Biden insists he, too, would end endless wars but would keep some troops in Afghanistan

“It’s now public knowledge. I was opposed to the significant increase in our presence at the time in Afghanistan,” Biden said. “This president is the one that has increased the number, not reduced the number.”

President Trump did send several thousand additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan in 2017 on the advice of his military advisers, including his first defense secretary, Jim Mattis. It was a decision he would later regret, and under Trump’s current plan, all U.S. troops would be withdrawn by May of next year.

BIDEN WOULD KEEP SOME TROOPS: It’s unclear whether Biden would follow through with Trump’s plan to leave Afghanistan because he argues that the United States should maintain the ability to hunt down terrorists in the country.

“The only presence we should have is a counterterrorism presence, not a counterinsurgency presence,” Biden said. “We have to be in a position where we can make it clear that, if need be, we could respond to terrorist activities coming out of that region directed toward the United States. It does not require a large force presence.”

Under Obama, the U.S. declared an end to combat operations and left the Afghan government to fight the Taliban while keeping a counterterrorism force of about 8,500 troops. Under Trump, with historic peace talks underway, the number of troops will be reduced from 8,600 to roughly 4,500 by sometime in November.

RUSSIA ‘WILL PAY A PRICE’: In testimony before the House Homeland Security Committee on Thursday, FBI Director Christopher Wray said Russia is again attempting to help Trump’s election chances by denigrating Biden.

“We certainly have seen very active, very active efforts by the Russians to influence our election in 2020 through what I would call more the malign foreign influence side of things: social media, use of proxies, state media, online journals, et cetera,” Wray said, in what he described as “an effort to both sow divisiveness and discord … primarily to denigrate Vice President Biden and what the Russians see as kind of an anti-Russian establishment.”

Last night, Biden vowed to retaliate should he win the election. “Attempting to interfere with our election is a violation of our sovereignty,” he said. “There will be a price to pay. And [Russian President Vladimir] Putin knows the reason he doesn’t want me as president: He knows me. And he knows I mean it. I don’t mean war, but they will pay a price. They will pay a price for it. And it’ll be an economic price.”

RUSSIA’S ‘AN OPPONENT,’ CHINA ‘A COMPETITOR’: Asked by CNN’s Anderson Cooper if he considered Russia an enemy, Biden instead chose a less confrontational descriptor.

“I believe Russia is an opponent. I really do,” he said. “And look, Putin’s overwhelming objective is to break up NATO, to fundamentally alter the circumstance in Europe so he doesn’t have to face an entire NATO contingent. Any one country, he is stronger than. … Look what’s happening in Belarus.”

When Cooper asked if China was also an opponent, Biden took another step back. “I view China as a competitor. A serious competitor.”

Pressed on whether he was “too cozy, too accepting” of China, Biden insisted as vice president he stood up to Chinese President Xi Jinping. “When I was in China, and Xi said to me that they’re setting up an air identification zone, I said, ‘We’re not going to pay attention,’” Biden recalled. “I said, ‘We are going to fly right through it. We are going to abide by international norms.’”

Trump has accused Biden of being weak on China and has repeatedly said that China “will own the U.S.” if Biden wins. “China would rather negotiate [with] sleepy Joe. I’ve taken in billions of dollars. Take a look at what Obama did with China. They gave our country away,” Trump said Monday on Fox.

Biden argues that Trump’s trade wars with China have been a failure. “We now have a larger trade deficit with China than we have ever had with China,” he said last night.

Good Friday 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 Tyler Van Dyke. 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: Deputy Defense Secretary David Norquist hosts the Pentagon’s annual POW/MIA Recognition Day commemoration honoring those who were held captive and returned as well as those who remain unaccounted for from past conflicts. The 2 p.m. program on the Pentagon River Entrance Parade Field is scheduled to include remarks by Joint Chiefs Vice Chairman Gen. John Hyten and a flyover by Army UH-60 helicopters performing the missing man formation.

The event is contingent on the weather. Currently, the forecast calls for cloudy skies but no rain.

NOT NOW, MAYBE LATER: America’s nuclear commander told Congress on Thursday that he sees no immediate need for a live test of a nuclear weapon but didn’t rule out a test sometime in the future.

“At this time, there is no condition — nothing has changed, right — there is no condition where I would recommend the need for nuclear testing,” U.S. Strategic Commander Adm. Chas Richard testified at Thursday’s Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the budget of the National Nuclear Security Administration.

But, he added, “I would say though that it is important for the nation to maintain an ability to do a nuclear test should an issue arise in the future, and I’ve been formally documented in making that recommendation.”

The U.S. has not conducted a nuclear test since 1992, but reports have suggested that the idea of a live test has been discussed within the Trump administration. In June, Marshall Billingslea, the top U.S. arms negotiator, told Russia the U.S. has no reason to test a new nuclear weapon “at this stage.”

MOSCOW ABHORS A VACUUM: A new in-depth report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies documents how Russia’s use of private military companies, commonly known as mercenaries, has exploded in recent years to fill the vacuum created as the U.S. withdraws its military forces from parts of Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia.

“Russia is expanding its influence in these areas and undermining U.S. interests,” the report, Moscow’s Mercenary Wars, concludes, drawing from satellite imagery and open-source information.

“Moscow is primarily using special operations forces, intelligence units, and private military companies. With operations in as many as 30 countries across 4 continents, Russian PMCs are likely to play a significant role in Russian strategic competition for the foreseeable future,” the report finds.

CLEANLINESS IS KEY: The folks over at Heritage Action are worried that the continuing resolution that will be needed to keep the government, including the Pentagon, funded past the end of the month could get bogged down in partisan fights over other contentious issues.

“America is staring down the barrel of a government shutdown in the middle of a pandemic, and Congress still has not agreed on how to continue funding the government,” said Garrett Bess, vice president of government relations and communications, who is urging passage of a “clean resolution” with no amendments.

“This is too urgent for Congress to add their pet policy priorities,” Bess says. “A clean continuing resolution must avoid policy riders, namely changes to census deadlines, unnecessary program authorizations, and significant anomalies that would expand federal programs. These issues should be handled during the regular appropriations process, which Congress has failed to complete.”

BIPARTISAN ACCLAIM: Republicans Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Todd Young of Indiana, and Democrats Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Ben Cardin of Maryland have introduced a bipartisan Senate resolution congratulating the governments and people of Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain on the recently signed Abraham Accords.

The resolution congratulates the governments and people of Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the Kingdom of Bahrain on reaching these historic agreements, encourages other Arab nations to establish full relations with Israel with the vision of realizing full peace between Israel and all of its Arab neighbors, and reaffirms the U.S.’s strong support for a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict resulting in two states, a democratic Jewish State of Israel and a viable, democratic Palestinian state, living side-by-side in peace, security, and mutual recognition.

The resolution has 54 co-sponsors: Republicans, Democrats, and one independent.

INDUSTRY WATCH: Army Futures Command is establishing a “Software Factory” in Austin, Texas, in cooperation with the Austin Community College District.

“The Software Factory at ACC will be the first of its kind and will provide a training pipeline for soldiers and ACC students,” the Army said in a statement. “The factory is designed to help students rapidly scope and solve real-life problems through advanced software development processes.”

The move comes as Hyten, the Joint Chiefs vice chairman, has identified software development as a key deficiency in the Defense Department.

“When we put a software development team together, what do we do? We build it like — we build it like a tank. We build it like a ship. We build it like an airplane or a satellite. We put together hundreds of people, and we put together these giant engineering teams and try to put them together. That is not the way software is built in today’s day and age,” Hyten said at last week’s DOD Artificial Intelligence Symposium.

“We have software development teams with 500 people all over the department. It’s crazy. You have to be nimble. You have to be fast.” Hyten said.

“I can’t wait to get Army soldiers in here interacting with students,” said Army Gen. Mike Murray, who heads the Futures Command. “It’s going to force us to think differently about how we think about the future.”

The Rundown

Washington Examiner: An algorithm for a wingman: The coming robot revolution in future wars

Washington Examiner: China appeals to Russia and other regional allies to counter US influence

Washington Examiner: Christopher Wray says Russia is ‘very active’ in trying to influence 2020 election

Washington Examiner: Federal investigators: Iranian hackers target satellite technology companies

Washington Examiner: Trump: Dennis Rodman is better at negotiating with Kim Jong Un than ‘stiffs’ from Harvard

Reuters: U.S. Hopes To Name Qatar As Major Non-NATO Ally, Official Says

Military.com: How The Military Is Supporting The Historic Race For A COVID Vaccine

Navy Times: NATO Stands Up Joint Force Command Norfolk To Boost Readiness In The Atlantic

USNI News: Esper: Unmanned Vessels Will Allow The Navy To Reach 355-Ship Fleet

USNI News: U.S. Admiral Talks 3rd Chinese Aircraft Carrier: ‘Go Ahead And Build That Big Ship’

New York Times: U.S. Arms Sale Push to Taiwan Would Put Distant Chinese Targets in Range

New York Times: Seeking Friends In Europe, China Finds Rising Anger

Stars and Stripes: Indo-Pacific Command Leader Underscores Need For Stronger Missile Defense On Guam

Washington Post: U.S. Plans To Reimpose Sanctions On Iran, Despite Widespread Objections

Air Force Magazine: AFMC Considers Reorganizing Depots for New eSeries Aircraft

Military.com: New Recruiting Ad Tells Gen Z To Ditch The Digital World And Join The Marines

New York Times: He Killed A Transgender Woman In The Philippines. Why Was He Freed?

Forbes: When It Comes To Military Launches, SpaceX May No Longer Be The Low-Cost Provider

Calendar

FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 18

9:30 a.m. — Atlantic Council webinar: “Belarus and Democracy in Europe,” with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius; Vladimir Kara-Murza, chairman of the Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom; Hanna Liubakova, journalist at Outriders; and Melinda Haring, deputy director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event

11 a.m. — The Alliance for Public Awareness and the Organization of Iranian American Communities virtual trans-Atlangtic summit, “Time to Hold the Iranian Regime Accountable,” with Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo.; Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H.; House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y.; Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla.; Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas; Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif.; Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y.; Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn.; Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas; UK Parliament member Bob Blackman; UK Parliament member David Jones, former UK Brexit minister; former Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H.; former Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., chairman of United Against Nuclear Iran; former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga.; former National Security Advisor Gen. James Jones; former Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Robert Joseph; retired Army Gen. Jack Keane, chairman of the Institute for the Study of War and former vice chief of staff of the Army; former Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi; and Trish Regan, former host of FOX Business Network’s “Trish Regan Primetime.” RSVP required for webcast information, email: [email protected]

11 a.m. — Intelligence and National Security Alliance and the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association virtual Intelligence and National Security Summit, with Brian Drake, director of artificial intelligence and machine learning at the Defense Intelligence Agency Future Capabilities and Innovation Office; Air Force Col. P.J. Maykish, analysis director at the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence; and Stacey Dixon, deputy director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. https://intelsummit.org

2 p.m. Pentagon River Terrace Parade Field — Weather permitting, Deputy Defense Secretary David Norquist hosts the Pentagon’s annual POW/MIA Recognition Day commemoration honoring those who were held captive and returned, as well as those who remain unaccounted for from past conflicts. The program also includes remarks by Joint Chiefs Vice Chairman Gen. John Hyten and a flyover by Army UH-60 helicopters performing the missing man formation. Livestreamed at www.defense.gov/Watch/Live-Events

MONDAY | SEPTEMBER 21

12 p.m. — Day one of New America and Arizona State University Future Security Forum, a four-day virtual event reimagining national security in the age of COVID-19, with retired Gen. Joseph Votel, former U.S. Central Commander; Michèle Flournoy, former undersecretary of defense for policy; Bonnie Jenkins, founder and president, Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security and Conflict Transformation; Helene Gayle, MD, member, Committee on Equitable Allocation of Vaccine for the Novel Coronavirus, National Academies; Michael Osterholm, director, Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, University of Minnesota. https://www.newamerica.org/conference/future-security-forum-2020/

TUESDAY | SEPTEMBER 22

1 p.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee hearing on “Modernization of the Conventional Ammunition Production Industrial Base,” with Bruce Jette, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics, and technology; and Gen. Edward Daly, commanding general of the Army Materiel Command. https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings

1 p.m. — Virtual Book launch of Adaptation Under Fire, with co-authors retired Lt. Gen. David Barno and Nora Bensahel, with discussion by Kori Schake, AEI; Karl Mueller, RAND; Richard Lacquement, U.S. Army War College; moderated by Jim Goldgeier. https://global.oup.com/academic/product/adaptation-under-fire

WEDNESDAY | SEPTEMBER 23

9:15 a.m. SD-562, Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support hearing on “Navy and Marine Corps Readiness,” with Navy Secretary Kenneth Braithwaite, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday, and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger. https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings

10 a.m. 342 Dirksen — Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on the nomination of Chad Wolf to be Homeland Security secretary. http://www.hsgac.senate.gov

10 a.m. — House Veterans’ Affairs Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee hearing on “Toxic Exposures: Examining Airborne Hazards in the Southwest Asia Theater of Military Operations.” http://veterans.house.gov

12 p.m. — House Armed Services Committee hearing on “The Role of Allies and Partners in U.S. Military Strategy and Operations,” wirth Christine Wormuth, director of the RAND Corporation’s International Security and Defense Policy Center; retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges of the Center for European Policy Analysis and former commanding general of U.S. Army Europe ; and Elbridge Colby, principal and co-founder of the Marathon Initiative. https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings

THURSDAY | SEPTEMBER 24

10 a.m. 342 Dirksen — Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on “Threats to the Homeland.” http://www.hsgac.senate.gov

10 a.m. 2172 Rayburn — House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on “Oversight of the United States Agency for Global Media and U.S. International Broadcasting Efforts,” with Michael Pack, CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media. http://foreignaffairs.house.gov

FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 25

10 a.m. — “Hack at the Harbor” virtual security conference sponsored by Point3 Security, with speakers including Chris Krebs, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Department of Homeland Security. https://hackattheharbor.com/

11:30 a.m. — Approximately 70 World War II aircraft will fly over the Washington Mall in two-minute intervals in historically sequenced warbird formations representing the major World War II battles. More than 20 different types of vintage military aircraft are scheduled to take part, including the P-40 Warhawk, P-39 Airacobra, P-38 Lightning, P-51 Mustang, P-47 Thunderbolt, F4U Corsair, B-25 Mitchell, B-17 Flying Fortress, B-29 Superfortress. https://ww2flyover.org/