TRUMP TAPS TILLERSON: President-elect Trump announced this morning that ExxonMobil Chief Executive Rex Tillerson is his nominee for secretary of state, despite some deep reservations within his own party about Tillerson’s past business dealings with Russia, and close relationship to Vladimir Putin. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain says he’s concerned about Tillerson leading the State Department, but also believes the president’s nominees deserve a fair hearing. “I will make no judgment until the hearing takes place and the questions are answered and we go through the process.” But speaking on CNN, McCain also added a caveat. “Anybody who’s a friend of Vladimir Putin must disregard the fact that Vladimir Putin is a murderer, a thug, a KGB agent whose airplanes as we speak have been targeting with precision weapons hospitals in Aleppo, who have committed atrocities throughout the region.” Sen. Marco Rubio tweeted over the weekend, “being a ‘friend of Vladimir’ is not an attribute I am hoping for from a Secretary of State.” Rubio is one of 10 Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations committee, which much vote on whether to send Tillerson’s to the full Senate. Because the committee is split almost evenly, Rubio could single-handedly sink Tillerson’s chances.
Former secretaries of state James Baker and Condoleezza Rice are expected to publicly endorse Trump’s selection of Tillerson, as part of a full-court press to overcome the negative impression held by some Republicans. The Washington Post reports that former defense secretary Robert Gates is also a supporter, and in fact was the first person to suggest Tillerson to Trump. Politico reports that all three, Baker, Rice and Gates, have connections to ExxonMobil. Baker is a partner at a law firm that has represented Exxon as well as Rosneft, the Russian state-owned oil company that partners with Exxon, while Rice and Gates work for Exxon through their international consulting firm, Rice Hadley Gates.
MITT WAS HONORED: In a Facebook post last night, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney acknowledged he would not be Trump’s pick. “It was an honor to have been considered for Secretary of State of our great country,” Romney wrote. “My discussions with President-elect Trump have been both enjoyable and enlightening. I have very high hopes that the new administration will lead the nation to greater strength, prosperity and peace.” Meanwhile Roger Stone, a veteran political strategist and longtime friend of Trump, says the billionaire businessman merely pretended to seriously consider Romney for secretary of state so he could “toy with him” for opposing Trump during the general election.
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F-35 IN THE CROSSHAIRS: First it was Boeing and Air Force One. Now it’s Lockheed Martin and the F-35, the $400 billion Joint Strike Fighter program that has the distinction of being the most expensive weapon system in the history of the planet. As he did with Air Force One, Trump got on Twitter to blast the F-35’s “out of control” costs, and promised billions in savings once he’s in the White House. It wasn’t a stellar day for the fifth generation fighter. Heavy fog in Italy kept two F-35s grounded, and they missed what was supposed be a grand welcoming ceremony at Nevatim air base, as Israel was to receive its first F-35. The planes arrived later in the day, after most of the dignitaries, including U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, had left.
Jeff Babione, the executive vice president and general manager of the F-35 program at Lockheed Martin, touted the “incredible value” provided by the F-35 at that ceremony in Israel, and said the company is looking forward “to address any questions the president-elect has about the program. It’s an amazing program.” Israel paid $110 million for each of its F-35s, but the price will be coming down to the $85 million range as more of the planes are produced. The Pentagon plans to buy 2,443 F-35s with different variants for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. The easiest way to cut costs would be to buy fewer planes, but that would push the per-plane cost sky-high.
Writing in Forbes, Loren Thompson, COO of the Lexington Institute, (which gets some funding from Lockheed Martin) outlines five reasons he believes Trump’s targeting of the F-35 will likely backfire. In a nutshell, he argues: the F-35 isn’t over-priced or out of control, thousands of jobs are on the line, America’s allies are counting on it, and there is no Plan B. Many experts believe the F-35 may be the last manned fighter plane the U.S. ever builds, and that Plan B will be a force dominated by increasingly sophisticated drones.
NEXT INTEL CHIEF? Trump is reportedly considering his former competitor and Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina for a top position in his administration as the director of national intelligence. The two met in New York on Monday and discussed the rise of China as an “adversary,” Sarah Westwood reports. “We talked about hacking, whether it’s Chinese hacking or purported Russian hacking,” she said.
ASSAD IS WINNING: Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad are in control of all but a tiny section of Aleppo, where rebels have held out for years, but now face inevitable defeat, thanks in large part to relentless and often reckless bombing by Russian warplanes. The U.N. human rights office says it has reports of Syrian troops killing at least 82 civilians, execution-style, as they entered the last remaining strongholds of the rebels in eastern Aleppo, according to the AP.
ONE-CHINA STILL U.S. POLICY: While Trump says he doesn’t necessarily feel bound by the One-China policy between Washington and Beijing, under which the U.S. doesn’t give formal diplomatic recognition to Taiwan, but treats it as an independent nation, a partner and ally in all other respects. The policy of strategic ambiguity is designed to allow the U.S. to arm Taiwan against a forced reunion with the mainland, but also engage with China on other issues. “We remain firmly committed to our One-China policy,” State Department spokesman John Kirby said yesterday. “This policy has supported our fundamental interest in peaceful and stable cross-strait relations through both Democratic and Republican administrations over the past 40 years.” Kirby said it would be a mistake to use Taiwan as a bargaining chip in negotiation with China, over other issues, as Trump has suggested. “We do not believe that altering this approach is going to serve our fundamental interest in cross-strait peace and stability or strengthen our relations with the people of Taiwan or, frankly, improve our ability to shape China’s decisions going forward.”
ARE THOSE CHINESE BOMBERS REALLY STRATEGIC? Much is being read into the fact that China has flown some of it H-6 “nuclear capable” bombers over the South China Sea, including near some disputed islands and reefs. This has been widely reported as a message to Trump. But the Pentagon, in its latest report on China’s military capability, suggests Beijing’s nuclear arsenal consists entirely of land- and submarine-launched missiles, and that its H-6 “strategic” bombers do not currently have a nuclear mission. “China might eventually develop a nuclear bomber capability,” the report states, but concludes China does not yet have a “triad” of nuclear delivery systems. Independent experts, such as Hans Kristensen and Robert Norris of the Federation of American Scientists, have also written, “We do not believe that China’s bombers currently have an active nuclear mission.”
WHAT ARE THEY THINKING? Presidential electors have requested a secure intelligence briefing on the intelligence community assertions that Russia interfered with the U.S. election before next week’s Electoral College vote, a cause backed by Hillary Clinton’s camp, Westwood writes.
Amid concerns that Trump may have soured his relationship with the intelligence community by rejecting the CIA’s assessment that Russia’s meddling was likely aimed at tipping the election in Trump’s favor, the White House sought to defend the men and women who serve there. White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Obama has “benefited enormously” from the advice intelligence officials have shared with him during his presidency, Gabby Morrongiello reports. “I’m confident the president-elect would benefit from that advice if he remains open to it,” he added. Earnest also couldn’t resist disputing Trump’s dismissal that Russia was intervening on his behalf as a “conspiracy theory.” “You didn’t need a security clearance to figure out who benefited from malicious Russian cyber activity,” Earnest said “The president-elect didn’t call it into question. He called on Russia to hack his opponent. He called on Russia to hack Secretary Clinton. So he certainly had a pretty good sense of whose side this activity was coming down on.”
A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including McCain and Sen. Chuck Schumer, called for independent investigations into Russian hacking of the Democratic National Committee that the intelligence community says was meant to influence the election, Kyle Feldscher reports.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, however, said any congressional investigations shouldn’t cause questioning of the election’s outcome. “As we work to protect our democracy from foreign influence, we should not cast doubt on the clear and decisive outcome of this election,” the Wisconsin Republican said Monday.
WHEN YOU PUT THE MILITARY IN CHARGE: The Joint Force Headquarters-National Capital Region is holding a news conference tomorrow to share some of the planning that’s gone into the Jan. 20 inauguration of President Trump. In the civilian world, you would pick a time and place, send out a press release, and wait for the media to show up. But this being a military operation, it begins with a detailed CONOP, (concept of operation) and continues with a minute-to-minute battle plan. Here’s the laydown:
6:45 – 7:45 a.m. Media check-in, satellite truck parking, cabling, set-up and ground rules. Media must arrive no later than 7:45 a.m. for credentialing badges, security sweep and set-up
8:00-8:05 a.m. Media escorted to armory floor
8:05-8:20 a.m. Media opportunity to capture close-up imagery of the 60 by 40 foot map and receive a brief orientation/overview
8:20-8:50.a.m. Interviews with subject matter experts from the Joint Teams
8:50-9:00 a.m. Move cameras to press pit/risers on armory floor
9:05-9:20 a.m. Welcome remarks by MG Becker and MG Schwartz
9:20-9:30 a.m. Media escorted to press conference and set-up equipment
9:30-10:00 a.m. Press conference hosted by Major General Bradley Becker, JTF-NCR Commander and Major General Errol Schwartz, DC National Guard Commanding General
10:00-10:30 a.m. Additional opportunity for media to interview subject matter experts and/or deputies
10:30 a.m. Media departs armory
CHRISTMAS WISH: A story about a man who dressed as Santa who visited a dying boy in the hospital made the social media rounds on Monday, but if you only read the headline, you may have missed the Saint Nick himself was a former soldier. “I spent four years in the Army with the 75th Rangers, and I’ve seen my share of (stuff). But I ran by the nurses’ station bawling my head off. I know nurses and doctors see things like that every day, but I don’t know how they can take it,” Eric Schmitt-Matzen said in the USA Today story.
THE RUNDOWN
Reuters: Exclusive: Top U.S. spy agency has not embraced CIA assessment on Russia hacking – sources
CNN: Can Taiwan trust Trump? Island fears becoming pawn between superpowers
Military Times: Trump should recall Mattis to active duty — and give him Gen. Dunford’s job
The National Interest: Reports of Saving the Pentagon $125 Billion Are Just Fake News
Associated Press: Trump’s criticism of Russia hacking claim could haunt him
AP interview: Gorbachev says US was short-sighted on Soviets
Defense One: Trump Republicans See Putin’s Russia As a New Front Line Against Islam
Military Times: Mattis could be defense secretary as early as Inauguration Day
Military.com: Obama to Archive Torture Report, Declassify After 12 Years
Defense News: Saudi Arabia Chinook Buy Could Help Close US Army Production Gap
USNI News: Navy Wants to Weave LCS, Unmanned Systems, Subs into New Battle Network
Breaking Defense: MUX By 2026: Marines Want Armed Drone ASAP To Escort V-22
Military.com: Syrian Military Says Rebels Driven from 98 Percent of Aleppo
Calendar
TUESDAY | DECEMBER 13
8 a.m. 1250 S. Hayes St., Arlington, Va. Defense One hosts a briefing on space and satellite communications. defenseone.com
8:15 a.m. Aviano Air Base, Italy. Defense Secretary Ash Carter is scheduled to speak with U.S. troops on the latest stop on his around-the-world tour. Live streamed on defense.gov
10 a.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. The Wilson Center hosts its latest event in the “Ground Truth Briefing” series on what India expects from Trump. wilsoncenter.org
WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 14
8:00 a.m. 1250 S. Hayes St., Arlington, Va. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft speaks at a Navy League breakfast event that is closed to press. navyleague.org
9 a.m. 1331 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. The Center for a New American Security releases a new report titled, “Future Foundry: A New Strategic Approach for Military-Technical Advantage.” cnas.org
9:30 a.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Hamdullah Mohib, the Afghanistan ambassador to the U.S., delivers the keynote at an event focused on American strategy in Afghanistan under President-elect Trump. heritage.org
9:30 a.m. 1501 Lee Hwy, Arlington, Va. Lt. Gen. William Bender, the Air Force’s chief information officer, will discuss information dominance in his service. mitchellaerospacepower.org
6:30 p.m. 529 14th St. NW. Wall Street Journal reporter Jay Solomon discusses his new book, The Iran Wars: Spy Games, Bank Battles, and the Secret Deals That Reshaped the Middle East. press.org
THURSDAY | DECEMBER 15
10:30 a.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. The Wilson Center hosts an event looking at what 2016 meant for relations between U.S. and China. wilsoncenter.org
4 p.m. 1211 Connecticut Ave. NW. Experts discuss what opportunities the next administration has in nuclear security. stimson.org
FRIDAY | DECEMBER 16
9 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW. The Brookings Institution holds a panel discussion looking at U.S. and Japanese perspectives toward North Korea and its goals. brookings.edu
1 p.m. Livestream. The Council on Foreign Relations hosts United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. cfr.org
MONDAY | DECEMBER 19
10 a.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. A panel of think tank analysts talks about what Palestinians and Israelis expect from Trump’s administration. wilsoncenter.org
10:30 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW. Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James delivers remarks at an Atlantic Council event titled “Capabilities, Reassurance & Presence: The US Air Force in Transatlantic Security.” atlanticcouncil.org
