| 'ARM TAIWAN TO THE TEETH': Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), chairman of the newly established House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, managed to slip into Taiwan over the weekend while attention was focused on Ukraine and is clearly alarmed after his four days of meetings with Taiwanese officials, including President Tsai Ing-wen, and Taiwan's foreign and defense ministers. "I return from my trip to Taiwan even more convinced that the time to arm Taiwan to the teeth was yesterday," Gallagher said in a statement released last night. "Taiwan is on the frontlines of authoritarian expansion. We must surge hard power west of the international date line in order to deter a Chinese Communist Party invasion before it's too late." "In particular, we should move heaven and earth to clear the nearly $19 billion backlog of Foreign Military Sales Items that have been approved but not delivered to Taiwan," he said. Unlike former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose cover was blown by President Joe Biden when she traveled to Taiwan last year, Gallagher was able to keep a low profile by not announcing the trip ahead of time or talking to reporters until he got back. REP. MIKE GALLAGHER SAYS UKRAINE WAR WAKE-UP CALL FOR TAIWAN TO STOCKPILE WEAPONS 'RUPTURE THE GREAT FIREWALL': Gallagher, who did two tours in Iraq as a Marine counterintelligence officer, says the U.S. is in an information war with China which "employs millions of censors just to keep tabs on its population," while conducting "malign influence operations in Taiwan, the U.S., and around the world." "President Tsai … impressed on me the need to counter the CCP's 'cognitive warfare' strategies," Gallagher said. "In this cognitive and information battle our most powerful weapon is the truth." Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Gallagher said China's "Great Firewall," which blocks internet content the Communist Party does not approve of, exists because "the party's rulers are terrified of the people of China having access to the truth." "We should develop the capabilities to rupture the Great Firewall and deploy them at a time and place of our choosing," he argues. "The Select Committee will work to expose the truth about the CCP's pattern of aggression against America and our friends in order to forge bipartisan support for the actions necessary to deter CCP threats and defend our interests. PENTAGON RELEASES IMAGE OF CHINESE BALLOON TAKEN FROM US SPY PLANE IS McCARTHY NEXT? It's widely expected that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) will also make a trip to Taiwan later this year, but his office has not confirmed any plans. Punchbowl News reported last month that the Pentagon is in the "early stages" of planning for a McCarthy visit to Taiwan, and China has already denounced the potential trip. "China opposes any form of official interaction between its Taiwan region and countries having diplomatic ties with China. We hope US lawmakers will abide by the one-China principle … and refrain from doing things detrimental to China-US relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said in January when asked about the report. "I don't know of any active plans by Speaker McCarthy to go," Gallagher told the Washington Post yesterday. "If he wants to go, he certainly can," he said, adding China doesn't get a "veto" over congressional travel. KEVIN McCARTHY TO VISIT TAIWAN LATER THIS YEAR: REPORT Good Thursday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre's Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Conrad Hoyt. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn't work, shoot us an email and we'll add you to our list. And be sure to follow us on Twitter: @dailyondefense. Subscribe today to the Washington Examiner magazine and get Washington Briefing: politics and policy stories that will keep you up to date with what's going on in Washington. SUBSCRIBE NOW: Just $1.00 an issue! CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP OR READ BACK ISSUES OF DAILY ON DEFENSE HAPPENING TODAY: The full United Nations General Assembly — 193 nations — will vote today in a special emergency session on a resolution on "achieving peace in Ukraine," putting the world body on record as to which nations stand with Ukraine one year after Russia's invasion. The resolution calls for a cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of Russia's military forces from Ukrainian territory "within its internationally recognized borders," a reference to the illegally annexed Crimean Peninsula, and says, "All members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state." "We have before us a resolution that calls on the nations of the world to support diplomatic efforts to achieve a comprehensive and lasting peace in Ukraine. A peace consistent with the UN Charter. Consistent with its fundamental principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and self-defense," said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., in remarks before the General Assembly yesterday. "Colleagues, this vote will go down in history. On the one-year anniversary of this conflict, we will see where the nations of the world stand on the matter of peace in Ukraine." PUTIN SEEKS TO DEEPEN 'NO-LIMITS' ALLIANCE WITH CHINA: In what was billed as a prelude to a visit to Moscow later this year by Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Wang Yi, the Chinese Communist Party's most senior foreign policy diplomat, at the Kremlin yesterday. "We are expecting the President of the People's Republic of China in Russia — we have agreed on his visit earlier," Putin told Wang, according to the official Russian transcript. In the brief part of the exchange that was public, no mention was made of China supplying weapons or ammunition to Russia, though Wang made a point of saying, "our relations are never directed against third countries." "If China does, in fact, help to provide lethal material to Russia, they will face consequences," said Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman on CNN. "This is a great risk for them. They have said they have a no-limits partnership with Russia. The best thing they could do about that no-limits partnership is to tell the Russians to leave Ukraine and let Ukraine live in peace as a sovereign nation with all of its territory to make its own independent decisions about its future." PUTIN SAYS HE EXPECTS XI TO VISIT MOSCOW AS HE MEETS WITH CHINA'S TOP DIPLOMAT BIDEN: PUTIN'S SUSPENSION OF NEW START TREATY 'BIG MISTAKE': In an interview that aired on ABC's World News Tonight, President Joe Biden said the decision by Putin to "suspend" its participation in the New START nuclear arms treaty was a "big mistake." "It's a big mistake to do that. Not very responsible. But I don't read into that that he's thinking of using nuclear weapons or anything like that," Biden told ABC's David Muir in Poland before flying back to Washington. Biden said he was "not sure what else he [Putin] was able to say in his speech at the moment, but I think it's a mistake and I'm confident we'll be able to work it out." In his state-of-the-nation speech Tuesday, Putin complained about the treaty's provision for inspection of nuclear sites. "I would like to stress that the United States and NATO are openly saying that their goal is to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia. And what, after such statements, they are supposed to tour our defense facilities, including the latest ones, as if nothing happened?" Putin said. "This is either the height of hypocrisy and cynicism, or the height of stupidity, but they are not idiots. They are not stupid after all. They want to inflict a strategic defeat on us and also to get to our nuclear sites." RUSSIA SAYS IT WILL ABIDE BY NUCLEAR TREATY RULES DESPITE SUSPENDING DEAL WITH US The Rundown Washington Examiner: House progressives introduce bill to cut Pentagon spending by $100 billion Washington Examiner: Rep. Mike Gallagher says Ukraine war wake-up call for Taiwan to stockpile weapons Washington Examiner: Putin says he expects Xi to visit Moscow as he meets with China's top diplomat Washington Examiner: European Union: China promised not to 'provide arms to Russia' Washington Examiner: European Commission bans TikTok from corporate devices Washington Examiner: Pentagon releases image of Chinese balloon taken from US spy plane Washington Examiner: One in 10 Ukrainian hospitals 'directly damaged' by Russian aggression Washington Examiner: How CNN's interview with Osama bin Laden became Supreme Court Big Tech flashpoint Washington Examiner: Supreme Court could broaden social media liabilities under anti-terrorism laws Washington Examiner: Wagner mercenary group founder accuses Russian defense ministry of 'treason' Washington Examiner: Russia says it will abide by nuclear treaty rules despite suspending deal with US Washington Examiner: Opinion: Backing up nuclear blackmail Washington Examiner: Opinion: Lockheed Martin-funded writer says F-35 is the best. It isn't Wall Street Journal: Opinion: Boris Johnson and Lindsey Graham: Ukraine Needs More From the West AP: In Russia-Ukraine war, a more dangerous path may lie ahead Reuters: Russian Mercenary Boss Escalates Row With Top Army Brass With Image Of Dead Bodies AP: 'Never saw such Hell': Russian soldiers in Ukraine call home Wall Street Journal: U.S. Eyes Detailing Beijing's Potential Arms Aid To Russia AP: China Blasts Pentagon Official's Taiwan Visit, Military Ties Bloomberg: Russia's War on Ukraine, China's Rise Expose US Military Failings Reuters: Analysis: Putin's Nuclear Treaty Move Raises Stakes Over China's Growing Arsenal Bloomberg: US Is Giving Ukraine a Long-Range GPS-Guided Bomb That Can Hit Targets Miles Away 19fortyfive.com: Putin's New 'Offensive' in Ukraine Looks Like Another Disaster 19fortyfive.com: Video: Watch Ukraine Destroy Russia's Deadly T-90M Tank with Artillery Fire Korea Herald: South Korea, U.S., Japan Stage Missile Defense Exercise After N.Korea Launches Defense Scoop: Mother Ships For Drones Will Be 'Extremely Important' For The Navy's Future Fleet, Secretary Del Toro Says Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Has to 'Get Our House in Order' on Pilot Retention Red Tape, Slife Says Navy Times: Navy Reveals Bonuses It's Offering To Retain Surface Warfare Officers Stars and Stripes: First Female Commander Of U.S. Aircraft Carrier Tabbed For Promotion To Rear Admiral Air & Space Forces Magazine: Saltzman Unveils 'Theory of Success' as Space Force Debates Future Air & Space Forces Magazine: Wargame Report: China's Nuclear Arsenal More Survivable in Taiwan Conflict Navy Times: Navy's Hypersonic Launcher Is Headed To Flight Testing Next Year Aviation Week: Boeing, Saab Respond to NATO E-3 Successor Calls 19fortyfive.com: The F-16 Block 72 Fighter Is Simply a Rockstar in the Sky Forbes: Opinion: Right-Wing Calls To Cut Defense Would End Up Targeting The Republican Base Calendar THURSDAY | FEBRUARY 23 8 a.m. 2399 Richmond Hwy., Arlington, Va. — National Defense Industrial Association annual Expeditionary Warfare Conference, with Anne Sandel, principal civilian deputy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Research, Development and Acquisition; Vice Adm. William Galinis, commander of Naval Sea Systems Command; Vice Adm. Rick Williamson, deputy chief of naval operations for fleet readiness and logistics; and Lt. Gen. Edward Banta, Marine Corps deputy commandant for installations and logistics https://www.ndia.org/events/2023/2/22/3700-ewc-2023 8 a.m. 2425 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, Va. — Association of the U.S. Army daylong in-person aviation "Hot Topic" event: "40th Anniversary of the Aviation Branch: Honoring the Past & Transforming for the Future," with Douglas Bush, assistant Army secretary for acquisition, logistics and technology; Maj. Gen. Michael McCurry, commanding general of the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Rucker, Ala.; Maj. Gen. William Taylor, director of Army aviation in the office of the deputy Army chief of staff for operations; and Maj. Gen. Thomas O'Connor, commanding general of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command https://www.ausa.org/events/hot-topics/army-aviation 8 a.m. 2399 Richmond Hwy., Arlington, Va. — National Defense Industrial Association annual Expeditionary Warfare Conference, with Vice Adm. William Galinis, commander of Naval Sea Systems Command, delivering keynote remarks on "Building and Delivering the Future Navy Force" https://www.ndia.org/events/2023/2/22/3700-ewc-2023 8 a.m. 2941 Fairview Park Dr., Falls Church, Va.— Potomac Officers Club forum: "Securing Tomorrow's Future: The Urgency of Persistent Modernization," with Lt. Gen. Thomas Todd, deputy commanding general for acquisition and systems management at Army Futures Command https://potomacofficersclub.com/events/poc-securing-tomorrows-future 8:30 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies conference on "Economic Security: Perspectives from Seoul and Washington," with Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Park Jin https://www.csis.org/events/economic-security-us-and-korean-perspectives 9:15 a.m. — Washington Post Live virtual discussion: "Top State Department official on U.S. Support for Ukraine," with Under secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live 10 a.m. — Hudson Institute virtual discussion: "The Iran-Russia Alliance," with Michael Doran, senior fellow and director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East, and former senior director in the National Security Council; Luke Coffey, Hudson senior fellow and former senior adviser at the U.K. Ministry of Defence; and Peter Rough, senior fellow and director of Hudson's Center on Europe and Eurasia, and former associate director in the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives https://www.hudson.org/events/iran-russia-alliance 11 a.m. — Atlantic virtual discussion: "Russia's War on Ukraine: One Year Later," with Secretary of State Antony Blinken https://www.theatlantic.com/live/blinken-russia-ukraine-invasion 12 p.m. — Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft virtual discussion: "The Promise and Peril of Germany's Post-Ukraine Foreign Policy Shift," with former German Ambassador to Belgium Rudiger Ludeking; Sevim Dagdelen, deputy leader of the German Left Party; Rachel Rizzo, nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Europe Center; and Anatol Lieven, senior research fellow and Eurasia director at the Quincy Institute https://quincyinst.org/event/the-promise-and-peril 12 p.m. — New America virtual discussion: "Uncovering the Wagner Group," with Anna Kruglova, lecturer in terrorism studies at the University of Salford; and Kateryna Stepanenko, analyst at the Institute for the Study of War https://www.newamerica.org/future-frontlines/events 1 p.m. — Jewish Democratic Council of America virtual briefing: "The Future of Israel's Democracy," with former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro; and former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer https://www.mobilize.us/jewishdems/event/551394 1:30 p.m. — Deputy Defense Undersecretary for Research and Engineering David Honey; and Army Deputy Chief of Engineers Maj. Gen. Richard Heitkamp deliver remarks, beginning at 1:30 p.m., at the Defense Department's Engineering Week event. https://www.defense.gov/news/live-events 1:30 p.m. — The Cipher Brief virtual briefing: "DIA's Global Intelligence Picture," with Trent Maul, director for analysis, Defense Intelligence Agency https://www.thecipherbrief.com 3:30 p.m. 500 First St. NW — Georgetown University Law Center discussion: "The January 6th Investigation and the Ongoing Threat of Violent Extremism: A Conversation with Former Select Committee Investigators," with Marcus Childress, special counsel at Jenner & Block LLP; Meghan Conroy, research fellow at the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab; Jacob Glick, policy counsel at Georgetown University's Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection; Sandeep Prasanna, senior associate at Miller & Chevalier Chartered; and Sean Quinn, associate at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati LLP https://docs.google.com/forms 4 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: "From Freeze to Thaw: The State of Australia-China Relations," with Justin Bassi, executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute; Amrit Bagia, former director for countering foreign malign influence and information integrity at the National Security Council; and Richard McGregor, CSIS chair in China studies https://www.csis.org/events/freeze-thaw-state-australia-china-relations 6 p.m. — Common Good discussion: "Russia's invasion into Ukraine, the possibility of Chinese aggression toward Taiwan, unrest in Iran, autocracy and populism on the rise, or the need for global climate action," with Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations and author of Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens https://www.thecommongoodus.org/upcoming-events 7 p.m. — Henry Stimson Center virtual discussion: "Russia's Road to War with Ukraine," with Samir Puri, visiting lecturer at King's College London; and James Siebens, fellow in reimagining U.S. grand strategy at Stimson https://www.stimson.org/event/russias-road-to-war-with-ukraine FRIDAY | FEBRUARY 24 8 a.m. 2401 M St., NW — George Washington University Project for Media and National Security Defense Writers Group conversation with Jessica Lewis, assistant secretary of state, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. Email Thom Shanker at tshanker@email.gwu.edu 11 a.m. — Washington Post Live virtual discussion: "U.S.-China Relationship and war in Ukraine," with former White House National Security Adviser John Bolton https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live 11 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Brookings Institution discussion: "Meeting the Russia challenge: Lessons from the foreign policy transition from Bush to Obama," with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, senior fellow in public policy at the Hoover Institution; and former Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Stephen Hadley, founding principal of Rice, Hadley, Gates & Manuel LLC https://www.brookings.edu/events/meeting-the-russia-challenge 2:15 p.m. 1789 Massachusetts Ave. NW — American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research in-person discussion: "Russia's War on Ukraine: What Lies Ahead in 2023?" with Leon Aron, senior fellow, AEI; George Barros, Russia analyst, Institute for the Study of War; Nataliya Bugayova, nonresident Russia fellow, ISW; Mason Clark, senior analyst, ISW; Kateryna Stepanenko, Russia analyst, ISW; Karolina Hird, Russia analyst, ISW; Frederick Kagan, director of the Critical Threats Project, AEI; Kimberly Kagan, president, ISW; former Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH); and Dalibor Rohac, senior fellow, AEI https://www.aei.org/events/russias-war-on-ukraine-what-lies-ahead MONDAY | FEBRUARY 27 2 p.m. 789 Massachusetts Ave., NW — American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research in-person event: "Not Just an Air and Maritime Theater: The Army's Role in the Indo-Pacific," with Army Secretary Christine Wormuth; Commanding Gen. Charles Flynn, U.S. Army Pacific; Mackenzie Eaglen, senior fellow, AEI; and Kori Schake, director of foreign and defense policy studies, AEI https://www.aei.org/events/not-just-an-air-and-maritime-theater TUESDAY | FEBRUARY 28 8 a.m. 2401 M St., NW — George Washington University Project for Media and National Security Defense Writers Group conversation with John Sopko, special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction. Contact: Thom Shanker at tshanker@email.gwu.edu 9 a.m. — Counter Extremism Project and Konrad Adenauer Foundation webinar: "The Taliban's Takeover In Afghanistan – Effects On Global Terrorism," with Hessam Habibi Doroh, researcher and lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences, FH Campus Wien in Vienna; Gerhard Conrad, CEP Advisory Board member and intelligence adviser to the Munich Security Conference; Ellinor Zeino, country director of Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Kabul; and Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director, Counter Extremism Project https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register | | | "We need to make sure that General Secretary Xi Jinping wakes up every morning and looks toward Taiwan, calculates the balance of power across the Taiwan Strait, calculates the risk to his party if the Chinese people were inundated with the truth, and says to himself: 'Today is not the day.'"
| Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), chairman of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party, reflecting on his visit to Taiwan.
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