‘OPERATOR ERROR’: The tone of the House Armed Services subcommittee hearing into the leaks at the Navy’s Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility on the Hawaiian island of Oahu was set in the opening statements of the committee’s chairman and ranking member.
California Democratic Rep. John Garamendi began by questioning whether it is even possible to make the massive fuel storage facility safe for continued operation and whether its continued operation is the best use of taxpayer resources. ”Can the billions of dollars the United States taxpayer will be asked to invest in this facility be better used in finding a new, innovative engineering feat for this millennium, suitable for modern warfare?”
In November, an estimated 14,000 gallons of jet fuel was accidentally discharged into a Navy-operated well, contaminating drinking water, forcing some 3,500 families from their homes over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, and sickening “thousands,” according to Garamendi.
The spill was apparently the result of “operator error,” Rear Adm. Blake Converse, deputy commander of the Pacific Fleet, testified, but the accident remains under investigation. “The Navy caused this problem, we own it, and we are going to fix it,” he said.
And it’s not the first time. In 2014, 27,000 gallons of fuel were released from one of the 12.5-million-gallon storage tanks in an incident also blamed on “operator error.”
“The Department of Defense has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to update the facilities, technologies, and operating procedures at Red Hill,” Garamendi said. “During the time between the 2014 release and the most recent releases last year, the Navy repeatedly stated that these investments would ensure that Oahu’s drinking water was safe. Unfortunately, as we have watched this crisis unfold over the last 3 months, it is apparent that this is not the case.”
THE ‘SITUATION IS UNACCEPTABLE’: Ranking Republican Rep. Mike Waltz, a former Green Beret, noted that the World War II-era fuel depot has been critical to fuel logistics for U.S. forces in the Indo-Pacific, but he said it’s clear the aging facility is inadequate.
“It has also been the source of repeated fuel incidents and is lacking a secondary containment system,” Waltz said. “This is particularly problematic considering that it sits 100 feet over an aquifer that provides over 77% of the island of Oahu’s drinking water. I believe the existing Red Hill fuels situation is unacceptable, and a significant change to our bulk fuels laydown and overall management system in INDO-PACOM needs to occur.”
AN ENGINEERING MARVEL: The Red Hill facility dates back to 1940 — before the attack on Pearl Harbor — when the U.S. military concluded above ground fuel tanks were too vulnerable to air attack.
Garamendi called Red Hill a “one-of-a-kind engineering innovation,” and “an astonishing feat of engineering,” but he suggested it may be time to retire the facility.
“The facility holds 250 million gallons of fuel in 20 steel-lined underground tanks encased in concrete. These tanks are connected to three gravity-fed pipelines running 2.5 miles to the Pearl Harbor fuel piers.”
TIME TO EMPTY THE TANKS? The Hawaii Department of Health issued an emergency order last month directing the Navy to empty the fuel tanks, make necessary repairs, and install a water treatment system.
“I am concerned that any long-term effort to entirely defuel Red Hill will have severe national security consequences, but I am supportive of initially defueling Red Hill to a level that supports our surge requirements,” said Waltz. “Additionally, defueling of this depot at a future point should be aggressively pursued when a better-positioned fuels strategy can be developed and implemented that is better aligned with our overall combatant commander war plans.”
“We are in receipt of the emergency order issued by the Hawaii Department of Health, and we are taking action because it is a lawful order to comply with,” Converse said.
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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 NOW: At NATO headquarters in Brussels this morning, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg chaired a meeting of the NATO Russia Council called to discuss the allied response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ominous deployment of 100,000 troops along Ukraine’s northern, southern, and eastern borders.
Stoltenberg is scheduled to brief reporters at approximately 7:30 a.m. (1:30 p.m. Brussels time), and his news conference will be streamed live at nato.int
HAPPENING LATER: At 12:45 p.m., President Joe Biden and the first lady will attend the funeral of Gen. Raymond Odierno at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Fort Myer, Virginia. The president will deliver remarks.
Odierno, a former Army chief of staff, died last October at the age of 67. He was credited with being an architect of the “surge” of U.S. troops in Iraq that helped turn the tide of battle against insurgents in 2006.
He also commanded the Fourth Infantry Division when Saddam Hussein was captured in northern Iraq in December 2003.
GRAHAM IS SHOCKED: South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham was sharply critical of the Biden Justice Department after yesterday’s testimony by Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen and Jill Sanborn, executive assistant director of the FBI’s National Security Branch, at a hearing on “The Domestic Terrorism Threat One Year After January 6.”
“It is unacceptable that the National Security Division of the Department of Justice did not know the number of border crossings – which is in the thousands – from special interest countries designated as such because of their ties to terrorism,” Graham said in a statement after the hearing. “In addition, dozens of individuals have been apprehended at the southern border who are on terrorist watchlists. Only God knows how many have come across undetected.”
“I was shocked to hear [their] responses,” Graham said. “It is imperative that the Biden administration quickly up its game.”
“I would urge the National Security Division of the Department of Justice to go to the border, coordinate closely with the DHS officials in charge of securing our border, and change the dynamic on the ground before it is too late.”
47,705 MIGRANTS RELEASED WITH INSTRUCTIONS TO REPORT TO ICE HAVE GONE MISSING UNDER BIDEN
FIVE MORE CLEARED TO LEAVE GITMO: Five more of the 39 remaining prisoners at Guantanamo have been cleared for transfer to a third country, as the Biden administration tries to close the terrorist prison camp that turned 20 yesterday.
That brings the number of detainees who are eligible for release to 18, but so far, they have no place to go.
The five include a “high-value” prisoner suspected of having been a key figure in al Qaeda’s East Africa franchise, reported the Washington Post, which quoted attorneys who identified the five men as Guled Hassan Duran, Moath al-Alwi, Suhail al-Sharabi, Zakaria al-Baidany, and Abdulmalik Bajabu.
TOP ADMIRAL’S CHARGE: ‘EMBODY HUMILITY, SELFLESSNESS … TRANSPARENCY’: Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday has issued a new “Charge of Command” to commanders, in which he asks that they “embrace diversity of thought and background, foster inclusion and connectedness, and always do the right thing, especially when it is hard.”
“We place a great amount of trust and confidence in our commanding officers, rely on them to manage risk, make decisions, and communicate openly and honestly, especially in crisis,” the documents say. “Embody humility, selflessness, and complete transparency. Acknowledge the value of every Sailor and civilian. Take care of them and their families.”
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The Rundown
Washington Examiner: DOJ reveals new ‘domestic terrorism unit’ during Capitol riot hearing
Washington Examiner: DOJ evades questions on Capitol riot informants as Ray Epps denies working with FBI
Washington Examiner: Roughly 18,000 Afghan refugees remain on US bases months after withdrawal
Washington Examiner: Fauci shut down lab leak theory despite scientists lending it credence, emails show
Washington Examiner: 47,705 migrants released with instructions to report to ICE have gone missing under Biden
Washington Examiner: Latest North Korean missile test more advanced than last week’s, Seoul says
National Defense Magazine: Navy Chief Warns Continuing Resolution Could Harm Hypersonics Program
Inside Defense: DOD Announces ‘Full-Scale Hypersonics Flight Test Series,’ Reveals Little Else Publicly
Washington Post: Russia threatens to scuttle talks with U.S. if there is no swift acceptance of its security demands
New York Times: ‘No Intention To Invade.’ Ukraine Isn’t Convinced.
Wall Street Journal: Moscow’s Assertiveness Upends NATO Goals
Air Force Magazine: 87 Airmen, Guardians Now Separated Over COVID-19 Vaccine Refusal
Military.com: The Navy Knows How Many Ships The Future Fleet Needs – But It’s Not Telling For Now
Inside Defense: Navy Eyeing Using LCS With Light Amphibious Warship To Support Marine Corps Expeditionary Efforts
Breaking Defense: Destroyer Preble To Get Lockheed High-Energy Laser In 2022
Task & Purpose: How Do Extremists Get In The Military? The Pentagon Wants To Find Out
Air Force Magazine: Collins Aerospace Will Update B-52 Power Generation
Air Force Times: Court To Decide If Hyten Will Face Trial In Civil Suit For Sexual Assault
19fortyfive.com: Opinion: Russia Has a Clear Reason to Invade Ukraine Now If Talks Fail (Really well done!)
19fortyfive.com: Analysis: Is Russia Getting Ready to Invade Ukraine or Is Putin Bluffing?
19fortyfive.com: If Putin Invades: 5 Weapons Ukraine Would Use Against Russia In a War
Washington Post: He’s the subject of Russian action movies. He also promotes the Kremlin’s interests in Afghanistan.
Forbes: Opinion: President Biden’s Tax & Antitrust Philosophy Is At War With His National Security Strategy
Calendar
WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 12
9 a.m. — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies virtual “Schriever Spacepower Forum” with Derek Tournear, director of the Space Development Agency; and Christopher Stone, senior fellow for space studies, Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence https://mitchellaerospacepower.org
10 a.m. — Center for a New American Security virtual event: “The Crisis in Kazakhstan,” with Lisa Curtis, director, Indo-Pacific Security Program, CNAS; Andrea Kendall-Taylor, director, Transatlantic Security Program, CNAS; Paul Stronski, senior fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program, Carnegie Endowment for international Peace; and Richard Fontaine, chief executive officer, CNAS https://www.cnas.org/events/special-event-the-crisis-in-kazakhstan
10 a.m. — U.S. Institute of Peace virtual discussion: “Is Governance the Taliban’s Achilles Heel? Assessing Five Months of Rights and Services Reversals in Afghanistan,” with Rahmatullah Amiri, independent researcher and author; Scott Worden, director of Afghanistan and Central Asia at USIP; Belquis Ahmadi, senior program officer for Afghanistan at USIP; and Andrew Watkins, senior expert on Afghanistan at USIP https://www.usip.org/events/governance-talibans-achilles-heel
12 p.m. — Hudson Institute virtual event: “China’s Coercive Missile Strategy and the US Response,” with Mark Lewis, executive director, Emerging Technologies Institute, National Defense Industrial Association; Christopher Yeaw, associate executive director, strategic deterrence and nuclear programs, National Strategic Research Institute at the University of Nebraska; Timothy Walton, fellow, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology, Hudson Institute; and Rebeccah Heinrichs, senior fellow and director, Keystone Defense Initiative, Hudson Institute https://www.eventbrite.com/e/virtual-event-china
2 a.m. EST/8:30 a.m. CET — NATO’s Military Committee, its highest military authority, meets for two days in Brussels, Belgium, with opening remarks by Adm. Rob Bauer, of the Royal Netherlands Navy, chair of the Military Committee. The meeting includes all the military chefs from the 30 NATO nations, as well as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, U.S. Gen. Tod Wolters. https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news
2 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. N.W. — Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion on “Emerging Technologies & Long Range Strike,” with Army Lt. Gen. L. Neil Thurgood, director for hypersonics, directed energy, space and rapid acquisition in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology https://www.csis.org/events/emerging-technologies-long-range-strike
7:30 a.m. EST/1:30 p.m. CET Brussels, Belgium — Press conference at NATO headquarters by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg following the meeting of the NATO-Russia Council https://www.nato.int
THURSDAY | JANUARY 13
9:30 a.m. G50 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on nominations of Celeste Wallander to be assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, Melissa Dalton to be assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and hemispheric affairs, and John Plumb to be assistant secretary of defense for space policy
9:30 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion with former South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Wi Sung-lac, foreign policy adviser to South Korean Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-Myung; and Sue Mi Terry, director of the Wilson Center’s Center for Korean History and Public Policy https://www.csis.org/events/capital-cable-39-wi-sung-lac
3:30 p.m. — George Washington University Project for Media and National Security Defense Writers Group conversation with Heidi Shyu, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering. https://nationalsecuritymedia.gwu.edu
2 p.m. — Quincey Institute for Responsible Statecraft virtual book discussion on “Why Foreign-Imposed Regime Change Goes Wrong,” with author Alexander Downe, associate professor at George Washington University and co-director of the Institute for Security and Conflict Studies; and Trita Parsi, co-founder and former president of the National Iranian American Council https://quincyinst.org/event/book-talk
5 p.m. — Institute of World Politics webinar: “Global Security in the Era of Advanced AI,” with Mark Beall, senior manager for strategy at Amazon Web Services https://www.eventbrite.com/e/global-security-in-the-era
5:30 p.m. — National Security Institute NatSec Nightcap event: “Maintaining U.S. Global Leadership and Confronting Tomorrow’s Threats,” with former U.S. Central Commander retired Army Gen. Joseph Votel; and Jamil Jaffer, founder and executive director, National Security Institute https://nationalsecurity.gmu.edu/natsec-nightcap
FRIDAY | JANUARY 14
10 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies and U.S. Naval Institute event: “Maritime Security Dialogue: 5th Fleet Mission and Operations Update,” with Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander, U.S. naval forces, Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces; and retired Vice Adm. Peter Daly, chief executive officer and publisher, U.S. Naval Institute https://www.csis.org/events/maritime-security-dialogue
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I think it’s hard to process what’s actually happening right now, which is most people are going to get COVID, all right? And what we need to do is make sure the hospitals can still function, transportation, you know, other essential services are not disrupted while this happens.”
Dr. Janet Woodcock, acting commissioner, Food and Drug Administration, in Senate testimony Tuesday.
