As NATO plans expanded mission in Iraq, US weighs response to latest attack

“The mission will expand gradually in response to the situation,” he said. “This follows requests from the Iraqi government and close coordination with the global coalition so that together we can ensure that ISIS does not return.”

At the Pentagon yesterday, a senior official briefing reporters on background welcomed the expansion but would not say if the U.S., which is down to 2,500 troops in Iraq, would be contributing more troops to the effort.

“We are enthusiastic about and welcome NATO’s increased focus on Iraq,” the official said, but the question of additional troops is being addressed by the Global Force Posture Review ordered by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. “That’s happening with our interagency partners,” the official said. “So, I wouldn’t want to comment obviously on the fruits of a review that I think just started.”

‘IN THE TIME AND THE MANNER OF OUR CHOOSING’: The discussion of additional troops for Iraq comes after a rocket attack in the Kurdish area of northern Iraq killed a civilian contractor and injured five other contractors, as well as a member of the U.S.military.

Suspicion immediately focused on Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, but the U.S. said it is reserving judgment while local Kurdish forces investigate the attack.

“As always, the president of the United States and the administration reserves the right to respond in the time and the manner of our choosing,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. “But we’ll wait for the attribution to be concluded first before we take any additional steps or obviously have any additional announcements.”

Both Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Austin spoke with their counterparts in Iraq yesterday to offer assistance with the Investigation.

POMPEO: ‘THE IRANIANS SENSE WEAKNESS’: In an interview on Fox, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the attack was evidence that Iran was testing the resolve of the Biden administration.

“We saw this time and time again when we were in charge. The Iranians sense weakness. They’ll attack,” Pompeo told Fox’s Shannon Bream. “What we did is that when they came after an American, we made this very clear, whether they attacked an American through a proxy force in Iraq, whether they attacked an American through Hezbollah in Syria, wherever it was, wherever Iran response, that we were going to hold the Iranians accountable.”

“That’s the kind of strength that built the deterrence model that we had with respect to Iran. I hope that this current administration won’t give up on that.”

Good Wednesday 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 by Victor I. Nava. 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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HAPPENING TODAY: NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg holds an online news conference from Brussels to discuss the first day of the virtual meeting of NATO defense ministers. 11:45 a.m. https://www.natomultimedia.tv/portal/index.html

ALSO TODAY: The House Armed Services Committee will get an update on the Pentagon’s role in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with testimony from Robert Salesses, performing the duties of assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and global security; Air Force Maj. Gen. Jeff Taliaferro, vice director for operations, Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Air Force Maj. Gen. Steven Nordhaus, director of operations, National Guard Bureau. https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings

ON THE VACCINE FRONT: The Pentagon announced yesterday that as part of its effort to support the national vaccination effort, two community vaccination centers were opened in Oakland and Los Angeles, where all of the vaccinators are from the Department of Defense.

More federal sites are scheduled to open in Texas and New York — Arlington, Dallas, and Houston, in Texas, and Queens and Brooklyn, in New York.

The sites bring with them a “dedicated supply,” which is above and beyond the state’s allocation, said FEMA Administrator Bob Fenton at a Pentagon briefing. “This week, the dedicated total was 11 million [doses],” which works out to about 6,000 doses a day at the federal sites and 3,000 where the vaccine requires two doses per person.

‘A CHANGE IN OUR TONE’: Officials at the Pentagon yesterday stressed that the U.S. was not going to let up on pressing NATO allies to meet the 2% of GDP defense spending goal that was set in 2014, but said Austin would be encouraging, not berating NATO nations, to shoulder their share of the burden.

“So, I think what you’re going to hear is that we expect all allies to live up to this commitment. It’s a commitment we have all made. We’re appreciative of those who have moved in this direction, and we applaud that, but we also know that there’s more work to be done, and I think you’re going to very much hear that both applauding and underscoring that there’s more work to be done,” said one official who briefed reporters. “I do think that you are going to see at this ministerial a real focus on revitalizing the U.S. relationship with the alliance, a change in our tone and approach, a desire to work with our allies and partners.”

“On 2% — this wasn’t something that the Trump administration came up with, right. It was something that was informal before, and then in 2014, all of the NATO heads of states and governments agreed to commit to work toward 2% and 20% [on capabilities],” said a second official. “So, that is something that’s been consistent over … the last couple of administrations, and we’ll continue working toward that with our allies.”

‘WE ARE READY TO LEAD’: In an op-ed in this morning’s Washington Post, Austin says the message he will deliver to his counterparts at NATO is: “We must consult together, decide together and act together.”

“President Biden made it clear two weeks ago that diplomacy will be our primary means of engaging with the world, and it must be our first tool of choice,” Austin writes. “At the same time, the president also recognizes that all of our decisions and actions must be accomplished from a position of strength.”

“I am a firm believer that the United States is strongest when it works as part of a team,” he says. “But teams succeed only when every player is trusted and respected. And our alliance teammates haven’t always felt that respect.”

“We recognize that each nation faces myriad pressures when it comes to spending on security. Each must match its resources to strategy and to national policies … We have already halted previously announced drawdowns of U.S. forces in Germany. And any decisions we make as a result of our review will be made in close consultation with our allies and partners.”

“We are ready to consult together, decide together and act together. We are ready to revitalize our alliances. We are ready to lead.”

IS 7 YEARS THE MAGIC NUMBER? Last month’s debate over whether to grant retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin a waiver to serve as defense secretary may result in Congress considering whether the seven-year waiting period ought to be shortened, according to the top GOP member of the House Armed Services Committee.

“Seven years is kind of arbitrary to me. I don’t see the difference between seven and six or five or whatever,” said Alabama Rep. Mike Rogers, the committee’s ranking Republican, in an interview with the Washington Examiner. “There is some possibility we might take that up and this year in [the National Defense Authorization Act] and see if there’s a more appropriate time frame.”

While Rogers voted for the Austin waiver out of “fairness,” he thinks it’s time to put an end to the practice. “We made it very clear that if you’re going to do it for a Republican president and a Democrat president comes right behind him, well, it seems unfair, if in fact the candidate’s very qualified, to not show the same opportunity,” said Rogers. “We’ve done it for a Republican. We’ve done it for a Democrat. Don’t send another one to us if it doesn’t meet the criteria.”

You can read the full interview with Rogers in the upcoming edition of the Washington Examiner magazine, available by subscription.

The Rundown

Washington Examiner: National Guard mission in DC to conclude by mid-March, Pentagon says

Washington Examiner: Capitol Police and security officials to testify in first major Senate hearing on Jan. 6 riot

Washington Examiner: Congress may revisit ‘cooling off’ period for retired military officers to serve as defense secretary

Washington Examiner: China hollers after Canada leads condemnation of hostage diplomacy

Washington Examiner: Biden administration won’t ‘prejudge’ attack on Iraq base amid Iran speculation

Washington Examiner: State Department blasts Iran and Houthis as ‘not committed to peace’ in Yemen

Washington Examiner: WHO team leader backs off on ruling out Wuhan lab leak

AP: Pentagon Rethinking How To Array Forces To Focus On China

CNN: U.S. Steps Up Challenges To Chinese-Claimed Islands In South China Sea

Reuters: U.S.’s Blinken: ‘The Path To Diplomacy Is Open Right Now’ With Iran

Washington Post: He became one of the Navy’s first Black four-star admirals. The military has work to do on diversity, he says.

Roll Call: Pentagon report reveals inroads white supremacists have made in military

Air Force Magazine: Air Force Seeks New Ways to Nip Extremism in the Bud

Marine Corps Times: Marine Corps Leads All Military Services In Hazing Numbers ― By Far

Politico: Attack In Iraq Highlights Biden’s Saudi Problem

Bloomberg: Biden Downgrades Saudi Crown Prince To ‘Recalibrate’ Ties

Air Force Magazine: Nuclear Missile Program Passes Review, Moves Closer to Production

AFP: Russia Says May Remain In Open Skies Accord If U.S. Rejoins

Navy Times: Sailors Will Enjoy Fewer COVID Restrictions If They Volunteer To Get The Vaccine

Washington Post: Investors allege Boeing board of directors misled public about company’s safety oversight after crashes

Times of San Diego: F-35B Stealth Jets From USS Makin Island Begin Combat Missions Against ISIS

Defense One: New Plane Key to Special Ops Vision for Africa, General Says

National Defense Magazine: Navy To Fully Integrate Laser Into Aegis Combat System

19fortyfive.com: The U.S. Marines’ Amphibious Combat Vehicle Is A Beast

Florida Times-Union: With Commissioning Delayed, New Mayport LCS Will Test Solution To ‘Class Design Defect’

The Hill: What’s The Navy’s Priority — Petty Rules, Or Preparing To Fight?

Military.com: Marine Who Witnessed Iwo Jima Flag-Raising Dies Before Battle’s 76th Anniversary

Washington Examiner: Opinion: Five questions the Senate must ask Biden’s pick for CIA director

Calendar

WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 17

10 a.m. — Woodrow Wilson Center’s Global Europe Program webinar: ‘Transatlantic Tranquility: Prospects for Europe’s Cooperation with the Biden Administration,” with former EU Vice President Catherine Ashton; former German Ambassador to the United States Wolfgang Ischinger; former Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., director, president and CEO of WWC; and Daniel Hamilton, director of the WWC Global Europe Program. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event

10 a.m. — The Institute for Policy Studies webinar: “Biden, Rouhani and the Iran Nuclear Deal,” with Iranian Ambassador to South Africa Mahdi Aghajafari; Ali Fathollah-Nejad, nonresident senior research fellow at the Afro-Middle East Center; Zeenat Adam, researcher at the Afro-Middle East Center; and Phyllis Bennis, fellow at IPS. https://ips-dc.org/events

11 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Committee hearing: “Update on the Department of Defense’s Evolving Roles and Mission in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic,” with testimony from Robert Salesses, performing the duties of assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and global security; Air Force Maj. Gen. Jeff Taliaferro, vice director for operations, Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Air Force Maj. Gen. Steven Nordhaus, director of operations, National Guard Bureau. https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings

1 p.m. — Center for Security Policy virtual discussion: “Taiwan at a Crossroads: Growing Military and Ideological Threats,” with Adam Savit, director of communications at CSP; Stephen Bryen, senior fellow at CSP; and Grant Newsham, senior fellow at CSP. https://register.gotowebinar.com/register

1:30 p.m. (time change) — Heritage Foundation webinar: “Building an Army Ready for Great Power Competition,” with Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville; and Thomas Spoehr, director of the Heritage Center for National Defense. https://www.heritage.org/events

11 a.m. — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace webinar: “What Will Biden Do About North Korea?” with Joel Wit, senior fellow at the Stimson Center; Sue Mi Terry, senior fellow for Korea at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; Suzanne DiMaggio, senior fellow at CEIP; and Aaron David Miller, senior fellow at CEIP. https://carnegieendowment.org

11 a.m. — Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress virtual book discussion: “The Cyberweapons Arms Race,” with Nicole Perlroth, cybersecurity journalist for The New York Times, author of This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register

12 p.m. — Washington Space Business Roundtable webinar: “U.S. Space Command: Successes, Challenges and How the Commercial Space Industry Can Play its Part in Advancing its Critical Mission,” with Army Gen. James Dickinson, commander of U.S. Space Command.https://www.wsbr.org/events/virtual-program

2 p.m. — Brookings Institution webinar: “Women in Afghanistan and the Role of U.S. Support,” with State Department Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John Sopko; Kate Bateman, gender project lead in the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction’s Lessons Learned Program; Belqis Barrai, independent consultant; Pashtana Durrani, founder and executive director of LEARN; Vanda Felbab-Brown, director of the Brookings Initiative on Nonstate Armed Actors; and John Allen, president of Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/events

4 p.m. — George Washington University Project for Media and National Security Defense Writers Group conference call conversation with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown. https://nationalsecuritymedia.gwu.edu/

7:30 p.m. — Woodrow Wilson Center Asia Program webinar: “Assessing the Alliance: What Lies Ahead for the Korean Peninsula?” with former Republic of Korea Ambassador to the United States Ahn Ho-Young, president of the University of North Korean Studies; former Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., director, president and CEO of WWC; Abraham Denmark, director of the WWC Asia Program; and Jean Lee, director of the WWC Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event

THURSDAY | FEBRUARY 18

9 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies webinar on Korea and China, with Chung Jae Ho, professor and director of the Seoul National University Program on U.S.-China Relations; former Republic of Korea Ambassador to Russia Wi Sung-lac, visiting professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy; Bonnie Glaser, director of the CSIS China Power Project; Victor Cha, Korea chair at CSIS; and Mark Lippert, nonresident senior adviser at CSIS. https://www.csis.org/events/online-event-korea-chair-capital-cable-20

10 a.m. — Woodrow Wilson Center Middle East Program and Kennan Institute webinar, “Turkish-Russian Relations,” with former State Department Special Envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS James Jeffrey; Habibe Ozdal, assistant professor of international relations at Istanbul Okan University; and Matthew Rojansky, director of the WWC Kennan Institute. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/global-perspectives-turkish-russian-relations

10 a.m. — Arab Center webinar “Yemen Policy Under Biden: Opportunities and Challenges,” with Abdulwahab Alkebsi, managing director for programs at the Center for International Private Enterprise; Nadwa Al-Dawsari, nonresident scholar at the Middle East Institute; Sama’a Al-Hamdani, founder and executive director of the Yemen Cultural Institute; Nabeel Khoury, senior nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council; Summer Nasser, CEO of Yemen Aid; and Khalil Jahshan, executive director of the Arab Center. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register

11 a.m. — Ronald Reagan Institute virtual event: “China, Targeted Decoupling, and the Economic Long War,” with Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.; and Roger Zakheim, director Ronald Reagan Institute. https://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan-institute/events

11:30 a.m. — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association Scott-St. Louis Chapter virtual discussion with Air Force Brig. Gen. Chad Raduege, director of cyberspace and information dominance and CIO of the Air Combat Command. https://scott.afceachapters.org/?even

12 p.m. — Center for the National Interest invites you to a Zoom webinar: “The Challenge of Iran,” with Gary Samore, professor, Brandeis University; Ellen Laipson, distinguished fellow, Stimson Center; Shai Feldman, president, Sapir Academic College; and Geoffrey Kemp, senior director for regional security, Center for the National Interest. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register

1 p.m. — Government Executive Media Group webinar: “Cyber Defenders: Securing the Supply Chain,” with Defense Undersecretary for Acquisition and Sustainment Katherine Arrington; and Principal Deputy Assistant VA Secretary for Information Dominic Cussat, deliver remarks. https://cyberdefenders.nextgov.com/register

FRIDAY | FEBRUARY 19

10:30 a.m. — House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security hearing: “A Pathway for Peace in Afghanistan: Examining the Findings and Recommendations of the Afghanistan Study Group,” with former Sen. Kelly Ayotte, retired Gen. Joseph Dunford, and Nancy Lindborg, co-chairs of congressionally-chartered U.S. Institute of Peace Afghanistan Study Group. https://oversight.house.gov

11:15 a.m. — Munich Security Conference “Special Edition” virtual event: “A New Transatlantic Agenda,” with U.S. President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and French President Emmanuel Macron. https://securityconference.org/en/msc-special-edition-2021/

12 p.m. — Hudson Institute virtual discussion: “The Future of U.S. Seapower: A View from Congress,” with Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee; Rep. Robert Wittman, R-Va., ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee’s Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee; and Seth Cropsey, senior fellow and director of the Hudson Center for American Seapower. https://www.hudson.org/events/1920-virtual-event-the-future-of-u-s-seapower-a-view-from-congress22021

12:15 p.m. — Howard University virtual symposium on “Re-Shaping U.S.-Africa Policy and the Role of HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities,” with U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations nominee Linda Thomas-Greenfield, former assistant secretary of State for African affairs. https://cfas.howard.edu/Symposium-US-Africa-HBCUs

TUESDAY | FEBRUARY 23

11 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Subcommittee on Cyber, Innovative Technologies, and Information Systems hearing: “Innovation Opportunities and Vision for the Science and Technology Enterprise,” with Christine Fox, former acting deputy secretary of defense, assistant director for policy and analysis, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory; Victoria Coleman, former DARPA director, senior adviser to the director, CITRIS, UC Berkeley; and Klon Kitchen, resident fellow, American Enterprise Institute. https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings

3 p.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces hearing: “Near-Peer Advancements in Space and Nuclear Weapons,” with retired Gen. Robert Kehler, Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University; Madelyn Creedon, nonresident fellow, The Brookings Institute; Todd Harrison, director, Aerospace Security Project, Center for Strategic and International Studies; and Tim Morrison, senior fellow, The Hudson Institute. https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings

7 p.m. — Stimson Center and Sejong Institute Zoom webinar: “US and ROK Approaches to North Korea: Challenges and Opportunities,” with Jungsup Kim, senior research fellow, Sejong Institute; Jihwan Hwang, professor, University of Seoul; Suzanne DiMaggio, senior fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Jenny Town, fellow, Stimson Center and deputy director, 38 North; and moderated by Joel S. Wit, senior fellow, Stimson Center and Director, 38 North.https://www.stimson.org/event