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I OBJECT! With both the House and Senate grinding through hundreds of amendments to the fiscal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act this week, the White House has a released its list of objections to the House version. The White House notes that the overall bill meets the broad policy goals of its national security strategy and is consistent with the president’s budget request, but notes a number of provisions that could have unintended consequences. “The Administration looks forward to working with the Congress to address its concerns,” the statement says. Here are the highlights: JSTARS: The White House backed the Air Force in its plan to not build a replacement for its E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar aircraft. The House has been pushing for a replacement aircraft. “The JSTARS recapitalization program will be unable to perform its mission in high-end contested environments, which is counter to the National Defense Strategy,” the White House said. The administration says the Air Force should instead invest in the Advanced Battle Management System, which fuses information from several different aircraft. Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman were lining up to build a replacement for JSTARS. Submarines: The document finds fault with the House provision that would limit the Navy’s ability to use five-year submarine procurement authority unless the Navy agrees to buy two more subs than are in the budget. Aircraft carriers: The House calls for maintaining 12 carriers instead of 11, “which may not be sustainable within the Navy’s current topline,” the White House said. Wait for the space report: The administration wants to hold off on a House provision to improve space activities within the Air Force until the Pentagon finishes a review that looks at whether a separate Space Force military service should be created. It calls the House provision “premature.” Missile defense tests: The House would require the Missile Defense Agency to disclose rough timeframes for missile defense tests, which the Pentagon says it does not do “in order to safeguard critical defense information.” Export controls: The White House objected to the bill’s transfer of export control authority from the Pentagon’s undersecretary of policy to its undersecretary of intelligence. The document points out that “technology security and export control activities directly support political-military relations,” and that the policy chief is the DoD’s principal representative to the State Department. Gitmo construction: The bill contains no construction funding for the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the White House wants to change that. “The current facility for high-value detainees is experiencing structural and system failures that, if unaddressed, could in the future pose life and safety risks to our guard forces and the detainees being held there,” the White House said. “It also does not meet the requirements of the aging detainee population.” DEBATE CONTINUES: House lawmakers, meanwhile, will debate NDAA amendments today. Last night, members voted to include six blocks of 100 amendments in the bill, which you can see here. On the Senate side, the Armed Services Committee continues its markup of the NDAA in a closed session. SENATORS PRESS TRUMP ON ZTE: Yesterday, President Trump said he’s still not sure how his negotiations with China over the Chinese Company ZTE will work out. “It’s a phone company, for those that don’t know. A very large phone company. But it’s also a phone company that buys a large portion of its parts that make up these phones that are sold all over the world, from American companies,” Trump said. “So when you do that, you’re really hurting American companies also. So I’m looking at it.” Democrats yesterday urged Trump not to ease sanctions against the company, calling it a national security concern (the Defense Department has banned selling any of its products in its military stores). “I hope the president’s approach works. I’ve said over and over again, and he’s acknowledged it, that I am closer to the president’s views on trade with China than I was to President Obama or President Bush’s views,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer. “We’re pressing the president to stand firm. Not to let ZTE wriggle out from under the tough sanctions we leveled on them. Unfortunately, every time President Xi [Jinping] flatters our president, he seems to back off a tough deal. Which will really be bad for America.” Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen noted there was strong bipartisan support last month when Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross imposed tough penalties on ZTE for violating U.S. sanctions law. “They violated U.S. sanctions against North Korea. They violated U.S. sanctions against Iran. They lied about it repeatedly, which is why Secretary Ross took the action he did last month,” Van Hollen said. “Here is a Chinese phone telecommunications company that has violated sanctions and sold delicate, important, sensitive technology to Iran, and the president’s backing off any penalty toward this company. It’s inconsistent,” said Sen. Dick Durbin. “China is on the march,” said Republican Sen. John Cornyn. “Whether it’s on the trade front or when it comes to getting access to our cutting-edge, dual-use technology that gives them a leapfrog effect in terms of national security and the potential threat that poses to us, both economically and from a national security standpoint. “I know sometimes it’s easy to conflate the national security and economic concerns. Sometimes they do overlap, sometimes they don’t. But the threat that China poses to the United States and to the rest of the world economically, militarily is not something we can ignore any longer,” Cornyn said yesterday. Good Wednesday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre), National Security Writer Travis J. Tritten (@travis_tritten) and Senior Editor David Brown (@dave_brown24). Email us here for tips, suggestions, calendar items and anything else. 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HAPPENING TODAY — RIDING THE PUNGGYE-RI EXPRESS: A group of reporters is en route to the remote northern reaches of North Korea, taking a train for up to 12 hours, and then a bus for four hours, and finally hiking the last leg to the Punggye-Ri nuclear site in order to witness what the North says will be the closing of the test site. At the last minute, the North relented and agreed to allow a group of South Korean journalists to join the foreign media contingent, which includes television crews from CNN and AP. A PR STUNT: An analysis from Jane’s IHS Markit notes that North Korea has already declared it’s satisfied with the state of its nuclear weapons designs and that it’s possible Punggye-ri had reached the end of useful life. “The current wording of North Korea’s proposals does not prevent further developments ‘behind the scenes’ for either its missile or nuclear programs,” the analysis says. “As such, the demolition of (potentially part, rather than all, of) Punggye-ri does not represent a rollback of capabilities, but should instead be seen as a political gesture ahead of talks. In this vein, it raises the question of whether the US will reciprocate the gesture with one of its own ahead of talks and how it will impact the tone of future talks.” SUMMIT DATE IN DOUBT: Trump yesterday acknowledged there’s a chance the June 12 summit will be delayed, and made a point of not sounding desperate to meet with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. “You know, there’s a chance that it’ll work out. There’s a chance, there’s a very substantial chance that it won’t work out,” said Trump, sitting next to South Korean President Moon Jae-in. “I don’t want to waste a lot of time, and I’m sure he doesn’t want to waste a lot of time. So there’s a very substantial chance that it won’t work out. And that’s OK. That doesn’t mean it won’t work out over a period of time. But it may not work out for June 12th.” ADVANCE TEAM: Meanwhile top White House aides are reportedly headed to Singapore this weekend to meet with North Korean counterparts and work out logistics. Deputy chief of staff Joseph Hagin, deputy national security adviser Mira Ricardel and other officials on the administration’s negotiating team will travel to Singapore in the coming days to discuss plans for the meeting, the Washington Post reports. DID TRUMP JUST BLAME CHINA? Trump on Tuesday said he was disappointed to see North Kim adopt a “different attitude” toward the U.S. after meeting with Xi this month. “I think that President Xi is a world-class poker player. And I probably may be doing the same thing that he would do. But I will say this, there was a somewhat different attitude after that meeting, and I’m a little surprised,” Trump said. “Now maybe nothing happened, I’m not blaming anybody. But I’m just saying maybe nothing happened and maybe it did. But there was a different attitude by the North Korean folks … after that meeting.” SANDERS ON THE COIN: During the regular White House briefing, press secretary Sarah Sanders was asked whether it was premature for the administration to make a coin to celebrate a summit that may not happen. Her answer: Blame another office. “This is not something the White House has anything to do with. We don’t have any input on the design, the manufacture, the process in any capacity,” she said. “This is a standard procedure by the White House Communications Agency, which is made up exclusively of career military officials and these coins are designed and done by that organization.” NEW IRAN SANCTIONS: The Trump administration on Tuesday blacklisted several Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps officials involved in arming rebels in Yemen’s civil war with ballistic missiles and other weapons, as part of the effort to punish the regime’s regional aggression. COULD U.S. TROOPS BE DISINVITED BY IRAQ? The election victory of a coalition backed by erstwhile American enemy Muqtada al-Sadr is raising the possibility that a new Iraqi government may not want U.S. troops to stick around now that the Islamic State has been largely vanquished and the Iraqi Army effectively rebuilt. Because he didn’t run for a seat himself, al-Sadr is not in line to be prime minister. But his coalition will hold a significant number of seats in the Iraqi parliament and could control the government once it is formed. You’ll remember him as the anti-American cleric who led the Iraqi Shiite militia known as the Mahdi Army, which fought against U.S. troops after the 2003 invasion and was accused of kidnapping torturing and killing Sunni Iraqis. At yesterday’s Pentagon briefing, reporter Jeff Schogol from Task & Purpose put the question to an Italian general who is in charge of training Iraqi troops. “General, now that Muqtada al-Sadr’s bloc has won the election, are you preparing to leave Iraq?” “This is a very good question,” replied Brig. Gen. Roberto Vannacci. “But I don’t have the answer because, as you know, we are here by the request of the Iraqi government.” Speaking to reporters on his plane after meetings last week with his military counterparts in NATO, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford said while the alliance has plans to continue and upgrade its training mission in Iraq, it will all depend on how much help Iraq wants. “We view our relationship with Iraq as a partnership, and that partnership is going to be informed by the new government and the discussion that takes place between the United States and the new government,” Dunford said. “I think we have a pretty good feel with our Iraqi military counterparts of the specific areas where we might be able to make a contribution in the future. … What we’ve got to do now is see what is the political appetite within the coalition and the Iraqi government for a long-term presence of the coalition.” NEW U.S. AFGHANISTAN COMMANDER: The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Lt. Gen. Scott Miller has been chosen as the next commander of U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan. Miller has spent the past two years heading the military’s secretive Joint Special Operations Command. He would replace Gen. John Nicholson, who took over the job in March 2016. “Gen. Miller, a decorated special-operations soldier, will be the ninth U.S. general in 17 years to take charge of the war in Afghanistan and the first to be appointed under President Donald Trump,” the Journal reports. “As JSOC commander, Gen. Miller headed some of America’s most-secretive missions, pursuing suspected terrorists around the world with drones and elite units that included the Army’s Delta Force and the Navy’s SEAL Team Six.” NO CELLPHONE BAN: If you work in the Pentagon, you have no doubt noticed all the new mini-lockers installed outside secure areas where you have to stash your mobile phone, recording, or wi-fi devices. Yesterday, the Pentagon released its new five-page policy on “mobile device restrictions,” and it’s not nearly as draconian as some feared. Basically cell phone use in common areas and most offices is OK. You just can’t have a mobile phone or wi-fi enabled device (such as an Apple watch) anyplace where classified material is handled or discussed. Hence the “daily-use storage containers” that are now found outside secure spaces throughout the Pentagon. The policy does not apply to “mobile devices having minimal storage and transmission capabilities such as key fobs used for medical alert, motor vehicles, or home security systems,” or “fitness trackers that do not contain camera, microphone, cellular, or Wi-Fi technology,” said the memo signed by Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan. So reporters — who use their cellphones to record briefings, tweet news updates and argue with their editors — should not be affected. THE RUNDOWN Defense News: The US is running out of bombs — and it may soon struggle to make more Reuters: Congress reviewing sale of precision munitions to Saudis, UAE: sources Defense News: Democrats fight Pentagon’s push for battlefield nukes Business Insider: China’s J-20 stealth fighters will likely patrol Taiwan’s airspace soon — and the island nation is ready to counter AP: Pentagon Report: Nukes Are Central To North Korea Strategy Washington Post: ‘Fat Leonard’ is ailing and the feds are keeping his whereabouts a secret Defense One: Russia Is Back In Africa — and Making Some Very Odd Deals Marine Corps Times: The Corps moved tanks from secret caves in Norway to Finland. Here’s why. Bloomberg: SpaceX’s New Rocket Studied by Air Force, Delaying GPS Upgrades Defense Daily: GAO Rejects Sikorsky’s Protest Of Air Force Huey Replacement Program Defense News: America’s industrial base is at risk, and the military may feel the consequences Wall Street Journal: U.S. Adds Sanctions On 5 Iran Officials Navy Times: Fitz CO’s attorneys torch Navy brass for handling of case Task and Purpose: The Navy’s F-35 Flight Range Is Dangerously Low, Congressional Report Says ISNI News: Rep. Wittman Pushing Trio Of U.S. Navy Surface Warfare Community Reforms Navy Times: Why The Navy’s Newest Aircraft Carrier Was Forced Back Into Port Defense News: British Defense Chief Puts A Price Tag On U.S. Military Alliance |
CalendarWEDNESDAY | MAY 23 9 a.m. Rayburn 2172. Hearing on Strengthening American Diplomacy: Reviewing the State Department’s Budget, Operations, and Policy Priorities with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. foreignaffairs.house.gov 9:30 a.m. Russell 222. Full Committee Markup of the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act. armed-services.senate.gov 9:15 a.m. 2301 Constitution Ave. NW. Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Robert Karem participates in a panel on geopolitics and security at the U.S. Institute of Peace’s second annual U.S. – Georgia Strategic Partnership conference. 9:20 a.m. 1501 Lee Hwy. Air Force Sustainment Center, a Linchpin of Readiness with Lt. Gen. Lee Levy, Commander of Air Force Sustainment Center. Mitchellaerospacepower.org 10 a.m. House Visitor Center 210. ISIS-Post Caliphate: Threat Implications for America and the West. homeland.house.gov 10 a.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Russia’s Role in the 2008 Russo-Georgian War. wilsoncenter.org 10:30 a.m. 2154 Rayburn Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition Kevin Fahey, Chief Information Officer Dana Deasy and Deputy Chief Financial Officer Mark Easton provide testimony on the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act to a joint subcommittee hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Information and House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Operations. 2 p.m. 1211 Connecticut Ave. NW. Global Views Toward Armed Drones. stimson.org 2:30 p.m. 1030 15th St. NW. The Road to NATO’s Brussels Summit with Kay Bailey Hutchison, Permanent Representative of the U.S. to NATO. atlanticcouncil.org 6 p.m. 1250 South Hayes St. AFCEA Washington, DC’s 11th Annual Military IT Leadership Awards Dinner. Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Stephen Wilson provides the keynote address. Dcevents.afceachapters.org THURSDAY | MAY 24 7:30 a.m. 1401 Lee Hwy. AFA Breakfast Series on Capitol Hill Schedule with Gen. Jay Raymond, Commander of Air Force Space Command. afa.org 8 a.m. 2401 M St. NW. Defense Writers Group Breakfast with Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast, Commander of Air Education and Training Command. 9:30 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Stabilization: Lessons from the U.S. experience in Afghanistan with John Sopko, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. brookings.edu 10 a.m. Dirksen 419. Full Committee Hearing Review of the FY 2019 State Department Budget Request. foreign.senate.gov 10 a.m. 529 14th St. NW. Bridging the Military-Civilian Divide Through Film and TV. press.org 2 p.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. America First, Europe alone? brookings.edu TUESDAY | MAY 29 12:15 p.m. 740 15th St. NW. Counterterrorism Strikes Under Trump: What Has Changed? 2 p.m. 1211 Connecticut Ave. Beyond the Trump-Kim Summit. stimson.org 3 p.m. 1030 15th St. NW. Strengthening US Alliances: A Conversation with Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson. atlanticcouncil.org WEDNESDAY | MAY 30 12 noon. Rayburn 2044. Recapturing Congress’s War Powers: Repeal, Don’t Replace, the 2001 AUMF. cato.org 2:30 p.m. 2301 Constitution Ave. Brokering Peace in Nuclear Environments from the Korean Peninsula to South Asia. usip.org 5 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Schieffer Series: Previewing the Trump-Kim Summit. |
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