| 'A BETTER, MORE REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNANCE': With the future of post-Assad Syria in flux, the U.S. hopes to push the country into some form of representative governance. President Joe Biden has dispatched national security adviser Jake Sulivan to Israel, where Syria will be at the top of the agenda, along with an effort to bring a hostage deal with Hamas over the finish line. Biden spoke by phone yesterday to Jordan's King Abdullah, who, according to the White House, "emphasized his full support for a Syrian-led transition process under the auspices of the United Nations." "We want to make sure that the aspirations of the Syrian people are fully met. They have suffered enough over 14 years, and we're going to be working very, very hard to do that, particularly through existing U.N.-led processes," John Kirby, national security communications adviser, told reporters on a conference call yesterday. "We believe it is in our interests, our national security interests, that Syria be stable and secure, and that, again, the Syrian people are able to determine their future." "Now, as for what's actually happening on the ground, it remains an open question exactly how this is going to play out politically," Kirby said, noting that "multiple opposition groups" are now in the capital city of Damascus. "They're all saying the right things, but we're going to have to watch and see what they actually do." Yesterday, Mohamed al-Bashir, who led a governing body in northwest Syria, was named the caretaker prime minister by the fighters who toppled Bashar Assad. "Ultimately, it's got to be a Syrian-led evolution here towards better and more representative governance," Kirby said. "We want to assist in that." ISIS LOVES 'NOTHING MORE THAN UNGOVERNED SPACE': The White House also indicated that Sunday's airstrikes against more than 75 targets in central Syria were just the opening salvo in what will be a sustained U.S. effort to make sure ISIS does not benefit from the current power vacuum. "You can expect that that kind of activity will continue," Kirby said. "We don't want to give ISIS an opportunity to exploit what's going on. They love nothing more than ungoverned space." "We want to make sure that all of Syria is properly governed and that the Syrian people again have a say in that, so the pressure on ISIS will absolutely continue because that, too, is very much in our national security interests." ON AUSTIN TICE: 'WE ARE PUSHING AS HARD AS WE CAN': The family of journalist Austin Tice, who was kidnapped in Syria 12 years ago, is convinced he's alive. While the Biden administration can't confirm that, it is nevertheless making every effort to find him and bring him home. "We don't have any additional information on Austin Tice," Kirby told reporters. "I can assure you that we are pushing as hard as we can to learn as much as we can." As soon as Assad's regime fell, the U.S. dispatched Roger Carstens, special envoy for hostages, to Lebanon to coordinate efforts to find Tice. "Rogers' approach when it comes to returning home Americans who are unjustly detained has always been to really do everything possible to leave no stone unturned, to gather information from wherever he can and press anyone who is willing to take action to get American citizens home," said spokesman Matthew Miller at the State Department. "And he is in Beirut to talk with people in the region, to talk with parties in the region to collect information and to try to find out where Austin Tice is and get him home as soon as possible." “This is a top priority for us: to find Austin Tice, to locate the prison where he may be held, get him out, get him home safely to his family,” Jake Sullivan said Monday before leaving for the region. US MILITARY MISSION IN SYRIA AGAINST ISIS CONTINUES AFTER ASSAD'S FALL — FOR NOW 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 Christopher Tremoglie (@chriswtremo). 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 NOTE TO READERS: Daily on Defense will be on Christmas break from Monday, Dec. 23 through Wednesday, Jan. 1. HAPPENING TODAY: At 10 a.m., the House Foreign Affairs Committee is scheduled to hear from Secretary of State Antony Blinken so Republicans can rake him over the coals one more time about the Biden Administration's admittedly chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. ISRAEL TARGETS SYRIAN WEAPONS: Israel, which quickly moved military forces into a buffer zone inside Syria following the fall of Assad, has expanded its effort to destroy weapons left behind by the country's military with a wave of heavy airstrikes. "In 48 hours, the IDF struck most of the strategic weapons stockpiles in Syria to prevent them from falling into the hands of terrorist elements," the Israeli military said on its Facebook page. "Manned aircraft flew hundreds of hours over Syrian airspace, conducting 350+ aerial strikes." The targets included air defense systems, military airfields, missile depots, and dozens of weapons production sites in Damascus and other cities. "Israeli Navy missile ships struck 2 Syrian Navy facilities simultaneously: the Al-Bayda port and the Latakia port, where 15 Syrian naval vessels were docked," the IDF said. "Dozens of sea-to-sea missiles with ranges of 80–190 km were destroyed. Each missile carried significant explosive payloads, posing threats to civilian and military maritime vessels in the area." "We have no intention of interfering in Syria's internal affairs; however, we do intend to do what is necessary for our security," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement Tuesday night. "As such, I approved the Air Force bombing of strategic military capabilities left by the Syrian military so that they will not fall into the hands of the jihadists." "This is similar to what the British Air Force did when it bombed the fleet of the Vichy regime, which was cooperating with the Nazis, so that it would not fall into the Nazis' hands," Netanyahu said. "We want to have relations with the new regime in Syria, but if this regime allows Iran to re-establish itself in Syria, or allows the transfer of Iranian weapons, or weapons of any kind, to Hezbollah, or attacks us – we will respond forcefully, and we will exact a heavy price." UN CONDEMNS ISRAELI OCCUPATION OF SYRIAN BUFFER ZONE IN WAKE OF ASSAD OUSTER NDAA ADVANCES ON PARTY-LINE VOTE: The House yesterday took a procedural vote to advance the $884 billion National Defense Authorization Act, the must-pass bill that sets policy for the Pentagon and usually passes with a bipartisan majority. But yesterday's preliminary vote on a rule, required before a final vote, passed on a party-line 211-207 tally. Democrats, led by Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, are protesting a provision that restricts gender-affirming care for the children of servicemembers if it "could result in sterilization." "Blanketly denying healthcare to people who need it — just because of a biased notion against transgender people — is wrong," Smith said in a statement opposing the final passage of the NDAA "in its current form." "The inclusion of this harmful provision puts the lives of children at risk and may force thousands of service members to make the choice of continuing their military service or leaving to ensure their child can get the healthcare they need," Smith said. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) lauded the provision as one of the "critical wins" Republicans secured in the reconciliation process. "We banned TRICARE from prescribing treatments that would ultimately sterilize our kids," Johnson said at a Monday news conference "Speaker Johnson had a clear path to considering a bill that reflected the true spirit of bipartisan compromise that has ensured that Congress has provided for the common defense for the past 63 years," Smith said. "Rather than take that path and ensure service members and military families get the support they need and deserve, he chose to pander to the most extreme elements of his party in an attempt to retain his speakership." Republicans appear to have the votes to pass the measure without support from Democrats if necessary. The Senate is expected to take it up next week. PROTECTING GUAM FROM CHINA: The Pacific island of Guam, home to Andersen Air Force Base and 26,000 U.S. military personnel, is the closest bit of sovereign U.S. territory within range of Chinese missiles. And with tensions rising over a possible conflict over Taiwan, the Pentagon is in a race to beef up missile defenses on the 30-mile-long island. To that end, the Missile Defense Agency announced yesterday the first successful test of the Aegis Guam System. Paired with a new high-tech radar, the Aegis Guam System shot down a target missile meant to simulate the kind of medium-range ballistic missile China has been adding to its arsenal. "Today's event marks a pivotal step taken in defense of Guam initiatives and partnerships and provides critical support to the overall concept, requirements validation, data-gathering, and model maturation for the future Guam Defense System," the MDA said in a statement. "Aegis Guam System integrated with the new AN/TPY-6 radar and Vertical Launching System, fired a Standard Missile-3 Block IIA which intercepted an air-launched Medium Range Ballistic Missile target off the coast." "Today's flight test is a critical milestone in the defense of Guam and the region," said Joint Task Force-Micronesia commander Rear Adm. Greg Huffman. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER THE RUNDOWN: Washington Examiner: US military mission in Syria against ISIS continues after Assad's fall — for now Washington Examiner: 'Ocean of absurdity': Netanyahu scoffs at champagne and cigars bribery accusations Washington Examiner: UN condemns Israeli occupation of Syrian buffer zone in wake of Assad ouster Washington Examiner: Task force recommends dozens of Secret Service reforms Washington Examiner: New Jersey lawmakers plead for action as mysterious 'drone' worries intensify Washington Examiner: FBI grilled over anti-drone budget as New Jersey incursions stump bureau Washington Examiner: Trump's DHS pick Kristi Noem expected to 'sail through' confirmation Washington Examiner: Trump's challenges and implications of ending birthright citizenship on Day One Washington Examiner: Trump nominates former Green Beret officer to serve as US ambassador to Mexico Washington Examiner: Opinion: Trump's road to Ukraine peace runs through Tehran AP: US Defense Secretary in Japan to Support Alliance as Osprey Aircraft Safety Causes Concern AP: Ex-defense chief in South Korea tried to kill himself after being arrested over martial law Wall Street Journal: Iran Suffers Blow of 'Historic Proportions' With Assad's Fall Washington Post: Syrian rebels had help from Ukraine in humiliating Russia Military Times: Army secretary fires four-star general for promotion board meddling DefenseScoop: NDAA Directs Pentagon's UAP Office to Team with New Counter-Drone Task Force Air & Space Forces Magazine: Saltzman Defines 6 'Core Truths' About Space Force and Warfighting SpaceNews: At Five Years, Space Force Reflects on Growth, Challenges, and the Road Ahead Breaking Defense: China's Space Moves: Highly Mobile Satellites Stalking GEO Spook Space Force Inside Defense: AI Needed for Multiple Space Force Operations Air & Space Forces Magazine: Space Force Wants Unique Boot Camp for Guardians Defense One: Lawmakers Tee Up Efforts to Keep Spyware off Troops’ Devices Air & Space Forces Magazine: CCA Increment 2 Requirements Left for New Air Force Leadership to Choose Air & Space Forces Magazine: How Congress, DOD Can Help Small Businesses Meet New Cyber Rules AP: Japanese survivor of atomic bomb recalls its horrors in Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech Forbes: Opinion: Why America Needs the Next-Generation Air Dominance Combat Aircraft THE CALENDAR: WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 11 8:30 a.m. 929 Long Bridge Dr., Arlington, Virginia — Homeland Security and Defense Forum seventh annual Border Security Symposium: “State of the Border Update," with acting Custom and Border Protection Deputy Commissioner Pete Flores https://www.hsdf.org/border-2024/ 8:30 a.m. 1400 L St. NW — Atlantic Council conference: "The future of U.S. counterterrorism policy," with State Department Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens; former CIA Director Michael Hayden; former Defense Undersecretary for Intelligence Michael Vickers; and former UN Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan Peter Galbraith https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/the-future-of-us-counterterrorism-policy 9 a.m. — Brookings Institution Center on the U.S. and Europe virtual discussion: “Relations with Turkey Under Trump 2.0,” with Evan Balta, professor of comparative politics and international politics at Ozyegin University; Nicholas Danforth, senior non-resident fellow at the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy and editor of War on the Rocks; Rich Outzen, nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council; and Ash Aydintasbas, visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution Foreign Policy Center on the U.S. and Europe and the Brookings Institution Turkey Project https://www.brookings.edu/events/relations-with-turkey-under-trump-2-0 10 a.m. 2172 Rayburn — House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing: “An Assessment of the State Department’s Withdrawal from Afghanistan by America’s Top Diplomat," with testimony from Secretary of State Antony Blinken http://foreignaffairs.house.gov 10 a.m. — Center for a New American Security virtual mission brief: "Irregular Warfare in an Era of Great Power Competition," with Christopher Maier, assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict; and Becca Wasser, senior fellow and deputy director CNAS defense program https://www.cnas.org/events/mission-brief-irregular-warfare 10:30 a.m. Warsaw, Poland — Atlantic Council virtual discussion: “Navigating 2025 and Beyond: Will the U.S. Meet the Moment?” as part of Central Europe Week," with former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker; former U.S. Ambassador to Poland Daniel Fried; former Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky; and Slawomir Debski, visiting professor at the College of Europe at Natolin https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/2024-central-europe-week 12 p.m. 55 13th St. NW — Washington Space Business Roundtable discussion: achieving U.S. security in the space domain,” with Maj. Gen. Steven Whitney, director of staff at U.S. Space Force https://wsbr.org/event/wsbr-december-luncheon THURSDAY | DECEMBER 12 9 a.m. Brussels, Belgium — Carnegie Europe in cooperation with NATO's Public Diplomacy Division event: "To Prevent War, NATO Must Spend More," with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte; and Rosa Balfour, Director, Carnegie Europe https://www.nato.int 9:30 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute discussion: “Accelerating Replicator and Fielding Technologies for Today Fight,” with Aditi Kumar, deputy director of the Defense Department Defense Innovation Unit https://www.hudson.org/events/accelerating-replicator-fielding 9:30 a.m. — Asia Society Policy Institute virtual discussion: “Trump Second Act: What It Means for Asia and Pakistan,” with former Pakistani Ambassador to the U.S. Maleeha Lodhi; Kamran Yousaf, host of “The Review on Express News”; Daniel Russel, ASPI vice president of international security and diplomacy; and Farwa Aamer, ASPI director of South Asia Initiatives https://asiasociety.org/policy-institute/events/trumps-second-act 9:30 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “What Happened in South Korea?” with Michelle Ye Hee Lee, Washington Post Tokyo bureau chief; Victor Cha, CSIS Korea chair; Sydney Seiler, CSIS nonresident senior adviser; and Mark Lippert, CSIS nonresident senior adviser https://www.csis.org/events/what-happened-south-korea-capital-cable-102 10:30 a.m. — Atlantic Council virtual discussion: “Ukraine Security, Europe Stability” as part of Central Europe Week,” with Tomas Kopecny, Czech Republic government envoy for the reconstruction of Ukraine; Mykola Bielieskov, research fellow at the National Institute for Strategic Studies; and former Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/2024-central-europe-week 12 p.m. — The Cipher Brief Cyber Initiatives Group 2024 Winter Summit, with Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly; retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Charles Moore, former deputy commander of U.S. Cyber Command; Cynthia Kaiser, deputy assistant director of FBI Cyber; Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Cyberspace and Digital Policy Jennifer Bachus https://www.cyberinitiativesgroup.com/winter-summit-2024 FRIDAY | DECEMBER 13 8 a.m.2800 South Potomac Ave., Arlington, Va. — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association 2024 Air Force IT Day, with Venice Goodwine, CIO of the Department of the Air Force; and Maj. Gen. Jeth Rey, director of network C4 services and integration at the Army https://afceanova.swoogo.com/AirForceITDay2024 9 a.m. The National Mall — Events DC “Patriot Games” event, a competition between Army Cadets and Navy Midshipmen with the winner receiving a trophy to be presented on the field during Saturday's Army-Navy Game https://eventsdc.com/americas-game | | | | "While I can't say how the Russia-Ukraine conflict will end, everyone should remember that appeasement only emboldens aggressors. Those who would say 'it's just Crimea,' or 'it's just the Donbas,' should remember those who said almost a century ago, 'it's just Austria,' and 'it's just the Sudetenland.' Remember the price paid by so many when Poland came next." | | Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks, in speech on "The Future Character of War" before Royal United Services Institute, London, Tuesday. |
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