Good morning,

Welcome back to another Thursday morning edition of The Intel Brief. This edition is pretty heavy on US Congress but remember, while those activities may be domestic, they greatly determine our strategy and posture abroad.

Give yourself about 6-7 minutes to finish this brief.

Reporting Period: 9-12 September 2024

Bottom Line Up Front:

Previous briefs from this week: Pacific Weekly, Monday morning brief

Speaker Mike Johnson Pulls Continuation Resolution From House Floor

On 11 September, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) pulled a continuation resolution that would fund the government to March 2025 from the House floor.

Background: With the fiscal year ending on 1 October, Congress is urgently looking for a solution to fund the government and avoid a shutdown. The continuation resolution was the first attempt at doing that, and it would have extended the 2024 budget.

Johnson attached the SAVE Act, which looks to reform voting laws to ensure only Americans vote in US elections, to the bill which drew controversy from Democrats. Some Republicans said they would not support the bill because they have not supported continuation resolutions before.

Speaker Johnson said Congress will work through the weekend to search for solutions.

Why This Matters

Congress is dealing with two issues here: election security and government funding.

A government shutdown would result in the pause of federal services, a pause in federal benefits, a pause in pay for federal employees and military members, and delays in fulfilling government contracts and projects.

Republican detractors who refused to support the bill cited the budget deficit, inflation, and a growing national debt.

Want To Read More?

• Coverage by NBC News

Russia Continues Its Offensive In Donetsk

In Donetsk, Russia is conducting an offensive to seize the city of Pokrovsk, a key transportation and logistics hub for Ukraine. Recent Russian assaults have forced Ukrainian forces to flee the surrounding area, and more than half of the 50,000 civilian population have already fled.

Russia is nearly 4 miles from Pokrovsk.

Why This Matters

Pokrovsk is the Dontesk region’s last major city in Ukrainian control. Due its location and transportation infrastructure, Pokrovsk has served as a key supply hub for Ukrainian forces.

Observers fear that if Pokrovsk falls, Ukrainian troops will have to withdraw from Donetsk altogether.

Ukraine still occupies portions of Russia’s Kursk oblast, an offensive incursion that was intended to divert Russian troops and supplies away from the more southern and eastern frontlines. It has not had that effect to any substantial degree.

Want To Read More?

• Report by ISW

• Coverage by BBC

Major Anti-CCP, Anti-Adversary Legislation Passes In The House

On 9 September, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) had two bills pass in the House. The Countering CCP Drones Act and the Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency (FACT) Act were passed in the House with unanimous bipartisan support.

Stefanik’s drone act targets the Chinese drone company Da-Jiang Innovations (DJI) and will add them to the FCC’s covered list. This will prohibit new DJI drones from operating on US communications infrastructure.

The legislation is also attached to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025.

Stefanik’s FACT Act requires the FCC to publish a list of every Chinese, Russian, Iranian, North Korean, Venezuelan, and Cuban government entity that holds and FCC license. This is to transparently identify adversary telecommunications and technology companies operating in the US.

Why This Matters

In the US and abroad, DJI products are typically used by hobbyists. In China, DJI is integral to the CCP’s mass-surveillance infrastructure and the tracking of religious and ethnic minorities in China.

In January 2024, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the FBI identified DJI as one of the companies whose products pose a risk to US infrastructure. In the same month, DJI was recertified as a Chinese military company.

As for the FACT Act, it is a step towards protecting American data and cyber infrastructure from exploitation by hostile governments.

Want To Read More?

• The Countering CCP Drones Act by Congress

• The FACT Act by Congress

Migrant Violence, Far-Right Growth Prompt New Border Checks In Germany

On 9 September, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser announced that Germany will immediately institute border checks to turn away migrants in response to the recent Solingen knife attack and growing support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

Background: On 23 August, a Syrian migrant who was not supposed to be in Germany killed 3 people with a knife and injured 8 more in Solingen, Germany.

Germany already controls its borders with Austria, Poland, Czechia, and Switzerland. Now they are extending controls to borders with France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Denmark.

Why This Matters

European leaders, such as in Poland, Belgium, and France, say the decision is a threat to the Schengen agreement which allows free movement through most EU states.

Germany is using emergency circumstances, in this case migrant violence and growing support for the far-right, as its cause for the controls. Some see this as a “too little, too late” decision and are urging for quicker reform on migration. Others see this as appeasing the demands of the far-right.

Want To Read More?

• Coverage by The Guardian

• Poland’s PM Tusk on the decision by The Guardian

Iran Supplying Russia With Ballistic Missiles

On 10 September, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that Iran is supplying Russia with more than 200 Fath-360 short-range ballistic missiles.

The Fath-360 will allow Russia to strike targets further from the frontline shared with Ukraine. Germany, France, and the UK condemn the decision and are considering sanctions against Iran.

Why This Matters

The Fath-360, much like the American-made HIMARS given to Ukraine, will allow Russia to strike Ukrainian targets such as key command posts and logistic hubs.

On 11 September, Russia announced that it would destroy delivery of long-range ATACMS missiles being delivered to Kyiv. ATACMS missiles are the munition used in the HIMARS systems given to Ukraine.

With this development, it is likely that the United States will approve deep strikes into Russia by Ukraine.

Want To Read More?

• Coverage by The Guardian

• Russia to destroy ATACMS shipments by The Guardian

End Brief

That concludes this morning’s brief. Thanks for reading it!

If you enjoyed this brief (or didn’t) please consider taking this poll.

See you on Sunday,

Nick

P.S. Feel free to email me with any questions, comments, or concerns whenever you like. I want this newsletter to be the best product possible!