Trump fills more Pentagon posts with loyalists, but will they really get a chance to serve?

Gingrich is a stalwart supporter of the president who last week suggested that “the Left” had stolen votes in Georgia, a state Joe Biden won by 11,770 votes. And on Twitter, he’s taken up Trump’s feud with Georgia’s top election official. “Why is Georgia Secretary of State [Brad] Raffensperger working so hard to add drop boxes and take other steps to make it harder for Republicans to win?” he tweeted Sunday.

O’Grady is an even more ardant Trump supporter, who the president recently nominated to be assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs at the Pentagon. Most famous for being shot down over Bosnia in 1995, O’Grady serves as co-chair of Veterans for Trump.

He’s come under scrutiny for spreading conspiracy theories and retweeting a press release from a group calling for martial law to overturn the election results. According to CNN, O’Grady retweeted tweets on his account claiming Trump won the election by a “landslide” and accusing Biden of attempting a “coup.”

O’Grady has taken his account private.

NOT CLEAR IF THEY WILL EVER SERVE: Since the appointments are essentially the prerogative of the executive branch, the appointments may well be short-lived. Biden could name new members as soon as he takes office.

Other appointees to the policy board included former Virginia Republican Rep. Randy Forbes, who chaired the House Seapower and Projection Forces subcommittee; former New Hampshire Republican Sen. Bob Smith, who helped create the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs; Thomas Carter, former U.S. ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization; and Edward Luttwak, a military historian.

DON’T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU: Ousted from the board were many faces from the Obama years, including former Chief of Naval Operations retired Adm. Gary Roughead; former California Democratic Rep. Jane Harman, director, president, and CEO of the Wilson Center; and Rudy deLeon, a former chief operating officer at the Pentagon.

Good Tuesday 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 this week by David Sivak. 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.

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NOTE TO READERS: Daily on Defense will be on hiatus for the Christmas holidays from Monday, Dec. 21, 2020, through Friday, Jan. 1, 2021.

HAPPENING TODAY: Chief of Space Operations Gen. Jay Raymond and Chief Master Sgt. Roger Towberman, senior enlisted adviser of the U.S. Space Force, will be discussing the Dec. 20 first birthday of the U.S. Space Force in a conference call with reporters this afternoon.

ALSO TODAY: The Foundation for Defense of Democracies is releasing a new report, Defending Forward: Securing America by Projecting Military Power Abroad, which makes the case for the United States remaining engaged militarily abroad.

“Withdrawing into a defensive and insular crouch here at home risks leaving Americans more isolated and more vulnerable to threats,” writes former Obama Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in the report’s foreword. “More than ever, Americans must go abroad to remain secure at home.”

“Disengagement from competitions overseas would increase dangers to the United States,” writes former Trump national security adviser retired Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster. “The paltry savings realized would be dwarfed by the eventual cost of responding to unchecked and undeterred threats to American security, prosperity, and influence.”

Panetta and McMaster discuss the implications of the report and the national security challenges posed by “endless wars” at the FDD event today.

MILLER GETS HIS SHOT: Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller visited Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, yesterday to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

IT’S SANCTION TIME: The National Defense Authorization Act, just passed by Congress, mandates sanctions against Turkey for its refusal to give up the S-400 air defense system it bought from Russia, over the objections of the U.S. and NATO.

But yesterday, the State Department didn’t wait for the law to take effect, announcing the NATO ally would be sanctioned under Section 231 of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, or “CAATSA.”

“Despite our warnings, Turkey moved ahead with its purchase and testing of the S-400 system from Russia,” tweeted Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. “Today’s sanctions on Turkey’s SSB demonstrates the U.S. will fully implement #CAATSA. We will not tolerate significant transactions with Russia’s defense sector.”

“After watching President Trump repeatedly refuse to hold Turkey and President Erdogan accountable, I’m glad to see this Administration finally impose these required sanctions — even if it was only under the imminent threat of further congressional action,” said Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen in a statement. “These measures send a clear message to Erdogan: we will not allow him to undermine our national security and that of our faithful NATO allies without consequence.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif immediately took Turkey’s side on Twitter. “U.S. addiction to sanctions and contempt for international law at full display again,” said Zarif. “We strongly condemn recent U.S. sanctions against Turkey and stand with its people and government.”

The sanctions, which impose visa restrictions on Turkish defense officials, “are not intended to undermine the military capabilities or combat readiness of Turkey,” according to the State Department, but rather “to impose costs on Russia.”

“Turkey is a valued Ally and an important regional security partner for the United States, and we seek to continue our decades-long history of productive defense-sector cooperation by removing the obstacle of Turkey’s S-400 possession as soon as possible,” a statement said.

ER, WHAT’S UP, DOC? No doubt you’ve heard about the viral controversy over a Wall Street Journal opinion piece by Joseph Epstein, which begins with these no immortal words: “Madame First Lady — Mrs. Biden — Jill — kiddo: a bit of advice on what may seem like a small but I think is a not unimportant matter. Any chance you might drop the ‘Dr.’ before your name? ‘Dr. Jill Biden’ sounds and feels fraudulent, not to say a touch comic.”

The story has prompted much discussion on Twitter, including from Pentagon reporters, such as the Wall Street Journal’s own Nancy Youssef noting that the DOD customarily includes the “Dr.” honorific in announcements on senior Pentagon officials.

“FYI, you know who else insisted on being called Dr? Mark Esper. His doctorate was in public policy, which he got in ‘08 — when he was 44 years old,” tweeted Youssef.

Also weighing in was former Defense Secretary William Perry. “Never in my lifetime has anyone suggested I should not claim the title of Dr., despite my PhD being in Mathematics and not baby delivery,” he tweeted. “Which begs the question, what exactly is the difference between myself and Dr. Jill Biden?

LET’S CHECK THE AP STYLEBOOK: Journalists routinely drop the “Dr.” from the names of people who are not in the medical profession to avoid confusion.

Here’s the current guidance from the Associated Press stylebook, followed by many but not all news organizations in written copy:

“Use Dr. in first reference as a formal title before the name of an individual who holds a doctor of dental surgery, doctor of medicine, doctor of optometry, doctor of osteopathic medicine, doctor of podiatric medicine, or doctor of veterinary medicine: Dr. Jonas Salk. Do not use Dr. before the names of individuals who hold other types of doctoral degrees.”

INDUSTRY WATCH: Congratulations to Northrop Grumman Corporation, which has been recognized by SpaceNews for its significant contributions to the global space industry in 2020. SpaceNews has honored Northrop Grumman with the Award for Excellence & Innovation as the Large Company of the Year.

“Northrop Grumman was selected by the U.S. Air Force to modernize the nation’s aging Intercontinental Ballistic Missile system through the engineering and manufacturing development phase of the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent program. The company received a contract from the U.S. Space Force for the rapid prototyping phase of the Evolved Strategic SATCOM (ESS) program and was selected to design and develop the first two-polar orbiting space vehicles for the Space Force’s Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared program. Northrop Grumman was also selected by the U.S. Army to develop two prototype ground stations for the Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node system,” reads a Northrop Grumman press release.

ENJOY THE DAY OFF: “All executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government shall be closed and their employees excused from duty on Thursday, December 24, 2020, the day before Christmas Day,” says an order signed by Trump last week.

The Rundown

Washington Examiner: General hypocrisy: Senate Democrats likely to flip-flop on waiver for Biden Defense pick

Washington Examiner: Liberals fear DOD nominee Gen. Lloyd Austin will place military in civilian roles

Washington Examiner: Anti-terrorist campaign in Somalia continues despite troop reduction

Washington Examiner: Mike Pompeo plans transition meeting with Biden secretary of state pick Antony Blinken

Washington Examiner: US sanctions Turkey over purchase of Russia’s S-400 missile system

Washington Examiner: US agencies victim to monthslong foreign cyberattack campaign

New York Times: Agencies Race to Assess Damage After Being Hacked by Russia

Washington Post: U.S. imposes sanctions on two Iranians for abduction, probable death of former FBI agent Robert Levinson

Reuters: Iran’s Missile Programme Is Non-Negotiable, Says Rouhani

Air Force Magazine: Roper: ARRW Hypersonic Missile Will Fly This Month

Defense News: Report Estimates Chinese Nuclear Stockpile At 350 Warheads

Reuters: Taiwan Sees Role As Arms Supplier For West As Launches New Warship

Popular Mechanics: China Will Soon Have More Submarines Than America. That’s Alarming.

19fortyfive.com: Is The U.S. Navy In Danger Of Falling Behind China’s PLAN?

San Diego Union Tribune: For The First Time In Almost 100 Years, San Diego Marine Corps Boot Camp Will Train Co-Ed Recruits In 2021

Military.com: The Marine Corps Just Got Its First Live-Fire Range Designed for Robotic Targets

Stars and Stripes: Marine Corps To Let Armor Marines Out Early As It Prepares For A Tankless Future

19fortyfive.com: Why The U.S. Army Passed On The Glock 19X

USNI News: LCS USS Gabrielle Giffords Nabs Narco Sub in the Pacific

Just the News: Pentagon investigating false alarm about missile attack on U.S. base in Germany

Calendar

TUESDAY | DECEMBER 15

9 a.m. — Intelligence National Security Alliance virtual discussion on how the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is reinventing its partnership with commercial industry and how the pandemic has affected NGA and its workforce, with Army Maj. Gen. Charles Cleveland, NGA operations director. https://www.insaonline.org/event

9 a.m. — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association virtual 2020 Air and Space Forces Information Technology Day forum, with Deputy Air Force CIO Lauren Knausenberger; Thomas Fischer, director of engineering and technical management and chief engineer at the Air Force Materiel Command; and Air Force Brig. Gen. Jason Cothern, vice commander of the Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center. https://afceanova.swoogo.com/airandspaceforcesitday2020

9 a.m. — Atlantic Council two-day virtual forum: “Renewing American Leadership: Shaping the Future of U.S. Foreign Policy,” with retired Lt. Gen. James Clapper, former Director of National Intelligence; Stephen Hadley, former National Security Adviser; Sarah Kirchberger, Head of the Center for Asia-Pacific Strategy and Security, Institute for Security Policy, University of Kiel; Ellen Laipson, director, International Security Program, George Mason University, and Ann Linde, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Sweden. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event

9 a.m. — Council on Foreign Relations Virtual Roundtable: “A Conversation With Gen. David Berger,” the 38th commandant of the Marine Corps, moderated by Max Boot, senior fellow for National Security Studies, Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/

10:30 a.m. — Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress virtual book discussion on The Shadow Commander: Soleimani, The U.S., and Iran’s Global Ambitions, with author Arash Azizi, journalist and historian, New York University; Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., incoming ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, and Glenn Nye, president and CEO, CSPC. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register

11 a.m. — Defense One webinar: “After Trump and Awaiting Biden, What Now for Conservatives in National Security?” with Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Center for a New American Security; and Kori Schake, director of foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute. https://www.defenseone.com/feature

12 p.m. — Heritage Foundation virtual event: “Deal or No Deal: The Iran Nuclear Challenge,” with Fred Fleitz, president and CEO, Center for Security Policy; David Albright, founder and president, Institute for Science and International Security; James Phillips, senior research fellow, The Heritage Foundation; and Luke Coffey, director, Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy. https://www.heritage.org/arms-control/event

1 p.m. — Space Foundation virtual Space Symposium 365, with retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Wayne Monteith, associate administrator for commercial space transportation at the Federal Aviation Administration. https://spacesymposium365.org

1:30 p.m. — Woodrow Wilson Center Asia Program webcast: “The War in Afghanistan: Perspectives from U.S. Veterans,” with Robin Fontes, former commander of Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan; Olivia Garrard, former Marine officer; Phil Martin, writer; and Adam Weinstein, research fellow at the Quincy Institute. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event

2 p.m. — The SETA Foundation at Washington D.C. webinar: “The Biden Administration’s Foreign Policy Priorities,” with Charles Kupchan, professor, Georgetown University; Shadi Hamid, senior fellow, Brookings Institution; and Kilic Kanat, research director, SETA Foundation. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register

7 p.m. — Institute for Policy Studies webinar: “How Much is 10 Percent?” focusing on cuts to the U.S. defense budget, with Ashik Siddique, research analyst at the National Priorities Project. https://ips-dc.org/events/ips-table-talks

WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 16

9 a.m. — Day Two of the Atlantic Council virtual forum: “Renewing American Leadership: Shaping the Future of U.S. Foreign Policy.” https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event

10 a.m. — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies virtual Nuclear Deterrence Forum, with retired Lt. Gen. Richard Formica, former commanding general of U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense; retired Brig. Gen. Kenneth Todorov, former deputy director of the Missile Defense Agency; and Peter Huessy, director for strategic deterrent studies at the Mitchell Institute. Invitation only. Video posted afterward at https://www.mitchellaerospacepower.org/aerospace-nation.

12 p.m. — Washington Space Business Roundtable virtual discussion: “One Year Anniversary of the Space Force: Achievements and Future Challenges,” with U.S. Space Force Director of Staff Lt. Gen. Nina Armagno. https://www.wsbr.org/events/space-force-anniversary

1 p.m. — National Defense Industrial Association webinar: “Special Operations: Irregular Warfare and Unified Action,” with Daniel Roh, principal director for special operations and combating terrorism in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy; David Stephenson, director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s Office of Irregular Warfare; Andrew Borene, managing director of Cybereason; and Kristen Hajduk, director of operations at the National Security Innovation Network. https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register

2 p.m. — Heritage Foundation virtual event: “Building Tomorrow’s Army Today: Modernizing with Science, Technology and Engineering,” with Maj. Gen. John George, commanding general, U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command; and Thomas Spoehr, director, Center for National Defense. https://www.heritage.org/defense/event

THURSDAY | DECEMBER 17

11:30 a.m. — Henry Stimson Center virtual forum: “International Nuclear Security,” with Laura Holgate, vice president for materials risk management at the Nuclear Threat Initiative; Dmitry Kovchegin, member of the Russian Center for Policy Research; and Nickolas Roth, director of the Stimson Nuclear Security Program. https://www.stimson.org/event

3 p.m. — Jewish Institute for National Security of America webinar: “Geopolitical Fulcrum or Endless War: Options for U.S.-Syria Policy in the Biden Administration,” with James Jeffrey, former special representative for Syria engagement and special envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS; former Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary for the Middle East Michael Mulroy; Sinam Mohamad, co-chair of the U.S. Mission of the Syrian Democratic Council; and Blaise Misztal, vice president for policy of JINSA. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register

FRIDAY | DECEMBER 18

10 a.m. — George Washington University Project for Media and National Security Defense Writers Group conference call with Will Roper, assistant secretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, U.S. Air Force. https://nationalsecuritymedia.gwu.edu/

3:30 p.m. — Woodrow Wilson Center Polar Institute virtual film screening and discussion on “Polar Guardians: Coast Guard Icebreaking in the High Latitudes,” with Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz; former Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen; former Lt. Gov. Fran Ulmer, D-Alaska; and Michael Sfraga, director of the WWC Polar Institute. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/polar-guardians

MONDAY | DECEMBER 21

Daily on Defense goes on two-week Christmas vacation until Monday, Jan. 5, 2021. Happy holidays and best wishes for a safe and prosperous new year.