PRESS ROOM

Ben Freeman is quoted on the topic of the undisclosed painting gifted to Michael Caputo by a Ukrainian lobbying group in 2020. “It’s not unheard of to have low dollar or even pro-bono FARA contracts. But, this is different because he appears to have not disclosed the payment. FARA effectively has a ‘or anything of value’ approach to payments like the FEC, so this would certainly qualify,” he said.

WAY TOO MUCH: “As a candidate President Biden affirmed that the country could be made safe at lower levels of spending, but his proposed top line for the Pentagon for Fiscal Year 2022 ignores that crucial insight,” writes William Hartung, director, Arms and Security Program at the Center for International Policy. “The Biden administration's decision to submit a status quo Pentagon budget that keeps it at near-record levels is both misguided and disappointing.”

"At a time when over half a million Americans have died in a pandemic, climate change continues to have catastrophic impacts, and there is an urgent need to address racial and economic inequality, it is apparent that the greatest challenges to our lives and livelihoods are not military in nature," added Hartung. "The Pentagon budget should reflect these realities."

“The Biden administration’s decision to increase the Pentagon budget from near-record levels is both misguided and disappointing,” said William Hartung, director for the arms and security program at the Center for International Policy and co-director of the Sustainable Defense Task Force. “As a candidate, President Biden affirmed that the country could be made safe at lower levels of spending.”

“The Trump administration’s arms sales policy prioritized narrow economic concerns over human rights and long-term U.S. strategic interests,” said Bill Hartung, director of the Arms and Security Program at the Center for International Policy and a co-author of the report. “By contrast, the Biden administration has launched a review of U.S. arms exports to determine which offers align with U.S. foreign policy interests ― a promising sign that a more balanced approach may be in the offing.”
“While the suspension and review of the sales to the Gulf was promising ... that’s why the Egyptian sale was so disappointing,” said Elias Yousif, the deputy director of the Security Assistance Monitor program.

William Hartung, director of the Arms and Security Project at the Center for International Policy, argued in an op-ed for Responsible Statecraft on Wednesday that "the Biden administration has multiple avenues of leverage over Riyadh that can be used to press for an unconditional lifting of the blockade."

Sjursen's latest column for antiwar.com looks at the broader backstory, context, motives, and myths behind the recent deployment of a special forces A-Team to Northern Mozambique - a big story getting rather scant & uncritical attention.

William Hartung, director of the Arms and Security Program at the Center for International Policy, said late Thursday that "the Biden administration's decision to increase the Pentagon budget from near-record levels is both misguided and disappointing."

“The Trump administration’s arms sales policy prioritized narrow economic concerns over human rights and long-term U.S. strategic interests,” said Bill Hartung, director of the Arms and Security Program at the Center for International Policy and a co-author of the report. “By contrast, the Biden administration has launched a review of U.S. arms exports to determine which offers align with U.S. foreign policy interests ― a promising sign that a more balanced approach may be in the offing.”

Security Assistance Monitor's report, "U.S. Arms Sales Trends : 2020 and Beyond from Trump to Biden" cited in Politico's Morning Defense.

Amidst growing reports of the devastation caused by the Saudi blockade of Yemen, a letter from a coalition of over 70 groups* representing tens of millions of people is calling on the Biden administration to do everything in its power to press Riyadh to bring that blockade to an end and open the way to distribution of fuel, food, and medical supplies to all parts of the country.

Military tools should not be the primary instruments for ensuring our safety and security . Sen. Inhofe is right – we need to match our budget with our strategy. But first we need to abandon our antiquated military posture and adopt a more realistic strategy that prioritizes the most critical challenges we face.