By Matt Berg and Eric Bazail-Eimil

Gen. Mark Milley (right) served closely by former President Donald Trump’s side after he became Joint Chiefs chair in 2019. | Patrick Semansky/AP Photo

With help from Lara Seligman

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Tomorrow is Gen. MARK MILLEY’s last day as the nation’s highest-ranking military officer, and yet it sounds like he may be upping his security protections as he heads out the door.

That’s what can be gleaned from the outspoken general’s appearance on 60 Minutes Wednesday night, in which Milley was asked about former President DONALD TRUMP’s comments last week calling him “treasonous” and suggesting that he should face “death” for communicating with China during Trump’s presidency.

“I’ve got adequate safety precautions,” Milley said. “I wish those comments had not been made, and I’ll take appropriate measures to ensure my safety and the safety of my family.”

“Gen. Milley and other DOD officials, both current and former/retired, received protection" according to usual Pentagon protocol, DOD spokesperson SUE GOUGH said in a statement to NatSec Daily.

That striking remark from the general, who served closely by Trump’s side after he became Joint Chiefs chair in 2019, hearkens back to when former Vice President MIKE PENCE’s life was seemingly threatened by his boss during the storming of the Capitol in 2021.

When the comparison was made on CNN this morning, Pence rebuked the former president.

“There is no call for that kind of language directed toward someone who's worn the uniform of the United States and served with such distinction,” Pence said.

Fresh off the second GOP presidential debate Wednesday night, other candidates also took aim at the frontrunner.

Former New Jersey Gov. CHRIS CHRISTIE, the most outspoken Trump critic of GOP presidential contenders, had a harsher take, calling Trump an “absolute child” for the “reprehensible” remarks while speaking on MSNBC this morning.

NatSec Daily reached out to each of the candidates’ campaigns for comment, but only ASA HUTCHINSON’s team sent a response.(VIVEK RAMASWAMY couldn’t respond because he’s with his family, campaign spokesperson TRICIA McLAUGHLIN said.)

“To suggest that Gen. Milley should be executed is inexcusable and dangerous,” Hutchinson said in a statement. “While some will excuse this latest outrage as Trump just being Trump, the fact is that his statement endangers people and is an insult to those who serve in the military.”

The lack of response from others, even when Trump suggests that the top-ranking military officers should be killed, is indicative of how hesitant many of his opponents are to speak out against him on a regular basis.

A Trump campaign spokesperson argued that candidates who do speak out on it are just looking for headlines.

“Who are these people? Seems like they're just thirsty for attention,” spokesperson STEVEN CHEUNG told NatSec Daily.

As Milley finishes out his historic military career, one thing is obvious: This isn’t the note he would prefer to end on.

A message from Lockheed Martin:

Our mission is to prepare you for the future by engineering advanced capabilities today.

Many of today’s military systems and platforms were designed to operate independently. Through our 21st Century Security vision, Lockheed Martin is accelerating innovation, connecting defense and digital to enhance the performance of major platforms, to equip customers to stay ahead of emerging threats. Learn more.

NO MORE NAGORNO-KARABAKH: The breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh will cease to exist and its remaining ethnic Armenian population will have to accept being ruled as part of Azerbaijan, according to a decree issued today.

In a statement, the unrecognized Karabakh Armenian administration said that de facto President SAMVEL SHAKHRAMANYAN had signed an agreement that would “dissolve all state institutions and organizations under their departmental authority by January 1, 2024,” our own GABRIEL GAVIN reports.

At the same time, the message reads, the local population must now “familiarize themselves with the conditions of reintegration presented by the Republic of Azerbaijan, with the aim of making an independent and individual decision about the possibility of staying (or returning) in Nagorno-Karabakh.”

Read: Russia warns Armenia not to join International Criminal Court by Gabriel

SLOW AND STEADY: NATO Secretary General JENS STOLTENBERG said during a visit to Kyiv today that Ukrainian forces have been “gradually gaining ground” against Russian troops, Reuters’ YULIIA DYSS and ANDREW GRAY report.

But the NATO chief’s assessment runs counter to a New York Times analysis today. “The front line has barely shifted. After 18 months of war, a breakthrough looks more difficult than ever,” NYT’s JOSH HOLDER writes. “Less than 500 square miles of territory have changed hands since the start of the year.”

Stoltenberg also condemned recent Russian airstrikes near the Romanian border as “reckless” and “destabilizing.” The attacks continued overnight into this morning, Ukrainian officials said, with Kyiv shooting down 34 of 44 drones.

"We had an extremely difficult night," ANDRIY RAIKOVYCH, Kirovohrad's governor, wrote on the Telegram messaging app. "Some of the Shaheds over the region were destroyed. However, there were also hits."

Read: Ukraine makes clear it won’t accept second-class EU membership by our own SUZANNE LYNCH.

IRANIAN LASER ATTACK: Iranian vessels on Wednesday used lasers against a U.S. Marine helicopter in the Persian Gulf, Eric reports.

Personnel aboard vessels belonging to Iran’s Navy pointed lasers at a U.S. Marine Corps attack helicopter while in flight. No service members were injured. In a statement, Cmdr. RICK CHERNITZER said the helicopter was operating in international airspace and condemned the actions as “unsafe, unprofessional, and irresponsible behavior.”

TRAVIS TOUCHDOWN: Pvt. TRAVIS KING, the American soldier who fled across the DMZ into North Korea, landed in Texas today after being released by Pyongyang, a senior U.S. defense official told Reuters.

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VEXING VIVEK: Last night’s GOP presidential debate saw many unexpected and just plain weird moments. And while natsec issues weren’t the focus, NIKKI HALEY did slam VIVEK RAMASWAMY for his ties to China, which have come under scrutiny this week.

“I have a radical idea for the Republican Party: We need to win elections. And part of how we win elections is reaching the next generation where they are,” said Ramaswamy, who recently signed up for Chinese-owned social media app TikTok. “We’re only going to ever get to declaring independence from China … if we win.”

Haley wasn’t having it. “This is infuriating because TikTok is one of the most dangerous social media apps that we could have,” she said. “Honestly every time I hear you I feel a little bit dumber for what you say.”

MIKE PENCE also got a solid line in: “Well, first, let me say I'm glad Vivek pulled out of his business deal in 2018 in China — that must have been about the time you decided to start voting in presidential elections.”

702 LATEST: A much-anticipated oversight report from a privacy and civil liberties watchdog out today urges Congress to impose significant new constraints on a controversial foreign surveillance tool before it expires later this year.

But the recommendations from the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board are unlikely to settle an increasingly bitter debate between the White House and different factions on the Hill about how the law should be amended to protect the privacy of Americans, our own JOHN SAKELLARIADIS and JORDAIN CARNEY wrote in a story ahead of the report’s release.

The five-member panel split along partisan lines, with its two Republicans criticizing the roughly 300-page analysis and its 19 recommendations as “deeply flawed.”

“Some of the Majority’s recommendations are sound, and could provide helpful additional protections for privacy and civil liberties,” write BETH WILLIAMS and RICHARD DiZINNO in an annex to the report. “Others would cause serious damage to the country and our national security, while negatively impacting the privacy of U.S. persons.”

60K PROBLEMS: Hackers linked to the Chinese government stole some 60,000 emails from the unclassified inboxes of 10 State Department employees as part of the high-profile hack of multiple agencies earlier this summer, according to a readout from a Senate staff briefing on Wednesday obtained by our own MAGGIE MILLER and John.

Among the most sensitive information stolen, a staffer told them, were victims’ travel itineraries and diplomatic deliberations. State Department Chief Information Officer KELLY FLETCHER also told the staffers that 10 Social Security numbers were viewed — or could have been viewed — via the hack.

Read: Taiwan is bracing for Chinese cyberattacks, White House official says by our own JOSEPH GEDEON.

GO INSIDE THE CAPITOL DOME: From the outset, POLITICO has been your eyes and ears on Capitol Hill, providing the most thorough Congress coverage — from political characters and emerging leaders to leadership squabbles and policy nuggets during committee markups and hearings. We're stepping up our game to ensure you’re fully informed on every key detail inside the Capitol Dome, all day, every day. Start your day with Playbook AM, refuel at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report and enrich your evening discussions with Huddle. Plus, stay updated with real-time buzz all day through our brand new Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here.

SPACED OUT: Air Force Secretary FRANK KENDALL told the House Armed Services Committee today that the long and controversial process of deciding where to place the Pentagon's Space Command headquarters has been “very unusual and non-standard in many ways,” our own PAUL McLEARY reports (for Pros!).

Kendall was appearing before the committee as it examined the Biden administration’s decision to keep the command at its temporary headquarters in Colorado, rather than move it to Alabama (as Trump had directed in the final days of his administration).

During the search for a permanent location for the newly re-established command that kicked off in 2019, “we started out with the standard Air Force basing process, but [Defense Secretary MARK] ESPER in the previous administration changed that process to where they asked each state essentially to put in a bid" to host the command, Kendall said.

Once Biden took office, he directed Kendall to review the decision to send the command to Alabama. Kendall — who had previously said the basing decision was his to make — told lawmakers he was told "shortly before the decision was made" in July of this year that Biden would instead make the final call.

WHATEVER EU WANT: The European Union is set to boost its defense capabilities to counter Russia amid a threatening global environment, according to a draft summit declaration seen by our own BARBARA MOENS.

“We will strengthen our defense readiness and develop the European defense technological and industrial base, including with more investments,” reads the text from an informal leaders’ meeting to be held in Granada, Spain next week.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the prospect of DONALD TRUMP returning as U.S. president next year in Washington — which could lead to less military support for Kyiv — has forced Brussels to rethink its approach to defense.

ICYMI — Can Europe survive Trump 2.0? by our own NICHOLAS VINOCUR and CHRISTOPHER PILTZ

A TAIWANESE SUB IS BORN: Taiwan announced that it manufactured its first-ever submarine, a major milestone for Taipei’s defense capabilities, according to Reuters’ CARLOS GARCIA, WALID BERRAZEG and SARAH WU.

The domestically developed submarine, christened the Narwhal, won’t be in service for another two years, but for Taiwanese officials, the move confirms that the island is making progress on modernizing its military and strengthening its “asymmetric warfare” capabilities.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson WU QIAN told reporters in Beijing that Taiwan is "over-rating itself and attempting something impossible.”

MCCARTHY’S HAIL MARY: House Republicans are making another run today at yanking Ukraine aid from a Pentagon spending bill, even after an identical proposal was resoundingly defeated a day earlier, our own CONNOR O’BRIEN reports.

GOP leaders’ plan is to remove $300 million in Ukraine-related money from their defense appropriations bill and vote on the aid as a separate bill. The aim is to flip GOP holdouts to pass the Pentagon legislation and allow a standalone Ukraine bill to pass with bipartisan support. The Rules Committee approved the removal of the Ukraine funding late Wednesday night, and the full House must still OK the plan in a procedural vote Thursday.

Separating the relatively small amount of Ukraine funding is yet another reversal for Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY. Over the weekend, McCarthy opted to keep the money in the bill after previously floating the possibility of yanking it.

Ukraine aid has become politically contentious in the GOP conference and is opposed by many lawmakers on McCarthy’s right flank. The Pentagon bill may not have the votes to pass the House, but stripping the Ukraine money may flip enough lawmakers to clear it.

EYEING EGYPT AID: Senate Foreign Relations Chair BEN CARDIN (D-Md.) said today he is weighing whether to delay $235 million in military aid to Cairo in the wake of federal charges that Sen. BOB MENENDEZ (D-N.J.) accepted bribes in exchange for influencing that aid, our own JOE GOULD reports (for Pros!).

“I am looking at my options,” Cardin said at his first press conference since the indictment forced Menendez to relinquish the job of committee chair.

Cardin is also considering calls to probe Egypt’s activities in the alleged Menendez affair but said he first wants to consult with the Justice Department. Federal prosecutors announced allegations last week that Menendez met with members of the Egyptian intelligence services to discuss the aid.

Read: GOP senators rough up Pentagon nominee over Afghanistan evacuation by our own LARA SELIGMAN.  

NUCLEAR CONSTITUTION: North Korea’s parliament has amended the country’s constitution, enshrining the Hermit Kingdom’s nuclear posture into law, according to Reuters’ SOO-HYANG CHOI and HYONHEE SHIN.

According to North Korean state media, Pyongyang’s constitution now states the country "develops highly nuclear weapons to ensure" its "rights to existence" and to "deter war."

In a speech to the legislative body, North Korean leader KIM JONG UN emphasized "the need to push ahead with the work for exponentially boosting the production of nuclear weapons and diversifying the nuclear strike means and deploying them in different services" and said U.S. military drills and deployment of strategic assets in the region were provocations.

— ANA ROSA QUINTANA is now senior policy director at the Vandenberg Coalition. She previously was Western Hemisphere staff director for House Foreign Affairs Chair MICHAEL MCCAUL (R-Texas).

— OLIVER STUENKEL, Americas Quarterly: Republican threats on Mexico could carry a huge cost

— SARAH HARRISON, Foreign Affairs: America needs a strategy in Somalia

— JONAS PARELLO-PLESNER, POLITICO: Time for the U.N. to recognize Taiwan’s voice

— The Atlantic Council, 8:30 a.m.: The days after war: what's next for Armenia, Azerbaijan and Karabakh?

— The Hudson Institute, 9 a.m.: India's role in a new Pacific order

— Georgetown University, 9 a.m.: The 2023 BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit and its potential impacts for Africa and the global order

— The George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs, 10:30 a.m.: Assessing Taiwan's security dynamics in a competitive international environment

— The Wilson Center, 11 a.m.: A book discussion on "Catastrophes, Confrontations, and Constraints: How Disasters Shape the Dynamics of Armed Conflicts"

— The Institute for Policy Studies, 5 p.m.: A discussion on “reparations between U.S. and Brazil” focusing on “slavery as a crime against humanity”

Thanks to our editor, Heidi Vogt, who threatens us on the daily.

We also thank our producer, Gregory Svirnovskiy, who is our personal security detail.

A message from Lockheed Martin:

Our mission is to prepare you for the future by engineering advanced capabilities today.

Many of today’s military systems and platforms were designed to operate independently. Through our 21st Century Security vision, Lockheed Martin is accelerating innovation, connecting defense and digital to enhance the performance of major platforms, to equip customers to stay ahead of emerging threats. Learn more.

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