BY JAMIE MCINTYRE

BIDEN RESTORES LANDMINE BAN: In a roll-back of a Trump-era policy, President Joe Biden has ordered the U.S. military to eliminate anti-personnel landmines from its arsenal, with the exception of mines used in the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea.

“After conducting a comprehensive policy review, the United States is joining the vast majority of countries around the world in committing to limit the use of anti-personnel landmines,” the White House said in a statement. “These changes reflect the President’s belief that these weapons have disproportionate impact on civilians, including children, long after fighting has stopped, and that we need to curtail the use of [anti-personnel landmines] worldwide.”

“Basically, we're not going to develop or produce or acquire anti-personnel landmines; we're not going to export or transfer anti-personnel landmines; we're not going to use them outside the Korean Peninsula,” said Stan Brown, principal deputy assistant secretary in the State Department's Bureau of Political and Military Affairs, in a conference call for reporters.

THE KOREA EXCEPTION: The U.S. has an estimated three million anti-personnel landmines in its inventory, and most would be destroyed under the new Biden policy.

“The policy states to basically look to undertake to destroy all anti-personnel landmines not needed for the defense of the Republic of Korea,” said Brown, who says the U.S. has not employed landmines in combat “in any significant way” since the 1991 Persian Gulf war.

The minefields in the Korean DMZ are meant to slow any advance from North Korea’s million-man army in the event of war between the North and South. “We have a responsibility for the defense of South Korea,” said Brown, but, while adding, “The United States does not maintain any minefields in Korea or on the DMZ. They're all owned by the Republic of Korea.”

The U.S. also uses so-called “smart mines” that can be set to self-destruct or self-deactivate after a period of time, so, the Pentagon has argued, they pose less of a lingering threat after combat ends.

A SWIPE AT RUSSIA: The Biden administration said its landmine policy stands in stark contrast to Russia’s indiscriminate use of mines in Ukraine.

“The world has once again witnessed the devastating impact that anti-personnel landmines can have in the context of Russia’s brutal and unprovoked war in Ukraine, where Russian forces’ use of these and other munitions have caused extensive harm to civilians and civilian objects,” said NSC spokesperson Adrienne Watson in a statement.

Ukraine is a signatory to the 1997 Ottawa Convention, which bans the production, stockpiling, use, or transfers of landmines. While the U.S. has supplied Ukraine with Claymore anti-personnel landmines, they are “command-detonated with a person in the loop,” and so they are “Ottawa-compliant,” says Brown.

LEAHY: ‘A WELCOME STEP, LONG OVERDUE’: In a statement, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), a longtime advocate of eliminating landmines, said the Biden policy brings the U.S. closer to provisions of the Ottawa Convention, but more needs to be done.

“This is long overdue recognition that the grave humanitarian and political costs of using these weapons far exceed their limited military utility,” Leahy said. “As welcome as this step is, the White House needs to put the U.S. on a definitive path to join the treaties banning anti-personnel mines and cluster munitions. Neither of these indiscriminate weapons, the horrific consequences of which we are seeing in Ukraine today, belong in the arsenals of civilized nations.”

The Ottawa Convention has more than 160 signatories, including all of America’s NATO allies, but the United States is not one of them, largely because of its commitment to South Korean defense.

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION CHANGES POLICY TO LIMIT USE OF LANDMINES

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 Victor I. Nava. 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.

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HAPPENING TODAY: Both the House Appropriations and Armed Services committees begin the process of marking up the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act at 10 a.m.

CAVOLI NOMINATION ADVANCES: Among the 1,231 military nominations approved en bloc last week by voice vote and sent to the floor for final confirmation was Army Gen. Christopher Cavoli to be Commander of U.S. European Command and Supreme Allied Commander, Europe.

Cavoli, a Russian speaker, is expected to win easy confirmation by the full Senate to replace the retiring Air Force Gen. Tod Wolters in the top NATO and EUCOM posts.

ANOTHER RUSSIAN SHAKE-UP: The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War is reporting that Russian President Vladimir Putin, unhappy with his generals, has ordered another shake-up of his battlefield commanders.

“The Kremlin recently replaced the commander of the Russian Airborne forces and may be in the process of radically reshuffling the command structure of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, indicating a possible purge of senior officers blamed for failures in Ukraine,” the ISW reports in its latest sitrep. “Several sources are additionally reporting contradictory claims about replacements for the current Southern Military District Commander — and overall commander of the Russian invasion of Ukraine — Army General Alexander Dvornikov.”

RUSSIAN ATTRITION: The latest update from British intelligence says Russian forces are still trying to “envelop” the key eastern city of Severodonetsk, which it hopes to take by the end of the week.

But the latest Twitter update says casualty figures released by the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic for its fighters indicate Russian forces continue to take heavy casualties.

“As of 16 June, the DPR acknowledged 2128 military personnel killed in action, and 8897 wounded, since the start of 2022,” said the British Defense Ministry. “The DPR casualty rate is equivalent to around 55 per cent of its original force, which highlights the extraordinary attrition Russian and pro-Russian forces are suffering in the Donbas.”

“Russian forces continue to face force generation challenges and are committing unprepared contract servicemen to the invasion of Ukraine,” says the ISW, quoting the BBC’s Russian service as reporting that “new Russian recruits receive only 3 to 7 days of training before being sent to ‘the most active sectors of the front.’”

“The Russian military is offering substantial financial incentives to secure additional recruits with increasing disregard for their age, health, criminal records, and other established service qualifications,” the ISW said.

In an interview with NPR last week, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley admitted Russia’s numerically superior force is making slow but steady progress against the determined Ukrainian defenses.

"I think it's a fair statement to say that they're gaining ground tactically, but it's very, very slow," he said, but called the advances not "strategically" important, noting many Russian attacks gained only a few hundred meters of ground before stalling.

“They’re gaining ground in very short increments, day to day, 500 meters, 1,000 meters, two kilometers, then they get pushed back. It’s two steps forward, one step back,” Milley said.

“I don’t think they’re making significant gains, and the Ukrainians are fighting a very, very effective, active area defense down in the Donbas, so I would say they are not achieving significant strategic success at this time.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The Rundown

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Washington Examiner: Army veteran is second American to die in Ukraine war

Washington Examiner: Biden administration changes policy to limit use of landmines

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Defense One: Ukrainian Fighter Pilots: Send Better Jets and Air Defenses

Reuters: Howitzers Arrive In Ukraine, First In Pledged Weapons Package From Germany

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Wall Street Journal: Russia Presses To Take Over Chemical Plant

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19fortyfive.com: F-22 Raptors Are Training with F-15s and F-35s in Hawaii for a China War

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Calendar

WEDNESDAY | JUNE 22

8:30 a.m. 1001 14th Street N.W. — Atlantic Council and the Delegation of the European Union to the U.S. 2022 EU-U.S. Defense and Future Forum, with European Union Ambassador to the U.S. Stavros Lambrinidis; Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman; and Stefano Sannino, secretary-general of the European External Action Service https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/2022-eu-us-defense-future-forum/

10 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Committee full committee markup of H.R.7900, the FY2023 NDAA http://www.armedservices.house.gov

10 a.m. — House Appropriations Committee markup of the FY2023 Defense Appropriations bill; and the FY2023 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill. http://appropriations.house.gov

10 a.m. — Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute virtual discussion: “Countering Foreign Information Operations: Developing a Whole of Society Approach to Build Resilience,” with Sen. Angus King, I-Maine; Brad Smith, president of Microsoft; Evelyn Farkas, executive director at the McCain Institute; and Roger Zakheim, director of the Reagan Institute https://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan-institute/events

10:15 a.m. House Triangle, U.S. Capitol — Rep. Jim McGovern, (D-MA) news conference to urge the United States to support H.Res.1185, embracing the goals and provisions of the "Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons."

10:30 a.m. — Hudson Institute virtual discussion: “The Future of the U.S. Air Force,” with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown https://www.hudson.org/events/2119-defense-disruptors-series

10:30 a.m. — Politico online conversation with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the future of European security, and NATO’s upcoming summit in Madrid. Livestreamed on https://www.nato.int

11 a.m. — Foreign Press Association webinar: “Ukraine on Fire,” with Sergej Schummel, Russian journalist and media observer about the “Kremlin's cartoon strip preparation for the War in Ukraine” https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register

12 p.m. — American Bar Association virtual discussion: “The Russian Invasion of Ukraine — Status Update,” retired Air Force Lt. Col. Rachel VanLandingham, professor of law at Southwestern Law School; former CIA executive Jack Devine, founding partner and president at the Arkin Group LLC; former CIA executive Milton Bearden, chairman at Lone Star REElements LLC; Jonathan Ward of the Atlas Organization; and Barbara Linney, partner at BakerHolstetler https://americanbar.zoom.us/webinar/register

12 p.m. — Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and the American Conservative virtual discussion: “The New Right: Ukraine Marks Major Foreign Policy Shift Among Conservatives,” with Mollie Ziegler Hemingway, senior editor at the Federalist; Emile Doak, executive director of the American Ideas Institute; Saurabh Sharma, president of the American Moment; George Beebe, director of grand strategy at the Quincy Institute; and Kelley Beaucare Vlahos, senior adviser at the Quincy Institute https://quincyinst.org/event/the-new-right-ukraine

12:30 p.m. — Center for a New American Security virtual discussion with Michael Brown, director of the Defense Department's Defense Innovation Unit https://www.cnas.org/events/virtual-event

1 p.m. — Washington Post Live virtual discussion: “The latest news out of Ukraine and NATO's renewed significance,” with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H.; and Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live

2:45 p.m. 419 Dirksen — Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing: "NATO Enlargement: Examining the Proposed Accession of Sweden and Finland,” with testimony from Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried; and Assistant Defense Secretary of for International Security Affairs Celeste Wallander http://foreign.senate.gov

THURSDAY | JUNE 23

9:30 a.m. 300 New Jersey Avenue N.W. — Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies 2022 National Security Symposium, with Former Associate Deputy Attorney General Bill Hughes, senior counsel and director of global regulatory matters of ConsenSys Software; and Retired Navy Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation https://fedsoc.org/conferences/2022-national-security-symposium

9:30 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual book discussion on "The Age of the Strongman," with author Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs columnist at the Financial Times https://www.csis.org/events/book-event-age-strongman

12 p.m. — Center for a New American Security virtual discussion: “Military Food Insecurity and Financial Stability,” with retired Navy Vice Adm. William French, president and CEO at Armed Services YMCA; Jessica Strong, co-director of applied research at Blue Star Families: and Katherine Kuzminski, senior fellow and director of the CNAS Military, Veterans and Society Program https://www.cnas.org/events/virtual-event-military-food-insecurity

3:30 p.m. — Atlantic Council virtual discussion: “The food insecurity crisis," focusing on linkages to the war in Ukraine. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/ffp-the-food-insecurity-crisis/

3:30 p.m. 2121 K Street N.W. — International Institute for Strategic Studies discussion: “America's Defense Trade,” with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Regional Security Mira Resnick; and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Defense Trade Mike Miller https://www.iiss.org/events/2022/05/defense-trade-roundtable

FRIDAY | JUNE 24

10 a.m. — Hudson Institute virtual discussion: “War, Ukraine, and a Global Alliance for Freedom,” with former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, fellow at Hudson; and Walter Russell Mead, fellow in strategy and statesmanship at Hudson https://www.hudson.org/events/2122-virtual-event

10 a.m. — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies virtual discussion: “Delivering on Our Commitments in Space Acquisition,” with Assistant Air Force Secretary for space acquisition and integration Frank Calvelli https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/event

11 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion on a new report, "Boost-Phase Missile Defense: Interrogating the Assumptions,” with co-author Ian Williams, deputy director of the CSIS Missile Defense Project; co-author Masao Dahlgren, research associate at the CSIS Missile Defense Project; former Missile Defense Agency Director Air Force Lt. Gen. Trey Obering; Dean Wilkening, former senior staff scientist at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab; and Tom Karako, director of the CSIS Missile Defense Project https://www.csis.org/events/boost-phase-missile-defense-interrogating-assumptions

SATURDAY | JUNE 25

TBA — President Joe Biden departs for Germany to attend the G7 Leaders Summit at the Schloss Elmau

MONDAY | JUNE 27

7 a.m. — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg briefs reporters ahead of the Madrid Leaders Summit https://www.nato.int

TUESDAY | JUNE 28

9:30 a.m. — Summit of NATO Heads of State and Government in Madrid, Spain, with an opening speech from Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg https://www.nato.int

4 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave N.W. — Center for Strategic and International Studies hybrid event: “National Security and Artificial Intelligence: Global Trends and Challenges,” with Paul “PJ” Maykish, senior director of research and analysis for future technology platforms at the Special Competitive Studies Project; David Spirk, former DOD chief data officer; Neil Serebryany, CEO of CalypsoAI; Margaret Palmieri, deputy chief digital and AI officer, Department of Defense; and Jake Harrington, intelligence fellow, International Security Program, CSIS https://www.csis.org/events/national-security-and-artificial-intelligence

WEDNESDAY | JUNE 29

2 a.m. — Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg speaks to reporters as he arrives at the Summit of NATO Heads of State and Government in Madrid, Spain, followed by an opening ceremony at 4 a.m., and an end of day briefing by Stoltenberg at 7:45 a.m. (All times eastern). https://www.nato.int

10 a.m. — House Appropriations Committee markup of the FY2023 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations bill http://appropriations.house.gov

THURSDAY | JUNE 30 

6:15 a.m. — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg press conference at the conclusion of the Summit of NATO Heads of State and Government in Madrid, Spain. https://www.nato.int

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