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SHAM VOTES SET STAGE FOR ILLEGAL ANNEXATION: As Russian forces collect ballots at the point of a gun in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin appears ready to claim the staged referendums, which conclude today, as the basis for annexing occupied territory later this week. “President Putin is scheduled to address both houses of the Russian parliament on Friday 30 September,” tweeted the British Defense Ministry. “There is a realistic possibility that Putin will use his address to formally announce the accession of the occupied regions of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.” “Russia’s leaders almost certainly hope that any accession announcement will be seen as a vindication of the ‘special military operation’ and will consolidate patriotic support for the conflict,” said the British intelligence assessment, predicting the “aspiration will likely be undermined by the increasing domestic awareness of Russia’s recent battlefield setbacks and significant unease about the partial mobilization announced last week.” ‘WE WILL NEVER RECOGNIZE THIS’: The United States and other Western nations continue to label the staged votes a “sham,” and the Biden administration said it is ready to hit Russia with more sanctions in response to Putin’s land grab. “The United States will never ever again recognize this territory as anything than part of Ukraine,” said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who called the referendums “a flagrant violation of international law.” “We are prepared to impose additional swift and severe economic costs on Russia, along with our allies and partners, in response to these actions that we’re seeing currently if they move forward with annexation,” Jean-Pierre said at yesterday’s White House briefing. “We stand with our partners around the world in rejecting whatever fabricated outcomes Russia announces. And you will hear more from us in the coming days on this.” US WARNS KREMLIN OF UNSPECIFIED 'CATASTROPHIC CONSEQUENCES' FOR NUCLEAR WEAPON USE ZELENSKY: DONBAS IS OUR NO. 1 GOAL: In his nightly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky said his military commanders are focused on pushing Russian troops back in the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces in the eastern Donbas region. “This is where our No. 1 goal is right now, as Donbas is still the No. 1 goal for the occupiers,” Zelensky said. “The situation is particularly tough in the Donetsk region. We are doing everything to curb enemy activity.” Zelensky noted that Russian forces are now employing Iranian drones on the battlefield, but he dismissed Putin’s widely unpopular mobilization of up to 300,000 fresh troops as a sign of desperation. “We are once again convinced that the Russian mobilization is a frank attempt to give commanders on the ground a constant stream of ‘cannon fodder,’” he said. “The Russian offensive in the Donetsk region will surely go down in the history of wars as one of the most cynical murders of one’s own soldiers.” The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War is predicting“the forces generated by Putin's “partial” mobilization are “very unlikely to add substantially to the Russian military’s net combat power.” “The process will be ugly, the quality of the reservists poor, and their motivation to fight likely even worse,” the ISW said. FIRST RUSSIAN RESERVISTS CALLED UP IN MOBILIZATION REACH MILITARY BASES: UK Good Tuesday 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 Stacey Dec. 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: With Hurricane Ian on track to hit Tampa and the St. Petersburg area on Florida's west coast as a historic Category 4 storm, the U.S. military has evacuated nonessential personnel from MacDill Air Force Base, headquarters of U.S. Central Command and Special Operations Command. Aircraft at MacDill and Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle have been flown to bases up north to avoid the potentially devastating hurricane. Some 7,000 National Guard troops have been activated, including 5,000 from Florida and an additional 2,000 from Georgia. “This is going to be a storm like we have not seen in the past,” said Tampa Mayor Jane Castor on CNN. “We are looking at the possibility of having a 10-15-foot storm surge. And clearly that would be very devastating for our community.” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell is scheduled to brief reporters at the White House on hurricane relief efforts at noon today. ALSO TODAY: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin meets with Marshall Islands President David Kabua at the Pentagon at 3 p.m. The meeting comes as China continues to try to make inroads among U.S. allies in the Pacific. UKRAINE AID IN STOPGAP CR: Congress is struggling to drag a stopgap funding measure over the finish line before the federal government would be forced to shut down by the midnight Friday deadline. A procedural vote could come as early as today, but the continuing resolution, or CR, still faces some legislative hurdles, including disagreement over a provision that would fast-track energy projects, including a pipeline in West Virginia that is a top priority for Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV). The bill includes more than $12 billion in Ukraine-related aid, the Associated Press reported yesterday. CITIZEN SNOWDEN: Russian President Vladimir Putin has granted Russian citizenship to former National Security Agency contractor and self-described whistleblower Edward Snowden, who has been living in exile in Moscow since fleeing U.S. espionage charges in 2013. Snowden was one of 75 foreign citizens granted Russian citizenship yesterday in a decree signed by Putin. Snowden still faces prosecution should he return to the U.S. for revealing highly classified surveillance programs that monitored communications data worldwide. DART HITS BULLSEYE IN PLANETARY DEFENSE TEST: Images of the dramatic collision between NASA’s DART spacecraft and a tiny asteroid millions of miles away were broadcast live on television last night. DART, an acronym for Double Asteroid Redirection Test, is the first-ever attempt to change the orbit of an asteroid to test the theory that nudging an object in space could divert it just enough to save the planet from a catastrophic event in the far future. While the DART spacecraft scored a direct hit on the small “moonlet” circling the Dimorphos asteroid, it will take a few weeks for NASA to compute its new orbit by observing the light curve as it passes behind the main asteroid. READ MORE: VOIDING AN ASTEROID THREAT ‘PUNISH’ IRAN: Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL) have introduced the “PUNISH Act,” which would maintain sanctions against Iran so long as the regime continues to plot assassinations against Americans. PUNISH is an acronym for Preventing Underhanded and Nefarious Iranian Supported Homicides, and the bill aims to “codify the Trump administration’s ‘maximum pressure’ sanctions” and prevent President Joe Biden from lifting sanctions unless the State Department can certify no assassination attempts or bounties are placed on current or former senior government officials for five years. “It's hard to fathom that, after countless attacks on Americans, and multiple confirmed plots against U.S. officials, the Biden administration continues to cozy up to Iran in hopes of a mythical, so-called nuclear deal,” said Ernst in a statement. “President Biden should not provide a dime of sanctions relief to the largest state sponsor of terrorism, which is actively trying to kill U.S. officials and citizens, at home and abroad. The PUNISH Act will ensure Iran continues to feel maximum pressure from the United States.” CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER The RundownWashington Examiner: US warns Kremlin of unspecified 'catastrophic consequences' for nuclear weapon use Washington Examiner: First Russian reservists called up in mobilization reach military bases: UK Washington Examiner: Two more mass graves found in Izium as liberated Ukrainian cities investigated Washington Examiner: North Korea launches ballistic missile into Sea of Japan Washington Examiner: VP Harris to visit Korean DMZ as Kim regime ups threats Washington Examiner: US and TikTok reportedly reach preliminary deal to resolve national security fears Washington Examiner: Judicial Watch sues Department of Defense over unanswered diversity FOIAs Washington Examiner: ISIS, citing Trump’s criticism of FBI raid, calls US a ‘banana republic’ Washington Examiner: Deadline day: National Archives has until today to reveal if Trump has documents Washington Examiner: Former Capitol Police chief announces Jan. 6 book deal ahead of panel's next hearing Washington Examiner: Opinion: Russian draft-dodging is about endemic military bullying, not just the war in Ukraine Washington Examiner: Opinion: The Debrief: Tim Carney on Biden's comments on Taiwan and Russia's nuclear threat Washington Examiner: Opinion: Chinese espionage at Los Alamos shows why academia's complaints must be ignored New York Times: Race to Seize Two Key Cities In the Donbas AP: Putin’s call-up fuels Russians’ anger, protests and violence AP: Russian military recruiter shot amid fear of Ukraine call-up Washington Post: One young Ukrainian soldier’s death felt by family, friends and country The Guardian: UK Defense Spending to Double to £100 Billion by 2030, Says Minister Reuters: U.S. VP Harris Set To Visit Korean DMZ After Kim's Missile Test Korea Herald: U.S. Aircraft Carrier, South Korean Navy Conduct Drills Off Peninsula To Deter N.Korea Breaking Defense: China ‘On Track’ For 6th-Gen Fighter, U.S. Air Force Needs To Get There First: ACC Chief Air & Space Forces Magazine: Strategy & Policy: After Ukraine, A Stronger NATO Air & Space Forces Magazine: Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. on The State of the Air Force Defense One: Autonomous Systems Took Center Stage At AFA USNI News: Lockheed Martin Delivers 12th Freedom-Class LCS Cooperstown The Drive: Navy About To Get World’s Largest Unmanned Warship But Has No Plans To Use It USNI News: Defense Begins For Accused Bonhomme Richard Arsonist 19fortyfive.com: China's Navy Goal: 5 Aircraft Carriers 19fortyfive.com: Putin Is Getting 300,000 New Troops For Ukraine (And It Might Not Help) 19fortyfive.com: Russia is Now Fighting Against Its Own Weapons in Ukraine 19fortyfive.com: Watch: Video Shows Russia Deploying Ancient T-62 Tanks to Ukraine 19fortyfive.com: Putin Looks Desperate: Russia Is Destroying Dams to Stop Ukraine's Military 19fortyfive.com: Su-75: Is Russia's Checkmate Stealth Fighter In Trouble? 19fortyfive.com: Opinion: North Korea’s Missile Tests Are Part Of A Political Warfare And Blackmail Strategy The Cipher Brief: Today’s Global Threat from Terrorism CalendarTUESDAY | SEPTEMBER 27 8:30 a.m. 1201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Virginia. — IDEEA 2022 Common Defense (ComDef) Summit on "Integrated Deterrence,” with Defense Undersecretary for Acquisition and Sustainment William LaPlante; and Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall delivers remarks on "Forging Air Forces of the Future" https://ideea.com/comdef22/ 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; Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Thom Tillis (R-NC) Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Roger Wicker (R-MS); and others. Full agenda: https://cepa.org/events/cepa-forum/agenda/ Register: https://cepa.org/events/cepa-forum 9 a.m. — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace virtual book discussion on "Why We Fight: The Roots of War and the Paths to Peace," with author Chris Blattman, professor of global conflict studies at the University of Chicago https://carnegieendowment.org/2022/09/27/why-we-fight 9:30 a.m. — Wilson Center Asia Program virtual discussion: "Pakistan's foreign policy priorities,” with Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on "Pakistan's foreign policy priorities." https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/pakistans-foreign-policy-priorities 10 a.m. — Hudson Institute virtual discussion: “Gaining Decision Advantage: Modernizing Air Force Command and Control for Deterrence and Combat," with Air Force Brig. Gen. Jeffery Valenzia, cross-functional team lead for the Air Force Advanced Battle Management System; Bryan Clark, director of the Hudson Center for Defense Concepts and Technology; and Dan Patt, senior fellow at the Hudson Center for Defense Concepts and Technology https://www.hudson.org/events/2156-gaining-decision-advantage 11 a.m. — Government Executive Media Group virtual event: “State of Defense: Air Force," with Air Force chief of staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. https://d1stateofdefense.com/ 12 p.m. — Hudson Institute virtual discussion: “Plan B on Iran," with former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, distinguished fellow at Hudson. [Note: The invitation-only in-person event took place at 11 a.m. on Sept. 22.} Video recording replays at https://www.hudson.org/events/2157-plan-b-on-iran-a-conversation 1 p.m. — The East-West Center in Washington virtual book discussion: "Japan as a Global Military Power: New Capabilities, Alliance Integration, Bilateralism-Plus," with author Christopher Hughes, professor of Japanese studies and international politics at the University of Warwick; Ellis Krauss, professor emeritus at the University of California, San Diego; and Satu Limaye, director of the East-West Center in Washington https://eastwestcenter.zoom.us/webinar/register 1:30 p.m. — Atlantic Council discussion on "A Surge in Crackdowns Across Iran," with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iran and Iraq Jennifer Gavito; Mahsa Alimardani, senior researcher for the Middle East and North Africa region at Article 19; Yeganeh Rezaian, journalist and senior researcher at the Committee to Protect Journalists; Skylar Thompson, senior advocacy coordinator at Human Rights Activists in Iran; and Anthony Vance, director of public affairs at Baha'is of the United States https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/a-surge-in-crackdowns-across-iran 3 p.m. Pentagon River Entrance — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin welcomes Marshall Islands President David Kabua to the Pentagon 4 p.m. — Center for a New American Security virtual discussion: "One Year After Withdrawal: Update on Afghanistan," with retired Army Gen. David Petraeus, chairman of the KKR Global Institute and former commander of the International Security Assistance Force and former commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan; former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker, nonresident senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Phil Caruso, executive director of No One Left Behind; Lisa Curtis, director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program, Center for a New American Security; and Richard Fontaine, CEO of CNAS https://www.cnas.org/events/virtual-event-one-year-after-withdrawal-update-on-afghanistan 4 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave N.W. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual and in-person event: “Poland and the War in Ukraine: A Conversation with Zbigniew Rau, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland,” with John Hamre, CSIS president and CEO, and Max Bergmann, director, Europe Program and Stuart Center https://www.csis.org/events/poland-and-war-ukraine-conversation WEDNESDAY | SEPTEMBER 28 9 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. N.W. — Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion: on "Afghanistan One Year Later," with Special Representative for Afghanistan and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Thomas West https://www.csis.org/events/conversation-thomas-west 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 Department undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence; Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Roger Wicker (R-MS); and others. Full agenda: https://cepa.org/events/cepa-forum/agenda/ Register: https://cepa.org/events/cepa-forum 10 a.m. — East-West Center in Washington virtual discussion: "Democratic People's Republic of Korea-Germany Relations: An Ambassador's Perspective on Diplomacy with Pyongyang," with former German Ambassador to the DPRK Thomas Schaefer; Esther Im, program manager at the National Committee on North Korea; and Satu Limaye, director of the East-West Center https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register 10:30 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. N.W. — Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion, with former Iraqi Foreign Affairs Minister Hoshyar Zebari on "the unfolding political situation in Iraq, Erbil-Baghdad relations, and the security situation in Iraqi Kurdistan." https://www.csis.org/events/conversation-he-hoshyar-zebari 11 a.m. — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace virtual discussion: "A Decisive Moment in Ukraine," with Kadri Liik, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations; Eugene Rumer, director of the CEIP Russia and Eurasia Program; Aaron David Miller, CEIP senior fellow; and Andrew Weiss, CEIP vice president of studies https://carnegieendowment.org/2022/09/28/carnegie-connects 11 a.m. — Government Executive Media Group virtual event: “State of Defense: Space Force," with Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. John Raymond https://d1stateofdefense.com/ 3:30 p.m. — Hudson Institute virtual discussion: “Establishing and Fortifying U.S. National Security Supply Chains," with Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH); Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA); Edlyn Levine, co-founder and chief science officer at America's Frontier Fund; and Gilbert Kaplan, senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies https://www.hudson.org/events 4 p.m. 957 E Street N.W. — George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs discussion: “What's Next in Foreign Affairs: Challenges to Democracy Around the World," with Daniel Twining, president of the International Republican Institute https://calendar.gwu.edu/whats-next-foreign-affairs-challenges 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 3 p.m. — Center for American Progress virtual discussion: “The crisis in Ukraine, competition with China, human rights, and the role of the U.S. in the world,” with Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall https://www.americanprogress.org/events/a-conversation-with-air-force-secretary
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"Russians may not be able to vote to express their will genuinely at the ballot box, but they have been voting with their feet. They have bought up all of the airfare to the very few places Russians can travel. From inside Russia, we're seeing long lines at overland border crossings. Russians are very clearly indicating with their feet that they are not supportive of what President Putin is doing to them and they're not going to be the next Russian sentenced to fight and potentially to die in Ukraine." |
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State Department spokesman Ned Price on CNN Monday.
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