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The US began ramping up ammunition production last year when it became clear that the war would drag on far longer than anticipated. But the ammunition will still take “years” to mass produce to acceptable levels, National Security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN Sunday. Ukrainian troops now typically fire between 2,000 and 3,000 artillery shells per day at Russian forces, a US defense official told CNN. It was necessary, though, because of how low US stockpiles are, Sullivan told CNN Sunday. “All of us have had to struggle stimulating our supply chains, some of which went to sleep,” he told CNN.

Persons: Ben Wallace, that’s, Jake Sullivan, haven’t, –, Defense Lloyd Austin, John Kirchhofer, Mark Milley, Joe Biden, Sullivan, Biden, “, ”, ” Sullivan, ” Nebraska Republican Sen, Deb Fischer, Lockheed Martin, Fischer, ” Fischer, I’m, ‘, Ellen Lovett, ” Lovett, ” Wallace, ” Said, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Rishi Sunak, Murat Kula, Charles Q, Brown, Jr Organizations: Washington CNN, NATO, CNN, US, National, CNN Sunday, Pentagon, The Defense Department, EyePress, Reuters, Defense, Defense Intelligence Agency’s, Joint Chiefs, Staff, National Press Club, ” Nebraska Republican, Senate’s Armed Services, Lockheed, “, Britain's, Anadolu Agency, Getty, European Union, EU, DoD, US Air Force, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Defense Industrial Base Locations: Europe, Ukraine, Russia, Berlin, Swiss, Germany, Switzerland, Ukrainian, Kreminna, Luhansk, “, United States, Vilnius

CNN —Taiwan’s Vice President Lai Ching-Te is expected to transit the US next month en route to Paraguay, the island’s presidential office announced at a news conference Monday. The Biden administration expects the transit to occur “without incident,” a senior administration official said Sunday. The transit comes as the Biden administration is working to regularize the pace of diplomacy with Beijing, with three top administration officials visiting China in the last month. “These transits of senior officials are unofficial in keeping with our US One China policy,” the official said, calling the transits fairly common. Candidates from other political parties may also visit the US later this year, but the senior administration official did not provide detail about future possible trips.

Persons: CNN —, Lai Ching, Biden, ”, Lai, We’ve, hasn’t, China’s, Mao Ning, ’, ” Mao, Tsai Ing, Kevin McCarthy, John Kerry, Antony Blinken, Janet Yellen, “ We’ve Organizations: CNN, US, ”, Democratic Progressive Party, Communist Party, Foreign Ministry, Biden, Presidential Locations: Paraguay, Beijing, China, Taiwan, Lai, Washington, California, Ukraine

☆ Cluster munitions: US to send munitions banned by over 100 nations to Ukraine after months of debate
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Over 100 countries, including the UK, France, and Germany, have outlawed the munitions under the Convention on Cluster Munitions, but the US and Ukraine are not signatories to the ban. Ryder said the Russians have been using cluster munitions with a dud rate of as high as 40%. Biden reluctant at firstBiden was reluctant at first, officials told CNN, given how many countries worldwide have banned the munitions. It is not clear whether the heavy amount of artillery ammunition the Ukrainians have been expending day-to-day would be sustainable without the cluster munitions if the counteroffensive drags on, officials and military analysts said. Russia’s Ambassador to Belarus Boris Gryzlov said the US decision was “a move of desperation.”“As part of the continued assistance to the Kiev regime, Washington is considering the possibility of sending cluster munitions to Ukraine.

Persons: Jake Sullivan, Biden, “ I’m, ” Sullivan, “, It’s, Joe Biden, Colin Kahl, Boris Pistorias, ” Biden, Patrick Ryder, Kahl, Ryder, Belarus Boris Gryzlov, ”, ” Gryzlov Organizations: CNN, National, Patriot Missile, Pentagon, Defense Department, Munitions, Ukraine, Cluster Munitions, Rights Watch, Foreign, Department of Defense Locations: Ukraine, Russia, France, Germany, Berlin, China, U.S, United States, Belarus, Kiev, Washington, Russian, Ukrainian

Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin is not even in Belarus, Lukashenko told CNN – he is in Russia, Lukashenko claimed. Available satellite imagery has also not shown any signs of the kind of preparations and security that would be standard at a Russian nuclear facility. Russia has the world’s largest arsenal of nuclear weapons, with 4,477 deployed and reserve nuclear warheads, including around 1,900 tactical nuclear weapons, according to the Federation of American Scientists. “Putin does not need tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus to use those weapons,” Bergmann added. “But it is concerning to the US that tactical nuclear weapons could potentially be co-located in Belarus with Wagner fighters.

Persons: Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Lukashenko, CNN –, Alexander Zemlianichenko, Vladimir Putin, Putin, ”, Max Bergmann, “ Putin, ” Bergmann, Lukashenko’s, Alexander Nemenov, Angela, Prigozhin, Leonid Kasinsky, ” Lukashenko Organizations: CNN, Wagner Group, Wagner PMC, Federation of American Scientists, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Directorate of, Ministry of Defense, Soviet Union, Experts, NATO, European Union, Lithuanian President’s Communication, Georgetown University, Kremlin, Wagner, Russian Ministry of Defense Locations: Russia, Europe, Belarus, Russian, Minsk, Belarusian, Tsel, Soviet, Vilnius, Lithuania, AFP, Poland, Belarus US, St . Petersburg

CNN —Russian fighter jets harassed an American drone operating over Syria for the second time in two days, according to the US Air Force, a sign of increasing friction between the two countries in Middle East airspace. On Thursday, a US MQ-9 Reaper drone was conducting a mission against ISIS targets in northwest Syria when Russian fighter jets approached, Air Force Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich said in a statement about the incident. Video of the encounter released by Air Force Central Command shows two Russian fighters flying near the US drone. In the Wednesday encounter, the Russian jets dropped parachute flares in front of the US drones, forcing the drones to take evasive maneuvers. In March, a Russian SU-27 fighter jet collided with a US MQ-9 Reaper drone in international airspace over the Black Sea.

Persons: Alex Grynkewich, Michael Andrews, ” Grynkewich, Bashar al, Assad, ”, Brig, Pat Ryder Organizations: CNN, US Air Force, ISIS, Air Force, Air Force Central Command, Coalition, Russian, French Rafale, French Armed Forces, Pentagon Locations: Russian, Syria, Middle East, Iraq, Russia

☆ Biden administration could soon approve sending controversial cluster munitions to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“These would undoubtedly have a significant battlefield impact,” a US official told CNN. Changing battlefield conditions inside Ukraine over the last two weeks have prompted US officials to give the cluster munitions renewed and serious consideration, officials told CNN. Administration officials also believe they have managed to alleviate some allies’ concerns about the US transferring the munitions, officials said. DPICMs stands for dual-purpose improved conventional munitions, the official name for the type of cluster munitions that the US has in its stockpile. He previously told CNN that with the cluster munitions, “Ukraine will finish this war much faster, to the benefit of everybody.”“Russia is extensively using the old styles, the most barbaric styles, of cluster munitions against Ukraine,” Goncharenko told CNN in December.

Persons: Washington CNN —, Biden, Clodagh Kilcoyne, –, ” Laura Cooper, DPICMs, Cooper, ”, Joe Biden, Oleksiy Goncharenko, ” Goncharenko, “ Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, White, Administration, Human Rights Watch, Pentagon, Foreign, Central Command, US State Department, State Department Locations: Ukraine, France, Germany, Ukrainian, Russia, Russian, Syria, Eurasia

☆ Wagner chief Prigozhin is in Belarus following armed rebellion, Lukashenko says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Katharina Krebs Paul P. Murphy Natasha Bertrand Jennifer Hansler Helen Regan | Katharina Krebs | Paul P. Murphy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“I want everyone to know about this: the maintenance of the entire Wagner group was fully provided for by the state,” Putin claimed. “In terms of nuclear weapons, most of them were already brought to Belarus, I won’t say how many. It’s surprising that they didn’t trace it,” Lukashenko said, according to Belarus state media. “Russians and Belarusians are guarding it… No Wagner fighters will guard nuclear weapons. This is our task.”If Lukashenko’s remarks are correct, it would be the first time Belarus has had nuclear weapons on its territory since the early 1990s.

Persons: CNN — Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, “, ” Lukashenko, hasn’t, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Putin, ”, BlackSky, ” Putin, Putin’s, ” “, Brian Nelson, ’ Wagner, Lukashenko, CNN Lukashenko –, –, ” Wagner, Prigozhin Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Federal Security Service, Defense Ministry, Prigozhin, European Union, Wagner, US Treasury Department, Wagner Group, Central African, Treasury, Belarus ‘ Locations: Belarus, Rostov, Belarusian, Minsk, Moscow, Russian, Concord, Africa, Sudan, Ukraine, Central African Republic, Mali, United States, Luhansk, Russia

☆ US gathered detailed intelligence on Wagner chief’s rebellion plans but kept it secret from most allies
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Natasha Bertrand Alex Marquardt Kylie Atwood Kevin Liptak | Natasha Bertrand | Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Washington CNN —US intelligence officials were able to gather an extremely detailed and accurate picture of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s plans leading up to his short-lived rebellion, including where and how Wagner was planning to advance, sources familiar with the matter told CNN. But the intelligence was so closely held that it was shared only with select allies, including senior British officials, and not at the broader NATO level, these sources said. Ukrainian officials were not told about the intelligence in advance, either, officials said, due primarily to fears that conversations between US and Ukrainian officials might be intercepted by adversaries. There were also signs that Wagner was stockpiling weapons and ammunition leading up to the rebellion, CNN has reported. “It’s an internal Russian matter,” the official said the Ukrainian officials were told, echoing what US and other Western officials have said publicly.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Prigozhin, Prigozhin’s, ”, Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, Democratic Sen, Mark Warner of, “, “ Putin, ” Warner, Putin, –, Monday Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, British, NATO, Russia’s Ministry of Defense, Russian Ministry of Defense, European, Democratic, Senate Intelligence, Kremlin, ” Locations: Rostov, Moscow, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Canada, Mark Warner of Virginia, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Russian Belgorod

☆ US officials saw signs Prigozhin was planning challenge to Russian military but surprised by rapid escalation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Natasha Bertrand Alex Marquardt Jim Sciutto | Natasha Bertrand | Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

US and Western intelligence officials saw signs that Prigozhin was making preparations for such a move, including by massing weapons and ammunition, one Western intelligence official and another person familiar with the intelligence said. Prigozhin had vowed Friday to retaliate against Russian military leadership over an alleged strike on a Wagner military camp and claimed control of military facilities in two Russian cities. A European intelligence official told CNN that the “temperature had obviously been building,” but few could have predicted what Prigozhin was planning. It is not clear to US or European officials how far in advance Prigozhin was planning the rebellion. One source familiar with Western intelligence said it appeared that it must have taken at least several days to organize.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin’s, ”, Putin, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken’s, Blinken, Matthew Miller, “, Stringer Stringer, Kamala Harris, Adam Hodge, Lloyd Austin, Brig, Pat Ryder, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Zelensky Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, Intelligence, Ukraine, House, European Union, Foreign, Commonwealth, Development, ”, Southern Military District, REUTERS, Reuters Biden, National Security, US, Pentagon Locations: Russia, Moscow, Russian, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, Japan, United States, Ukraine, Britain, Rostov, Don, Poland

CNN —The Pentagon announced Tuesday that the accounting error revealed last month was significantly more than previously stated and aid provided to Ukraine was overvalued by $6.2 billion rather than $3 billion. The final calculation of the accounting error is far higher than the Pentagon previously estimated in May, when it first revealed the miscalculation as $3 billion. “We have confirmed that for FY23, the final calculation is $3.6 billion, and for FY22 it is $2.6 billion, for a combined total of $6.2 billion,” Singh said. “These valuation errors in no way limit or restricted the size of any of our PDAs or impacted the provision of support to Ukraine,” she added. The first accounting error of $3 billion revealed last month triggered frustration from Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committees, who believe the mistake reduced the amount of US support that went to Ukraine leading up to the counteroffensive.

Persons: Sabrina Singh, ” Singh, ”, Michael McCaul, Mike Rogers Organizations: CNN, Pentagon, ”, White House, House Foreign Affairs, Armed Services, House Foreign, House Armed Locations: Ukraine

☆ Cuba gives China permission to build spying facility on island, US intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Cuba has agreed to allow China to build a spying facility on the island that could allow the Chinese to eavesdrop on electronic communications across the southeastern US, a source familiar with the intelligence told CNN. It would not be the first time China has attempted to spy on the US’ electronic communications, known as signals intelligence. In that case, the US took steps to protect sensitive sites and censor intelligence signals before shooting down the balloon. But it is unclear what the US can do to stop the construction of a Chinese spying facility in Cuba. But last week, China’s defense chief refused a meeting request by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and warned the US to stop operating near Chinese waters and airspace.

Persons: Biden, Bill Burns, Antony Blinken, Defense Lloyd Austin, Li Shangfu, ”, Obama, – Organizations: CNN, Street Journal, CIA, US, Defense, “, Trump Locations: Cuba, China, Beijing, Cuban, Washington ,, Chinese, South China, Singapore, Havana

☆ US received intel from European ally that Ukrainian military was planning attack on Nord Stream pipelines, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Natasha Bertrand Alex Marquardt Haley Britzky | Natasha Bertrand | Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The US received intelligence from a European ally last year that the Ukrainian military was planning an attack on the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines three months before they were hit, three US officials told CNN. The attack on the pipelines last September has been condemned by US officials and Western allies alike as a sabotage on critical infrastructure. CNN has not seen the document but the three officials confirmed the US was told about the Ukrainian plans. But, the intelligence also said that Ukraine’s military operation was “put on hold.”CNN has reached out to the Ukrainian government for comment. “I think you know there are three countries conducting an investigation of the Nord Stream sabotage — and we called it sabotage at the moment — Germany, Sweden, and Denmark.

Persons: Jack Teixeira, “, Valerii, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, John Kirby, ” Kirby, Magdalena Andersson, ’ ” Mykhailo Podolyak, CIA “ Organizations: CNN, The Washington Post, Air National, Washington Post, ” CNN, White, National Security, European Union, Twitter, Russia, Post, CIA Locations: Western, Ukraine, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Nord, Russia, Baltic, Europe, Swedish, Danish, Ukrainian

CNN —US and western officials see signs that Ukraine’s long-awaited counteroffensive against Russia is beginning and have noted a “substantial increase in fighting” in the east of the country over the last 48 hours as Ukrainian troops probe for weaknesses in Russian defensive lines, a senior NATO official said on Tuesday. The destruction of a sprawling dam in Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Kherson region, which triggered a wave of evacuations on Tuesday as floods of water spilled from the Nova Kakhovka hydro-electric plant, could complicate some of Ukraine’s plans, officials told CNN. The dam’s destruction could now make it more difficult for Ukrainian troops to cross the Dnipro River and attack Russian positions there, said two western officials. Ukrainian forces are also conducting operations south of Donetsk city in eastern Ukraine, which appears to be a new effort, the western official said. The counteroffensive is expected to be carried out on multiple fronts, a senior US military official said.

Persons: “, ’, Hanna Maliar, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Zelensky, Mark Milley Organizations: CNN, NATO, Nova, Wall, Joint Chiefs, Staff Locations: Russia, Kherson, Dnipro, Ukrainian, ”, European, Washington, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Ukraine, Europe

☆ Exclusive: Ukraine has cultivated sabotage agents inside Russia and is giving them drones to stage attacks, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Natasha Bertrand Zachary Cohen Kylie Atwood | Natasha Bertrand | Zachary Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

US officials believe these pro-Ukrainian agents inside Russia carried out a drone attack that targeted the Kremlin in early May by launching drones from within Russia rather than flying them from Ukraine into Moscow. But US officials believe that Ukraine has developed sabotage cells inside Russia made up of a mix of pro-Ukrainian sympathizers and operatives well-trained in this kind of warfare. Asked for comment, a spokesperson for the head of the Ukrainian Security Service suggested to CNN that the mysterious explosions and drone strikes inside Russia would continue. ‘A culmination of months of effort’There has been a steady drumbeat of mysterious fires and explosions inside Russia over the last year, targeting oil and fuel depots, railways, military enlistment offices, warehouses and pipelines. A savvy military strategyPublicly, senior US officials have condemned the strikes inside Russia, warning of the potential for an escalation of the war.

Persons: Russia –, ‘ Cash, they’ve, “, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, Vasyl Malyuk, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Kyrylo Budanov, Budanov, Zelensky, ” Budanov, Nicolas Vaujour, ” Vaujour, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Washington CNN —, CNN, Kremlin, Ukrainian, Reuters, Ostorozhno Novosti, Ukrainian Security Service, Security Service, Getty, Pentagon, CIA, Washington Post, Yahoo, Joint Staff, UK Ministry of Defense Locations: Washington CNN — Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Moscow, Russian, Ostorozhno, AFP, Russia’s Rostov, Rostov Oblast, Moscow’s, ”, Belgorod, Russia’s

☆ Virginia plane crash: First responders say aircraft left 'crater' with few recognizable pieces of wreckage
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Elizabeth Wolfe Natasha Bertrand Haley Britzky Pete Muntean Brian Todd Lauren Koenig Lauren Mascarenhas Cnn | Elizabeth Wolfe | Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Four first responders who arrived at the scene of Sunday’s fatal private plane crash near Raphine, Virginia, told CNN the plane left a “crater,” and they believe it impacted the ground at a very steep angle. First responders said the crash site is amid steep, mountainous terrain that is difficult to reach on foot. We were obviously freaked out a little bit,” Chuck Martin, who felt the boom in Fairfax County, Virginia, told CNN affiliate WJLA. No survivors found in the wreckageSearch and rescue teams assemble before going to the site of Sunday's plane crash near Montebello, Virginia. John Rumpel, whose wife Barbara is listed as the president of the company, told CNN they own Encore.

Persons: ”, “, Chuck Martin, ‘, Sandy Abuarja, Ahreum Kindess, WBAL, Randall K, Wolf, Corinne Geller, John Rumpel, Barbara, Barbara Rumpel, John Rumpel’s, Rumpel, ” Barbara Rumpel, Joe Biden, Andrews, Biden Organizations: CNN, National Transportation Safety, New, MacArthur, Federal Aviation Administration, Virginia State Police, US Capitol Police, Cessna, Continental US, American Aerospace Defense Command, WJLA, DOD, WBAL, DC, George Washington National, “ NORAD, FAA, AP, Encore Motors, Inc, New York Times, National Capital, The U.S, Capitol, Andrews Air Force Base, Service, White Locations: Raphine , Virginia, ”, Virginia, Elizabethton , Tennessee, Washington, DC, Fairfax County , Virginia, Maryland, Gambrills , Maryland, “, George Washington National Forest , Virginia, State, Staunton, Montebello , Virginia, Melbourne, Florida, East Hampton , New York, North Carolina, The, Maryland’s

CNN —US F-16 fighter jets caused a sonic boom across the Washington, DC, region Sunday as they scrambled to reach an unresponsive aircraft that ultimately crashed in Virginia, officials said. The civilian aircraft, a Cessna 560 Citation V, was intercepted by the NORAD jets around 3:20 p.m. and ultimately crashed near the George Washington National Forest in Virginia. “The pilot was unresponsive and the Cessna subsequently crashed near the George Washington National Forest, Virginia,” the release said. The aircraft crashed into a mountainous terrain in a “sparsely populated area”, according to FAA. “This afternoon, our officials were working closely with our federal partners to monitor an unresponsive pilot who was flying an airplane near the National Capital Region.

Persons: “, Joe Biden, Biden, Anthony Guglielmi Organizations: CNN, Federal Aviation Administration, Continental US, American Aerospace Defense Command, Cessna, NORAD, George Washington National Forest, George Washington National, “ NORAD, Virginia State Police, State, National Transportation Safety, Twitter, National Capital, DC Homeland Security, Emergency Management, FAA, Elizabethton Municipal, MacArthur, Capitol Hill, US Capitol Police, The U.S, Capitol, Service, Andrews Air Force Base, Andrews, White Locations: Washington, DC, Virginia, George Washington National Forest , Virginia, Staunton, Blue, Virginia Sunday, Elizabethton , Tennessee, New York, The, Maryland

CNN —China has rejected a United States proposal for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to meet with his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu at the Shangri-La Dialogue Security Forum in Singapore this week, according to a Pentagon statement. In the statement, the Pentagon said China had declined an invitation extended in early May for a meeting, but said the refusal would not deter the US from seeking better lines of communication. In response, the Chinese Embassy in the US questioned the sincerity and significance of the invitation, pointing to US sanctions imposed on Chinese officials, institutions and companies. The Wall Street Journal first reported China’s refusal to participate in a meeting between the defense chiefs. Austin told CNN earlier this year that he had not spoken to his Chinese counterpart in “months,” and China has continued to rebuff requests for meetings and phone calls, defense officials said.

☆ US says Wagner Group is trying to use third countries to obscure weapons shipments to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The Russian mercenary organization Wagner Group has been working to obscure its efforts to acquire military equipment for use in Ukraine, including by trying to source the materials from Mali, where the group has a strong foothold, a US official told CNN. That document also said that Wagner was likely trying to use weapons procured from Turkey for use in its operations in Mali. The White House has also previously accused North Korea of supplying Russia’s Wagner Group with missiles and rockets for use in Ukraine. “Wagner is directly supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine, and we oppose efforts by any other country to assist Russia through Wagner,” the US official said. We will continue to identify, expose, and counter these efforts by Wagner to procure military equipment for use in Ukraine.”

☆ Biden told G7 allies the US will support joint F16 training effort for Ukrainians
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —President Joe Biden informed G7 leaders on Friday that the US will support a joint effort with allies and partners to train Ukrainian pilots on fourth generation aircraft, including F-16s, a senior administration official tells CNN. The training is not expected to happen in the US, the official said, and will likely happen entirely in Europe. But US personnel will participate in the training alongside allies and partners in Europe, the official said. “As the training takes place over the coming months, our coalition of countries participating in this effort will decide when to actually provide jets, how many we will provide, and who will provide them,” the official said. But the US would have to approve that third-party transfer because of the jets’ sensitive US technology.

☆ Defense personnel alarmed after memos reveal Air Force leadership warned about accused Pentagon leaker but let him continue working
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Haley Britzky Sean Lyngaas Zachary Cohen Natasha Bertrand | Haley Britzky | Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Teixeira was arrested on April 14 and has been charged under the Espionage Act with unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information and unauthorized removal of classified information and defense materials. His defense lawyers have argued he didn’t expect classified information that he posted on Discord to be further spread around the internet. According to one current US service member who handles classified intelligence, the memos read as if Teixeira’s leadership was building a case for disciplinary action against him. Jobs under the 1N0 and 1N4 job codes would have given him more hands-on responsibilities with intelligence, the current service member and a former enlisted intelligence airman told CNN. But the current service member said it would not be unusual for senior non-commissioned officers to handle disciplinary matters with a junior enlisted airman like Teixeira.

The error – which lawmakers and congressional staffers were briefed on Thursday – triggered frustration from Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committees. “The revelation of a three-billion-dollar accounting error discovered two months ago and only today shared with Congress is extremely problematic, to say the least. Now, due to this revelation, there is about $5.3 billion still available, far more than even the largest single package provided to Ukraine. But now that there is more funding available, congressional sources said they are less concerned about the immediate need for a new funding package for Ukraine. The accounting error occurred because when the US transferred weaponry to Ukraine, they counted the value of replacing the weapon instead of the value of actual weapon, defense officials explained.

National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby declined to comment specifically on the possibility of the US sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, but said broadly that the US has been forward-looking about “future capabilities” and needs. US lawmakers and congressional staffers have joined in the F-16 lobbying campaign, urging the administration to provide the jets so that Ukraine can establish control over its skies. US allies with F-16s could conduct training for Ukrainian fighter pilots, or the aircraft’s manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, could carry out training as a private contractor. Without the jets, Ukraine is having to improvise, officials say. The Russian jets have largely been staying behind Russian defensive lines, making them difficult for Ukraine to target with shorter-range systems like NASAMs.

CNN —A US-made Patriot air defense system was likely damaged, but not destroyed, as the result of a Russian missile barrage in and around Kyiv early Tuesday morning local time, a US official tells CNN. We’ll stay out of commenting on Russian sources,” said the Ukrainian Air Force spokesman, Yurii Ihnat. Ukraine currently has two Patriot air defense systems in country, one donated by the US and the other donated jointly by Germany and the Netherlands. It is unclear which of those systems was potentially damaged, but taking one out of commission – even for a short period – could affect Ukraine’s ability to defend Kyiv amid intensifying Russian missile attacks. The components operate together to fire a Patriot missile and successfully guide it to its target.

CNN —Iran smuggled weapons and military equipment into Syria using humanitarian aid shipments as a cover following a devastating earthquake there in February, two sources familiar with US intelligence and an Israeli defense official told CNN. Intelligence officials believe the weapons were destined for Iranian proxy groups in Syria, who have repeatedly attacked US military personnel stationed there as part of the anti-ISIS coalition. “The humanitarian assistance of Iran to Syria was used as an umbrella of moving weapons capabilities into the region,” the Israeli defense official said. Reuters earlier reported that regional and western officials believed Iran was smuggling the weapons under the guise of earthquake relief. Foreign aid poured into Syria and Turkey after February’s earthquake, which killed more than 50,000 people.

Other NATO allies have donated 10 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, according to the State Department. Depending on the location and strength of the jamming, a rocket can still launch and result in a successful strike with significant damage. Widespread Russian jamming can have drawbacks for their own forces as well, impacting their ability to communicate and operate. For nearly a year, the HIMARS system has been the longest-range rocket system Ukraine has, allowing troops to fire up to six rockets in quick succession at Russian positions as far as 50 miles away. “Jamming is like the weather or the terrain, it’s something that happens that you have to deal with,” the official said.

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