DECISION TIME FOR IRAN DEAL: The deadline for President Trump to make a decision on whether the U.S. will remain in the Iran nuclear deal is fast approaching on Saturday. It’s likely to be a hectic week of lobbying by European backers as well as foes of the deal such as Israel. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson flew to Washington on Sunday for two days of talks with Vice President Mike Pence and national security adviser John Bolton aimed at saving the deal, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. “What has been gained from the nuclear deal? Imagine all the mutually contaminating civil wars and internecine conflicts that rage across the Middle East today. Then turn the dial and add the possibility of a regional nuclear arms race triggered by Iran dashing for a bomb. That is the scenario which the agreement has helped to prevent,” Johnson wrote in an op-ed on Sunday.

NDAA BATTLE BREWING? It’s a big week for the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act on Capitol Hill. Thornberry will release the full language of his version of the NDAA today, and on Wednesday, his House Armed Services Committee holds its marathon debate and amendment session for the massive defense policy bill. Last year’s full committee markup session lasted from morning until around midnight. But the committee could be in for a longer debate this year. Battle lines are already being drawn between the Republican majority and committee Democrats over Thornberry’s plan to slash funding of Pentagon support agencies and activities.

The minority has slammed the chairman’s plan as an “unrealistic and unnecessary sequester-like automatic” cut of 25 percent to Pentagon-wide activities such as logistics, human resources, contracting, and property management by 2021. Thornberry’s proposal will add “substantial red tape” by requiring the Pentagon to review the usefulness of the 28 agencies in the so-called Fourth Estate every five years, Democrats say. What’s more, they say the cuts could have cascading negative effects on military readiness, operational security, troop quality of life and other efforts to prevent waste of taxpayer money. “For example, cuts to the Defense Logistics Agency could negatively impact spare parts and logistics support,” Democrats wrote in their summary of the NDAA bill.

THORNBERRY EASES CUTS: As Democrats dig in for a fight, Thornberry has already rolled back some of his proposed cuts. His Fourth Estate reform plan that was unveiled last month touted about $25 billion in potential cuts. But a senior committee aide now says the estimated dollar amount is unknown and will need to be determined by the Pentagon Chief Management Officer Jay Gibson, who would be charged with carrying out the reforms. “To be perfectly honest with you, the department couldn’t even tell you,” the aide said. Originally, Thornberry also proposed eliminating seven Pentagon support agencies, but now the NDAA is focused on getting rid of just one, the Washington Headquarters Service. “The other agencies, it was felt that giving the CMO the responsibility to go in and justify them was perhaps the better approach,” the aide said.

MATTIS AND DUNFORD TESTIFY: Defense budget hearings are wrapping up as lawmakers shift to the business of writing the 2019 authorizations and appropriations bills. On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are set to appear before the Senate Appropriations Committee in what could be their last budget testimony this spring. Both have already given hours of testimony before both the House and Senate armed services committees as well as the House Appropriations Committee. It will be their first appearance before the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee since Sen. Richard Shelby took the gavel following former chairman Thad Cochran’s retirement last month.

DOD NOMINEES HEARING: More Trump picks for the Pentagon will also be moving this week. Four nominees are set to get their hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday. They are Lisa Porter, to be deputy undersecretary of defense for research and engineering; James Stewart, to be assistant secretary of defense for manpower and reserve affairs; James Anderson, to be assistant secretary of defense for strategy, plans, and capabilities; and Gregory Slavonic, to be assistant secretary of the Navy for manpower and reserve affairs.

HASPEL ON THE HOT SEAT: After weeks of building controversy on Capitol Hill, the Senate Intelligence Committee is set to consider Gina Haspel’s nomination on Wednesday. The hearing is likely to get contentious due to concerns about her past involvement with the CIA’s harsh 9/11-era interrogation program, even though Republicans are optimistic about getting her approved. The Trump administration believes the career CIA agent can make it out of committee and ultimately win the 50 votes needed for confirmation, even though Sen. Rand Paul has said he would vote against her. To get there, Haspel will be on Capitol Hill all week, and plans to meet with at least seven senators, an administration aide told the Washington Examiner.

NOT ANOTHER RONNY? Haspel offered to withdraw her name from consideration for the position late last week, spurring White House officials to stage a last-minute intervention. Haspel told the White House on Friday she was ready to withdraw her nomination to avoid damaging the reputation of the CIA during her confirmation hearing, four senior U.S. officials told the Washington Post. Senior officials such as legislative affairs chief Marc Short and press secretary Sarah Sanders rushed to the agency’s Virginia headquarters to try to persuade her against it. Haspel reportedly claimed she did not want to be “the next Ronny Jackson,” referring to Trump’s pick to be Veterans Affairs secretary.

SECDEF TRAVELS HOME: Mattis spent a quiet weekend in his hometown of Richland on the Columbia River in southern Washington state. He spoke at a local citizen of the year awards ceremony on Thursday and to veterans on Saturday, according to the Pentagon. As part of the public service theme of his trip, Mattis told one of the crowds about a conversation he had with an Iraqi insurgent who once attacked his Marines but then asked about emigrating to the U.S. You can read about it here.

FIXING AVIATION: The Pentagon again denied last week it is in the midst of an aviation crisis following another deadly crash, this time an Air National Guard C-130 cargo aircraft that killed nine Guardsmen. But the House Armed Services’ newly unveiled National Defense Authorization Act is poised to pump billions of dollars into reducing a recent surge in deadly crashes. About $39 billion of the proposed $717 billion NDAA would be spent on readiness and getting more aircraft flying. “Across the bill there is a significant effort to try to look at many of the various causes and devote both the resources and oversight to making sure that the department is focused on those things,” a senior committee aide said during a background briefing on the legislation.

The NDAA attempts to push more resources into training and combat, the aide said. It includes a total of $2.8 billion in spare airplane parts for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. It also calls for a boost of $24 million to get service members more flying hours so they have more experience. “By allowing more time in the air, this increase will help reverse the tragic trend of military aviation accidents,” according to a committee summary of the bill.

NORTH KOREA SUMMIT: There is no word yet whether a White House announcement is coming this week on the date and location of a summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump said Friday that both details have been nailed down and will be announced soon. The president recently signaled that he favors a meeting in the demilitarized zone between the North and South Korea, but is also considering other location such as Singapore. Trump will meet at the White House on May 22 with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, which could mean any summit will be pushed into June.

NOT ABOUT MAX PRESSURE? North Korea has floated a variety of tantalizing concessions leading up to a summit with Trump, including denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. But the regime denied over the weekend that the moves are connected to the U.S.-led campaign to impose strict new sanctions on Pyongyang and Trump’s earlier tough talk. The North said such claims put forth by the Trump administration and Republicans on Capitol Hill are “misleading” and are a “dangerous attempt” to ruin potential negotiations, according to NBC.

NORTH’S PR CAMPAIGN: Thornberry said the U.S. pressure has likely convinced the North it needs to run a global public relations campaign. “I have no doubt their hope is to divide us from our allies in South Korea, to ease some of the sanctions, to ease the pressure coming from China so that they are not so isolated in the world,” Thornberry said on “Fox News Sunday.” Pyongyang’s pronouncements and proposed concessions should also be taken with a grain of salt, he said.

The aim could be to play Trump as the two countries head to the historic summit. “I think the history of these negotiations through several administrations shows that they tried to manipulate world opinion for their benefit. And it may also be that they have conducted enough nuclear tests, enough missile tests, that they’re pretty confident with their capabilities,” Thornberry said.   

RUSSIA’S MISSILES: Russia on Saturday announced it has fit 10 of its fighter jets on test combat duty with new air-launched hypersonic missiles that top officials say can dominate any missile defense system. “It is a cutting-edge weapon, namely a hypersonic long-range missile capable of overcoming air and missile defenses,” said Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov, according to TASS, Russia’s state-run media outlet. “It is invincible, having serious combat might and potential,” he said. “The MiG-31 is its carrier as the jet is the most fitted for accelerating this missile to required speeds.” Borisov added the missiles are “ready for use.”

TURKEY’S TALKING TOUGH: Ankara is not happy with a provision in the House Armed Services’ annual defense authorization bill that could block arms sales to Turkey. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned on Sunday that it could retaliate if Congress follows through this year with the proposal to put a hold on sales until the Pentagon submits a report on relations with the NATO ally. “If the United States imposes sanctions on us or takes such a step, Turkey will absolutely retaliate,” Cavusoglu said, according to a Reuters report. “What needs to be done is the U.S. needs to let go of this.” The House proposal follows a Senate bill that aimed to halt any sales of F-35 joint strike fighters to Turkey due to its human rights record and the detention of U.S. citizens.

THE RUNDOWN

Bloomberg: Boeing Says It’s Close to Fixing a Flaw Delaying KC-46 Tanker

Military Times: As fatal aviation crashes reach 6-year high, Pentagon says ‘this is not a crisis’

The Associated Press: North Korea says US ruining mood of detente ahead of summit

Business Insider: The head of the US Coast Guard wants to cut a vital artery in the heart of the global cocaine trade

The Associated Press: China denies using lasers on US aircraft in Djibouti

Washington Post: The Navy is resurrecting a fleet to protect the East Coast and North Atlantic from Russia