"I also am concerned about the effect it [US force posture in #Europe] has on our partnerships" per @RepAdamSmith
"We definitely need friends & allies more than ever..." he says, referring to @NATO
"If we do things to undermine the alliance in what appears to be a gratuitous way, without working w/them, without listening to them, it undermines the strength of that alliance and plays right into #Russia's hands" per @RepAdamSmith
"Some of these moves seem to make sense on their face, for example, moving @US_EUCOM to be close to #NATO headquarters, having a greater presence in the #Balkans" per HASC ranking member @MacTXPress "But there needs to be an overall strategic plan that is coordinated w/allies"
"This concept to reposition our forces in Europe constitutes a major strategic shift" per @DeptofDefense Acting UnderSec for Policy James Anderson, but says it is "fully in-line w/the NDS [National Defense Strategy]"
"Large formations of permanent forces can present vulnerabilities & are not best suited to respond to emergent threats" per @thejointstaff Dir for Strategy, Plans & Policy LtGen David Allvin
"Episodic introduction of forces across the region presents dilemmas to potential adversaries while providing the secretary & the president w/the flexibility & capacity to rapidly respond to emergent threats across the globe" adds LtGen Allvin
"The basic advantage of rotational forces is that they provide additional flexibility" @DeptofDefense's Anderson tells @RepAdamSmith when pressed on move away from permanent forces
"That is the main advantage"
"Flexibility to do what?" asks @RepAdamSmith "What are the downsides?"
"I don't see any downsides" per @DeptofDefense's Anderson "There is a cost involved in transitioning..." adding still value in some cases to have permanent forces, like with key airbases
"Prior to the public rollout, we did speak w/our @NATO allies" Anderson says of July announcement about pulling almost 12,000 troops from #Germany
"I've met w/several either ambassadors or defense ministers & my sense is that this caught them all by surprise" per @MacTXPress
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HAPPENING NOW - US intelligence chiefs testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee:
@ODNIgov Dir Avril Haines
@CIA Dir William Burns
@FBI Dir Christoper Wray
@NSAGov Dir Gen Timothy Haugh
@DefenseIntel Dir LtGen Jeffrey Krause
@StateDept Asst Sec for Intel Brett Holmgren
Noting that the current era is as challenging as ever, with a wide variety of threats, Senate Intelligence Committee Chair @MarkWarner calls for "redefining what we think of" when it comes to national security
@MarkWarner "We are no even seeing the possibility of foreign adversaries weaponizing space" in ways that could be detrimental to US way of life, per @MarkWarner
NEW: @FBI joins White House, Senate intelligence committee chair in sounding alarm about foreign interference in #Election2024
"This election cycle, the US will face more adversaries, moving at a faster pace & enabled by new technology
per Dir Christopher Wray at @INSAlliance
#ArtificialIntelligence advances "lowering the barrier to entry-making it easier for both more & less-sophisticated foreign adversaries to engage in malign influence" per @FBI's Wray
"Making foreign influence efforts by players old and&new more realistic & difficult to detect"
@FBI Where are US adversaries focused?
“The attack surface for the bad guys is the private sector” per @FBI's Wray "The intelligence that we need is in the hands of the private sector, often”
NEW: US worried about #Russia seeking to interfere in #Election2024
"Of course there are concerns" White House Nat'l Security Adviser @JakeSullivan46 tells @MeetThePress
"There's plenty of reason to be concerned" per @JakeSullivan46
"There is a history here in presidential elections by the #Russia|n Federation, by its intelligence services" he says
"We are going to be vigilant"
Concerns about #Russia|n interference in #Election2024 "not about politics" per @JakeSullivan46
"This is about national security. It is about a foreign country, a foreign adversary seeking to manipulate the politics & democracy of the United States of America."
NEW: US confirms #Houthis using "various #Iran|ian-origin missiles & unmanned aerial vehicles" in their attacks on shipping in the #RedSea #GulfofAden
Conclusion based on new analysis by @DefenseIntel
The assessment is based on information current as January 2024 - including a "comparative analysis of publicly available images of #Iran|ian missiles & UAVs to those displayed & employed by #Houthi forces in #Yemen to attack commercial shipping" per @DefenseIntel
US @DefenseIntel on #Iran|ian drones in #Houthi arsenal:
-Sayad (Sammad) - range of 1800km
-Shahed-136 - range of 2500km
-Waid-1 (version of the Shahed-131) - range of 900km
AQ "established up to 8 new training camps in Afghanistan, including four in #Ghazni, #Laghman, #Parwan & #Uruzgan Provinces w/a new base to stockpile weaponry in the #Panjshir Valley" per new @UN report
The new #alQaida camps appear to be "conducting suicide bomber training for TTP [Tehrik-i-Taliban #Pakistan]" per the @UN report
Intelligence provided by @UN member states also notes #alQaida is operating madrasas in #Laghman, #Kunar, #Nangarhar, #Nuristan & #Parwan provinces
AQ also "maintains safe houses to facilitate the movement between #Afghanistan & the Islamic Republic of #Iran"
NEW: @usairforce disciplines 15 Air National Guard members as a result of the so-called Discord intel leak this past April
Inspector General report cited lax inspections, lack of guidance & lack of supervision as contributing factors in the leaks by 21-year-old Jack Teixeira
"The IG investigation found individuals in Teixeira’s unit failed to take proper action after becoming aware of his intelligence-seeking activities..." per @usairforce statement
"...However, the investigation did not find evidence that members of Teixeira’s supervisory chain were aware of his alleged unauthorized disclosures" per @usairforce