Pentagon says scientific evidence burn pits sickened troops still inconclusive, further study needed

MORE STUDY NEEDED: In its statement, the Pentagon insisted it, along with the Department of Veterans Affairs, is “deeply committed” to the health of service members and veterans, as well as “understanding the potential health effects of exposure to burn pits and other airborne hazards.”

“The DoD and VA have funded many scientific studies to determine if there are possible long-term health effects of exposure to burn pit emissions,” the statement said, and pointed troops who believe they are suffering ill health from burn pit exposure to an online registry, where information is available on how to “obtain an optional medical examination.”

The NASEM report says further study is underway and notes, “While burn pit–related research will certainly be a part of this work, it will likely be challenging to attribute specific effects to only this exposure. The more important question is whether deployment to the Southwest Asia theater — with all of the hazardous airborne exposures it entailed — may be responsible for adverse respiratory outcomes.”

MEANWHILE THE SICK BEAR THE BURDEN OF PROOF: The Pentagon response came after Washington Examiner reporter Abraham Mahshie asked about a bipartisan bill, introduced by Republican Marco Rubio and Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand in the Senate, and Democrat Raul Ruiz and Republican Brian Fitzpatrick in the House, that would grant troops or veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxins the presumption that their illnesses are service-related so they can access full veterans medical benefits.

“More than three million service members could have been exposed to toxic burn pits, yet the VA continues to deny them care by placing the burden of proof on veterans suffering from rare cancers, lung diseases, and respiratory illnesses,” said Gillibrand at a news conference April 13. “Congress cannot sit by as the VA ignores its duty.”

“This historic and long overdue legislation will cut through the red tape to ensure veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxins while defending our nation will receive the care they need and deserve,” said Rubio. “No more excuses. No more delays. It is time to act.”

‘OUR AGENT ORANGE’: VETERANS WHO SERVED AT TOXIC UZBEKISTAN BASE WANT HELP FROM CONGRESS

THE SCIENCE IS SLOW: The debate mirrors the decadeslong effort to determine if various illnesses suffered by troops deployed to the 1990-1991 Gulf War were linked to exposures to toxins from Sarin nerve gas, oil well fires in theater, or perhaps to vaccines or pyridostigmine bromide, which was given as a preventive measure to troops to protect against chemical agents.

Originally dubbed Gulf War Syndrome, but later defined as a “chronic multisymptom illness” or Gulf War illness, the symptoms included a disparate array of maladies ranging from fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, cognitive problems, skin rashes, along with neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and migraines to cancer (especially brain cancer and lung cancer).

No single cause has ever been found for the health problems of Gulf War era veterans. “Veterans who were deployed to the Gulf War do not appear to have an increased risk for many long-term health conditions with the exceptions of PTSD, chronic fatigue syndrome, functional gastrointestinal conditions, generalized anxiety disorder, depression, substance abuse,” noted a National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report in 2016. “These disorders are similar in that they have no objective medical diagnostic tests and are diagnosed based on subjective symptom reporting.”

Nevertheless, Gulf War veterans are entitled to disability compensation or benefits for a list of “presumptive diseases.”

VETERANS GROUPS HOPE BEAU BIDEN’S DEATH WILL LEAD PRESIDENT TO HELP AILING POST-9/11 VETERANS

Good Tuesday 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: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hear from the man who served both Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden in trying to bring peace to Afghanistan. Zalmay Khalilzad, special U.S. representative for Afghanistan reconciliation at the State Department, testifies at 2:30 p.m. Livestreamed at https://www.foreign.senate.gov

ALSO TODAY: Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to spend the day on what the State Department is calling a “virtual trip” to Kenya and Nigeria, where he will “sit down with partners from across the region, including senior officials, entrepreneurs, health care workers, and young people — all in one day.”

During his virtual visit, Secretary Blinken will meet with President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya and President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, as well as his foreign minister counterparts.

“The trip opens a new and important chapter in relations between the United States and the countries of Africa,” said acting Assistant Secretary Bob Godec on a conference call for reporters yesterday. “We are very much committed to working together with Africans to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, to promote trade and investment, to strengthen security, to tackle the climate crisis, to advance democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and to work again together on a whole range of issues.”

THE CHINA FACTOR: Among the issues will be China’s so-called “debt-trap diplomacy,” its program of funding infrastructure projects to get a toe-hold in African nations as it seeks to compete with the U.S. for influence.

In 2017, China opened a naval base in the East African nation of Djibouti, which includes a “very large and capable naval pier” that, according to Senate testimony last week by U.S. Africa Commander Gen. Stephen Townsend, “has the capability to dock their largest ships, to include the Chinese aircraft carrier as well as nuclear submarines.”

“They are finishing that pier now,” Townsend told the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday. “They’re applying the final coats of paint to this thing. I expect that we will see increased Chinese naval presence there.”

“What I can say is that the United States offers an alternative vision, or certainly a very different vision from the one that China presents, on economic development, on democratic governance, on human rights, on transparency, and all the rest of it,” said Godec yesterday. “And I think that that ultimately is a very attractive model.”

GENERAL WIELDS INFLUENCE DELICATELY IN CHINESE PLAY FOR MILITARY FOOTHOLD IN AFRICA

IRAN ENCOUNTER: For the first time in a year, a U.S. ship in the Persian Gulf was harassed by an Iranian patrol boat earlier this month.

Video released by the Navy showed a ship commanded by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, the Harth 55, cutting in front of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Monomoy, forcing the U.S. ship to come to an abrupt stop.

“The U.S. vessel was conducting a routine maritime security patrol in international waters of the southern Arabian Gulf at the time of the incident,” said a statement posted with the video.

“The U.S. crews issued multiple warnings via bridge-to-bridge radio, five short blasts from the ships’ horns, and while the Harth 55 responded to the bridge-to-bridge radio queries, they continued the unsafe maneuvers,” said Cmdr. Rebecca Rebarich, a spokeswoman for the U.S. 5th Fleet in Bahrain. “After approximately three hours of the U.S. issuing warning and conducting defensive maneuvers, the (Iranian) vessels maneuvered away from the U.S. ships and opened distance between them.”

IRAN’S GROWING MISSILE THREAT: At last week’s Pentagon briefing, U.S Central Command Gen. Frank McKenzie cited the threat from Iran’s rapidly growing missile arsenal as the most concerning threat in his area of responsibility.

“Over the last five to seven years, the Iranians have made remarkable qualitative improvements in their ballistic missile force while it has grown quantitatively as well, and now numbers, depending on how you choose to count the weapons, a little less than 3,000 of various ranges,” McKenzie said.

“Their accuracy has become much better than it used to be. That is very concerning to me,” he told Pentagon reporters Thursday. “We saw that demonstrated in the attack on Al Asad Air base in January of 2020, where I would argue that the Iranian missiles generally hit within tens of meters of the targets that they chose for them.”

This morning, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies is out with a new report on the threats posed by Iran’s missiles, along with a call for the Biden administration to maintain sanctions on Iran, including its robust missile program.

“Congress should send a resolute and bipartisan message to the Biden administration: Regardless of where members stand on the JCPOA, an overwhelming majority of legislators agree that no missile-sanctions relief should be provided to Iran as part of rejoining the agreement,” write authors Matthew Zweig, Richard Goldberg, Behnam Ben Taleblu, and Saeed Ghasseminejad. “This message would align with [Secretary of State] Blinken’s testimony and his 2020 campaign commitment to ‘continue non-nuclear sanctions as a strong hedge against Iranian misbehavior in other areas.’”

SPACE FORCE REPORT: Also out today, a new report, “Rebuilding America’s Military: The United States Space Force,” by the Heritage Foundation’s John Venable.

The key takeaways:

• The U.S. is only now reaching parity with Russia and China’s counter-space capabilities. Dominance depends on Congress accelerating Space Force’s current momentum.
• The Space Force has been assigned just half of DOD’s space assets and personnel, despite being formed to organize, train, and equip U.S. space forces.
• The Space Force must be assigned all relevant space and terrestrial-based platforms and personnel portfolio to ensure U.S. operational dominance in this domain.

INDUSTRY WATCH: The State Department has approved the potential sale of General Atomics MQ-9B drones to Australia for $1.651 billion.

The principal contractors will be General Atomic Aeronautical Systems Inc., San Diego, California.; Lockheed Martin Inc., Bethesda, Maryland; Raytheon Inc., Waltham, Massachusetts.; and Leonardo SpA, Rome, Italy.

RIGHTS GROUP HAILS DOD PICKS: The San Francisco-based Palm Center, an LGBTQ advocacy organization, is applauding two of President Joe Biden’s picks for high-level positions at the Pentagon.

“Brenda Sue Fulton, a former Army officer who fought to end ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ and served as president of SPART*A, an LGBTQ military advocacy group, was nominated for Assistant Secretary for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Department of Defense,” said Aaron Belkin, director of the Palm Center in a statement.

“Shawn Skelly, a former Naval flight officer who co-founded the group, Out in National Security, and was a former Pentagon special assistant, was nominated for assistant secretary for readiness, Department of Defense. If confirmed by the Senate, Skelly would become the highest-ranking openly transgender defense official, reflecting the new administration’s prioritization of diversity in its ranks.”

“Fulton and Skelly are eminently qualified, and have demonstrated extraordinary patriotism through their tireless service to their country and their advocacy for inclusion,” said Belkin. “Our military is stronger as a result of their efforts, and our nation is better off.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The Rundown

Washington Examiner: General wields influence delicately in Chinese play for military foothold in Africa

Washington Examiner: John Kerry denies tipping off Iran to Israeli military operations in Syria

Washington Examiner: ‘This certainly was not secret’: State Department defends John Kerry over Iran leaks claim

Washington Examiner: Top British lawmaker fears China has split New Zealand from Five Eyes allies

Washington Examiner: Can foreign aid to Central America stop the migrant surge?

Bloomberg Government: Top Armed Services Republican Wants FBI Pentagon Pick Probe

Reuters: Chance Of China, Taiwan Conflict Should Not Be Discounted – Australian Defence Minister

Defense News: China Simultaneously Commissions Three Warships On Navy Anniversary

USNI News: Ford Carrier Strike Group Maximizes New CVN’s Gear, Design In Final Test Event Before Shock Trials

AP: Explosive-laden ‘drone’ boat targets Saudi port of Yanbu

CNN: U.S. Sending Around 650 Troops To Afghanistan To Protect Forces As They Withdraw

Air Force Magazine: More B-52s to CENTCOM, Ground Troops Reportedly Deploying to Afghanistan

Korea Times: U.S. Adjusts Internal Disagreements On North Korea Policy

Breaking Defense: Top Priority: Marines Want New Loitering Drones

Air Force Magazine: F-35 Sustainment Strategy Coming This Summer

Air Force Magazine: Donovan to Lead New Spacepower Research Center

Calendar

TUESDAY | APRIL 27

8:30 a.m. — Raytheon Technologies First Quarter 2021 Earnings Conference Call https://investors.rtx.com/events/event-details/first-quarter-2021-earnings-conference-call

9:30 a.m. G50 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Committee hearing: “Department of Defense’s management challenges and opportunities,” with Peter Levine, former deputy chief management officer, Department of Defense; senior research fellow, Institute for Defense Analyses; Adam Grant, professor of management, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania; and Elizabeth Field, director, defense capabilities and management, Government Accountability Office. https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings

10 a.m. — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies virtual Nuclear Deterrence Forum event with experts Matthew Kroenig; Matthew Costlow; and Peter Huessy, director of nuclear deterrence studies, the Mitchell Institute. https://www.mitchellaerospacepower.org

10 a.m. — Atlantic Council webinar: “The Consequences of Nord Stream 2,” with Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio; Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa.; former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst, director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center; Anders Aslund, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council; former Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Daniel Fried, fellow at the Atlantic Council; Agnia Grigas, nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council; Melinda Haring, deputy director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event

10:30 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies webinar: “Revitalizing NATO’s Political Cohesion,” with French Permanent Representative to NATO Muriel Domenach; and Omid Nouripour, foreign policy spokesman for the German Green Party. https://www.csis.org/events/revitalizing-natos-political-cohesion

12 p.m. — Hudson Institute virtual discussion with U.K. Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston on “the implications of the U.K. Integrated Review for NATO, the United States, and global security,” and Bryan Clark, director of the Hudson Center for Defense Concepts and Technology. https://www.hudson.org/events

12:40 p.m. — Modern War Institute at West Point and the Lieber Institute for Law and Land Warfare virtual event: “The Future Of Proxy Warfare,” with Maj. Alex Deep, MWI fellow; Army strategist Maj. Matt McDaniel; and British army officer and attorney Maj. Jenny Maddocks. https://lieber.westpoint.edu/event/the-future-of-proxy-warfare/

1 p.m. — American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research event “A conversation with Commander of U.S. Central Command,” with Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie; and Elaine McCusker, resident fellow, AEI. https://www.aei.org/events/a-conversation

1 p.m. — Center for a New American Security conversation: “The U.S. Army’s Strategic Priorities,” with John Whitley, acting Secretary of the Army; Gen. James McConville, chief of staff of the Army; and Gen. John Murray, commanding general of Army Futures Command; moderated by Stacie Pettyjohn, senior fellow and director, CNAS Defense Program. https://cnas.zoom.us/webinar/register

2 p.m. — Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments virtual roundtable on “The future of the U.S. Navy,” with Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday; and Thomas Mahnken, president and CEO, CSBA. https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register

2:30 p.m. G50 Dirksen — Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing: “U.S. Policy in Afghanistan,” with Zalmay Khalilzad, special U.S. representative for Afghanistan reconciliation. http://foreign.senate.gov

WEDNESDAY | APRIL 28

10 a.m. — House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing on “Coast Guard Readiness,” with Adm. Karl Schultz, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. http://appropriations.house.gov

10 a.m. — Air Force Research Laboratory commander Brig. Gen. Heather Pringle; and Joel Mozer, chief scientist of the U.S. Space Force; hold roundtable discussion with members of the media. https://afresearchlab.com/

10:30 a.m. — Boeing conference call to release financial results for the first quarter of 2021, with David Calhoun, Boeing president and CEO; and Greg Smith, executive vice president of enterprise operations and CFO. https://investors.boeing.com/investors

11 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Committee hearing on “The Department of Defense’s Financial Improvement and Audit Readiness Plan: FY2020 Audit Results and the Path Forward,” with Douglas Glenn, deputy CFO of the Defense Department; Wesley Miller, senior official performing the duties of the assistant secretary of the Army for financial management/comptroller; Alaleh Jenkins, performing the duties of the assistant secretary of the Navy for financial management/comptroller; and Stephen Herrera, principal deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for financial management/comptroller. http://www.armedservices.house.gov

11 a.m. — Institute for Defense and Government Advancement virtual 2021 Hypersonic Weapons conference, with Mike White, principal director for hypersonics in the Office of the Defense Undersecretary for Research and Engineering. https://www.idga.org/events-hypersonicweapons

2:30 p.m. 222 Russell — Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness hearing: “Defense acquisition programs and acquisition reform,” with Stacy Cummings, performing the duties of under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment; Raymond O’Toole, acting director, operational test and evaluation, Department of Defense; and Shelby Oakley, director, contracting and national security acquisitions, Government Accountability Office. https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings

2:30 p.m. 232A Russell — Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities hearing: “U.S. Special Operations Command’s efforts to sustain the readiness of special operations forces and transform the force for future security challenges,” with Maj. Gen. James Glynn, Commander, U.S. Marine Corps Special Operations Command; Rear Adm. Hugh Howard, Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command; Lt. Gen. James Slife, Commander, Air Force Special Operations Command; and Lt. Gen. Francis Beaudette, Commanding General, U.S. Army Special Operations Command. https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings

5 p.m. — Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies virtual seminar: Subtle Dimensions of National Power — The U.S. in a Post-Pandemic World,” with former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta; Carla Freeman, executive director of the SAIS Foreign Policy Institute; and Eliot Cohen, dean of SAIS https://sais.jhu.edu/campus-events

8 p.m. House Chamber, U.S. Capitol — President Joe Biden delivers an address to a joint session of Congress. https://docs.house.gov/floor/

THURSDAY | APRIL 29

9 a.m. — Northrop Grumman conference call to release earnings and financial results for the first quarter of 2021 https://edge.media-server.com

9 a.m. — Atlantic Council webinar: “Putin’s Mediterranean Gambit: Endgame Unclear,” Christopher Bort, National Intelligence Council officer for Russia and Eurasia; Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia Laura Cooper; and William Wechsler, director of Middle East programs at the Atlantic Council. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/putins-mediterranean-gambit

9 a.m. — Institute for Defense and Government Advancement holds virtual 2021 Hypersonic Weapons conference, with Rear Adm. Tom Druggan, Missile Defense Agency program executive for sea-based weapons systems. https://www.idga.org/events-hypersonicweapons

10 a.m. — Brookings Institution webinar: “Challenges Facing America’s Defense Budget,” with former Defense Department Comptroller Robert Hale, senior executive adviser at Booz Allen Hamilton; Caitlin Talmadge, nonresident senior fellow at Brookings; and Michael O’Hanlon, senior fellow at Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/events

10 a.m. — House Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing: “Violent Extremism and Domestic Terrorism in America: The Role and Response of DOJ,” with Jill Sanborn, assistant director for the FBI Counterterrorism Division; and Brad Wiegmann, deputy assistant attorney general for the National Security Division. http://appropriations.house.gov

11 a.m. — House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing: “FY2022 United States Navy and Marine Corps Budget,” with Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Harker; Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday; and Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. David Berger. http://appropriations.house.gov

11 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee and House Foreign Affairs Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia and Nonproliferation Subcommittee joint hearing on “Maritime Security in the Indo-Pacific and the UN Convention for the Law of the Sea,” with retired Navy Adm. Scott Swift; Bonnie Glaser, senior adviser for Asia and director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ China Power Project; and Daniel Russel, vice president for international security and diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute. http://www.armedservices.house.gov

11 a.m. — Woodrow Wilson Center Middle East Program virtual book discussion on “No-Win War: The Paradox of U.S.-Pakistan Relations in Afghanistan’s Shadow,” with author Zahid Hussain. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/book-launch

11 a.m. — Henry L. Stimson Center webinar: ‘A New Agenda for U.S. Drone Policy and the use of Lethal Force,” with Luke Hartig, fellow at New America; Naz Modirzadeh, founding director of the Harvard Law School Program on International Law and Armed Conflict; Hina Shamsi, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Security Project; and Rachel Stohl, vice president of the Stimson Center. https://www.stimson.org/event/a-new-agenda-for-u-s-drone-policy

3 p.m. — Atlantic Council webinar: “Artificial Intelligence: Realizing a U.S. Strategy for the AI Era,” with National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence Vice Chair Robert Work, president and owner of TeamWork LLC; and National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence Commissioner Safra Catz, CEO of the Oracle Corporation. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event

4:30 p.m. 562 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces hearing on “U.S. nuclear deterrence policy and strategy,” with Brad Roberts, director Center For Global Security Research Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Paul Bracken, professor of management and professor of political science Yale School of Management; retired Gen. Claude Kehler, former commander, U.S. Strategic Command; and Franklin Miller, principal, The Scowcroft Group. https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings

FRIDAY | APRIL 30

9:30 a.m. G50 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Committee hearing: “Worldwide threats,” with Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, director, Defense Intelligence Agency; and Avril Haines, director of national intelligence. https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings/worldwide-threats

10:30 a.m. — Aspen Security Forum virtual event:”The Biden Administration’s first 100 days,” with Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks; former Deputy Secretary of State Steve Biegun; former national security adviser Tom Donilon, chairman of BlackRock Investment Institute; former U.S. Trade Representative Mike Froman, vice chairman and president, strategic growth for Mastercard. https://aspeninst.zoom.us/webinar/register

9 a.m. — Institute for Defense and Government Advancement virtual 2021 Hypersonic Weapons conference, with Gen. Glen VanHerck, commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command. https://www.idga.org/events-hypersonicweapons

10 a.m. — American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research webinar: “Russian Hybrid Warfare in Europe: Lessons for the U.S,” with Jakub Janda, executive director of European values at the Center for Security Policy; Edward Lucas, senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis; Maria Snegovaya, visiting scholar at George Washington University; Dalibor Rohac, resident scholar at AEI; and Ivana Stradner, fellow at AEI. https://www.aei.org/events/russian-hybrid-warfare

12 p.m. — Hudson Institute virtual discussion: ‘U.S.-Australian relations and key foreign policy challenges,” with Australian Ambassador to the U.S. Arthur Sinodinos; and Walter Russell Mead, fellow in strategy and statesmanship at Hudson. https://www.hudson.org/events

2 p.m. — Business Council for International Understanding off-the-record and closed press virtual discussion with Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of the U.S. Central Command. http://www.bciu.org/events/upcoming-events

3:30 p.m. — Washington Post Live event: “The Path Forward: Space Force,” with Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond, chief of space operations, U.S. Space Force; and David Ignatius, Washington Post columnist. https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live

7 p.m. — National Committee on North Korea webinar: “Nuclear Monitoring and Verification in North Korea, with Mark Schanfein, senior nonproliferation adviser at the Idaho National Laboratory https://www.ncnk.org/event-calendar/webcast