| DRAFTING WOMEN, FIGHTING CLIMATE CHANGE, DEFUNDING IVF: Efforts to pass legislation to fund the Pentagon and State Department are fraught with social media landmines, making it challenging to get the votes necessary to approve the bills by the Oct. 1 deadline. In a statement yesterday, the Heritage Foundation, which has moved farther right in recent years, declared a draft House Appropriations Committee bill "one of the most conservative foreign aid packages in years." "It makes deep cuts to a bloated aid industry, ends support to United Nations agencies, blocks funding for climate alarmism, provides strong pro-Life protections, prohibits funding to radical global NGOs, and rewards our allies in Israel and Taiwan," writes Max Primorac, a senior research fellow at Heritage. "Major conservative victories in the package align with long-held positions of Heritage and our Project 2025 partners to end foreign aid as an international entitlement program for the far left." Heritage Action, the advocacy arm of the Heritage Foundation, said if the bill passes the full House intact this week, its support will hinge on what happens when the bill hits the Democratic-controlled Senate. "Conservatives should not fold once again to the Left-wing, billion-dollar aid industrial complex. It is past time to stop taxpayer money from financing these self-serving global elites," Primorac said. DRAFT DEBATE REDUX: Thanks to the Senate Armed Service Committee's version of the annual defense policy bill, known as the National Defense Authorization Act, Congress will once again debate the question of whether women, along with men, should register for the draft. Currently, there is no draft, and unless World War III breaks out, there won't be one. "It is an entirely sensible idea," argues Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed (D-RI), noting that the addition of women was recommended by a national bipartisan commission on national service years ago and supported by all the uniformed chiefs of staff. "Without this registration requirement, we are missing out on a vast pool of talent." Reed and other proponents of the idea cite Israel as an example. "Their armed forces have been gender neutral for decades and decades and decades. And they're one of the most effective fighting forces in the country," Reed said on CNN yesterday. In an appearance on Fox News last week, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) called the measure "woke garbage" and said it would be insane to force women into the ranks. "This is nuts," he told Fox News's Laura Ingraham. "I've got a 3-year-old daughter. One day, if she wants to volunteer for the armed forces, that is terrific, but the idea that she would be drafted against her will is insane, and I bet every father in America feels the same way." Also on Fox last week, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), vice chairwoman of the Republican Conference, said she was open to the idea. "As you travel the world, we were just in Finland, and you know, certainly in Israel, women do serve, and they have mandatory service," she told Maria Bartiromo. "I don't have a firm opinion on it, but I'm not totally against it." "There's no draft in place today. It would take Congress to act, to pass legislation, to create a draft. And in that legislation, they could make distinctions, clarifications, whatever Congress thought," Reed said. "All we're trying to do is register." "Maybe it's worth a discussion just to see," said Moore Capito, while agreeing reinstatement of mandatory conscription is unlikely. "We are not going to have a draft. Our draft days are over." ISRAEL'S HIGH COURT ORDERS ARMY TO DRAFT ULTRA-ORTHODOX JEWS THE IVF DEBATE: Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) has fired the first shots in what promises to be a divisive battle over the question of whether fertilized eggs constitute human life and must be accorded the same protections as children when he proposed an amendment to House appropriations measure for the Department of Defense. Rosendale's amendment defunds "assisted reproductive technology that includes any infertility treatments or technologies including IVF [in-vitro fertilization] to ensure human life is protected." "While I feel for couples that are unable to have children, the practice of IVF is morally wrong, and I refuse to support any legislation that condones its use," Rosendale said in a press release. "My amendment will strip funding for this practice, which is responsible for the destruction of life to the tune of hundreds of thousands of children a year." The amendment faces opposition from Democrats and even some members within Rosendale's party. "We want women to have access to birth control and contraception and IVF," Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) said on Fox on Sunday. "All of those things we need to find a middle ground on." "Make no mistake: The MAGA hard-right's attacks on women aren't done. First, it was abortion, then contraception, then IVF. What's next? If they get their chance, they will push for their ultimate goal of a national abortion ban," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said on the floor last week. "That's why voting on legislation protecting access to contraception and IVF is so important." CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Good Wednesday 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 HAPPENING TODAY: The White House has announced that President Joe Biden is using his clemency authority to pardon thousands of former U.S. service members who were convicted under a now-repealed 1951 sodomy provision of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which criminalized consensual gay sex. "Today, I am righting an historic wrong," Biden said in a statement released this morning. "Despite their courage and great sacrifice, thousands of LGBTQI+ service members were forced out of the military because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Some of these patriotic Americans were subject to court-martial, and have carried the burden of this great injustice for decades." It's estimated that at least 2,000 service members could qualify to have their convictions erased, lost pay and benefits restored, and their discharges upgraded to honorable. ALSO TODAY: Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is scheduled to hold a news conference on border security at 1:30 p.m. Livestream at https://www.youtube.com/watch IT'S OFFICIAL: RUTTE'S THE ONE: As expected, NATO announced that Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte will be the next Secretary-General of NATO, succeeding Jens Stoltenberg. "Mr. Rutte will assume his functions as Secretary-General from 1 October 2024, when Mr. Stoltenberg's term expires after ten years at the helm of the alliance," NATO said in a brief statement along with a photograph of Rutte and Stoltenberg shaking hands. COULD THIS BE TRUMP'S UKRAINE PEACE PLAN? Former President Donald Trump has bragged that if he regains the White House, he will bring a quick end to the war in Ukraine, at times insisting it would take him less than 24 hours to compel Russia and Ukraine to make peace. Now, two key advisers to Trump have fleshed out a plan based on Trump's public comments that he would pressure both sides to negotiate using a carrot-and-stick approach. The concept, drawn up by retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg and Fred Fleitz, who both served as chiefs of staff in Trump's National Security Council, was first reported by Reuters. The proposed framework from the American First Policy Institute advocates "a formal U.S. policy to seek a cease-fire and negotiated settlement of the Ukraine conflict," which realistically would require Ukraine to cede significant portions of its eastern provinces and Crimea to Russia. "The United States would continue to arm Ukraine and strengthen its defenses to ensure Russia will make no further advances and will not attack again after a cease-fire or peace agreement but would also condition future American military aid on Ukraine's participation in peace talks with Russia," the document reads. "To convince Putin to join peace talks, President Biden and other NATO leaders should offer to put off NATO membership for Ukraine for an extended period in exchange for a comprehensive and verifiable peace deal with security guarantees," Kellogg and Fleitz suggest. "President Donald Trump also has a strategy to end the war that he has not fully revealed. We are hopeful there will be a new president in January 2025 to implement these American First ideas to end this devastating conflict." "By enabling Ukraine to negotiate from a position of strength while also communicating to Russia the consequences if it fails to abide by future peace talk conditions, the United States could implement a negotiated end-state with terms aligned with U.S. and Ukrainian interests," they argue. "As Donald Trump said at the CNN town hall in 2023, 'I want everyone to stop dying.' That's our view, too. It is a good first step." ICC ANNOUNCES WAR CRIME ARREST WARRANTS FOR RUSSIAN MILITARY LEADERS THE RUNDOWN: Washington Examiner: Secretary of defense presses for diplomacy to avoid 'devastating' Israel-Hezbollah war Washington Examiner: ICC announces war crime arrest warrants for Russian military leaders Washington Examiner: Judge Cannon weighs arguments over tossing evidence in classified documents case Washington Examiner: Menendez staff recalls senator acting 'unusual' and 'weird' about Egypt Washington Examiner: Massachusetts to warn border authorities migrant shelters are full Washington Examiner: Evictions at Chicago homeless shelters force out migrants Washington Examiner: Bowman out: 'Squad' Democrat loses to pro-Israel challenger in New York primary Washington Examiner: Speaker Johnson pads razor-thin House majority with Michael Rulli swearing-in Washington Examiner: Trump torches military plans to develop hybrid warfighting machines Washington Examiner: Opinion: Why Russia has invented another Ukraine dirty bomb plot Washington Examiner: Opinion: Russia's escalation theatrics are designed to manipulate Americans Wall Street Journal: Falsely Accused Wall Street Journal Reporter Evan Gershkovich In Court For Start Of Secret Russian Trial Reuters: U.S., Russia Defense Chiefs Speak As Tensions Rise Over Crimea Attack AP: Russia keeps up pressure on the front line as Ukraine gets a boost from Western military aid New York Times: Year After Failed Mutiny, Russia Tightens Grip On Wagner Units In Africa AP: North Korea's latest missile test likely ended in failure, South Korea's military says Financial Times: Philippines Warns Of Region-Wide Conflict Over South China Sea Reef Dispute Washington Post: U.S. And Philippines Seek To De-Escalate After Sea Skirmish With China Washington Post: Chinese Subsidies For Drones, Chips Put U.S. At Risk, House Panel Says Reuters: Suspected Houthi Attack Targets A Ship In The Gulf Of Aden, While Iraq-Claimed Attack Targets Eilat NBC: Reporters Get Rare Glimpse Of The U.S. Military’s Troubled Pier System In Gaza Bloomberg: Air Force Ousts Head of Its Troubled $131 Billion ICBM Program AP: UN tells Israel it will suspend aid operations across Gaza without improved safety Air & Space Forces Magazine: DARPA Announces a New Flying-Wing Reconnaissance X-Plane: XRQ-73 Breaking Defense: Hezbollah, Houthis Downing of Drones Challenges Israel, US Air Superiority DefenseScoop: What DOD's New Fulcrum IT Strategy Means for Warfighters Air & Space Forces Magazine: Two B-52 Bombers Fly Rare Mission in Support of SOUTHCOM The War Zone: What It Will Take to Make the Entire B-52 Fleet Nuclear-Capable SpaceNews: Space Force Seeks Bids for 'Resilient GPS' Satellite Program AP: UN-backed contingent of foreign police arrives in Haiti as Kenya-led force prepares to face gangs Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force General Pleads Guilty To Two Charges. What Does It Mean and What's Next? Washington Post: For This US Airman, the Gaza War Hit Too Close to Home Military.com: Military Dining Halls, Pentagon Failing on Efforts to Offer Nutritious Meals at Bases, Watchdog Says Air Force Times: More of the Air Force's Toughest Enlisted Jobs Qualify for Bonus Pay Air & Space Forces Magazine: Promotions Blast Off: Three of Every Four Guardians Make NCO Ranks National Security Journal: F-15EX Eagle II: The Fighter Jet The U.S. Air Force Needs The Hill: Opinion: Yes, women should be part of the military draft THE CALENDAR: WEDNESDAY | JUNE 26 8 a.m. 1 West Pratt St., Baltimore, Maryland — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association 2024 TechNet Cyber conference: “Outpacing the Threat: Align, Adapt, Accelerate,” Caroline Kuharske, chief data officer, Defense Information Systems Agency; Shane Barney, chief information security officer, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; Pentagon Chief Information Officer John Sherman; Lt. Gen. Maria Barrett, commanding general, Army Cyber Command; Nicholas “Nick” Hull, deputy commander, Cyber National Mission Force; Rear Adm. John Vann, commander, Coast Guard Cyber Command; Lt. Gen. Kevin Kennedy, commander, Sixteenth Air Force, and commander, Air Forces Cyber; Army Gen. Michael Kurilla, commander, U.S. Central Command; Navy Chief Information Officer Jane Rathbun; Air Force Deputy Chief Information Officer Winston Beauchamp; Army Chief Information Officer Leonel “Leo” Garciga; and Brian Campo, acting assistant commandant for command, control, communication, computers, and information technology, Coast Guard https://events.afcea.org/AFCEACyber24/Public/enter.aspx 9:25 a.m. 1900 K St. NW — Women’s Foreign Policy Group discussion: “An Insider’s Fresh Perspective from the Front Lines of Ukraine,” with Simon Shuster, Time senior correspondent. RSVP: [email protected] 10 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies media conference call briefing: “Previewing the NATO Summit,” with Max Bergmann, director, CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program; Sean Monaghan, visiting fellow, CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program; and Kathleen McInnis, senior fellow, CSIS International Security Program. Contact Andrew Schwartz, 202-775-3242 11:15 a.m. HVC-210, Capitol Visitor Center — House select committee on the Chinese Communist Party hearing: "From High Tech to Heavy Steel: Combatting the PRC’s Strategy to Dominate Semiconductors, Shipbuilding and Drones," with testimony from Adam Bry, founder and CEO, Skydio; Chris Miller, professor, Fletcher School at Tufts University, and nonresident senior fellow, American Enterprise Institute; and Scott Paul, president, Alliance for American Manufacturing https://selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/committee-activity/live 2 p.m. 310 Cannon — House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence hearing: "Persistent Challenges: Oversight, Department of Homeland Security's Office of Intelligence and Analysis," with testimony from Ken Wainstein, DHS undersecretary for intelligence and analysis https://www.youtube.com/watch 2 p.m. 2154 Rayburn — House Oversight Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce hearing: "Security at Stake: An Examination of DOD's Struggling Background Check System" with testimony from David Cattler, director, Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, and Alissa Czyz, director, defense capabilities management, Government Accountability Office https://oversight.house.gov/hearing/security-at-stake 3 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program virtual discussion of a new CSIS report: "Europe's Military Role in the Indo-Pacific," with CSIS experts: Max Bergmann, director, Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program; Christopher Johnstone, senior adviser and Japan chairman; and Lily McElwee, deputy director and fellow, Freeman chairwoman in China Studies https://www.csis.org/events/report-launch-europes-security-role-indo-pacific 5:30 p.m. 385 Water St. SE — Politico Live in-person and virtual discussion: “On Watch: Securing America’s Supply Chain for Critical Infrastructure," with Douglas Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics, and technology, and others https://www.politico.com/securingthesupplychain THURSDAY | JUNE 27 8 a.m. 1 West Pratt St., Baltimore, Maryland — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association 2024 TechNet Cyber conference: “Outpacing the Threat: Align, Adapt, Accelerate,” with Vice Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Christopher Grady and Cedric Terry, chief, National Security Agency Cybersecurity Directorate Encryption Production and Solutions Group https://events.afcea.org/AFCEACyber24/Public/enter.aspx 9 a.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Wilson Center Mexico Institute annual "Building a Competitive U.S.-Mexico Border Conference," with Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX); Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA); Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX); and Rachel Poynter, deputy assistant secretary of state for Mexico and Canada in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/tenth-annual-building-competitive-us-mexico-border 9:30 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies and Republic of Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration conference: "CSIS-DAPA 2024: The Potential for Expanding Defense Cooperation within the ROK-U.S. Alliance," with Douglas Bush, assistant Army secretary for acquisition, logistics, and technology; Seok Jong-gun, ROK minister, Defense Acquisition Program Administration; Cynthia Cook, director, Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group and senior fellow, CSIS International Security Program; Jedidiah Royal, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs; Stacie Pettyjohn, senior fellow and director, CNAS Defense Program, Center for a New American Security; Scott Sendmeyer, acting director of policy, analysis, and transition; Park Jin A, director, Defense Industry Advancement Support Division, Defense Industry Promotion Bureau; and Han Seung Jae, director general for defense export program, Korea Research Institute for Defense Technology Planning and Advancement https://www.csis.org/events/csis-dapa-2024-potential-expanding-defense-cooperation 11:30 a.m. — Washington Post Live virtual discussion: “NATO’s Priorities and the Russia-Ukraine War,” with U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO Julianne Smith https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live 2 p.m. — Center for a New American Security virtual discussion: “Swarms over the Strait: Drone Warfare in a Future Fight to Defend Taiwan,” with former Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work; Stacie Pettyjohn, director, CNAS Defense Program; and Andrew Metrick, fellow, CNAS Defense Program https://www.cnas.org/events/virtual-event-swarms-over-the-strait 2 p.m. — Government Executive Media Group and Booz Allen virtual discussion: “Disrupting the Battlespace: Developing Ecosystems to Enable Dual-Use Defense Technologies for the DOD,” with Brian MacCarthy, managing partner at Booz Allen Ventures https://events.govexec.com/disrupting-the-battlespace 9 p.m. CNN Studios, Atlanta, Georgia — CNN-sponsored 2024 election presidential debate with President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, moderated by CNN's Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. Livestream at https://www.cnn.com, plus ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox News, PBS, C-SPAN, and NewsNation will simulcast the debate and provide their own pre- and post-debate coverage. FRIDAY | JUNE 28 9 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW — Atlantic Council discussion: “Production diplomacy for Indo-Pacific deterrence, readiness, and resilience,” focusing on increasing the defense industrial bases of allies and partners https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/production-diplomacy-for-indo-pacific-deterrence 10 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute discussion: “Germany and the World,” with German State Secretary Thomas Bagger and Peter Rough, director, Hudson Center on Europe and Eurasia https://www.hudson.org/events/germany-world-foreign-policy 12 p.m. 8100 Loisdale Rd., Springfield, Virginia — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association discussion with National Guard Chief Information Officer Kenneth McNeill, director, National Guard Command, Control, Communications, and Computers Systems Directorate. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/afcea-belvoir-june-2024-luncheon 12 p.m. 2100 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — American Bar Association Standing Committee on Law and National Security book discussion: The National Security Constitution in the 21st Century, with author Harold Koh, professor of international law at Yale Law School and former State Department legal adviser https://events.americanbar.org/event | | | | "All of the obfuscation, all of the deviation over many, many years and hiding in embassies, that's over. He's come forward and said, 'Yes, I am guilty. I violated the law.' The issue of custody, I think, is less important than his unconditional declaration of his guilt." | | Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed (D-RI), on the plea deal that allowed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to avoid further jail time for his leak of hundreds of thousands of classified U.S. government documents in 2010. |
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