TOP STORY: On a bipartisan 14-8 vote, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has advanced a bill that would revoke 1991 and 2002 authorizations for use of military force against Iraq that lawmakers and the Biden administration agree have outlived their usefulness.
“Keeping the 1991 and 2002 AUMFs on the books would only risk future misuse and undermine our partnership with Iraq,” said Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, one of the sponsors of the bill. “Iraq is not an enemy, and we should not treat it as if it is.”
“For decades, Congress has been content to cede our constitutionally mandated role of approving wars to the executive branch,” said Kaine’s Republican co-sponsor Indiana Sen. Todd Young. “Despite the war in Iraq being over for years, and the government of Iraq now being our partner, the authorities for that war remain on the books and open to potential abuses.”
Also joining the Democrats in the bipartisan vote were Republicans Rand Paul of Kentucky and Rob Portman of Ohio.
SENATE WILL CONSIDER MEASURE TO REVOKE 2002 WAR POWERS IN IRAQ
WHAT NEXT? The committee approval means the bill will get a vote in the full Senate later this year, reports Washington Examiner Chief Congressional Correspondent Susan Ferrechio, who says Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer repeated his promise to bring the bill to the floor.
“It’s far outlived its usefulness,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “Members should be on notice that we are going to vote on this.”
Similar legislation is moving through the House. In June, a measure to repeal 2002 Iraq AUMF passed 268-16, with the backing of 49 of the 209 voting Republicans. In a separate vote, it repealed the 1991 authorization by an overwhelming 366-46 vote.
While the move to clean up outdated war authorizations seems to have enough support for easy passage, the House and Senate versions will have to be reconciled in a conference committee before being sent to President Joe Biden, who has said he will sign the repeal.
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HAPPENING TODAY: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin welcomes the president of Palau, Surangel Whipps Jr, to the Pentagon at 1:30 p.m. Palau, a tiny island in the Pacific, is one of only 15 states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
One year ago, Defense Secretary Mark Esper became the first U.S. defense secretary to visit the archipelago of barely 20,000 people southeast of the Philippines.
ALSO TODAY: At the White House this afternoon, President Joe Biden will sign legislation that awards four congressional gold medals to the U.S. Capitol Police and those who protected the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are scheduled to give remarks at 4:30 p.m.
FBI DETAILS ATTACK THAT KILLED PENTAGON OFFICER: In a series of tweets, the FBI yesterday said the man who killed Pentagon Force Protection Agency Officer George Gonzalez Wednesday, attacked without warning while Gonzalez was patrolling the busy bus transfer point outside the Pentagon’s Metro entrance.
“At approximately 10:40 a.m. on Tuesday, August 3, an individual exited a bus at the Pentagon Transit Center in Arlington, VA, and immediately, without provocation, attacked PFPA Officer George Gonzalez with a knife, severely wounding him,” said tweets from the FBI’s Washington Field Office. “A struggle ensued, in which the subject mortally wounded Officer Gonzalez and then shot himself with the officer’s service weapon. Other PFPA officers engaged the subject, who ultimately died at the scene.”
“A civilian bystander, who was also injured during the incident, was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and later released,” a subsequent tweet said, “The deceased subject has been identified as Austin William Lanz, 27, most recently of Acworth, Ga.“
‘A GOOD GUY WITH A BIG HEART’: The Pentagon Force Protection Agency posted a statement from Gonzalez’s family on its Twitter page:
“We are heartbroken over the death of our son and brother, but we are so very very proud of the life he lived. George devoted his life to serving his country; first in the military, and then, as a law enforcement officer, he continued to serve by protecting service members and citizens of this country,” the statement said.
“He had an infectious personality and was fiercely loved by his family and friends. He loved his country, his family, and the Yankees. He was one of the good guys with a big heart, and we will miss him always. We ask that you respect our privacy as we deal with the tragic and sudden loss.”
NO CRYSTAL BALL: A former U.S. Indo-Pacific commander made headlines last March when he told the Senate Armed Services Committee that China could move against Taiwan in the next six years. “Taiwan is clearly one of their ambitions,” said Adm. Phil Davidson. “And I think the threat is manifest during this decade, in fact in the next six years.”
Yesterday at the Aspen Security Forum, when Washington Post columnist David Ignatius asked Davidson’s successor, Adm. John Aquilino, if he shared that assessment, Aquilino was far more circumspect.
“I do not have a crystal ball,” said Aquilino. “When I was confirmed, what I highlighted is that I have a sense of urgency in order to execute the integrated deterrence that the secretary of defense has tasked us with,” adding, “We have to be in a position to ensure that the status quo remains as it applies to Taiwan.”
“We certainly view with concern many of the actions that we’ve seen from Beijing,” he said. “I think what I view with most concern are certainly not the words but the actions that we’ve seen.”
“We view with concern [China’s] unlawful claim to the entire South China Sea — directly and negatively impacting all of the countries in the region, from their livelihood, whether it be with fishing or access to natural resources,” Aquilino said. And he cited China’s crackdown in Hong Kong in violation of promises of autonomy under the 1997 agreement with the British government.
“Those actions were completely disconnected from the words from Beijing to adhere to the agreement that was in place,” he said.
ZELENSKY’S COMING: National security adviser Jake Sullivan met Wednesday with two top Ukrainian officials to lay the groundwork for President Volodymyr Zelensky’s planned visit to Washington on Aug. 30.
“Sullivan underscored the United States’s unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and Euro-Atlantic aspirations,” in the meeting with Ukraine’s Head of Presidential Administration Andriy Yermak and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, according to a statement by the White House.
Also discussed were plans for increased U.S.-Ukrainian cooperation on “Kyiv’s defense challenges, energy security needs, and governance and anti-corruption reforms.”
A LONG TIME COMING: Zelensky has been seeking a White House meeting since the day he was elected president.
In a book excerpt published in the Atlantic, retired Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who was on the NSC staff, recounts how Zelensky tried to ingratiate himself with President Donald Trump in the now infamous July 25, 2019, phone call.
“Zelensky is a comedian by profession. He was telling self-deprecating jokes, making fun of his own poll numbers and saying that he had to win more elections to speak regularly with President Trump,” writes Vindman. “My fluency in Ukrainian allowed me to catch the nuance. As head of state for a vulnerable and dependent country, Zelensky was giving it everything he had: trying to build a rapport with the president, flattering a notoriously egotistical character, steering the conversation toward the military aid, and gently trying to elicit the personal White House visit that he and his country so desperately needed.”
“Trump wasn’t responsive. Monotone and standoffish, he remained stubbornly aloof to Zelensky’s efforts to make a personal connection,” Vindman recounts. When Zelensky turned the subject to buying more Javelin anti-tank missiles from the U.S., Trump responded, “I would like you to do us a favor, though.”
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The Rundown
Washington Examiner: Israel demands ‘diplomatic, economic and even military’ retaliation against Iran’s oil tanker attack
Washington Examiner: US: Biden declined to sanction China for cyberattacks because allies lacked ‘consensus’ on punishment
Washington Examiner: Harris hopes to use Asia trip to counter China’s influence in region
Washington Examiner: Taliban claim responsibility for attack targeting Afghan defense minister
Washington Examiner: Turkey slams US plan for Afghan refugees to travel to intermediary countries
Washington Examiner: Pentagon police identify officer killed in line of duty during attack
Washington Examiner: Navy sailor accused of starting fire on USS Bonhomme Richard identified
Washington Examiner: Senate will consider measure to revoke 2002 war powers in Iraq
Washington Examiner: Senate rejects measure to restart border wall
Washington Examiner: Senate advances bill restricting sales of Chinese telecom devices
Washington Examiner: State Department looking for missing $5,800 bottle of whiskey gifted to Pompeo
Washington Post: Taliban Claims Kabul Attack, Warns Of Future Assaults In Response To Ramped-Up Government Airstrikes
Bloomberg: First Taiwan Arms Sale in Biden Administration Is Approved
Air Force Magazine: New Hypersonic Missile Production Timetable Hinges on Failure Review
Air Force Magazine: CSAF Outlines the Air Force’s New Deployment Model
Bloomberg: Suspected Ship Hijack Ends as Tensions With Iran Soar
Defense News: Boeing Conducts First Manned-Unmanned Teaming Event With MQ-25 Tanker
19fortyfive.com: Lasers on F-35 Stealth Fighters? This Could Be the Future for the U.S. Military
Defense News: China Reportedly Converted Civilian Ferries For Amphibious Assault Operations
Forbes: All Three Of The U.S. Navy’s Most Powerful Submarines Were Under Way At The Same Time, In The Same Place
The Drive: Drone Makes First Autonomous Aerial Delivery Between Two Military Vessels
USNI News: Geurts Stepping Down From Navy Under Secretary Role, Retiring From Government
19fortyfive.com: North Korea Will Never Give Up Its Nuclear Weapons: Top U.S. Intel Official
19fortyfive.com: It’s Electric: The Coming Revolution In U.S. Naval Power Systems
19fortyfive.com: Opinion: Don’t Let China Turn Space Into the New South China Sea
Calendar
THURSDAY | AUGUST 5
8:45 a.m. — Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress virtual discussion: “Transforming the U.S. Military for an Era of Great Power Competition,” with Air Force Gen. John Hyten, vice chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register
10 a.m. — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies virtual Nuclear Deterrence forum with Gordon Chang, East Asia expert, and author of numerous books on China; and Rick Fisher, senior fellow on Asian Military Affairs at the International Assessment and Strategy Center. Video posted afterward at https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/event
11 a.m. — United States Institute of Peace virtual discussion: “Pakistan’s National Security Outlook,” with Pakistani National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf. https://www.usip.org/events/pakistans-national-security-outlook
11:15 a.m. — Annual Nuclear Deterrence Summit panel: “Strategic Nuclear Deterrence Modernization,” with Air Force Lt. Gen. Anthony Cotton, deputy commander, Air Force Global Strike Command, and deputy commander, Air Forces Strategic-Air, U.S. Strategic Command; and Navy Rear Adm. Scott Pappano, program executive officer, Columbia. https://www.deterrencesummit.com/
4 p.m. — Washington Post Live discussion: “UFO” a conversation with Mark Monroe, one of the directors of the Showtime series “UFO,” and UFO expert Greg Eghigian, Ph.D., professor of history, Pennsylvania State University. https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live
FRIDAY | AUGUST 6
2 p.m. 14th and F Streets N.W. — National Press Club Newsmaker Program with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. on “the Air Force mission in an ever-changing national security environment.” Live stream at https://www.press.org/events/npc-headliners
TUESDAY | AUGUST 10
10 a.m. — The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies virtual Nuclear Deterrence and Missile Defense Forum, on the “need for U.S. nuclear modernization,” with Maj. Gen. Michael Lutton, the commander of the 20th Air Force, former Joint Staff deputy director for nuclear and homeland defense operations. Video posted afterward at https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/event/nuclear-deterrence
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I do not have a crystal ball.”
U.S. Indo-Pacific Commander Adm. John Aquilino, at the Aspen Security Forum, declining to endorse his predecessor’s prediction that China could move against Taiwan in the next six years.
