BY JAMIE MCINTYRE

BIDEN: ‘SHOULD MAKE YOUR BLOOD RUN COLD’: In his address to the United Nations General Assembly Wednesday, President Joe Biden chastised Russian President Vladimir Putin for “reckless,” “overt nuclear threats against Europe,” and called Putin’s efforts to annex parts of Ukraine through “sham referenda,” “an extremely significant violation of the U.N. charter.”

“This world should see these outrageous acts for what they are. Putin claims he had to act because Russia was threatened. But no one threatened Russia, and no one other than Russia sought conflict,” Biden said. “This war is about extinguishing Ukraine’s right to exist as a state, plain and simple, and Ukraine’s right to exist as a people. Whoever you are, wherever you live, whatever you believe, that should not — that should make your blood run cold.”

NATO ALLIES: RUSSIA'S NUCLEAR PROPAGANDA SHOWS ‘UKRAINE IS WINNING’

US TAKES NUCLEAR THREAT SERIOUSLY: In a series of interviews on cable news, John Kirby, NSC coordinator for strategic communications, called out Putin’s veiled reference to using “all weapon systems available to us,” in response to any threat he deems “a threat to the territorial integrity” of Russia.

“It's irresponsible for a nuclear power to speak that way about the possible use of any weapons or any weapons of mass destruction,” Kirby said on Fox, adding the bellicose rhetoric is evidence that Putin is feeling the pressure of a failing war. “Why else would you call up a mobilization now of 300,000 some odd troops? Why else would you speedily rush these sham referenda in the Donbas and down in the south to try to politically gain legitimacy over territory which you have not been able to gain military control over?”

Later on CNN, Kirby said the U.S. is watching “very, very closely” for any signs Putin is mobilizing his nuclear forces after Putin insisted his threat was “not a bluff.”

“As best we can, and we see no indication that we need to change our strategic deterrence posture at all right now,” Kirby said, while adding, “We take every threat by Mr. Putin seriously, including when he uses that kind of rhetoric. We have to. It would be irresponsible if we didn't take it seriously.”

“And, by the way, he talked about being blackmailed,” Kirby said. “The only person blackmailing anybody else with the threat of weapons of mass destruction is Vladimir Putin.”

PUTIN’S MOBILIZATION EFFORT IS A SIGN ‘MANPOWER IS A PROBLEM,' KIRBY SAYS

PROTESTS ERUPT: As Putin may have suspected, his “partial mobilization” of 300,000 reserve soldiers has proved widely unpopular and sparked rare public protests across Russia, and a rush for military men to buy plane tickets out of the country.

Protests broke out in several Russian cities, including Moscow, shortly after Putin’s televised speech Tuesday, in which he issued an executive order, calling up what he described as “military reservists, primarily those who served in the armed forces and have specific military occupational specialties.”

According to the Russian human rights group OVD-Info, as many as 1,300 arrests were made yesterday, and some reports indicated that in some cases military men were issued conscription papers on the spot.

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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.

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‘JUST MORE CANNON FODDER’: Military analysts were quick to point out that while a mobilization of 300,000 reinforcements to fight in Ukraine sounds impressive, the realities of training and equipping reluctant conscripts is a daunting challenge.

“Russia’s partial mobilization will not transform the war this year and may or may not have a significant impact on Russia’s ability to continue operations at their current level next year,” said an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War. “Ukraine and the West should neither dismiss it nor exaggerate it.”

“This is a physics problem. Russia cannot generate an additional force of 300,000 soldiers to come on the battlefield from a reserve force, especially since those individuals don't want to do it,” said retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling on CNN. “We are seeing massive purchases of one-way tickets out of Russia to territories of different aged men. Putin just provided a new rule to all of this, saying 18- to 65-year-old men cannot leave the country. So what we are seeing is a forced conscription of individuals, who have lost their will to fight and their capability to fight.”

“Remember, Russian soldiers aren't trained very well,” Hertling said. “When you're talking about lapses in times of service, you'll get an army that's just more cannon fodder.”

UKRAINE BRACES FOR VIOLENT WINTER: ‘A LOT OF GOOD UKRAINIANS WILL DIE TO WIN THIS WAR’

UKRAINE NEEDS US CONTRACTORS: While Ukraine keeps asking for more modern weaponry, including tanks, fighter jets, and air defense systems, its most urgent need is for American contractors to help repair and maintain the equipment they already have, according to retired Brig. Gen. Steve Anderson.

Anderson is just back after a meeting in Warsaw of the International Stability Operations Association, a collection of about 200 defense companies from all over the world that are working to improve Ukraine’s logistics support.

“They've got a big problem. Right now, when something breaks in this area right here, they've got to evacuate it all the way to Poland. That's like if your car broke in Chicago, you'd take it all the way to Washington, D.C., or New York City to get it fixed. And, of course, nobody would do that. It's a 1,500-mile round trip, it takes 30 days,” Anderson said on CNN.

“The time has come now for the Biden administration, State Department, Department of Defense to approve U.S. contractors on the ground in Ukraine,” Anderson said, arguing that small numbers of U.S. civilian experts — far from the front lines — would make a huge difference.

“What they would do is they provide the technical expertise, the maintenance expertise, and the repair parts that they need to keep their systems operational,” Anderson argues. “They're having a terrible time with M777s, the HIMARS, all these systems we've given them, we can't just hand them the keys, we have got to give them the capability.”

HOUSE PASSES RUSSIA CRYPTOCURRENCY ACT: The House has passed and sent to the Senate the Russia Cryptocurrency Transparency Act, sponsored by Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) and supported by Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX).

“We are proud to have passed the Russia Cryptocurrency Transparency Act on the House Floor, which would provide necessary transparency and information about … practices, including the utilization of cryptocurrencies in the State Department Rewards program,” Meeks and McCaul said in a joint statement.

“The imperative of starving Vladimir Putin of funds for Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine has brought renewed focus on the role cryptocurrencies can potentially have in money laundering and sanctions evasion,” they said. “Though there are legitimate and valuable use cases for cryptocurrencies, some digital asset products can be used to mask the origins of transactions and facilitate sanctions evasion.”

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The Rundown

Washington Examiner: Ukraine braces for violent winter: ‘A lot of good Ukrainians will die to win this war’

Washington Examiner: Two Americans among 10 prisoners of war released by Russia in swap

Washington Examiner: NATO allies: Russia's nuclear propaganda shows ‘Ukraine is winning’

Washington Examiner: Putin’s mobilization effort is a sign ‘manpower is a problem,' Kirby says

Washington Examiner: China, Turkey, and India criticizing Russia's war ‘noteworthy,’ White House says

Washington Examiner: Western powers deride Vladimir Putin's lurch toward 'sham' referendums

Washington Examiner: Garland signs agreement with Ukraine to investigate Russian war crimes

Washington Examiner: US military killed 27 al Shabab terrorists and no civilians in Somali strike

Washington Examiner: House Democrats introduce legislation to protect military abortions

Washington Examiner: DOJ can continue criminal investigation using classified Mar-a-Lago docs, appeals court rules

Washington Examiner: Trump insists a president can declassify documents 'even by thinking about it'

Washington Examiner: Bipartisan group of lawmakers seeks to review Apple plan to use Chinese chips

Washington Examiner: US unprepared to deal with China’s intel infiltration, bipartisan report concludes

Washington Examiner: Iran's Raisi attacks Trump for Soleimani strike at the UN

AP: Russians rush for flights out amid partial reservist call-up

Defense One: Ukraine: Russia’s Draft, Setbacks Mean It’s Time for More Advanced Weapons

AP: North Korea denies sending arms to Russia amid Ukraine war

Washington Post: ‘Death to the dictator’: Videos show growing protests in Iran

Defense News: Satellite Images Reveal Chinese Expansion Of Submarine Base

Navy Times: Submarine Fleet Needs More Spare Parts To Stem Maintenance Delays

USNI News: Not Funding Strategic Weapons Programs Biggest Threat To U.S. Nuclear Triad, Says Panel

The Drive: Navy’s Stealth Destroyer May Be On Its First Operational Deployment

Air & Space Forces Magazine: US Has Lost Conventional Overmatch, Needs Investment to Maintain Deterrence

Air & Space Forces Magazine: ‘Space Superiority’ and ‘Democratization of Air Power’ are the Future, Leaders Say

Colorado Springs Gazette: Nominee to Lead Space Force Shares Vision

Washington Post: Pentagon bedeviled by recruitment failures as solutions prove elusive

Air & Space Forces Magazine: Reserve Misses Recruiting Goal; Leaders Cite Decline in Accessions

Stars and Stripes: National Guard Could Lose Up to 14,000 Troops in Next Two Years Because of COVID Vaccine Mandate

Army Times: DoD ponders one-time payments to lower ranks to ease economic stress

Washington Post: Group that rescues Afghans from Taliban says in lawsuit it was scammed

Navy Times: Jet fuel leaks into USS Nimitz’s drinking water system

19fortyfive.com: NATO's Nightmare: Could Putin's War in Ukraine Become a Nuclear War?

19fortyfive.com: 90 Million Dead Possible: Putin Has 2,000 Tactical Nuclear Weapons

19fortyfive.com: Why Does Putin Fear Peace with Ukraine? He Knows Revolution is Coming

19fortyfive.com: Putin's Partial Ukraine Mobilization Could Mean the End of Russia

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Calendar

THURSDAY | SEPTEMBER 22

8:45 a.m. 1735 New York Ave. N.W. — Defense Strategies Institute 11th Military Tactical Communications Summit, with Retired Army Futures Command CIO Wade Johnston; Air Force Lt. Col. Gabriel Avilla, chief of the Cyberspace Transformation Division in the Directorate of Cyberspace and Information Dominance Air Combat Command; and Special Operations Command COO of Networks and Services Army Col. Joseph Pishock Note: Closed press https://tacticalcommunications.dsigroup.org/

10 a.m. — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Spacepower Forum discussion on Space Force training, education and doctrine and STARCOM’s contributions to space warfighting, with Maj. Gen. Shawn Bratton, commander, Space Training and Readiness Command https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/event

10 a.m. — Hudson Institute virtual discussion: “Learning to Win: Using Operational Innovation to Regain the Advantage at Sea against China," with Trent Hone, vice president of ICF; Dmitry Filipoff, director of online content at the Center for International Maritime Security; Michael Hunzeker, associate professor at George Mason University; and Bryan Clark, senior fellow at Hudson https://www.hudson.org/events/2149-learning-to-win

1 p.m. — GovExec and HP with Intel event: “Securing the Air Force,” with Air Force officials: Aaron Bishop, chief information security officer; Jay Bonci, chief technology officer, OCIO; Colt Whittall, chief experience officer; Stuart Wagner, chief digital transformation officer; and Tommy Garder, Chief Technology Officer, HP Federal https://events.govexec.com/securing-air-force

1:30 p.m. — Jewish Institute for National Security of America online event: “Unrest and Uncertainty in Iran," with Mariam Memarsadeghi, founder and director of the Cyrus Forum; Alireza Nader, Iran scholar and commentator; Ray Takeyh, JINSA Iran Policy Project member; Hasib Sabbagh, senior fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations; and Gabriel Noronha, JINSA Gemunder Center fellow https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register

2 p.m. — Air Force Lt. Gen. Andrew A. Croft, deputy commander, U.S. Southern Command, provides keynote remarks at the virtual William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies 25th anniversary celebration. http://williamjperrycenter.org./content/25th-anniversary

3 p.m. 300 E St. S.W. — National Aeronautics and Space Administration briefing on Double Asteroid Redirection Test's (DART) final activities before its impact with Dimorphos. https://socialforms.nasa.gov/DART-Pre-Impact-Press-Briefing

FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 23

9 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual book discussion China's Next Act: How Sustainability and Technology are Reshaping China's Rise and the World's Future, with author Scott Moore, director of the University of Pennsylvania's China Programs and Strategic Initiatives; Carla Freeman, senior expert on China, U.S. Institute of Peace; and Andrew Mertha, director of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies' China Global Research Center https://www.csis.org/events/book-event-chinas-next-act-scott-m-moore

11 a.m. 760 Maine Avenue S.W. — 2022 Atlantic Festival discussion: “Threats to Democracy: The Latest on the Course of the War in Ukraine,” with White House Chief of Staff Ronald Klain https://hopin.com/events/atlantic-festival

MONDAY | SEPTEMBER 26

8 a.m. — George Washington University Project for Media and National Security Defense Writers Group conversation with Denis McDonough, secretary of veterans affairs https://nationalsecuritymedia.gwu.edu Contact: Thom Shanker at [email protected]

TUESDAY | SEPTEMBER 27

9 a.m. — Center for European Policy Analysis virtual three-day CEPA forum: “Meeting the Moment: Allies at a Crossroads,” with Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, NATO supreme allied commander Europe, commander, U.S. European Command; Romanian Prime Minister H.E. Nicolae-Ionel Ciuca, Kurt Volker, distinguished fellow, Center for European Policy Analysis; Wendy Sherman, deputy secretary of state; and Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Thom Tillis (R-NC) Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Roger Wicker and others Full agenda: https://cepa.org/events/cepa-forum/agenda/ Register: https://cepa.org/events/cepa-forum

WEDNESDAY | SEPTEMBER 28

9:30 a.m. — Center for European Policy Analysis virtual CEPA forum: “Meeting the Moment: Allies at a Crossroads,” with Ukrainian Defense Minister, Oleksii Reznikov; Wendy Sherman, U.S. deputy secretary of state; Slovak President Zuzana Caputova; Stefano Sannino, secretary-general, European External Action Service; Brian Nelson, Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, and Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), and others Full agenda: https://cepa.org/events/cepa-forum/agenda/ Register: https://cepa.org/events/cepa-forum

THURSDAY | SEPTEMBER 29

9 a.m. — Center for European Policy Analysis concludes virtual three-day CEPA forum: “Meeting the Moment: Allies at a Crossroads,” with Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL); Sen. James Risch (R-ID); James Foggo, distinguished fellow, Center for European Policy Analysis; and others. Full agenda: https://cepa.org/events/cepa-forum/agenda/ Register: https://cepa.org/events/cepa-forum

10 a.m. 2172 Rayburn — House Foreign Affairs Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia and Nonproliferation Subcommittee hearing: "Assessing the Biden Administration's U.S. Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa." https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearings

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