." "It really is politicizing folks who are super apolitical who just want to serve our country," said Kate Marsh Lord, a military spouse and communication's director for the nonprofit Secure Families, which sent a petition to Tuberville urging him to reconsider his stance. "Hearing that there's no resolution in sight is going to be very discouraging, and especially for those folks who are literally in limbo," Lord said on CNN. "Military lives are being put on hold … Many people have moved out of their homes. They're literally living in hotels, waiting to find out if they're going to go ahead to a new duty station or remain where they are." "This partisan freeze is already harming military readiness, security, leadership, and troop morale; freezing pay; freezing people in place," said Biden, who called the situation a "growing cascade of damage and disruption, all because one senator from Alabama and 48 Republicans who refuse to stand up to him." MARSHALL'S NDAA AMENDMENT BARRING NON-US FLAGS ON GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS FALLS SHORT PAUL GREENLIGHTS AMBASSADORS: There was one breakthrough in the legislative logjam last night. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) lifted his hold on the confirmation of U.S. ambassadors, after claiming victory in his battle with the State Department over COVID files. "After 2 yrs, the State Department and USAID have agreed to release documents related to risky research conducted in Wuhan," Paul tweeted last night. "I am pleased that both agencies are going to cooperate in our investigation and provide these critical records." There are currently 62 nominees awaiting confirmation in the Senate, of which 38 are for ambassadorial roles. Last night, by unanimous consent, 16 ambassadors were confirmed by the Senate. SENATE MOSTLY UNIFIED ON CHINA PROVISIONS DESPITE NDAA FIGHTS Good Friday 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 Conrad Hoyt. 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 us on Twitter: @dailyondefense. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP OR READ BACK ISSUES OF DAILY ON DEFENSE Subscribe today to the Washington Examiner magazine and get Washington Briefing: politics and policy stories that will keep you up to date with what's going on in Washington. SUBSCRIBE NOW: Just $1.00 an issue! HAPPENING TODAY: Ukraine's counteroffensive is continuing at what U.S. officials say is a steady but methodical pace. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a video yesterday showing his troops holding a Ukrainian flag after capturing the strategic village of Staromaiorske in what was a Russian-occupied area in Donetsk. "Ukrainian forces continued counteroffensive operations on at least three sectors of the front on July 27 and made gains in some areas, although Ukrainian forces appear not to have continued significant mechanized assaults south of Orikhiv in western Zaporizhia Oblast," the Institute for the Study of War observed in its latest battlefield assessment. AUSTIN: UKRAINE STILL HAS 'A NUMBER OF OPTIONS': U.S. officials continue to urge patience in assessing the progress of the counteroffensive, which is still meeting stiff Russian resistance. "We said throughout that this would be a tough fight," said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who was in Papua New Guinea yesterday. "There will be challenges, successes, setbacks. And so, we've seen a great bit of that play out to this point." "Ukraine is well-prepared and well-trained to be successful," Austin said. They've been working their way to get through the minefields and other obstacles, but they still have a lot of combat power. They've been very deliberate. They've been conserving manpower and equipment, and so they still have a number of options available to them." PUTIN: UKRAINE SUFFERING 'SUBSTANTIAL' LOSSES: In an interview with a reporter posted on the official Kremlin website, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that the main thrust of the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Zaporizhzhia region has been soundly defeated. "The enemy has not succeeded in any of the sectors of combat activity. All attempts at the counteroffensive have been stopped. The enemy has been forced to retreat with substantial losses," Putin told the reporter. "The enemy used armored machinery in large numbers by sending 50 pieces of military hardware into battle. Of them, 39 units of equipment, including 26 tanks and 13 armored personnel carriers, have been destroyed. The personnel of the units I mentioned earlier destroyed 60 percent of them, while our combat pilots destroyed the other 40%." "The Kremlin and the wider Russian information space are intensifying efforts to portray the Ukrainian counteroffensive as a failed effort," the ISW said in its assessment. "Russian milbloggers similarly claimed that Russian forces destroyed dozens of Ukrainian armored vehicles and celebrated the alleged losses as proof that the Ukrainian counteroffensive is stalling." ARMS TO TAIWAN: An announcement is expected today from the Biden administration of a $330 million military assistance package for Taiwan, according to Reuters. "The formal announcement is not expected to include a list of weapon systems being provided," Reuters reported, but the outlet cited sources who said the package would include four unarmed MQ-9A reconnaissance drones and noted Congress has authorized up to $1 billion worth of Presidential Drawdown Authority weapons aid for Taiwan in the 2023 budget. The announcement comes as a new RAND report concluded Taiwan is woefully unprepared for war with China because of its inadequate defense spending and preference for legacy systems over asymmetric warfare. "Taiwan faces an existential threat but is not responding in a way that suggests that it recognizes and accepts this," the report stated. "Taiwan lacks a sense of urgency about security reform and investment. Its defense budget has remained below 2 percent for many years and is inadequate to meet the threat. …This is comparable to the defense budgets of many NATO allies, but the threat to Taiwan is much graver, and Taiwan lacks the mutual support of an alliance and the operational depth of NATO." "Recent decisions commit a large fraction of its future defense budget to systems that are not suited to defending against a concerted PLA attack. This will lock in spending on vulnerable or unproductive systems for years to come," the report concluded. INDUSTRY WATCH: Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $500 million contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to develop and demonstrate a nuclear-powered spacecraft that the company boasts "will get us to Mars faster than ever." The project, dubbed DRACO for "Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations," is aimed at developing a nuclear thermal rocket engine, which the company said, "will represent a rapid advancement in propulsion technology to benefit exploration and national defense." "Chemical propulsion engines have long been the standard for spaceflight, but for humans to travel to Mars, they will need much more powerful and efficient propulsion. Nuclear thermal propulsion engines offer thrust as high as conventional chemical propulsion with two-to-five times higher efficiency, which means the spacecraft can travel faster and farther and can significantly reduce propellant needs," Lockheed Martin said in a press release. "They also enable abort scenarios on journeys to Mars that are not possible with chemical propulsion systems." Under terms of the joint DARPA and NASA contract, an in-space flight demonstration of the nuclear thermal rocket engine vehicle is to take place no later than 2027. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER The Rundown Washington Examiner: Senate passes defense spending bill in bipartisan vote after partisan fights Washington Examiner: Senate mostly unified on China provisions despite NDAA fights Washington Examiner: Marshall's NDAA amendment barring non-US flags on government buildings falls short Washington Examiner: House passes military appropriations bill despite GOP standoff Washington Examiner: Steve Daines accuses Senate Democrats of fake outrage over Chinese spy balloon Washington Examiner: Biden says Republicans now 'undermining the military' Washington Examiner: Ukraine's counteroffensive seemingly picking up after slow start Washington Examiner: Russia rages that Ukraine 'is successful south of Bakhmut' Washington Examiner: New national security threats loom, and government agencies aren't keeping up Washington Examiner: Biden administration to blame for chaotic Afghan exit, ex-military say Washington Examiner: Opinion: Republicans should issue aid warning over Netanyahu's China threat Politico: U.S. expects to begin delivering Abrams tanks to Ukraine in September Defense News: Senators Rally to Boost Defense Spending, with $1 Billion for Taiwan Politico: 'Door Is Open' for New Zealand to Join AUKUS, Blinken Says The War Zone: North Korea Unveils Look-Alike Global Hawk, Reaper Drones Defense One: Afghanistan Shows the US Needs a Doctrine Not Just for Fighting Wars, But Also Leaving Them USNI News: Senate Passes NDAA Authorizing Navy To Buy 10 New Ships Reuters: Australia 'Confident' On Nuclear Submarines As Defence, Foreign Ministers Meet Air & Space Forces Magazine: Successful B-21 Test Moves Bomber Closer to First Flight, Still on Track for 2023 Air & Space Forces Magazine: Russian Fighter Damages a Second MQ-9 Over Syria. So What Should the US Do Now? Air & Space Forces Magazine: Northrop Won't Bid on Air Force's NGAD Fighter, But CCA, F/A-XX Programs Still in Play 19fortyfive.com: J-20: Can China's Stealth Fighter Beat the F-22 or F-35 in the Sky? Air & Space Forces Magazine: Experts Warn of Blurring Line Between Military, Commercial Satellites Stars and Stripes: National Guard Recruitment Is Improving, Chief Expects to Reach Force Goals for 2023 Breaking Defense: Amid Congressional Fury, DOD Official Defends Ditching Multi-Million Dollar Travel System DefenseScoop: Former Google Emerging Tech 'Evangelist' Joins AFRL as First CIO, Director of Digital Capabilities Directorate Air & Space Forces Magazine: Bird Strike Caused T-38 Crash, Investigators Say Air Force Times: Thunderstorm Damage to Vance's T-6 Fleet Will Slow Pilot Training The Cipher Brief: What the American Public Should Know About UFOs 19fortyfive.com: Opinion: The Korea Armistice: A Flawed Model for Ending the Ukraine War Washington Post: OPINION: It's Time to End the 'Era of the Great Distraction' Calendar FRIDAY | JULY 28 9 a.m. 400 Constitution Ave. NW — Truman Library Institute Civil Rights Symposium, with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. https://12130.thankyou4caring.org/events/to-secure-these-rights-livestream 10 a.m. — Atlantic Council Virtual discussion: "Breaking the Black Sea Blockade: How to Counter Russia's War on Ukraine Grain," with Timothy Ash, associate fellow at the Chatham House Russia and Eurasia Program; and Yevgeniya Gaber, nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council in Turkey https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/breaking-the-black-sea-blockade 1 p.m. — Jewish Democratic Council of America virtual briefing: "What Comes Next for Israel's Democracy? Unpacking the Judicial Overhaul," with Amir Tibon, diplomatic correspondent at Haaretz; and Michael Koplow, chief policy officer at the Israel Policy Forum https://www.mobilize.us/jewishdems/event 2 p.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute discussion on "Fighting into the Bastions: The Future of Undersea Warfare," with retired Navy Adm. Jamie Foggo, dean of the Center for Maritime Strategy; Chuck Fralick, CTO at Leidos Maritime; Kevin Decker, CEO of Ocean Aero; and Bryan Clark, director of the Hudson Center for Defense Concepts and Technology https://www.hudson.org/events/fighting-bastions-future-undersea-warfare TUESDAY | AUGUST 1 8 a.m. — George Washington University Project for Media and National Security Defense Writers Group conversation with Mara Karlin, assistant secretary of defense for strategies, plans, and capabilities. RSVP: Thom Shanker tshanker@email.gwu.edu FRIDAY | AUGUST 4 9:30 a.m Summerall Field, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia — Relinquishment of Responsibility ceremony for outgoing Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville and Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston https://home.army.mil/jbmhh/index.php | | | "I would ask the senator to please listen to military leaders, and, yes, to military families when we are telling him the impact that this is having on our community. That it really is politicizing folks who are super apolitical, who just want to serve our country … Many people have moved out of their homes. They're literally living in hotels, waiting to find out if they're going to go ahead to a new duty station or remain where they are."
| Kate Marsh Lord, a military spouse and communications director for the nonprofit Secure Families, which has sent a petition to Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) urging him to lift his blanket hold on military promotions.
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