|
BEHIND ENEMY LINES: Satellite imagery of the aftermath of Tuesday’s attack on the Saki air base on the Black Sea coast of Crimea reveals damage much more extensive than would have been caused by an accidental detonation of ammunition stocks. Ukraine is not explicitly taking credit for the commando mission deep behind Russian lines, but is also gloating about the first attack on a Russian base in Crimea since Russian President Vladimir Putin illegally annexed the peninsula in 2014. The Washington Post, quoting an unnamed Ukrainian government official, said the attack was the work of Ukrainian special forces. Amateur analysis of the satellite photo from U.S.-based Planet Labs shows what appears to be at least three Russian Su-30s, four Su-24s, and one Su-27 reduced to smoking hulks on the tarmac at the base. The attack sparked panic in the popular summer vacation spot, with the one bridge connecting Crimea with the Russian mainland jammed with tourists beating a hasty retreat. Ukraine claims Russia lost a total of ten combat aircraft: nine in Crimea and one more in the area of Zaporizhzhia. SATELLITE IMAGES SHOW DAMAGED WARPLANES AT RUSSIAN BASE IN CRIMEA WHEN WILL THE WAR END? In his nightly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky argued time is on Ukraine’s side, and he vowed that the “occupiers …will not be able to keep anything. We will liberate everything.” “If almost 43,000 dead Russian soldiers do not convince the Russian leadership that they need to find a way out of the war, then more fighting is needed, more results are needed to convince,” Zelensky said. “When will the war end? Someone says months, someone a year, someone even more. But the question of time actually directly depends on the question of the losses that Russia will suffer. The more losses the occupiers suffer, the sooner we will be able to liberate our land and guarantee Ukraine's security,” he said. “This is what everyone who defends our state and helps Ukraine should think about: how to inflict the greatest possible losses on the occupiers so that the time of the war gets shorter.” FOR ZELENSKY'S UKRAINE WAR STRATEGY, THE SHOW MUST GO ON RUSSIAN DEFENSE INDUSTRY HURTING: The latest intelligence update from the British Defense Ministry concludes the export of Russian weapons is taking a serious hit from setbacks in Ukraine. “Its military industrial capacity is now under significant strain, and the credibility of many of its weapon systems has been undermined by their association with Russian forces’ poor performance in the Ukraine war,” the ministry said in its daily tweet. “Russia has long considered the defense industry to be one of its most important export successes,” the assessment says. “Russia is highly unlikely to be capable of fulfilling some export orders for armored fighting vehicles because of the exceptional demand for vehicles for Russia’s own forces in Ukraine, and the increasing effect of Western sanctions.” CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Good Thursday 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. 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: The official White House schedule simply says, “The president has no public events scheduled” for today, providing no details as President Joe Biden begins a family vacation in South Carolina. Biden and first lady Jill Biden will be staying at a friend's home in a gated community on Kiawah Island, noted for its private beach and golf resort, according to the Associated Press, which said the White House did not respond to requests to provide details on Biden’s vacation schedule, activities, or when he planned to return to Washington. ‘A BRAZEN PLOT’: The Justice Department has unveiled charges against a member of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, alleging he was involved in a murder-for-hire plot aimed at assassinating former national security adviser John Bolton. Shahram Poursafi is at large, likey back in Iran, and is accused of offering to pay $300,000 for a hitman to kill Bolton at his office in D.C. or his home in Maryland. “Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, through the Defendant, tried to hatch a brazen plot: assassinate a former U.S. official on U.S. soil in retaliation for U.S. actions,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves for the District of Columbia, in a Justice Department release. The department says the targeting of Bolton and other Trump administration officials was in apparent retaliation for the killing of Iranian Quds force commander Gen. Qasem Soleimani in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq on Jan. 3, 2020. MEMBER OF IRANIAN TERROR GROUP PLOTTED TO ASSASSINATE JOHN BOLTON: DOJ BOLTON: ‘I'M NOT WORRIED’: In an appearance on CNN, Bolton said as the FBI advised him the threats against him were serious, he requested a resumption of Secret Service protection, which President Donald Trump had terminated immediately upon his firing in 2019. “By the late fall of 2021, I asked, if it's this serious, perhaps the Secret Service should be involved. And ultimately, President Biden made that decision. And I appreciate it, obviously.” Bolton said he read the Justice Department charging document with “great interest.” “I had not seen it before. I was not aware of many of the specifics in it, although, obviously, I had long had a general understanding of what the threat was,” he told CNN. “I think it's quite correct to say many other Americans are the targets of this regime. It tells you what the regime is. It tells you about its character.” Bolton said he was aware of other officials who were on Iran’s hit list. “I do have a sense. Some have told me. I don't think I ought to be the one divulging it on television.” CNN reported that a second hit was ordered on former Secretary of State and CIA Director Mike Pompeo with a $1 million bounty. “I have not spoken with him. I was not aware that he was targeted,” Bolton said. “I think the nature of the regime drives it to this kind of action. And I think it's a big mistake for the administration to continue to show weakness to Iran by begging to get back into the 2015 nuclear deal. I think it encourages Tehran to engage in just these kinds of terrorist activities,” he said. As for his personal safety, “It's not something I volunteered for. That's for sure. It goes with the territory. I feel I'm in very good hands with the Secret Service,” he said. “I'm not worried.” JUSTICE DEPARTMENT UNSEALS INDICTMENT AGAINST IRANIAN OFFICIAL FOR PLOTTING JOHN BOLTON ASSASSINATION SULLIVAN: ‘IRAN WILL FACE SEVERE CONSEQUENCES’: In the wake of the Justice Department charges, current national security adviser Jake Sullivan warned Iran against carrying out attacks against U.S. citizens. “We have said this before and we will say it again: the Biden Administration will not waiver in protecting and defending all Americans against threats of violence and terrorism. Should Iran attack any of our citizens, to include those who continue to serve the United States or those who formerly served, Iran will face severe consequences,” Sullivan said in a statement. “We will continue to bring to bear the full resources of the U.S. Government to protect Americans.” BIDEN: ‘WE KNOW WITH CERTAINTY’ TICE HELD BY SYRIA: President Joe Biden renewed his call for the release of freelance journalist Austin Tice on the tenth anniversary of his abduction in Syria. “We know with certainty that he has been held by the Government of Syria,” Biden said in a statement. “We have repeatedly asked the government of Syria to work with us so that we can bring Austin home.” Syrian leader Bashar Assad has never admitted that Tice is being held by the government. “Austin served in the United States Marine Corps. He is a son, he is a brother, and he is an investigative journalist who put the truth above himself and traveled to Syria to show the world the real cost of war,” Biden said. “The Tice family deserves answers, and more importantly, they deserve to be swiftly reunited with Austin … We will not rest until we bring Austin home. Ten years is far, far too long. So is every additional day.” Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, also released a statement calling for freedom for Tice. “Austin is a Texan, a Marine, and a journalist. His family and his community feel his absence every hour of every day,” McCaul said. “The United States cannot rest until he, and all American hostages around the world, are free at home.” CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER The RundownWashington Examiner: Satellite images show damaged warplanes at Russian base in Crimea Washington Examiner: For Zelensky's Ukraine war strategy, the show must go on Washington Examiner: Daily on Energy: Russia’s real goals for endangered Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant Washington Examiner: Steven Seagal pushes Russian propaganda, says Ukraine hit POWs in Donbas Washington Examiner: China calls US 'main instigator' in Russia's war in Ukraine Washington Examiner: Russia's hidden messages in Alaska air defense zone intrusions Washington Examiner: China tries to dent South Korea's 'ironclad alliance' with US Washington Examiner: Member of Iranian terror group plotted to assassinate John Bolton: DOJ Washington Examiner: Justice Department unseals indictment against Iranian official for plotting John Bolton assassination Washington Examiner: Biden signs healthcare bill for veteran toxic burn pit victims Washington Examiner: Army releases names and cause of death of soldiers killed in training exercise Washington Examiner: Texas state troopers returned 3,900 illegal immigrants to border Washington Examiner: Boeing delivers first 787 Dreamliner since 2021 Bloomberg: Lockheed’s F-35 Mega-Deal Largely Cushioned From Budget Impasse Air Force Magazine: B-52 Will Get at Least One New Designation With Radar, Engine Upgrades 19fortyfive.com: Super Warthog: The U.S. Military's Plan to Save the A-10 Warthog? 19fortyfive.com: China’s Mach 5 DF-17 Hypersonic Missile: A Threat to the U.S. Navy? New York Times: U.S. Insists It Will Operate Near Taiwan, Despite China’s Pressure Strait Times: China Military Says Tasks In Taiwan Strait Completed, Troops To Stay Battle-Ready Washington Times: Chinese Exercises Included Missile ‘Bracketing’ Reuters: U.S. Rethinks Steps On China Tariffs In Wake Of Taiwan Response AP: Russian journalist detained, charged over war criticism Reuters: U.N. Expects 'Big Uptick' In Ships Wanting To Export Ukraine Grain Washington Post: In the Ukraine war, a battle for the nation’s mineral and energy wealth AP: Russia struggles to replenish its troops in Ukraine Wall Street Journal: Ukraine Holds Line In Shattered Town Wall Street Journal: Iran Trains Russia To Use Its Drones, U.S. Says AP: Alleged member of IS ‘Beatles’ charged in UK with terrorism NPR: A U.S. Marine's View At The Kabul Airport When The Taliban Took Over Air Force Magazine: Air Force Set to Get Rid of Small A-29, AT-6 Fleets, Program Official Says Air Force Magazine: F-35 Squadrons in Alaska Shift to Full Operations as ‘Advanced Threats’ Grow ‘More Lethal’ Business Insider: A String Of Mishaps Shows How Tricky It Can Be To Keep The Aircraft On Aircraft Carriers Red Snow: In Latvia, the summer winds are calm but no one is fooled, and no one forgets 19fortyfive.com: Opinion: The Russian Military Looks Like a Joke. Why Can't Europe Defend Europe? 19fortyfive.com: Opinion: The Ukraine War Is An Opportunity To Squeeze Russia The Cipher Brief: The New Age of Energy Crisis and Diplomacy CalendarTHURSDAY | AUGUST 11 9 a.m. — Henry L. Stimson Center virtual discussion: “The Impact of the Pelosi Visit to Taiwan,” with Yun Sun, senior fellow and co-director of the Stimson Center's East Asia Program; Yuki Tatsumi, senior fellow and co-director of the Stimson Center's East Asia Program; and Pamela Kennedy, research analyst at the Stimson Center's East Asia Program https://www.stimson.org/event/the-impact-of-the-pelosi-visit-to-taiwan 9:30 a.m. Huntsville, Alabama — Space and Missile Defense Symposium with Adm. Charles "Chas" Richard, commander, U.S. Strategic Command; Gen. Edward Daly, commanding general, U.S. Army Materiel; and Vice Adm. Jon Hill, director, Missile Defense Agency Full agenda at: https://smdsymposium.org/agenda 7 p.m. — Politics and Prose Bookstore book discussion on "The Fifth Act," focusing on "the American collapse in Afghanistan,” with author Elliot Ackerman; and Kori Schake, director of foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute https://www.politics-prose.com/event/book MONDAY | AUGUST 22 4 p.m. 1789 Massachusetts Ave. N.W. — American Enterprise Institute in-person book forum event: “A New Approach to US-China Relations,” with Aaron Friedberg, nonresident senior fellow, AEI and author of Getting China Wrong; and Kori Schake, director of foreign and defense policy studies, AEI https://www.aei.org/events/a-new-approach-to-us-china
|
|
|
|
“I was embarrassed at the low price. I would have thought it would have been higher, but I guess maybe it was the exchange rate problem or something.” |
|
Former national security adviser John Bolton, on CNN, commenting on the alleged $300,000 offer made by an Iranian national to a hitman to take Bolton out./cite>
|
|
|
|
