WICKER AMENDMENT ADDS $25 BILLION FOR DOD: Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services committee, succeeded in persuading a bipartisan majority on the committee to join his crusade to increase the Pentagon’s spending authority substantially despite last year’s debt ceiling deal that, under law, limits growth in defense spending in fiscal 2025 to 1%.
By a 22-3 vote on Friday, the committee advanced a version of the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, which authorizes a $25 billion plus-up over the cap. Wicker argued that because the NDAA is an authorization bill, not an appropriations bill, it is not technically subject to spending caps mandated by the Fiscal Responsibility Act negotiated between former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden a year ago. It will be up to the Appropriations Committee to decide if it wants to go along.
“My amendment to increase the budget topline is a down payment, and it keeps advancing the discussion,” Wicker said in a statement. “Negotiations need a starting point, and this is not the end. I will not give up on reaching a defense level that meets the moment.”
Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tom Cotton (R-AR), and committee Chairman Jack Reed (D-NH) were the only no votes. “I regret that I needed to vote against passage of this bill because it includes a funding increase that cannot be appropriated without breaking lawful spending caps and causing unintended harm to our military,” Reed said in a statement. “I appreciate the need for greater defense spending to ensure our national security, but I cannot support this approach.”
BY THE NUMBERS: The Armed Services Committee version of the NDAA now goes to the Senate floor for consideration and amendment. It supports a total of $923.3 billion, as U.S. defense spending moves closer to $1 trillion a year. Here are the numbers:
The Senate bill is at variance with the House version of the annual policy bill in several respects aside from the overall top line, which in the version that passed the full House last week on a narrow party-line vote is set at the $883.7 billion.
For one, it supports the Air Force’s request to move some “space functions” from the Air National Guard to the Space Force, with a limit on how many forces can be reassigned. The House NDAA requires the permission of a state’s governor to make the move.
The House bill would also cut 10 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters from the Pentagon’s request, while the Senate version would keep procurement for 2025 at 68 additional jets.
The Senate bill authorizes a 4.5% pay raise for members of the military and a 2% raise for civilian employees of the Department of Defense. In addition, junior enlisted service members in the grades of E-1 through E-3 would get an increase in monthly basic pay, but a summary released by the committee did not specify the amount of the increase. The House version includes a 19.5% increase for junior enlisted service members.
HOUSE NDAA IN THE BOOKS: On Friday, the full House passed its version of the NDAA on a 217-199 vote that included only six Democrats and sets up a confrontation over a host of culture war issues, including access to abortion services, transgender healthcare, and diversity policies.
“House Republicans have once again put their own extremist agenda over strengthening U.S. national security,” said Reps. Marilyn Strickland (D-WA) and Jason Crow (D-CO), leaders of a coalition of House Democrats. “Through their hyper-partisan amendment process, they transformed a commonsense, bipartisan package into one laden with extremist policy riders and poison pills.”
“This year’s NDAA will help restore merit to our military, protect service members’ families from critical race theory indoctrination, and get rid of left-wing bureaucrats at DOD,” said Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) in his role as chairman of the “Anti-Woke Caucus.”
Banks cited provisions in the House NDAA, which include:
“An apolitical military is crucial to boosting recruitment and cohesion and refocusing the services on fighting and winning wars so that America is ready to take on the Chinese Communist Party,” Banks said.
HOUSE PASSES ANNUAL DEFENSE BILL WITH SIGNIFICANT MILITARY PAY RAISE
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HAPPENING TODAY: President Joe Biden meets with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in the Oval Office of the White House at 3:30 p.m.
UKRAINE, RUSSIA EXCHANGE PEACE PROPOSALS: ‘YOU SURENDER, NO YOU SURRENDER’: As delegations from some 100 nations attended a conference in Switzerland over the weekend aimed at setting conditions for an end to the war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin railed against Ukraine for rejecting his peace overtures and set out his demands for a permanent peace.
In a lengthy Friday session with senior officials of the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry in Moscow, Putin portrayed himself as the aggrieved party whose various peace proposals over the years were unceremoniously rebuffed by Ukraine. His latest demand is that Ukraine cede all the territory Russia now occupies in four southern provinces, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, plus forswear any future membership in NATO while agreeing to disarm a large portion of its military.
“Today, we are presenting another concrete and genuine peace proposal,” Putin said, according to the Kremlin transcript. “If Kyiv and Western capitals reject it again, as they have done before, then ultimately, it becomes their responsibility, both political and moral, for the ongoing bloodshed. Clearly, the situation on the front lines will continue to evolve unfavorably for the Kyiv regime, altering the conditions necessary for initiating negotiations.”
At the conference in Switzerland, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky quickly dismissed the suggestion as one that “cannot be trusted.”
“No ultimatums are negotiations. Any ultimatums for Putin are pauses; he needs these pauses to prepare his military,” Zelensky posted on X yesterday.
PEACE CONFERENCE ENDORSES UKRAINE’S ‘TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY’: At the conclusion of the weekend conference in Obburgen, Switzerland, 78 countries signed on to a joint communique calling for Ukraine’s “territorial integrity” to be the basis for any peace agreement.
“The United Nations Charter, including the principles of respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states, can and will serve as a basis in achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine,” the document said. It also called for all nuclear energy and nuclear installations to be secured, the free flow of Ukrainian food and agricultural products, and the release and exchange of all prisoners of war.
“Independence, territorial integrity, and sovereignty were recognized by absolutely all participants of the summit — the majority of the world,” Zelensky said at a news conference. “This provides powerful support for Ukraine.”
“What is most interesting in watching these last two days is the split screen of this weekend with what we heard from President Putin as he laid out his vision for peace a couple of days ago, where he said not only does Ukraine have to give up the territory that Russia currently occupies, but Ukraine has to leave additional sovereign Ukrainian territory before Russia will negotiate. And Ukraine must disarm so that it is vulnerable to future Russian aggression down the road,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said at the conclusion of the Global Peace Convention. “No responsible nation can say that is a reasonable basis for peace. It defies the U.N. Charter, it defies basic morality, it defies basic common sense.”
ISW: ‘PUTIN NOT INTERESTED IN GOOD-FAITH NEGOTIATIONS’: The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said Putin “only feigns interest in negotiations in specific instances as part of a wider informational effort to seduce the West to preemptively make concessions that would violate Ukraine’s sovereignty.”
“Putin is unlikely to be interested in good faith negotiations for the foreseeable future given that he recently outlined a theory of Russian victory in Ukraine based on the assumption that Russian forces are capable of indefinite creeping advances on the battlefield to outlast Western support for Ukraine,” the ISW said in its latest Ukraine war assessment.
UKRAINE DEBATES WHETHER TO CONSCRIPT CLERGY AS RUSSIA WAR RAGES
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: Houthi attacks on commercial vessels continue unimpeded
Washington Examiner: IDF announces daily tactical pauses on Gaza humanitarian aid route to increase flow
Washington Examiner: Hamas doesn’t ‘have any idea’ how many Israeli hostages are alive
Washington Examiner: State Department sanctions right-wing Israeli group for blocking aid to Gaza
Washington Examiner: Ukraine debates whether to conscript clergy as Russia war rages
Washington Examiner: US submarine arrives in Cuba a day after Russian navy docked in Havana
Washington Examiner: Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua used border chaos to infiltrate US
Washington Examiner: Newsom blitzes California border with National Guard to stop fentanyl
Washington Examiner: US targeted Islamic State group leader in airstrike last month: Report
Washington Examiner: House passes annual defense bill with significant military pay raise
Washington Examiner: Opinion: Biden’s foolish plan for post-war Gaza
AP: 78 countries at Swiss conference agree Ukraine’s territorial integrity must be basis of any peace
Washington Post: Putin demands Ukraine surrender four regions to stop war
Politico: ‘One Hand Tied Around the Back’: Europe Presses US to Lift Ukraine Weapons Limits
Washington Post: Philippines turns up heat over disputed sea but confronts formidable foe
AP: China blames Philippines for a ship collision in the South China Sea, which Manila says is deceptive
AP: US aircraft carrier counters false Houthi claims with ‘Taco Tuesdays’ as deployment stretches on
Bloomberg: Pentagon Deal With Musk’s Starlink in Ukraine Extended Six Months for $14 Million
AP: Japan Has No Plans to Seek a Suspension of Osprey Flights Despite Restrictions in US
Air & Space Forces Magazine: No More Ops Groups, Allvin Says, Promising First ‘Combat Wings’ in ’26
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Space Force Adds New Company to Compete with SpaceX, ULA for NSSL Launches
Defense News: Missile Defense Agency Satellites Track First Hypersonic Launch
Breaking Defense: First Flight of New Air Force One Jet Slips to 2026, Air Force Says
Military.com: State Air Guard Units Could Be Moved to Space Force Despite Governors’ Opposition Under Senate Proposal
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Senators Want to Block F-22 and F-15E Retirements, Require Study on Air Superiority
The War Zone: Inside the First F-15EX Wing Commander’s Plans to Speed the Newest Eagle into Service
Air & Space Forces Magazine: China Expert Says There’s ‘No Evidence’ PRC On a High-End War Footing
Aviation Week: Taiwan Still Evaluating Airbus, Boeing Tanker Options
DefenseScoop: DISA to Get New Director, CYBERCOM Defense Arm New Commander
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Opinion: Sentinel: The Non-Negotiable Defense Investment
Defense One: Opinion: It’s Not Too Late to Cancel the Pentagon’s Next ICBM
AP: Chinese premier promises more pandas for Australia
THE CALENDAR:
MONDAY | JUNE 17
10 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Unpacking the European Parliament Election Results,” with Sophia Russack, researcher, Center for European Policy Studies’s Institutions Unit; R. Daniel Kelemen, chairnan, Georgetown University School of Public Policy and CSIS nonresident senior associate; Donatienne Ruy, director, CSIS Leadership Academy; and Ilke Toygur, director, IE University Global Policy Center and CSIS nonresident senior associate https://www.csis.org/events/unpacking-european-parliament-election-results
10 a.m. — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace virtual discussion: “How Does the Israel-Hamas War End?” with former White House Special Envoy for Middle East Humanitarian Issues David Satterfield, director of Rice University’s Institute for Public Policy https://carnegieendowment.org/events/2024/06/how-does-the-israel-hamas-war-end
11 a.m. — Wilson Center virtual discussion: “What to Expect from the Washington Summit: A Conversation with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg,” with Mark Green, Wilson Center president and CEO, and Philip Reeker, chairman, Global Europe Program, Albright Stonebridge Group https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/what-expect-washington-summit
1 p.m. 58 East 68th St., New York, N.Y. — Council on Foreign Relations Zoom book discussion: Lost Decade: The U.S. Pivot to Asia and the Rise of Chinese Power, with co-author Robert Blackwill, CFR senior fellow, and co-author Richard Fontaine, CEO, Center for a New American Security. RSVP: [email protected]
3 p.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute discussion of a new report, “Deterring China: Imposing Nonmilitary Costs to Preserve Peace in the Taiwan Strait,” with co-author John Lee, Hudson senior fellow; Thomas Duesterberg, Hudson senior fellow; and Aaron MacLean, Hudson senior fellow https://www.hudson.org/events/deterring-china
8 p.m. — Jews United for Democracy and Justice virtual discussion: “After the War: A Plausible Proposal For Life in Gaza,” with former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Turkey, and Albania James Jeffrey, chairman, Wilson Center Middle East Program; Thomas Warrick, director, Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security; and Warren Olney, former host and producer of To The Point https://www.jewsunitedfordemocracy.org/event/june-17-jeffrey-warrick-olney/
TUESDAY | JUNE 18
8 a.m. — George Washington University Project for Media and National Security Zoom discussion of the Congressional report: “Preventing, Countering, and Responding to Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism: Nuclear Threats,” with Stephen Flynn, chairman, WMD Nuclear Terrorism Committee; and Michael Janicke, senior staff director RSVP: Thom Shanker at [email protected]. https://nationalsecuritymedia.gwu.edu
9 a.m. 1250 South Hayes St., Arlington, Virginia — Defense One annual Tech Summit: “How innovations of today and tomorrow will shape national security, defense strategy, and great power competition,” with Maynard Holliday, assistant secretary for critical technologies, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering; Frank Peterkin, principal director for directed energy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Critical Technologies; Jarret Lafleur, senior adviser to the principal director for hypersonics for strike systems strategy and policy, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering; and Stefanie Tompkins, director, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, https://events.defenseone.com/tech-summit
9:30 a.m. 501 Langston Blvd., Arlington, Virginia — Air & Space Forces Association in-person and virtual discussion with Lt. Gen. Adrian Spain, deputy chief of staff for operations, Air Force https://www.afa.org/events/air-space-warfighters-in-action-lt-gen-adrian-spain/
10 a.m. 192 Dirksen — Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing: “A Review, President’s FY2025 Budget Request for the National Guard and Reserves,” with testimony from Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief, National Guard Bureau; Lt. Gen. Jody Daniels, chief, Army Reserve; Vice Adm. John Mustin, chief, Navy Reserve; Lt. Gen. Leonard Anderson, commander, Marine Corps Reserve; and Lt. Gen. John Healy, chief, Air Force Reserve http://appropriations.senate.gov
10 a.m. 253 Russell — Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee markup of S. 4207, the “Spectrum and National Security Act of 2024” http://commerce.senate.gov
10 a.m. 342 Dirksen — Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing: “Origins of COVID-19: An Examination of Available Evidence” http://www.hsgac.senate.gov
11 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute book discussion: Lost Decade: The U.S. Pivot to Asia and the Rise of Chinese Power, with co-author Robert Blackwill, Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow for U.S. foreign policy and former U.S. ambassador to India, and co-author Richard Fontaine, CEO, Center for a New American Security https://www.hudson.org/events/asia-centric-geopolitics-future-us-foreign-policy-china
12 p.m. — Center for a New American Security virtual discussion: “Back to the Drafting Board: U.S. Capabilities for Deterring and Winning in Protracted Conflict,” with Katherine Kuzminski, CNAS deputy director of studies, and Andrew Metrick, fellow, CNAS Defense Program https://www.cnas.org/events/event-back-to-the-drafting-board
2 p.m. 342 Dirksen — Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Investigations Subcommittee hearing: “Boeing’s broken safety culture,” with testimony from Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun http://www.hsgac.senate.gov
2:30 p.m. 419 Dirksen — Senate Foreign Relations Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism Subcommittee hearing: “FY2025 Budget Request for the Middle East and North Africa,” with testimony from Barbara Leaf, assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs, and Jeanne Pryor, deputy assistant administrator of U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau for the Middle East http://foreign.senate.gov
WEDNESDAY | JUNE 19 | JUNETEENTH
Juneteenth is a federal holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved Black people in Texas on June 19, 1865
8 a.m. — Jews United for Democracy and Justice virtual discussion: “How Oct. 7 Has Forced Jews to Reckon With Israel,” with Noah Feldman, professor of law at Harvard University, and Larry Mantle, host of NPR’s AirTalk with Larry Mantle https://www.jewsunitedfordemocracy.org/event/june-19
12 p.m. — SETA Foundation at Washington D.C. virtual book discussion: “Mapping the Fault Lines in Turkey-U.S. Relations: Making the Vulnerable Partnership,” with author Kilic Kanat, SETA research director, and Kadir Ustun, SETA executive director https://setadc.org/events/book-discussion-mapping-the-fault-lines
THURSDAY | JUNE 20
8:30 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute discussion: “Transatlantic Relations ahead, Washington Summit,” with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), co-chairwoman, NATO Observer Group, and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), co-chairman, NATO Observer Group https://www.hudson.org/events/transatlantic-relations-ahead-washington-summit
11 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion: “Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy,” with House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH); Heather Williams, director, CSIS Project on Nuclear Issues; and Kari Bingen, director, CSIS Aerospace Security Project https://www.csis.org/events/nuclear-weapons-and-foreign-policy
12 p.m. 188 Russell — McCain Institute fireside chat on “the importance of NATO and the fight for freedom and democracy around the world,” with Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and John Boozman (R-AR) https://www.mccaininstitute.org/d-day-event
FRIDAY | JUNE 21
10:30 a.m. 1701 Pennsylvania Ave NW — Center for a New American Security virtual discussion: ‘AUKUS: Taking Stock and Looking Forward,” with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA); Madeline Mortelmans, acting assistant secretary of defense for strategies, plans, and capabilities; Paul Myler, deputy head of mission Embassy of Australia, Washington, D.C.; Matthew Steinhelfer, AUKUS senior adviser, U.S. State Department; Trevor Taylor, director, Defence, Industries, and Society Programme; Nishank Motwani, senior analyst, Australian Strategic Policy Institute; Lisa Curtis, senior fellow and director, CNAS Indo-Pacific Security Program; and Philip Shetler-Jones, senior research fellow, Indo-Pacific security, Royal United Services Institute https://www.cnas.org/events/virtual-event-aukus-taking-stock
10:30 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute discussion: “The Black Sea Region as a Global Inflection Point,” with Romanian Foreign Minister Luminita-Teodora Odobescu https://www.hudson.org/events/black-sea-region-global-inflection-point
12:30 p.m. 300 First St. SE — Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies discussion: “Immigration Policy and Enforcement: A Debate on the Right,” with Michael Buschbacher, partner at Boyden Gray; John Ehrett, chief counsel to Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO); Gene Hamilton, executive director, executive vice president and general counsel, America First Legal Foundation; and Ryan Newman, general counsel to the Florida executive office https://fedsoc.org/events/immigration-policy-enforcement-a-debate