At NATO summit, a discussion of collective defense against cyberattacks

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NATO’S COLLECTIVE CYBER DEFENSE: Article 5 of NATO’s founding treaty is the heart of the alliance, a commitment from NATO nations to protect each other. “Article 5 is: An attack on one is an attack on all,” President Joe Biden said yesterday in Cornwall, before departing England for today’s NATO summit in Brussels. “You remember what happened on 9/11. We were attacked. Immediately, NATO supported us.”

Now, NATO wants to strengthen the Article 5 commitment to respond collectively to cyber and ransomware attacks. “I expect allies will agree to a new cyber defence policy for NATO,” said Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in a pre-summit news conference Friday. “It will recognise that cyberspace is contested at all times and ensure that we have strong technical capabilities, political consultations, and military planning in place to keep our systems secure.”

“NATO will finalize a cyber defense strategy for the first time in seven years,” said U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan, speaking to reporters on Air Force One. “There will be a strong commitment to NATO’s emphasis on cyber deterrence and collective defense, as well as Article 5 applying on a case-by-case basis to cyberattacks of significance.”

“The notion is that if someone gets hit by a massive cyberattack and they need technical or intelligence support from another ally to be able to deal with it, they could invoke Article 5 to be able to get that,” he said.

SOLARWINDS HACK EMBOLDENED CYBERATTACKERS FOR RANSOMWARE ATTACK SPREE

CONFRONTING PUTIN ON CYBERATTACKS: Biden said yesterday that Russian involvement in cyberattacks would be among the topics he will raise in his private face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva on Wednesday.

Near the end of his news conference yesterday, Biden was asked if he would be open to a swap of cybercriminals with Russia as proposed by Putin, and his answer was a little confusing. “Yes. I’m open to — if there’s crimes committed against Russia, that in fact are — and the people committing those crimes are being harbored in the United States, I’m committing to holding them accountable.”

But later, Sullivan dismissed the idea that there would be any exchange of hackers with Moscow. “He’s not saying he’s going to be exchanging cybercriminals with Russia,” Sullivan explained. “What he was saying was that if Vladimir Putin wants to come and say, ‘I’m prepared to make sure that cybercriminals are held accountable,’ Joe Biden is perfectly willing to show up and say cybercriminals will be held accountable in America, because they already are.”

WHITE HOUSE: BIDEN WAS NOT ENDORSING ‘PRISONER SWAP’ WITH RUSSIA

‘A PIVOTAL MOMENT’: As the NATO summit began this morning, Stoltenberg declared the meeting would be “a pivotal moment” for the alliance and would “open a new chapter in our transatlantic relations.”

The agenda is packed for the one-day meeting, which will include many of the same players Biden just met with at the G-7 summit in the United Kingdom, but will focus more on military strategy, including confronting Russia and China, and managing the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops from Afghanistan.

Among the unresolved issues are how to provide security for the international airport in Kabul and how to evacuate Afghan translators and others who helped the U.S over the years and could now face retribution from the Taliban.

Turkey has offered to provide security at the airport, but the Taliban insists that as a NATO nation, Turkey must leave. Biden is scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the summit.

“They will talk about Afghanistan and, in particular, how we ensure that our embassies can stay in a safe and secure way in Afghanistan to be able to do all the things that we want to do in providing for the Afghan government and security forces and people,” said Sullivan. “You know, Russia, obviously, is both at odds with Turkey in some places and working with Turkey in others. So, it’ll be an interesting chance for him to compare notes with Erdogan before seeing Putin.”

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin left Washington over the weekend to join Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the summit.

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HAPPENING TODAY: President Joe Biden is scheduled to hold a news conference at NATO Headquarters in Brussels at the conclusion of today’s summit meeting of leaders of NATO nations at 6:50 p.m., which is 12:50 p.m. Washington time.

SECNAV NOMINEE DEL TORO: On Friday, Biden announced his intention to nominate Carlos Del Toro to be Navy secretary, the last remaining vacancy in the three civilian secretaries that oversee the services. Christine Wormuth has been confirmed as Army secretary, and Frank Kendall is awaiting a final floor vote in the Senate to take over as Air Force secretary.

The pick was immediately applauded by the Democrats who lead the House and Senate Armed Services committees.

“Mr. Del Toro is a proven leader who is well equipped to lead our Navy,” said Rep. Adam Smith of Washington state in a statement. “His story is uniquely American, as is his service to our nation, which include multiple deployments during the Cold War and Operation Desert Shield and Storm and culminated in his selection for the rank of captain.”

“As a naval officer, a White House Fellow, entrepreneur, and a tech CEO, he’s had success at every step of his career in both the military and private sector,” said Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed. “He has an impressive resume and exemplifies so many of the qualities that make the Navy and our nation great.”

$2.2 BILLION CLAWED BACK FROM BORDER WALL: The Pentagon announced Friday that it was able to return $2.2 billion dollars from the $10 billion that then-President Donald Trump diverted from military construction projects to pay for border wall construction that Congress refused to fund.

“We announced, as you know, on April 30 the cancellation of all border barrier construction projects paid for with funds that were originally designed and meant for other missions and functions,” said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby at Friday’s briefing. “The decision to restore this funding was based on operational and component priorities.”

Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hick’s memo restores $2.2 billion, which had not yet been spent or obligated, to 66 military construction projects in 16 countries, 11 states, and three territories.

“A wall on our southern border does nothing to address our primary national security challenges,” said House Armed Services Chairman Adam Smith in a statement. “The previous administration’s pursuit of a political campaign promise — the border wall — robbed military construction accounts of billions in much-needed funding.”

Smith noted the money will now be spent on plans to expand the missile interceptor field at Fort Greely in Alaska, renovations to an elementary school for military children in Germany, and a new training complex for the Marine Corps at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, among other projects.

ARMS TO UKRAINE: In response to a wish list submitted by Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, on Friday, the Pentagon added $150 million to a $125 million package of U.S. security assistance announced in March.

“The package includes capabilities such as two counter-artillery radars, some counter unmanned aerial systems, and secure communications,” said Kirby.

“The United States has committed more than $2.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since 2014.”

UKRAINE’S FOREIGN MINISTER DISCUSSES VITAL US ASSISTANCE IN THE PROXY WAR WITH RUSSIA

NEW ISRAELI GOVERNMENT: As Biden issued a statement congratulating Israel’s new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and alternate Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, so did Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin congratulate his counterpart Benjamin “Benny” Gantz as defense minister.

“Secretary Austin looks forward to continuing the important cooperation and dialogue with Minister Gantz to deepen the U.S.-Israel strategic partnership,” said a Pentagon statement. “The U.S. commitment to Israel’s security remains ironclad.”

“Israel has no better friend than the United States.” said Biden.

NETANYAHU OUSTED AFTER 12-YEAR REIGN AS PRIME MINISTER

NATO SPENDING: NATO has released new spending figures that show that only 10 of the 30 member nations have met the goal of spending at least 2% of their GDP on defense. And for the first time, the U.S. is not the highest spender as a percentage of GDP.

The U.S., with 3.52%, was eclipsed by Greece, which spent 3.82%, according to NATO’s calculations.

The other eight countries that met the 2% threshold were Croatia (2.79%), the United Kingdom (2.29%), Estonia (2.28%), Latvia (2.27%), Poland (2.1%), Lithuania (2.03%), Romania (2.02%), and France (2.01%).

“We are on the right track,” said Stoltenberg on Friday. “But we need to invest even more, and better.” Still, he said, “with seven consecutive years of increased defense spending across European Allies and Canada, by the end of this year, they will have added $260 billion U.S. dollars to their defense budgets since 2014.”

FDD REPORTS ON DOMESTIC EXTREMISTS: The Foundation for Defense of Democracies is out this morning with two reports on domestic extremists, one on the transnational white supremacist movement and another on the militant anarchist and anti-fascist movement.

You can find the reports here after 9 a.m.:

Skinheads, Saints, and (National) Socialists: An Overview of the Transnational White Supremacist Movement, by Daveed Gartenstein-Ross and Samuel Hodgson

Behind the Black Bloc: An Overview of Militant Anarchism and Anti-Fascism, by Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, Samuel Hodgson, and Austin Blair,

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The Rundown

Air Force Magazine: Gen. Brown Talks About Being A Role Model With New Captain America Actor

Washington Examiner: Biden and G-7 leaders conclude summit with host of promises on vaccines, China, and climate change

Washington Examiner: White House: Biden was not endorsing ‘prisoner swap’ with Russia

Washington Examiner: ‘This is not a contest’: Biden defends plans not to hold press conference with Putin

Washington Examiner: Biden aims to avoid Trump’s misstep by skipping joint press conference with Putin

Washington Examiner: Air Force announces change to hair policy

Washington Examiner: SolarWinds hack emboldened cyberattackers for ransomware attack spree

Washington Examiner: Wray promises to look with Biden spy chief into declassifying more info on 9/11

Washington Examiner: Watchdog will investigate Trump DOJ leak subpoenas against Congress and reporters

Washington Times: Pentagon gets ‘woke’: Whistleblowers reveal segregation for ‘privilege walks,’ critical race theory

Reuters: China Denounces G7 Statement, Urges Group To Stop Slandering Country

Washington Post: Op-eds in a Chinese state tabloid slammed U.S. policy. The author works at the Pentagon.

Military Times: CENTCOM commander vows to keep the pressure on adversaries even after leaving Afghanistan: Exclusive interview

New York Times: As Biden Meeting Nears, Erdogan Softens His Stance

Washington Post: Gen. Austin ‘Scott’ Miller: He spent years at war in Afghanistan. Now he commands the U.S. withdrawal.

Reuters: Eying Russia, Pentagon To Send Ukraine Counter-Drone, Electronic Warfare Equipment

19fortyfive.com: Sending Iran’s Navy to the Atlantic Ocean Could be a Suicide Mission

19fortyfive.com: Will Swarms of Underwater ‘Drones’ Make Submarines Obsolete?

19fortyfive.com: The U.S. Navy’s Next Super Weapon: Stealth Destroyers with Hypersonic Missiles?

Air Force Magazine: KC-46 Boom Operators Work Around Software Flaw

AP: Cambodia Limits U.S. Diplomat’s Scrutiny Of Controversial Naval Base

Calendar

MONDAY | JUNE 14

7:15 a.m. NATO Headquarters, Brussels — President Joe Biden is welcomed to the NATO Summit by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/events

11 a.m. — Washington Post Live virtual discussion on recent cybersecurity attacks and how to respond, President Biden’s first overseas trip, and the domestic legislative agenda, with Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va. ttps://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live

12:50 p.m. NATO Headquarters, Brussels — President Joe Biden holds a news conference at conclusion of the NATO Summit https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/events

TUESDAY | JUNE 15

8 a.m. — Asia Society Policy Institute virtual discussion on “the Biden administration’s goals and strategy in the Indo-Pacific region, with Kurt Campbell, White House coordinator for the Indo-Pacific. https://asiasociety.org/new-york/events/conversation-kurt-campbel

9 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Zapad 2021 and the Future of Russia’s Force Presence in Belarus,” with retired Army Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, chairman in strategic studies at the Center for European Policy Analysis; Michael Kofman, director of the CNA Russia Studies Program; and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Heather Conley, director of the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program. https://www.csis.org/events

9:30 a.m. G50 Dirksen— Senate Armed Services Committee hearing: “Posture of the Department of the Army in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2022 and the Future Years Defense Program,” with Army Secretary Christine Wormuth; and Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville. https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings

10 a.m. — Mitchell Institute releases study, “Building a Force That Wins: Recommendations for the 2022 National Defense Strategy,” with authors Mark Gunzinger, director of future concepts and capability assessments, and Lukas Autenried, senior analyst at the Mitchell Institute. They will be joined by Jim Miller, former undersecretary of defense for policy; and Elbridge Colby, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development. Video posted afterward at www.mitchellaerospacepower.org

10 a.m. — Middle East Institute virtual discussion: “Iran’s 2021 Presidential Elections: The Final End of the Reform Movement?” with Nazenin Ansari, managing editor of Kayhan London; Ali Afshari, Iranian political analyst and activist; Negar Mortazavi, journalist and political analyst; and Alex Vatanka, director of the MEI Iran Program. https://www.mei.edu/events

11 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Committee hearing: “Department of the Navy Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Request,” with Thomas Harker, acting Navy secretary; Adm. Michael Gilday, chief of naval operations; Gen. David Berger, commandant of the Marine Corps. https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings

11 a.m. — Center for a New American Security virtual National Security Conference with James Anderson, special assistant in the Office of the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs; former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy, chair of the CNAS Board of Directors; and Tina Huang, policy program manager at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence. https://conference.cnas.org/schedule

11 a.m. — Brookings Institution virtual book discussion on “The Art of War in an Age of Peace: U.S. Grand Strategy and Resolute Restraint,” with former Undersecretary of Defense Michele Flournoy, co-founder and managing partner at WestExec Advisers; author Michael O’Hanlon, senior fellow at Brookings; and Helene Cooper, Pentagon correspondent for the New York Times. https://www.brookings.edu/events/the-art-of-war-in-an-age-of-peace/

1:30 p.m. — Project 2049 Institute virtual conference: “Near and Present Danger: U.S.-China Strategic Competition in the Western Hemisphere,” with Adm. Craig Faller, commander, U.S. Southern Command; Rebecca Chavez, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for western hemisphere affairs; and Yuko Mukai, The Yomiuri Shimbun. https://project2049.net/event/near-and-present-danger

2 p.m. — U.S. Navy Memorial virtual discussion with Navy Vice Adm. James Kilby, deputy chief of naval operations for warfighting requirements and capabilities. https://www.navymemorial.org/new-events

2:30 p.m. 232A Russell — Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Airland hearing: “Army Modernization in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2022,” with Lt. Gen. Erik Peterson, deputy chief of staff, Army G-8; Gen. John Murray, commanding general, Army Futures Command; and Douglas Bush, acting assistant secretary of the army for acquisition, logistics and technology. https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings

3 p.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces hearing: “FY22 Budget Request for Missile Defense and Missile Defeat Programs,” with Leonor Tomero, deputy assistant secretary of defense for nuclear and missile defense policy; Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, commander, U.S. Northern Command; Vice Adm. Jon Hill, director, Missile Defense Agency; Lt. Gen. Daniel Karbler, commanding general, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command; and Lt. Gen. John Shaw, deputy commander, U.S. Space Command. https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings

3 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Cybersecurity in the Quantum Future,” with Lisa O’Connor, managing director of global security research and development at Accenture; Josyula Rao, CTO of security research at IBM; and Dustin Moody, head of the National Institute for Standards and Technology’s Cryptographic Technology Group https://www.csis.org/events/cybersecurity-quantum-future

WEDNESDAY | JUNE 16 

TBA — In Geneva, Switzerland President Joe Biden will meet face to face with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time since assuming office.

9 a.m. — International Institute for Strategic Studies virtual discussion: “The United States – Keeping the Defense Innovation Edge?” with former Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work; and Fabrice Pothier, consulting senior fellow for defense policy and strategy at IISS. http://www.iiss.org/en/iiss-us/iiss-us-s-events

10 a.m. 216 Hart — Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the nominations of Gina Ortiz Jones to be undersecretary of the Air Force; Meredith Berger to be assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, installations and environment; Shawn Skelly to be assistant secretary of defense for readiness; Ely Ratner to be assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs; and Caroline Krass to be Pentagon general counsel. https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings

10 a.m. 192 Dirksen — Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies hearing: “Review of the FY 2022 Budget Request for Military Construction and Family Housing,” with Paul Cramer, performing the duties of assistant secretary of defense for sustainment; Lt. Gen. Jason Evans, deputy chief of staff; Vice Adm. Ricky Williamson, deputy chief of naval operations for fleet readiness and logistics; Lt. Gen. Charles Chiarotti, deputy commandant, installations & logistics; and Lt. Gen. Warren Berry, deputy chief of staff for logistics, engineering, and force protection. https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/hearings

10 a.m. — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association and George Mason University virtual 2021 Critical Issues in C4I Symposium, with Col. Charles Destefan, chief architect in the Air Force Chief Data Office and liaison officer at the Air Force Materiel Command; and Rand Waltzman, senior information scientist at the Rand Corporation. https://www.afcea.org/event/GMU-Registration

11 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Committee hearing: “Department of the Air Force Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Request,” with John Roth, acting secretary of the Air Force; Gen. Charles Q. Brown, chief of staff of the Air Force; and Gen. John Raymond, chief of space operations. https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings

11:30 a.m. — Washington, D.C., Chapter of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association virtual discussion: “Space Force: Information Technology Orchestration in a Multi-Domain Environment,” with Reb Butler, strategic adviser to Space Force at the Chief Technology and Innovation Office; Michael Dickey, director of the U.S. Space Force’s Force Design Integration Office; Army Brig. Gen. Charles Parker, deputy director of J6; and Chris Beauregard, founder and principal at Aerospace Advocates. https://dcevents.afceachapters.org/SpaceForce

12 p.m. — Institute for Defense and Government Advancement virtual discussion: “Countering Drones Used by Criminals, Terrorists, and Bad State Actors,” with Wayne Phelps, author of On Killing Remotely: The Psychology of Killing with Drones; and Gary Watson, vice president of solutions at Fortem Technologies https://www.idga.org/aviation/webinars

1 p.m. — Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments virtual discussion: “The Fiscal Year 2020 Defense Budget,” with Rachel Hoff, policy director at the Ronald Reagan Institute; Travis Sharp, director of defense budget studies at CSBA; Eric Edelman, counselor at CSBA; and Thomas Mahnken, president and CEO of CSBA. https://csbaonline.org/about/events/csba-webinar

3 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Preventing Catastrophe in Afghanistan,” with Earl Anthony Wayne, nonresident senior adviser at the Brookings Project on Prosperity and Development; Annie Pforzheimer, nonresident senior adviser at the Brookings Project on Prosperity and Development; Richard Olson, nonresident senior adviser at the Brookings Project on Prosperity and Development; and Daniel Runde, director of the Brookings Project on Prosperity and Development. https://www.csis.org/events/preventing-catastrophe-afghanistan

4:30 p.m. 222 Russell — Senate Armed Services Committee hearing: “United States nuclear deterrence policy and strategy, Sharon Weiner, associate professor at the school of international service american university; Matthew Kroeing, professor of government and foreign service Georgetown University; Lisa Gordon Hagerty, former administrator National Nuclear Security Administration; Madelyn Creedon, nonresident senior fellow on foreign policy Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology, Brookings Institute; Tom Collina, director of policy Ploughshares Fund. https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings

THURSDAY | JUNE 17

10 a.m. 106 Dirksen — Senate Appropriations Committee hearing: “A Review of the FY 2022 Department of Defense Budget Request.” https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/hearings

11 a.m. 2018 Rayburn — House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces hearing: “Department of the Navy Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Request for Seapower and Projection Forces,” with Jay Stefany, acting assistant secretary of the Navy; research, development and acquisition; Vice Adm. James Kilby, deputy chief of naval operations warfighting requirements and capabilities; and Lt. Gen. Eric Smith, commanding general, Marine Corps Combat Development Command. https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings

11 a.m. — Center for a New American Security virtual National Security Conference, with Chris Dougherty, senior fellow with the CNAS Defense Program, and former senior adviser to the deputy assistant defense secretary for strategy and force development. https://conference.cnas.org/schedule/

11 a.m. — Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies virtual discussion: “Great Power Competition in the Baltic Sea Region,” with Latvian Ambassador to the United States Maris Selga. https://sais.jhu.edu/campus-events

5 p.m. — Politics and Prose Bookstore virtual book discussion on Future War and the Defense of Europe, with co-authors John Allen, president of the Brookings Institution; Frederick Ben Hodges, chairman in strategic studies at the Center for European Policy Analysis; and Julian Lindley-French, senior fellow at the Institute of Statecraft. https://www.politics-prose.com/event/book

FRIDAY | JUNE 18

12 p.m. — Hudson Institute virtual discussion: “The Future of America’s Defense Industrial Base,” with former Defense Undersecretary for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord, senior fellow at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory; former Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary for Industrial Policy Jeffrey “Jeb” Nadaner, executive vice president for government and public affairs at Security America’s Future Energy; Arthur Herman, director of the Hudson Quantum Alliance Initiative; and Bryan Clark, director of the Hudson Center for Defense Concepts and Technology. https://www.hudson.org/events

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“We do not view NATO as a sort of a protection racket.”

President Joe Biden in a swipe at former President Donald Trump’s hardball tactics to pressure NATO members to meet their obligation to spend more on defense.

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