“I intend to surround myself with and empower experienced, capable civilians who will enable healthy civil-military relations, grounded in meaningful oversight,” he said, drawing a contrast with former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who filled out his staff with many retired military officers.

RADICALS IN THE RANKS: Austin, who if confirmed would be America’s first black defense secretary, also vowed to root out extremism in the military.

“The job of the Department of Defense is to keep America safe from our enemies. But we can’t do that if some of those enemies lie within our own ranks,” Austin said on a day when 12 National Guard members were relieved of inauguration security duty and sent home after FBI vetting, including two who were found to have expressed extremist sentiments in posts or texts. “We can never take our hands off the wheel on this,” said Austin. “This has no place in the military of the United States of America.”

WAIVER VOTE COMING: Before his Senate confirmation vote, Austin must first receive a waiver to the seven-year rule from both houses of Congress. The House Armed Services Committee has scrapped a public hearing for Austin originally scheduled for tomorrow, and instead, the full House will proceed to a vote.

His nomination could get a vote in the Senate Armed Services Committee, with a final vote on the Senate floor by Friday or Monday.

Austin’s confirmation seemed assured, assuming he gets the waiver, because many lawmakers who say they will oppose the waiver on principle say they will vote to confirm Austin if the waiver passes.

“My opposition to yet another waiver of federal law to allow Secretary-designate Austin to serve as secretary of defense has everything to do with restoring the bedrock principle of civilian control of the military and nothing to do with his qualifications or character,” said Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth. “If my colleagues pass an exception to this statute, I remain committed to considering his nomination fairly and on its merits.”

BLINKEN DOESN’T BLINK ON TRUMP SUCCESSES: As for Antony Blinken, he finessed his way through his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee by outlining a large area of agreement with the Trump administration while drawing subtle differences in how Biden would approach the major international challenges.

“Certainly getting our NATO allies to invest more is a good thing, I think that’s shared across administrations and across parties,” Blinken said under question from Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin. “I also believe that President Trump was right in taking a tougher approach to China. I disagreed very much with the way that he went about it in a number of areas, but the basic principle was the right one, and I think that’s actually helpful to our foreign policy.”

Blinken singled out the Abraham Accords as something “the Trump administration did beyond our borders that I would applaud,” but also said the deals Trump made with the UAE and Morocco to broker the normalization with Israel may bear further scrutiny. “There are certain commitments that may have been made in the context of getting those countries to normalized relations with Israel that I think we should take a hard look at, and I imagine the committee feels the same way.”

QUESTIONING THE AFGHAN PEACE DEAL: But Blinken also indicated that the outgoing Trump administration failed to share with him or any of the Biden transition team the details of the secret codicils to the Feb. 29 agreement with the Taliban that was intended to result in the complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan later this year.

“I haven’t been privy to it yet, particularly with regard to the agreement that was reached in the first instance between the United States and the Taliban, to understand fully what commitments were made or not made by the Taliban,” Blinken said. “Yes, we want to end this so-called forever war. We want to bring our forces home. We want to retain some capacity to deal with any resurgence of terrorism, which is what brought us there in the first place. And we have to look carefully at what has actually been negotiated.”

“I don’t believe that any outcome that they might achieve, the government of Afghanistan or the Taliban, is sustainable without protecting the gains that had been made by women and girls in Afghanistan over the last 20 years when it comes to access to education, to healthcare, to employment.”

LOOKIN’ GOOD: The senators seemed largely satisfied with Blinken’s performance, and he won a nod of approval from Sen. Lindsey Graham, who opposed Blinken for confirmation as deputy secretary of state six years ago. “I think you’re an outstanding choice, and I intend to vote for you,” Graham said, “I’m looking forward to working with you.”

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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INAUGURATION HAPPENING TODAY: This morning, President-elect Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, and Douglas Emhoff will attend a church service at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, where they will be joined by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer.

Joseph R. Biden, Jr. will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States at the Capitol at noon. Later in the afternoon, the new president, first lady, vice president, and “second gentleman” will visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, after which they will receive a presidential escort to the White House.

Biden and Harris are both scheduled to speak at tonight’s “Celebrating America” inaugural program.

THE UNDOING PROJECT: This evening, Biden will begin signing a slew of executive orders undoing many of President Trump’s more controversial initiatives, among them an order halting further construction on his border wall.

“By proclamation, President-elect Biden will today declare an immediate termination of the national emergency declaration that was used as a pretext to justify some of the funding diversions for the wall,” said a statement from Biden’s transition office. “The proclamation directs an immediate pause in wall construction projects to allow a close review of the legality of the funding and contracting methods used and to determine the best way to redirect funds that were diverted by the prior administration to fund wall construction.

“Bipartisan majorities in Congress refused in 2019 to fund President Trump’s plans for a massive wall along our southern border, even after he shut down the government over this issue,” the statement said. “He then wastefully diverted billions of dollars to that construction.”

HAWLEY BLOCKS FAST TRACK FOR DHS PICK: At his confirmation hearing, homeland security nominee Alejandro Mayorkas got into hot water with Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley over Biden’s immigration reform plans, including the end of funding for the border wall.

“As you know, Congress has recently appropriated and enacted into law $1.4 billion in additional funding for the border wall system,” Hawley said during his cross examination of Mayorkas. “Do you intend, If you are confirmed, to obligate and distribute those funds as they have been allotted and designated by Congress?”

“As I previously expressed, President-elect Biden is committed to cease funding for further construction of the border wall. I would execute President-elect Biden’s commitment in adherence to the laws that guide us,” Mayorkas replied.

“Does that mean, Mr. Mayorkas, that you intend not to obligate and spend the funds as directed by Congress?” Hawley pressed.

“Will I follow the law and the execution of my responsibilities should I have the privilege of serving as the secretary of homeland security?” Mayorkas responded a second time. “The answer is yes, I will follow the law.”

After the hearing, Hawley pronounced Mayorkas’s answers inadequate and said he would block a quick vote on his nomination, which any single senator can do.

“He declined to say he would enforce the laws Congress has already passed to secure the border wall system. Given this, I cannot consent to skip the standard vetting process and fast-track this nomination when so many questions remain unanswered.”

‘NO PLACE FOR POLITICS’: Biden’s nominee for director of national intelligence, Avril Haines, appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee and promised to safeguard the integrity of our intelligence community.

“The DNI must insist that when it comes to intelligence, there is simply no place for politics, ever,” she said in her opening statement. “To be effective, the DNI must never shy away from speaking truth to power, even especially when doing so may be inconvenient or difficult.”

Haines also disavowed waterboarding and other so-called “enhanced interrogation techniques,” that she said were tantamount to torture. “I believe that waterboarding is in fact torture, constitutes torture under the law. And I do believe that all of those techniques, including techniques that involve cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment, are unlawful from both a domestic and international perspective, and should not be engaged in, regardless, as I said, of whether or not they’re effective.”

Under questioning from Sen. Ron Wyden, Haines also committed to submit to Congress a required unclassified report on who was responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. “Yes,” said Haines, “I absolutely will follow the law.”

“This is huge,” Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, said on Twitter. “For two years, I’ve been fighting for transparency and accountability for those responsible. We are closer than ever to getting #JusticeForJamal.”

ELEVENTH HOUR MOVES: Late last night, the Pentagon announced that three Trump loyalists had been sworn-in to serve on the Defense Policy Board, including retired Army Brig. Gen. Anthony Tata, former Air Force officer Scott O’Grady, and Ambassador Charles Glazer.

The Defense Policy Board provides outside advice to the defense secretary, and the makeup of the group is entirely at the prerogative of the secretary. A source with the incoming Biden administration said Austin, if confirmed, would likely take some action regarding the membership of the board quickly.

WHO’S IN CHARGE: Until Senate-confirmed Biden nominees can be confirmed, the Pentagon will be run by civilian holdovers from the Trump administration.

“I can announce, on behalf of the Biden administration — we checked with them — that the acting secretary of defense, as of noon tomorrow, will be David Norquist, our current deputy secretary of defense,” said Tom Muir, director of Washington Headquarters Services, at a Pentagon briefing yesterday. “The acting secretary of the Army will be John Whitley .. acting secretary of the Navy, Tom Harker, and the acting secretary of the Air Force, John Roth.”

For a complete list of who’s who, check out the extensive list obtained by Defense One.

The Rundown

Washington Examiner: Biden defense nominee faults leadership while promising to root out white supremacy

Washington Examiner: Blinken endorses Pompeo’s genocide charge against China and vows tough approach to Asian power

Washington Examiner: Pentagon confirms 12 Guard members have been removed from inauguration security

Washington Examiner: Biden should maintain Trump’s Iran sanctions while pursuing nuclear agreement, experts say

Washington Examiner: Macron calls on Biden to increase US military presence in Middle East

Defense One: Here’s Who Will Be Running The Pentagon When Biden Takes Office

New York Times: This Kettle Is Set to Boil’: New Evidence Points to Riot Conspiracy

Washington Post: Self-Styled Militia Members Planned On Storming The U.S. Capitol Days In Advance Of Jan. 6 Attack, Court Documents Say

Wall Street Journal: FBI reveals attack communications among alleged Oath Keepers: ‘All members are in the tunnels under capital seal them in. Turn on gas’

Defense News: U.S. Navy Halts Deliveries Of Freedom-Class Littoral Combat Ship

Breaking Defense: Biden’s Pentagon Ready To Take Hard New Look At Navy Plans

Defense News: U.S. Agency Forecasts Cost For Missile Defense Plans Over Next Decade

McClatchy: Trump signs executive order for study of troops at ‘black goo’ base who got cancer

Navy Times: U.S. Navy Ship, Marine Corps F-35Bs To Deploy With British Carrier Strike Group

AP: US soldier arrested in plot to blow up NYC 9/11 Memorial

Stars and Stripes: AFRICOM Launches Airstrike In Somalia Shortly After Troop Pullout

Wall Street Journal: Iran Sanctions President Trump In Parting Shot At Outgoing Administration

McClatchy: Austin carries close ties to Fort Bragg with him as he rises to Pentagon’s top post

Washington Post: Voice of America overseer spent $2 million investigating employees, complaint alleges

Real Clear Investigations: Will the Tech ‘Wokeforce’ Be With Us If We Go to War?

Seapower Magazine: SECNAV Names Future Vessels While Aboard Historic Navy Ship

AP: FACT CHECK: Trump’s farewell falsehoods

Calendar

WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 20 | INAUGURATION DAY

11 a.m. — The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies and the Presidential Inaugural Committee host the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., at the U.S. Capitol

Schedule of events:

• 11:45 a.m. — Swearing-in of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris
• 12 p.m. — Swearing-in of President-elect Biden
• 12:15 p.m. — President Biden delivers his inaugural address, which “lays out his vision to beat the virus, build back better, and bring the country together”
• 1:15 p.m. — Pass in Review ceremony, hosted by the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region (East Front)
• 2 p.m. — Presidential Escort, from 15th Street to the White House
• 3 p.m. — Virtual “Parade Across America” begins
• 3 p.m. — Wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va.
• 8:30 p.m. — President Biden and Vice President Harris deliver remarks during “Celebrating America,” a PIC prime-time program hosted by actor Tom Hanks “to celebrate the beginning of a new national journey toward an America united”

Livestream at https://www.youtube.com/bideninaugural

3 p.m. — Presidential Inaugural Committee hosts a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to honor “men and women in uniform who paid the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our common values,” with President Biden; first lady Jill Biden; Douglas Emhoff, husband of Vice President Harris; former President Barack Obama; former first lady Michelle Obama; former President George W. Bush; former first lady Laura Bush; former President Bill Clinton; and former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, former secretary of State. Livestream at https://www.youtube.com/bideninaugural

THURSDAY | JANUARY 21

9 a.m. — German Marshall Fund of the United States webinar: “The U.S.-EU Relationship in 2021 and Beyond – What Can We Expect from the Biden Administration?” with Sven Biscop, director of the Egmont Royal Institute for International Relations; Reinhard Butikofer, member of the European Parliament; Ellen Laipson, director of the George Mason University Center of Security Policy Studies; and Ian Lesser, vice president of GMFUS. https://www.gmfus.org/events

10 a.m. — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association virtual forum on Army Information Technology Days, with Army Maj. Gen. Maria Barrett; and Army Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. John Morrison. https://afceanova.swoogo.com/20tharmyitday

4:30 p.m. — Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments webinar on a new report, “Seizing on Weakness: Allied Strategy for Competing with China’s Globalizing Military,” co-author Toshi Yoshihara, senior fellow at CSBA; co-author Jack Bianchi, research fellow at CSBA; and John Lee, nonresident senior fellow at the University of Sydney U.S. Studies Center. https://csbaonline.org/about/events/report-release

FRIDAY | JANUARY 22

11 a.m. — U.S. Institute of Peace Media Roundtable: “North Korea Could be Early Test for Biden Administration,” with Amb. Joseph Yun, senior adviser, Asia Center; Frank Aum, senior expert North Korea.

TUESDAY | JANUARY 26

3 p.m. — Air Force Association “Air and Space Warfighters in Action” event, with Brig. Gen. Jeremy Sloane, commander of the 36th Wing, Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register