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CHRIS MEAGHER took a roundabout path to his recent role because the Pentagon’s top public affairs official, a post he was tapped for in September. Originally a newspaper reporter in Santa Barbara, Calif., Meagher worked nights to get his law degree while covering local politics throughout the day. He then hurried up the ranks of Democratic politics, working for 2 senators, a presidential hopeful and a governor. His last stint was as considered one of three deputy press secretaries within the White House.
The DoD job was not on his radar until Pentagon chief of staff KELLY MAGSAMEN reached out earlier this yr to debate replacing the outgoing JOHN KIRBY. Now that he’s in the new seat, our own LARA SELIGMAN caught up with him in his recent office within the Pentagon’s E-Ring to debate his vision because the Defense Department’s top communicator.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Lara: You’ve a really different background than a whole lot of your predecessors. What made you wish to come over to DoD?
Meagher: It wasn’t something that I used to be necessarily looking for out. I do not have a national security or foreign policy or military background. My brother served within the Air Force, my grandfathers each served within the Navy, so there’s some family history.
The more conversations I had with folks, the more it felt interesting and recent and exciting. Everyone who had experience working within the constructing at all times just brought up the indisputable fact that it was just different than politics: it’s mission-oriented, the people within the constructing are mission-oriented. That was something that was really attractive to me.
Lara: How do you think that your background outside the national security world informs the best way you see this job?
Meagher: Even on the White House I wasn’t a part of the Biden team. I got here from outside of Bidenworld, and I feel they valued that perspective since it was different. So, on this job, attempting to determine how I can slot in and offer perspective on ways of communicating that message is, I feel, what I bring to the table.
Lara: Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN is famously press shy. As his top communicator, how do you intend to approach that?
Meagher: I feel he’s very intentional and deliberate. He’s a really thoughtful person. He chooses his words correctly. He chooses what he does publicly fastidiously and intentionally, and I feel he has a mission. He has three buckets: caring for our people, succeeding through teamwork and defending the nation. So for me, I be certain that that he’s communicating in those buckets.
Lara: The role of Pentagon spokesperson has seen many alternative iterations: most recently Kirby held each the assistant to the secretary of Defense role and the press secretary job. Now we’ve a one-star general as press secretary and also you because the ATSD. How do you see approaching this role in partnership with Brig. Gen. PATRICK RYDER?
Meagher: He brings with him a whole lot of experience and knowledge and understanding of the military. I definitely bring my perspective, which might hopefully be helpful in a recent way. I feel you will likely eventually see each of us up there briefing. Possibly together, definitely one or the opposite. I’ll have the ability to handle some things that he cannot necessarily discuss in a uniform.
This has been done before. Kirby was a part of an identical setup [when he served as press secretary in the Obama administration as a one-star admiral]. So I feel we’ve an excellent working relationship and it is usually good to have more messengers on the market.
Lara: Austin has played a vital role in rallying support and military aid for Ukraine in its war with Russia. But when Republicans take the House, GOP leaders have signaled they could not support continued funding for the war at the identical level. Does this concern you?
Meagher: The secretary is consistently working to be certain that that Ukraine has the safety assistance it needs. Which means engaging with Congress. I feel you have seen strong bipartisan support, bicameral support, and I feel that we’ll proceed to interact with the Hill and be certain that that we’re answering their questions on how this assistance is being utilized.
Lara: Cabinet members often turn over at this point in an administration. Does Secretary Austin have any plans to go away his post, or will he stick around for all 4 years?
Meagher: I do not think he has any plans to go anywhere.
PEACE TALK SPLIT: An internal administration split has emerged between the Pentagon and the remainder of President JOE BIDEN’s team over the necessity for imminent Ukraine-Russia peace talks, The Latest York Times’ PETER BAKER reports.
Gen. MARK MILLEY, the Joint Chiefs chair, “has made the case in internal meetings that the Ukrainians have achieved about as much as they might reasonably expect on the battlefield before winter sets in and so that they should attempt to cement their gains on the bargaining table,” per Baker. Other senior Biden officials, while believing a negotiated peace will are available in due time, say “the moment is just not ripe and the US shouldn’t be seen as pressuring the Ukrainians to carry back while they’ve momentum.”
The story tracks with parts of what we reported in yesterday’s newsletter.
As well as, BIDENThursday told reporters “I don’t think the conflict will probably be resolved with Russia and Ukraine until [Russian President VLADIMIR] PUTIN gets out of Ukraine,” which followed comments by national security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN that “it’s ultimately as much as Ukraine to make determinations about its diplomatic course.”
And a senior administration official told NatSec Day by day that Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN “is committed to the principle that the Ukrainians could have to find out what the diplomacy looks like.”
But there are also members of the administration beyond those on the Pentagon who consider neither side can win militarily and that the winter provides a chance to achieve a political settlement to finish the war, in response to a U.S. official. The official declined to provide details on who else shares the view.
As for the Pentagon, it’s increasingly seeing each Russian and Ukrainian forces digging trenches on the front lines to cement their position for the winter, the official said. Defense officials consider there will probably be a “pause” within the fighting throughout the cold months, and that could be a natural moment to start talking a few potential political solution.
“It’s very difficult to unseat a military that’s in a defense, because the Russians came upon,” the official said. “It’s going to be very, very costly and difficult to kick the Russians out, costly when it comes to resources and lives. Can or not it’s done stays to be seen.”
Just take Kherson. Yes, Russian forces retreated, but now Ukraine goes to should fight across the river and take a look at to retake terrain on the opposite side — a particularly difficult military maneuver, the official said. The person was granted anonymity to debate internal assessments.
Milley was not, nevertheless, attempting to say that Ukraine should capitulate or cede any a part of its sovereign territory to Russia, the person said.
“Why not start talking about [peace talks] before you throw one other 100,000 lives into the abyss?” the person added.
ON KHERSON: Russian troops left the western bank of the Dnipro River around 5 a.m., the Russian Defense Ministry said, in response to the AP’s HANNA ARHIROVA and JOHN LEICESTER.
That features Kherson, which is the one provincial capital captured by Moscow during its invasion. Despite the retreat, nevertheless, Kremlin spokesperson DMITRY PESKOV said the region’s status is “fixed” — still considered a part of Russia.
In town, Ukrainian troops were greeted by jubilant crowds carrying yellow and blue flags, chanting victoriously. In a single video, a Ukrainian soldier is seen being lifted within the air by two people as their country’s flag flies over a monument in a central Kherson square. Still, Ukraine hasn’t declared town free from Russia yet. The town’s military intelligence agency said “an operation to liberate Kherson,” and the region is underway.
WANING SANCTION SUPPORT: U.S. officials based in Europe are issuing internal warnings to Washington colleagues that some countries with populations that support Russia are growing indignant over sanctions and blame the U.S. for rising costs, our own ERIN BANCO and PAUL MCLEARY reported Thursday.
Such pressure on European leaders could lead on to a decline in support for sanctions against Moscow, officials warned in internal reports circulated throughout the administration in recent days and viewed by POLITICO. Washington has buzzed with talks amongst top officials on the best way to keep leaders overseas on board with the U.S. strategy, two senior U.S. officials said.
DRINKS WITH NATSEC DAILY: At the tip of each long, hard week, we like to spotlight how a distinguished member of the worldwide national security and foreign policy scene prefers to unwind with a drink.
Today, we’re featuring RICHARD HAASS, the outgoing President and CEO of the Council on Foreign Relations. He told us that within the winter his drink of alternative is scotch — preferably Oban — or an Irish whiskey like Redbreast 12. These are at all times on the rocks.
But in the summertime, Haass switches to martinis. “At all times gin, never vodka,” he said, favoring Tanqueray 10 or Plymouth. “Prefer on the rocks but positive, straight up.”
And where is the CFR boss imbibing these positive nectars? “Best at home as gin kept within the freezer,” he said. “Don’t have a daily bar given my schedule.”
Cheers, Haass the Boss! (That’s what lowly CFR intern Alex called him back within the day.)
Read: Haass breaks down the foreign policy implications of the midterms.
THANK YOU: It’s Veterans Day, where we have a good time and thank the 19 million American veterans amongst us.
From CFR’s JAMES LINDSAY: “Just 1 percent of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II are still alive today. There are about 1 million Korean War veterans still alive today, 31,000 of that are women. Roughly 2.7 million Americans served in Vietnam between 1964 and 1975, of whom roughly 850,000 are still alive.”
IT’S FRIDAY, WELCOME TO THE WEEKEND: Thanks for tuning in to NatSec Day by day. This space is reserved for the highest U.S. and foreign officials, the lawmakers, the lobbyists, the experts and the people such as you who care about how the natsec sausage gets made. Aim your suggestions and comments at [email protected] and [email protected], and follow us on Twitter at @alexbward and @mattberg33.
Whilst you’re at it, follow the remainder of POLITICO’s national security team: @nahaltoosi, @woodruffbets, @politicoryan, @PhelimKine, @BryanDBender, @laraseligman, @connorobrienNH, @paulmcleary, @leehudson, @AndrewDesiderio, @magmill95, @ericgeller, @johnnysaks130 and @Lawrence_Ukenye.
HAITI MELTDOWN TESTS BIDEN: The Biden administration is struggling to seek out allies willing to assist form a multinational security force to assist stabilize Haiti, our own NAHAL TOOSI reports.
The Caribbean nation has struggled with soaring gang violence and political instability following the assassination of former President JOVENEL MOISE.
While Biden has successfully rebuilt alliances strained by former President DONALD TRUMP, none of Washington’s friends, including Canada, have been willing to step up attributable to fears of putting their very own security forces in danger in a dangerous environment.
Haitian Prime Minister ARIEL HENRY has asked for foreign intervention, but many activists have urged Biden to avoid stepping in and risk strengthening Henry which could further destabilize Haiti.
THREATS TO SAUDI ARABIA: The flight of two U.S. B-52 bombers over the Middle East announced on Thursday was a show-of-force message to Iran as American and Saudi officials continued to watch an imminent threat to Saudi Arabia, a senior Defense Department official told Lara.
Officials consider Tehran is planning an attack on the dominion, likely on energy infrastructure, the official said. American and Saudi officials are also monitoring an increased threat from Iran to Iraq, where the U.S. has 1000’s of troops and personnel spread across quite a lot of military bases, a second DoD official said.
Iranian officials consider Saudi Arabia helps anti-government protesters who’re fomenting unrest across the country, and that could be the motive for the threat, the primary DoD official said.
Read: Iran teaches Russia its tricks on beating oil sanctions
AUSTRALIAN CUSTOMERS HACKED: Australian officials need to hold Russia accountable for hacking Medibank, the country’s largest health insurer, and putting customers’ personal health records on the dark web, Associated Press’ ROB McGUIRK reports.
Australian Prime Minister ANTHONY ALBANESE, a Medibank customer, authorized police to disclose the source of the attack and notify Russian law enforcement.
“The nation where these attacks are coming from also needs to be held accountable for the disgusting attacks, and the discharge of data including very private and private information,” Albanese said.
Criminals continued dumping records on Friday after starting on Wednesday, including those involving HIV and drug treatments, which the group described because the “naughty list.”
NOT READY FOR TAKEOFF: Only 4 out of 49 several types of military aircraft met their goals of flight readiness in multiple years over the past decade, in response to a recent evaluation by the Government Accountability Office, our friends over at Morning Defense (for Pros!) report.
Greater than half of the fighter jets, helicopters and other aircraft that were evaluated “didn’t meet their annual mission capable goal in any fiscal yr,” the probe found.
The congressional investigators also concluded that the mission-capable rates for many aircraft “decreased from fiscal years 2011 through 2021.” Officials reported that contributing aspects were aging aircraft, maintenance challenges, and provide issues.
MARKEY MALARKEY: Sen. ED MARKEY (D-Mass.) is the most recent victim of Twitter’s verification policy after being impersonated by an account that featured the now widely-accessible blue checkmark. Markey took to Twitter to call out the fake account and criticize ELON MUSK’s verification strategy.
“Last night, I used to be easily impersonated and the account was quickly verified,” Markey tweeted this morning. “Safeguards like blue checks let users be smart, critical consumers of reports and data in Twitter’s global town square. Truth can’t be placed on sale for $8.”
The lawmaker joins a growing list of public figures being impersonated by fake accounts including former President GEORGE W. BUSH and NBA star LEBRON JAMES. The platform paused the subscription service for iPhone users on Friday following the surge in phony accounts, CNBC’s SOFIA PITT reports.
NO TELLING: China condemned the White House’s plan to transient Taiwan on the consequence of President Biden’s meeting with Chinese leader XI JINPING on Monday, Reuters’ MARTIN QUIN POLLARD and EDUARDO BAPTISTA reports.
“It’s egregious in nature,” ZHAO LIJIAN said, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson. “China is firmly against it.”
Sullivan, the national security adviser, announced on Thursday that the administration’s plan on informing Taipei concerning the results of the highly-anticipated meeting to make the self-governing island feel “secure and cozy”.
The meeting, set to be Biden and Xi’s first in-person conversation because the President took office, comes amid a low point in relations between each side. Beijing has acted increasingly aggressive within the Taiwan Strait following a string of U.S. congressional visits in the summertime.
— POLITICO’s ERIN BANCO is joining our national security team to cover the intelligence community. The Day by day Beast alum is moving over from our healthcare team where she brilliantly covered the Covid-19 crisis. So, NatSec Day by day fam, send her all of your IC scoops!
— Customs and Border Protection Commissioner CHRIS MAGNUS has been asked by Homeland Security Secretary ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS to resign or be fired, our own DANIEL LIPPMAN reports.
— ANASTASIIA CARRIER, POLITICO: BRITTNEY GRINER Is Headed to a Truly Horrific Place
— ALEXANDER GABUEV, The Atlantic:Putin’s Doomsday Scenario
— ISABELLE KHURSHUDYAN and KAMILA HRABCHUK, The Washington Post: Ukrainian security officers hunt the enemy inside: ‘agents’ for Russia
— Biden will travel to Cambodia on Saturday to take part in the U.S.-ASEAN Summit where he’ll meet Cambodia Prime Minister HUN SEN and leaders of other ASEAN countries to advertise human rights and economic cooperation.
— The Henry L. Stimson Center, 10 a.m.: “Ukraine and the Way forward for Air Warfare”
— The George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs, 12 p.m.:“Leadership Challenges in My Profession Journey” with Dr. KAREN DONFRIED
— The Brookings Institution, 2 p.m.:“U.S. Defense Innovation and Great Power Deterrence.”
— The Atlantic Council, 2 p.m.:Can Zeitenwende deliver? A conversation with LARS KLINGBEIL, chairman of the German SPD
— The Institute of World Politics, 3 p.m.:“The Ukraine War and the Caucasus: Is Russia Losing Each?”
Have a natsec-centric event coming up? Transitioning to a recent defense-adjacent or foreign policy-focused gig? Shoot me an email at [email protected] to be featured in the subsequent edition of the newsletter.
Due to our editor, Heidi Vogt, who would never leak concerning the internal disagreements over this text.
And we thank our producer, Kierra Frazier, who everyone agrees with.