BREAKING: The Naming Commission recommends renaming 9 @USArmy bases so they are no longer named for Confederate generals:
Fort Bragg -> Fort Liberty
Fort Hood -> Fort Cavazos
Fort Rucker -> Fort Novosel
Fort Polk -> Fort Johnson
(cont.)
MORE: Naming Commission recommendations
Fort Benning -> Fort Moore
Fort Gordon -> Fort Eisenhower
Fort AP Hill -> Fort Walker
Fort Lee -> Fort Gregg-Adams
Fort Pickett -> Fort Barfoot
"We believe these new names will inspire...names that reflect the best of the United States Army" per Naming Commission Vice Chair ret @USArmy BrigGen Ty Seidule
US, Western backing for #Ukraine something to worry about HASC Chair @RepAdamSmith tells @CFR_org, noting the number of lawmakers who voted against the last aid package
"It's been a solid 3 months...but this is a long term play" he says "What is going to be our attention span?"
"We need a little strategic ambiguity on that one" per @RepAdamSmith "Right now, let's just focus on pushing #Russia out of what they have taken in the last 3 months"
#Finland@NATO membership-"#Turkey's objection...we are still in the assessment phase, trying to figure out how serious the demands & objections are" @FINambUS Mikko Hautala tells @BrookingsInst
"We intend to discuss w/the Turks...This process is going on right now"
"This is a discussion we are having w/the Turkish gvt right now" per @SWEambUSA Karin Olofsdotter tells @BrookingsInst re: #Tukrey's objection to @NATO membership
"#Sweden of course is a very strong ally in all issues that deals w/terrorism & anti-terrorism" she adds
"The #EuropeanUnion has had #PKK on its terrorist list since 2002, so we have always been there for that" per @SWEambUSA
"We have been operating w/some of these organizations in #Syria, as the #UnitedStates has done, as many other Europeans have done"
Happening now: US @SecDef Lloyd Austin & @thejointstaff Chairman Gen Mark Milley brief following a virtual meeting of the 40+ member #Ukrainian Defense Contact Group
.@SecDef calls virtual mtg "highly constructive", giving contact group members a chance to hear from key #Ukraine officials, inlcu DefMin @oleksiireznikov
Says attendees got a "a sharper" sense of Ukraine's needs
.@SecDef praised countries for new pledges of security assistance to #Ukraine - "We're intensifying our efforts"
Austin said numerous countries contributing ammo, artillery
"We're constantly monitoring the threat environment w/escalation management clearly in mind" per @PentagonPresSec on US aid to #Ukraine "it would be irresponsible if we didn't do that"
"As we work these pkgs, these weapons & systems that we're sending to #Ukraine...we're doing it mostly with an eye towards what does Ukraine need in the fight that they're in right now" per @PentagonPresSec
"The consistent answer that we get back is they need long range fires"
"Our focus is on making sure that we can advantage #Ukraine on the battlefield & therefore hopefully advantage them when it comes to an ultimate peace there" per @PentagonPresSec
...this despite Russian claims its used a new generation of lasers to counter drones
US assesses #Russia is behind where it wants to be as far as progress in the #Donbas, w/Russian progress slow, uneven, per @PentagonPresSec
Says every day there are "hamlets towns and villages that are changing hands" between Russia & #Ukraine
US @SecDef Lloyd Austin to virtually host meeting of the #Ukraine Contact Group this coming Monday - more than 40 nations expected to take part, per @PentagonPresSec