TRUMP TAKES CENTER STAGE: Today we will get more than 140-character answers to some of the pressing questions facing the incoming Trump administration. The president-elect is scheduled to hold his first general topic news conference at 11 a.m. in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York City. Originally billed as the forum in which Trump would explain how he would detangle his business interests from his responsibilities as president, it will no doubt be dominated by the news of the day, including reports that Russia collected damaging information about Trump during the presidential campaign, but only released dirt on Hillary Clinton. Last night Trump tweeted in all-caps, “FAKE NEWS – A TOTAL POLITICAL WITCH HUNT!”
We may get some further insight into what Trump is thinking about recent tweets, such as his call for the United States to expand its nuclear capabilities, and his vow to prevent North Korea from getting a weapon that can put major American cities at risk.
“YES, WE DID”: As Trump prepares to build his legacy, President Obama bowed out last night in an emotional farewell speech in Chicago, in which he touted his achievements, retooling his catchphrase, “Yes we can,” to “Yes we did.” “By almost every measure, America is a better, stronger place than it was when we started,” the president said. And he lauded the U.S.military and the intelligence community for keeping the nation safe during his tenure. “Because of the extraordinary courage of our men and women in uniform. Because of our intelligence officers and law enforcement and diplomats who support our troops, no foreign terrorist organization has successfully planned and executed an attack on our homeland these past eight years.”
CARTER’S LAST NEWS CONFERENCE: Defense Secretary Ash Carter, flanked by Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford, conducted his final news conference in the Pentagon briefing room, in which he praised the Pentagon press corps. “I’ve known many of you for a long time and I want you to know how much I appreciate your efforts,” Carter said. “I respect your commitment to getting the job done, getting the story right, getting it to your audience as quickly as possible.”
Pressed on his statement that the United States might shoot down a North Korean long-range missile, Carter said that would happen only if the missile was a threat to the U.S. or it allies. “It may be more to our advantage,” Carter said, to allow the test of an intercontinental ballistic missile to “save our interceptor inventory, and to gather intelligence.” Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, Sen. Lindsey Graham says he wants the next defense secretary to have clear authority to use force to thwart North Korea’s ICBM program.
Tonight, Carter will be honored at the first Sam Nunn National Security Leadership Prize and Lecture at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, which celebrates the legacy of former Sen. Sam Nunn.
WOMEN IN COMBAT: At that same news conference yesterday, Dunford, who is not going anywhere, gave a less-than-ringing endorsement of Carter’s order to open all combat jobs to women, something Dunford opposed when he was Marine Corps Commandant. “I can’t talk to the next administration,” Dunford said when asked if that policy might change under Trump. “I mean, right now, I know what the policy is and we’ve been implementing the policy. I certainly can’t comment on anything that might happen in the future.”
TILLERSON’S CONFIRMATION: Russia will play a prominent role in today’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing for Rex Tillerson, Trump’s pick for secretary of state. Tillerson is expected to be grilled about his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. In remarks released prior to the hearing, the former Exxon Mobil chairman will reportedly say that Russia “poses a danger” and NATO allies are justifiably alarmed at Putin’s actions.
Good Wednesday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre), National Security Writer Jacqueline Klimas (@jacqklimas) and Senior Editor David Brown (@dave_brown24). Email us here for tips, suggestions, calendar items and anything else. If a friend sent this to you and you’d like to sign up, click here. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email and we’ll be sure to add you to our list.
Want to learn more about Daily on Defense? See our introductory video here.
MATTIS SHOULD GET A PASS: Retired Gen. James Mattis deserves a waiver to serve as the next defense secretary because he has a shot at preventing Trump from doing some of the things he promised on the campaign trail, Eliot Cohen, a professor at Johns Hopkins University School of International Studies, told the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday. “There is no doubt in my mind that a Secretary Mattis would be a stabilizing and moderating force, preventing wildly stupid, dangerous or illegal things from happening,” Cohen said at a hearing on civilian control of the military.
Both witnesses agreed that while generally speaking, the law barring recently retired military officers from serving as defense secretary for seven years is a good one, Mattis is a special case and should get an exception. Cohen said that while he had reservations, he was encouraged by the way the waiver was worded so as to apply only to Mattis and no one else. The committee will vote on the waiver bill tomorrow afternoon after the nominee testifies at his Senate confirmation hearing.
During that hearing, Mattis may also be questioned about previous comments he’s made about both gay service members serving openly and women serving in combat positions. Aaron Belkin, the director of The Palm Center, released a statement on Tuesday pointing out that Mattis’ former views are out-of-step with current law. “Service members who have volunteered to risk their lives for our country deserve to know whether they can continue to serve on the basis of existing DoD policies, whether the general supports assessing service members on the basis of merit rather than social judgment, and whether he views combat as an exclusive zone for straight men.”
Another issue that’s certain to come up is how to handle North Korea’s efforts to design a missile that can hit the shores of the U.S. homeland. Sen. Lindsey Graham said he intends to offer Mattis an authorization to use military force to stop the ICBM program.
VIOLA ON DECK: While Mattis’ confirmation is certainly driving the week on Capitol Hill, Trump’s pick to be Army secretary, Vincent Viola, is beginning to make the rounds in Congress. He met with Sen. Joni Ernst on Tuesday. “I made sure he is aware of the unique capabilities in the National Guard that could be better utilized in our nation’s defense. With threats growing across the world, we must ensure we are leveraging our forces wisely and efficiently,” Ernst said in a statement. We still have no nominees for Navy or Air Force service secretaries, raising the prospect of a shortage of civilian oversight in the first months of the Trump administration. CNN reports that at least six officials have been asked to stick around and serve as acting service secretaries until new candidates are confirmed. They include Assistant Army Secretary Robert Speer, Assistant Navy Secretary Sean Stackley and Air Force Undersecretary Lisa Disbrow.
LOVE FEST FOR KELLY: Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security, John Kelly, received a warm welcome from Senate Democrats during his confirmation hearing Tuesday, Joel Gehrke reports. “We’re extraordinarily grateful and you must be extraordinarily proud, both his daughter and his wife, this is a remarkable public servant,” Sen. Heidi Heitkamp said to the Kelly family during the hearing. “Perhaps this is a love-fest that we’re having with you today.”
It was a surprisingly appropriate summary of the hearing, compared to what Senate Democrats might have expected of Trump’s DHS nominee on election night. Clinton and her allies argued that Trump had “hateful” immigration policies, saying that the deportation of illegal immigrants would entail “ripping apart families.” But Kelly, who will be one of the lead officials tasked with implementing Trump’s immigration policies, seems likely to cruise to easy confirmation.
Also at the hearing, Kelly declared his opposition to “generalized surveillance” of mosques or people whose families hail from Muslim-majority countries. “I don’t think it’s ever appropriate to focus on something like religion as the only factor,” Kelly said. Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, whose home state of Michigan is home to a large Arab population, cited Trump’s campaign rhetoric before asking if “generalized surveillance” of mosques or a database of Muslim-Americans would be unconstitutional.
“I’m not a lawyer, but to the degree I understand those laws, yes sir [it would be],” Kelly said. “I don’t agree with registering people based on ethnic[ity] or religion or anything like that.”
AUMF HEARINGS TO COME: Sen. Tim Kaine asked witnesses at the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing about the need for an Islamic State-specific authorization for the use of military force and how that affects civilian control of the military and civilian responsibility for declaring war. Sen. John McCain, the chairman of the committee, promised to hold hearings on the subject and committed to “making this a priority.” While buy-in from the chairman is an important step forward, it’s unclear what, if anything, is different this go-round that could keep the effort from stalling.
CHINA’S GUNBOAT DIPLOMACY: China sent its lone aircraft carrier steaming through the Taiwan Strait today, prompting Taiwan to scramble fighters jets. The unusual move comes after Taiwan’s president made a stop in the United States and met with Sen. Ted Cruz and other Texas lawmakers over the objections of Beijing. More from Reuters.
WELCOME: The House Armed Services Committee announced the new Republicans joining this Congress: Rep. Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee, Rep. Ralph Abraham of Louisiana, Rep. Trent Kelly of Mississippi, Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana, and Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming.
Another significant move: Rep. Kay Granger was named chairwoman of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee on Tuesday, replacing Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, who stepped up into the full committee chairman seat.
GITMO CHARGES: U.S. intelligence officials have told Congress that Guantanamo Bay detainees who were “recently” released are already trying to rejoin terrorist groups, according to a key Republican lawmaker, Joel Gehrke writes. “The committee has just received a troubling new report from the intelligence community indicating that former detainees recently transferred out of Guantanamo Bay by your administration are attempting to return to terrorism,” House Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce wrote Tuesday in a letter to the White House. “Even more concerning, this report indicates that the country to which these detainees were transferred has little ability to prevent their return to the battlefield — a fact known to your administration prior to their transfer.”
ENEMIES WILL BE SCARED OF TRUMP: America’s enemies will be “frightened” by Trump, according to a former NATO commander, but that doesn’t mean that the United States will have a total reprieve from international aggression, Joel Gehrke writes. “They are frightened of President-elect Trump because he’s unpredictable, but they will seek to remediate that by defining where those lines are,” retired Navy Adm. James Stavridis said Tuesday at the United States Institute of Peace.
FORMER BRASS SPEAK: Torture is “unnecessary” and “counterproductive,” according to a letter sent to Trump from 176 former flag and general officers. Read the full letter here.
SESSIONS CONCURS: At his confirmation hearing to be attorney general, Sen. Jeff Sessions said the debate over whether waterboarding is torture has been settled. “Congress has taken an action now that makes it absolutely improper and illegal to use waterboarding or any other form of torture in the United States by our military and by all our other departments and agencies,” he testified in his lengthy first day. He also took a moment to defend the U.S. military. “So many people, I truly believe, think that the military conducted waterboarding,” Sessions said. “They never conducted any waterboarding, that was by intelligence agencies.” Day two is today.
HAPPENING TODAY: Navy Secretary Ray Mabus is set to deliver remarks this morning at the Surface Navy Association’s annual symposium in Crystal City in what could be his last public remarks before he leaves office this month. He’ll almost certainly discuss the service’s new fleet plan from late last year, which says the Navy needs 355 ships to meet its missions.
PUBLISHER PULLS CROWLEY’S BOOK: The publisher of a 2012 book written by Trump’s pick to be his senior director of strategic communications at the National Security Council, Monica Crowley, has decided to stop selling copies of What The (Bleep) Just Happened, after a report over the weekend claimed to have found dozens of cases of plagiarism in its pages, Daniel Chaitin writes. “The book, which has reached the end of its natural sales cycle, will no longer be offered for purchase until such time as the author has the opportunity to source and revise the material,” HarperCollins wrote in a Tuesday statement to CNN’s KFile, which broke the story.
THAT DIDN’T LAST LONG: Less than one month after Lockheed Martin’s CEO gave her personal commitment to Trump to control costs, the Pentagon said the program will suffer yet another delay at a cost of $500 million. “If Lockheed Martin believes it is possible to aggressively drive down the cost of the F-35, it is time for the company to reveal its plans to do so to the Congress and to American taxpayers,” McCain said in a statement.
THE RUNDOWN
Bloomberg: F-35 Needs Rigorous Trump Team Review, Pentagon Tester Says
Fox News: Pentagon sending sea-based radar to Korean peninsula amid growing nuke threat
Breaking Defense: We’ll Watch Trump’s Actions: UK Gen. Bradshaw, Top NATO Leader
Defense One: Trump Will Inherit the Biggest NATO Buildup in Europe Since the Cold War
Military.com: US Tanks, Heavy Equipment Flow into Europe This Week
Navy Times: This jailed sailor blames Hillary Clinton for his sentence — and wants Trump to set him free
UPI: U.S. Army orders rough-terrain forklifts
USNI News: N95: Navy, Industry Ready To Ramp Up Amphib Construction If Administration, Congress Provide Money
Defense News: Navy to Kick Off Extra Large UUV Competition This Month
Military.com: Navy’s Surface Force Commander Wants Deadlier Fleet
Defense News: First F-35B Squadron Moves to Japan
New York Times: Bombings Near Afghanistan’s Parliament Kill Dozens on Day of Assaults
Task and Purpose: I Deployed Twice To Helmand, I Can’t Believe Marines Are Going Back
Reuters: Chinese bomber flies round contested Spratlys in show of force: U.S. official
Air Force Times: Air Force loosens tattoo rules, recruiting restrictions
Calendar
WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 11
9:15 a.m. Dirksen 106. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee holds a hearing to confirm Rex Tillerson to be secretary of state. foreign.senate.gov
9:30 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW. Officials from the Marine Corps discuss how science fiction has affected the service’s ability to develop new technology. atlanticcouncil.org
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. John Sopko, the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, speaks about challenges for the next president and new lawmakers. csis.org
10:30 a.m. 850 10th St. NW. Vice Adm. Joseph Rixey, the director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, delivers a keynote on reforming the security cooperation enterprise. ndia.org
3:30 p.m. 1030 15th St. NW. The Atlantic Council releases a paper titled, “A Nonstate Strategy for Saving Cyberspace.” atlanticcouncil.org
4:30 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Defense Secretary Ash Carter speaks and receives the inaugural Sam Nunn National Security Leadership Prize. csis.org
THURSDAY | JANUARY 12
9:30 a.m. Dirksen G-50. The Senate Armed Services Committee holds a confirmation hearing for retired Gen. James Mattis to serve as the next defense secretary. armed-services.senate.gov
10 a.m. Hart 216. The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence holds an open hearing, followed by a closed session. intelligence.senate.gov
12 p.m. Rayburn 2168. A panel of experts discusses the future of the Iran nuclear deal under Trump’s administration. niacouncil.org
2 p.m. 1030 15th St. NW. A panel of experts talks about how the next president should combat Al Qaeda in Syria. atlanticcouncil.org
2:30 p.m. Rayburn 2118. Following his confirmation hearing on the Senate side, Mattis makes an appearance at the House Armed Services Committee, which is considering the waiver to allow him to serve. armedservices.house.gov
FRIDAY | JANUARY 13
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. A panel of experts discusses lessons learned from Russia’s intervention in Syria. csis.org
1:30 p.m. 601 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Army Secretary Eric Fanning discusses the future of the service. ndia.org
3:30 p.m. 901 17th St. NW. Retired Adm. James Stavridis talks about the growing problem of U.S. national security. stimson.org
TUESDAY | JANUARY 17
8 a.m. 600 New Hampshire Ave. NW. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson talks about the future of the Navy in a Defense One Live event. defenseone.com
4 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Ben Rhodes, the assistant to the president and deputy national security adviser for strategic communications and speechwriting, speaks about lessons learned about national security from which the next administration can benefit. csis.org
WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 18
9 a.m. 1789 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Gen. David Goldfein, the Air Force chief of staff, speaks about the future of American air power. aei.org
