| NETANYAHU: 'PRECISE, POWERFUL, ACHIEVING ALL OBJECTIVES:' When it finally came in the early hours of Saturday morning, Israel's much-anticipated retaliatory strike against Iran was just the kind of response that President Joe Biden had recommended: limited to military targets, hard enough to send a message, but restrained enough to allow for possible de-escalation. The attack against 20 military targets — Iranian air defenses and weapons production facilities — were limited but punishing, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday at a memorial service for victims of last year's brutal Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, which killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians. "The attack on Iran was precise and powerful, achieving all its objectives," Netanyahu said. "We have severely struck [Iran's] defense capabilities and its ability to produce missiles." President Biden has not commented publicly since the strike, but in a background briefing for reporters late Friday night, a senior administration official noted that Israel "conducted precision airstrikes against multiple military targets across Iran and outside populated areas." "The United States was not a participant in this military operation," the official said. "The president and his national security team, of course, worked with the Israelis over recent weeks to encourage Israel to conduct a response that was targeted and proportional with low risk of civilian harm, and that appears to have been precisely what transpired." NETANYAHU SAYS ISRAEL 'MET ITS OBJECTIVES' IN RETALIATORY IRAN STRIKE THE ISW'S BDA: In a post-strike battle damage assessment, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said Israel launched three waves of airstrikes against targets, including in and around the capital Tehran, in the west, near Persian Gulf oil facilities, and a missile factory east of Tehran. (See map). "The Israel Defense Forces inflicted serious damage to the Iranian integrated air defense network during its strikes … The IDF struck and disabled air defense command-and-control sites and radars, including at some S-300 sites," read the assessment. "The S-300 is Russian-made and the most advanced air defense system that Iran operates," the ISW assessment concluded. "The IDF struck three or four S-300 sites, including one at the Imam Khomeini International Airport near Tehran." By disabling the air defense systems protecting vital targets such as oil refineries and petrochemical plants, Israel sent an implicit message that Iran could suffer even more damage next, should Tehran send more ballistic missiles into Israel in a tit-for-tat escalatory cycle. "Degrading the air defenses around these sites could leave them more vulnerable to future strikes," the ISW dryly noted. "Some of the air defense sites that the IDF struck were protecting critical energy infrastructure in western and southwestern Iran," the ISW said, citing Western media. Among the targets hit were air defense sites around the Abadan oil refinery, Bandar Imam Khomeini energy complex and port, and the Tang-e Bijar gas field. HOW BIDEN LOST HIS SWAY WITH ISRAEL'S NETANYAHU, ACCORDING TO BOB WOODWARD HARRIS TO IRAN: 'DO NOT RESPOND. IT WOULD BE A MISTAKE': The White House is urging Iran to back off. "This should be the end of this direct exchange of fire between Israel and Iran. Israel has made clear to the world that its response is now complete," the senior official who briefed reporters late Friday said. "If Iran chooses to respond once again, we will be ready, and there will be consequences for Iran once again. However, we do not want to see that happen." CBS News caught up with Vice President Kamala Harris on the campaign trail in Michigan, who had a similar warning for Tehran. "First of all, do not respond. It would be a mistake," Harris told CBS's Norah O'Donnell. "And we are prepared to defend Israel, as we have before. We will again. But the critical point is that there must be a de-escalation in the region. And we are working through diplomatic channels and other channels to ensure that there is a de-escalation in the region." Former President Donald Trump barely mentioned Israel or Iran in his rally last night in Madison Square Garden in New York, except to argue that if he were in office, none of this bad stuff would have happened. "Iran was broke. They had no money," Trump said. "Israel, October 7th, would never ever have happened, would never have happened. All those people would be alive right now, those people that were killed on that horrible day…You don't have a president that is respected by the other side, and they did respect us. Four years ago, they really respected us." The Biden administration's "big mistake," Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) argued on CBS's Face the Nation, "was to empower Iran financially to afford a lot of weapons that they're now firing not just at the Israelis, but also at us. And they're also arming the Houthis, and that's obviously affecting global trade." At Iran's request, the U.N. Security Council is set to meet today in New York to discuss Iran's complaint — backed by Algeria, China, and Russia — that Saturday's strikes "constitute a grave threat to international peace and security and further destabilize an already fragile region." IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SAYS IT'S 'ENTITLED AND OBLIGED' TO RETALIATE AGAINST ISRAELI AIRSTRIKES 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 Christopher Tremoglie. 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: At NATO headquarters in Brussels this morning, a high-level delegation from South Korea is scheduled to brief the North Atlantic Council on North Korea's ominous troop deployment to Russia, ostensibly to join the fight against Ukraine. Ambassadors from NATO's Indo-Pacific partners — including Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea — will also attend, according to a NATO statement. "The two officials condemned in the strongest possible terms the DPRK's ongoing support to Russia's brutal and illegal war against Ukraine, including the deployment of troops to Russia as well as the transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia and Russia's use of these missiles against Ukraine," the White House said in a statement. "The DPRK's [North Korea's] support is directly increasing the suffering of the Ukrainian people, violates multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, undermines the global non-proliferation regime, and has significant security implications for Europe, the Korean Peninsula, and the Indo-Pacific region." 'AT LEAST' 3,000 NORTH KOREAN SOLDIERS TRAVELED TO RUSSIA THIS MONTH: WHITE HOUSE VANCE: NATO IS A 'WEAK, WELFARE CLIENT': Trump's running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), made the rounds on the Sunday shows and sharply criticized the former generals and Pentagon officials who warned Trump was unfit for office while also declaring its time to make peace with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and portraying NATO as weak, and ineffectual. "Under Kamala Harris's leadership, we've actually seen how weak NATO is as a full-scale military alliance. It's effectively the United Kingdom, a couple of other nations, and the United States," Vance said on NBC's Meet the Press. Of course, we're going to honor our NATO commitments. But I think it's important that we recognize that NATO is not just a welfare client." "And I think a very significant difference between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump is Kamala Harris would like to use our tax dollars and our troops to subsidize Europeans not taking care of their own security. Donald Trump wants Europe to step up big time to become a real ally of the United States and not just a dependent," he said. VANCE: TRUMP'S DETRACTORS ARE WARMONGERS: Although he didn't use the word, Vance defended Trump against the barrage of criticism from the likes of former chief of staff Gen. John Kelly, former Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, and former Defense Secretary Mark Esper as the frustrated rants from a group of fired warmongers. "Why is it that John Kelly doesn't like Donald Trump?" Vance said on NBC. "It's not about personality. It's about policy. And I think the American people have the right to know that Donald Trump rejected the John Kelly, the Mark Milley consensus that America should be the policeman of the world. And because of that, these folks hate him." "Mark Milley and John Kelly are both disgruntled former employees…This disagreement is because John Kelly didn't like the peace-through-strength policy of Donald Trump," Vance said. "If Donald Trump wanted to start a nuclear war with Russia, I guarantee you that John Kelly and Liz Cheney would be at the front of the line endorsing him." Vance was also grilled on CBS, but the most contentious appearance was on CNN's State of the Union, where he went head-to-head with CNN's Jake Tapper. "I believe Donald Trump is the candidate of peace," Vance told Tapper. "The reason these guys go after him so vociferously, I don't think that it's about his personality, Jake. I think that it's about they don't like that Donald Trump said no when a lot of them wanted to start a ridiculous war." "One reason why Kamala Harris doesn't have as many people criticizing her is because she doesn't fire people who fail. That's why we haven't had a real audit of the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal is because Kamala Harris protects failures in government. Donald Trump fires them. And I would much rather have the president who fires people who screw up." CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER THE RUNDOWN: Washington Examiner: Netanyahu says Israel 'met its objectives' in retaliatory Iran strike Washington Examiner: Iranian foreign ministry says it's 'entitled and obliged' to retaliate against Israeli airstrikes Washington Examiner: Israel-Hamas ceasefire negotiators to come together in 'coming days': Blinken Washington Examiner: Zelensky rejects UN leader's visit over trip to Russia Washington Examiner: Trump and Harris campaigns possible targets of Chinese hackers Washington Examiner: 'Quiet amnesty': GOP exposes court cases of 700,000 illegal immigrants wiped away Washington Examiner: NASA head calls for investigation into Elon Musk's Putin ties Washington Examiner: Family of Marine murdered in Mexico moved by Trump meeting: 'Tear in his eye' Washington Examiner: Broke, busted, disgusted: How the nation's elite Secret Service lost its luster Washington Examiner: Opinion: Rebuilding the Navy means building ships abroad Washington Examiner: Tom Rogan Opinion: Generals aren't gods beyond reproach, nor is John Kelly a 'degenerate' Washington Examiner: Tom Rogan Opinion: Belarus's Alexander Lukashenko is caught between reality and Russia's leash Wall Street Journal: Ukraine Is Striking Deeper Inside Russia—and Reshaping the War Washington Post: Satellite Images Show Major Expansion at Russian Site with Secret Bioweapons Past Washington Post: Russian economy overheating, but still powering the war against Ukraine Wall Street Journal: How Israel Pulled Off Its Largest-Ever Strike on Iran New York Times: Measured Comments from Israel and Iran on New Round of Strikes AP: The US Navy is apologizing 142 years after shelling and burning an Alaska Native village to oblivion AP: Georgian president won't recognize parliamentary election result and calls for a protest AP: Vance calls Russia an American adversary but won't label Moscow as an enemy Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force F-16s from Germany Deploy to Middle East Air & Space Forces Magazine: Northrop: USAF Weighs Buying More B-21 Bombers Defense News: France, Germany to Hammer Out Next Steps for Delay-Prone FCAS Warplane Breaking Defense: Join the Commercial Space Reserve: Get Longer Contracts, In-Depth Threat Briefs; Play Wargames DefenseScoop: Questions on DOD's Plans for Generative AI Swirl as Task Force Lima's Possible Sunset Nears Air & Space Forces Magazine: Every Dirt Boy's Dream': RED HORSE Airmen Restore Pacific WWII Airfield THE CALENDAR: MONDAY | OCTOBER 28 10 a.m. — Middle East Institute virtual discussion: beginning at 10 a.m., on “Arab American Voters and U.S. Middle East Policy, with Tarek Ali Ahmad, head of research and studies at Arab News; Yasmeen Abu Taleb, Washington Post White House reporter; Lara Barazi, freelance data consultant and former research director at YouGov; Ray Hanania, Arab News senior U.S. correspondent; and Brian Katulis, MEI senior fellow for U.S. foreign policy https://www.mei.edu/events/arab-american-voters-and-us-middle-east-policy 12 p.m. 37th and O Sts. NW — Georgetown University Center for Contemporary Arab Studies lecture: “Anatomy of Genocide in Gaza,” with Francesca Albanese, U.N. special rapporteur on the Palestinian Territories occupied since 1967 https://georgetown.zoom.us/webinar/register 1:30 p.m. — Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies virtual book discussion: World on the Brink: How America Can Beat China in the Race for the Twenty-First Century, with co-author Dmitri Alperovitch, silverado policy accelerator at CrowdStrike; Sergey Radchenko, professor at Johns Hopkins SAIS Europe; and Renaud Dehousse, rector at Johns Hopkins SAIS Europe https://sais.jhu.edu/campus-events? 8 p.m. 14th & V, 2021 — Busboys and Poets discussion: “Anatomy of Genocide in Gaza," with Francesca Albanese, U.N. special rapporteur on the Occuplied Palestinian Territories; and Nader Hashemi, Georgetown University associate professor of Middle East and Islamic politics https://www.busboysandpoets.com/events/th-evt-41646542/ TUESDAY | OCTOBER 29 8:50 a.m. 900 South Orme St., Arlington, Virginia — Institute for Defense and Government 2024 Defense Logistics and Support Conference, with Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly, director, Defense Logistics Agency https://www.idga.org/events-defense-logistics 9 a.m. — Washington Post Live virtual discussion: “Lessons in Service, Resilience and Leadership from the Nation Veterans, with Deputy Veterans Affairs Secretary Tanya Bradsher; Lt. Gen. Steven Gilland, superintendent, U.S. Military Academy at West Point; Jack McCain, CEO, Blue Sky Vantage, McCain Institute board member, Navy veteran and son of late Senator John McCain (R-AZ); Allison Jaslow, CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America; and Graciela Tiscareno-Sato, CEO and founder, Gracefully Global Group https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live 9 a.m. 300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — SAP 2024 Federal Forum with the theme “Bring Out Your Best in Serving the Nation," with Former U.S. and International Forces in Afghanistan Commander retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal, CEO and chairman, McChrystal Group; and Traci Di Martini, IRS chief human capital officer; Jessica Palatka, Commerce Department chief human capital officer; and Darnita Trower, IRS acting deputy chief information officer for operations, participate in a discussion: “Navigating the Future: Strategies for Government Workforce Readiness” RSVP:, [email protected] 9:30 a.m. 14th and F Sts. NW — National Press Club discussion: “State of America veterans and their families,” with Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough https://www.press.org/events/npc-headliners-veterans-affairs-secretary-denis-mcdonough 11 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies "Impossible State Podcast" virtual discussion: “Crossing the Rubicon: North Korea Sends Troops to Russia,” with Dennis Wilder, senior fellow at Georgetown University Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues; Mark Cancian, senior adviser, CSIS International Security Program; Maria Snegovaya, senior fellow at the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program; Victor Cha, CSIS Korea chair; and H. Andrew Schwartz, CSIS chief communications officer https://www.csis.org/events/crossing-rubicon-north-korea-sends-troops-russia 11:15 a.m. 1700 Army Navy Dr., Arlington, Virginia — D.C. Chapter, National Defense Industrial Association Senior Defense Leaders Forum, with Joint Staff Logistics Director Vice Adm. Dion English https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2024-10-29-ndia-dc-srdlf-t-vice-adm-english 12 p.m. 700 Pennsylvania Ave. SE — Washington Space Business Roundtable discussion:"New financing tools to support space technologies," with Jason Rathje, director, Defense Department Office of Strategic Capital https://wsbr.org/event/wsbr-october-luncheon-with-dr-jason-rathje-osc/ 12 p.m. — Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft virtual book discussion: Neutrality After 1989, with editor Naman Karl-Thomas Habtom https://quincyinst.org/events/neutrality-after-1989/ 12 p.m. — New America virtual book discussion: The Siege: A Six-Day Hostage Crisis and the Daring Special-Forces Operation That Shocked the World,” focusing on the 1980 siege, Iranian embassy in London, with author Ben Macintyre, writer-at-large at The Times newspaper https://www.newamerica.org/future-security/events/the-siege 5 p.m. 1521 16th St. NW — Institute of World Politics discussion: “Towards a New Equilibrium: Strategic Deterrence on the Taiwan Strait Crisis, with Jason Hsu, Hudson Institute visiting fellow https://www.iwp.edu/towards-a-new-equilibrium WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 30 8:50 a.m. 900 South Orme St., Arlington, Virginia — Institute for Defense and Government 2024 Defense Logistics and Support Conference, with Carla Zeppieri, deputy assistant secretary of defense for industrial base resilience remarks on “Industrial Base Policy for Resilience” https://www.idga.org/events-defense-logistics 9:30 a.m. — Henry Stimson Center virtual discussion: “Assessing Global Arms Trade Transparency," with Robert in den Bosch, disarmament ambassador and permanent representative to the Conference on Disarmament, Kingdom, Netherlands in Geneva; Carina Solmirano, project lead at the Arms Trade Treaty Monitor; Claudia Garcia, political affairs officer for conventional arms at the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs; and Rachel Stohl, director, Stimson Conventional Defense Program https://www.stimson.org/event/assessing-global-arms-trade-transparency/ 10 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual book discussion: “Space Warfare: Strategy, Principles and Policy," with author John Klein, adjunct professor at George Washington University Space Policy Institute and senior fellow at Falcon Research Inc. https://www.csis.org/events/space-warfare-virtual-book-talk-dr-john-j-klein 11 a.m. — Center for a New American Security virtual discussion: “Quality of Life for Service Members and their Families," with Ronald Keohane, assistant secretary of defense for manpower and reserve affairs; Brendan Owens, assistant secretary of defense for energy, installations, and environment; and Katherine Kuzminski, deputy director of studies and director, CNAS Military, Veterans, and Society Program https://www.cnas.org/events/virtual-event-quality-of-life-for-service 12 p.m. — Washington Post Live virtual discussion: "The election security landscape in 2024 contest," with Jen Easterly, director, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live 1 p.m. — Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft virtual discussion: beginning at 1 p.m., on “What is the Future, Axis of Resistance?,” focusing on Hezbollah, Iran-aligned militias in Iraq, Assad-led Syria, the Houthis, Hamas and Yemen, with Narges Bajoghli, assistant professor of Middle East studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies; Adam Weinstein, deputy director, Quincy Institute Middle East Program; Nir Rosen, author of Aftermath: Following the Bloodshed of America Wars in the Muslim World; and Steven Simon, senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute https://quincyinst.org/events/what-is-the-future-of-the-axis-of-resistance/ 1 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Implementing the National Defense Industrial Strategy," with Laura Taylor-Kale, assistant secretary of defense for industrial base policy https://www.csis.org/events/implementing-national-defense-industrial-strategy 2 p.m. — Government Executive Media Group; and UiPath virtual discussion: “Enabling the Future of Army Modernization," with Army CIO Leonel Garciga; Maj. Gen. Jake Kwon, director of strategic operations at Army Headquarters; Army Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. John Morrison; and former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment Jordan Gillis, federal engagement executive at UiPath https://events.govexec.com/uipath-enabling-the-future-of-army-modernization 2 p.m. 1030 15th St. NW — Atlantic Council discussion: “Geopolitics and the Next US President," with House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH); Helima Croft, managing director and global head of commodity strategy, RBC Capital Markets; and Frederick Kempe, Atlantic Council CEO and president https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/elections-2024 3 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “The Global Terrorism Landscape," with Brett Holmgren, acting director, National Counterterrorism Center https://www.csis.org/events/global-terrorism-landscape THURSDAY | OCTOBER 31 12 p.m. 1957 E St. NW — George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs discussion: “What Drives the Sino-Russian Partnership Regime Insecurity, Aggressive Overreach, and the Alignment between Moscow and Beijing,' with Aleksandar Matovski, assistant professor at the Naval Postgraduate School https://calendar.gwu.edu/event/what-drives-the-sino-russian-partnership 1 p.m. — Washington Post Live virtual discussion: “Lawmakers on Bipartisan Effort to Safeguard the 2024 Presidential Election," with Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE); and Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live 1 p.m. 37th and O Sts. NW — American Institute for Contemporary German Studies discussion: “German and U.S. Relations with Israel amid Escalating Conflict in the Middle East," with Christoph Heusgen, chairman, Munich Security Conference; and Aaron David Miller, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace senior fellow https://americangerman.institute/events/2024/10/german-and-u-s-relations-with-israel 3 p.m. 1789 Massachusetts Ave. NW — American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research discussion with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin; and Kori Schake, AEI director of foreign and defense policy studies https://www.aei.org/events/a-fireside-chat-with-the-chief-of-staff FRIDAY | NOVEMBER 1 7 p.m. 800 21st St. NW — Politics and Prose Bookstore book discussion: War, with author Bob Woodward, Washington Post associate editor | | | | "When you have a situation where Donald Trump suggests that people who disagree with him ought to be put before military tribunals, that the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff should be hanged for treason, and his running mate doubles down on it, I think that tells you that you're dealing with a man who doesn't have any conscience." | | Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) on CBS's Face the Nation Sunday |
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