Just In News | The Hill

<!–

Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & NatSec newsletter

{beacon}

Defense &
National Security

<!–

The Big Story

Pentagon puts troops on notice as Israel-Gaza conflict intensifies

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a select number of U.S. troops to prepare to deploy in support of Israel, multiple outlets have reported.

About 2,000 such troops were chosen this weekend to be ready to assist with advising and medical support, The Wall Street Journal first reported.

The forces will be pulled from across the U.S. armed services, with the troops currently stationed inside the Middle East and in nearby Europe. But officials have not said which units were chosen or the location they would deploy to, according to the Journal.

The outlet noted the troops wouldn’t serve in a combat role, and no infantry had been put on prepare-to-deploy order.

Fox News later reported Monday that Austin has given “be ready to deploy” orders for a select number of American troops.

Deputy Defense deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh declined to confirm the reports to members of the press at the Pentagon on Monday.

Israel’s war with Hamas, the militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, has claimed more than 4,000 lives and counting on both sides after Hamas’s surprise assault on Israel on Oct. 7.

The Pentagon’s decision to put troops on standby signals a new layer of support for Israeli troops.

Defense officials have insisted, however, that the Pentagon has no intention of putting U.S. forces on the ground.

Read the full report at TheHill.com.

Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.

Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.

Essential Reads

How policy will affect defense and national security now and in
the future:

Petraeus warns Israel over post-conflict Gaza, citing US invasion of Iraq

Retired U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus on Monday cautioned Israel to think about what a post-conflict Gaza will look like, invoking the United States’ “inadequate” post-conflict preparation ahead of its invasion of Iraq 20 years ago. “I was a two-star, I remember asking before we went to Baghdad, and I said, ‘You know, excuse me, can we have a little more detail on what happens after we get to Baghdad and topple the regime?’ …

Full Story

Wray warns of rise in violent extremism amid Israel-Hamas war

FBI Director Christopher Wray warned of a rise in violent extremism in a Saturday speech amid fighting between the militant group Hamas and Israel. “History has been witness to antisemitic and other forms of violent extremism for far too long. Whether that be from foreign terrorist organizations, or those inspired by them, or domestic violent extremists motivated by their own racial animus, the targeting of a community because …

Full Story

Blackburn calls for national security adviser Sullivan’s ousting

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) called for the ouster of national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Friday. Blackburn sent a letter to President Biden highlighting her reasons for why she thinks Sullivan can be removed from the role, saying he “has routinely misled the entire government about the status of security threats around the world.” “Just eight days before Hamas launched their barbaric surprise attack against Israel, …

Full Story

Journalism organization reports at least 12 journalists killed in Israel-Hamas war

A journalism organization Saturday reported the deaths of at least 12 journalists due to the fighting between the militant group Hamas and Israel. “As of October 14, in the first eight days of fighting, at least 12 journalists were killed, two were missing and eight injured,” the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said on its website. The conflict has already resulted in the deaths of more than 3,000 people on both sides, …

Full Story

On Our Radar

Upcoming things we’re watching on our beat:

U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan will speak on “The U.S. Coast Guard in an era of great power competition” at the Center for Strategic and International Studies at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold a hearing on the nomination of Jack Lew to be U.S. ambassador to Israel at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.

In Other News

Branch out with a different read from The Hill:

Judge agrees to ‘narrow’ gag order limiting Trump attacks on witnesses in Jan. 6 case

A federal judge said Monday that she would impose a gag order barring former President Trump from attacking future witnesses in his election interference case, as well as prosecutors, court staff and their families. Judge Tanya Chutkan said Trump’s status as a candidate did not give him carte blanche …

Full Story

On Tap Tomorrow

Events in and around the defense world:

The Hudson Institute will hold an event on “Transatlantic ties in an unstable world” at 10 a.m.

Georgetown University‘s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies will hold a conversation on “The Israel-Gaza war” at 12 p.m.

The Hudson Institute and Georgia civic platform Gamziri will hold an in-person event on “Georgia’s Heritage of Freedom” at 12:30 p.m.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies will host a discussion with the UK’s First Sea Lord and Naval Staff Chief Adm. Ben Key at 3 p.m.

What We’re Reading

News we’ve flagged from other outlets:

Soldiers are getting burned out. Army leadership knows it’s a problem, (Military.com)

Satellite photos show how Russia could be shipping arms from North Korea, (The New York Times)

Trending Today

Two key stories on The Hill right now:

Jordan seeks to sway members his way in Speaker vote: Live coverage

House Republicans are aiming to hold a full House vote at noon Tuesday to elect the Speaker. Their nominee, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim … Read more

Senate rankings: The 5 seats most likely to flip

The battle for the Senate is ramping up a little more than one year before Election Day, with candidate and primary fields getting more settled by … Read more

Opinions in The Hill

Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill:

The Hamas attacks were a failure of intelligence — and they’re more common than you might think Cheap and terrifying surprise attacks are the new face of warfare
Sen. Tim Scott: As president, I will restore peace through American strength

You’re all caught up. See you tomorrow!