ISIS STRATEGY ASSAILED: President Obama’s counter-ISIS strategy is taking serious flak from all sides, beginning with the stunning admission from his own CIA director John Brennan that despite billions of dollars, tens of thousands of bombs, and Pentagon pronouncements of steady progress, the Obama administration’s strategy has failed to diminish the threat from the self-proclaimed Islamic State.
Then Sen. John McCain misfired, reloaded and fired again. The Armed Services Committee chairman, speaking to reporters off the cuff in a hallway interview, initially said President Obama was is “directly responsible” for Orlando’s terror attack, Kelly Cohen writes. Later McCain issued a statement saying he misspoke, and it was the president’s policy not Obama personally that was responsible for the rise of the Islamic State, but the point was the same. “President Obama’s decision to completely withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq in 2011 led to the rise of ISIL.”
McCain’s Senate ally, Lindsey Graham went further saying the president undersells the threat. “ISIL is still strong in the minds of twisted people like this,” he said of the Orlando shooter, and predicted Obama’s policies will leave the Islamic state in Iraq and Libya at the end of Obama’s second term, Anna Giaritelli writes. Brennan also cited Libya as the next front in the war against the Islamic State in his Senate testimony. Its Libya branch is probably the “most developed and the most dangerous.”
5TH COLUMN AT STATE? A cornerstone of Obama’s policy is that the U.S. is at war with ISIS but not with the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. But 50 senior diplomats at his own State Department say the U.S. should be. Giaritelli writes that an internal memo calls for “a judicious use of stand-off and air weapons, which would undergird and drive a more focused and hard-nosed U.S.-led diplomatic process.”
TRUMP: WE’VE GIVEN UP: Meanwhile in Dallas last night, Donald Trump told a rally that leaders in the U.S. have “given up” on fighting to eliminate the Islamic State, Gabby Morrongiello reports.
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RUSSIA BOMBS OUR FRIENDS: One problem with the United States bombing Syrian government targets is, it would put the U.S in a proxy war with Russia, which backs Assad. Last night, the Pentagon accused Russia of bombing U.S.-backed rebels in southern Syria. “Russia’s latest actions raise serious concern about Russian intentions,” a senior official said on condition of anonymity. “We will seek an explanation from Russia on why it took this action and assurances this will not happen again.”
BRENNAN’S BULLETS: Other key points from Brennan’s public testimony: The Islamic State is bigger now than al Qaeda ever was, Rudy Takala reports. It has a “large cadre of western fighters” to draw on for attacks in the West. In addition to its Libya branch being the “most developed and the most dangerous,” its Sinai branch is the “most active and capable terrorist group in all of Egypt.” Brennan also said Chinese hacking hasn’t stopped.
IRAQI FORCES ENTER FALLUJAH: The AP reports this morning that Iraqi special forces have entered the city center of Fallujah, securing a government complex that had been a base of operations for the Islamic State after intense fighting. The AP quotes a local commander as saying his forces are now besieging the nearby central hospital, contending with Islamic State snipers in adjacent buildings.
CHIEF CONCERNS: Judging by the friendly questioning of Air Force chief of staff nominee Gen. David Goldfein (pronounced: GOLD-feen) at his Senate confirmation hearing, the current vice chief should cruise to easy confirmation. Armed Services Committee members were reassured by his promises to keep the A-10 flying, and his support for disclosing costs of the new B-21 long range bomber. Goldfein also reassured senators that the delayed ICBM replacement is still on track and expected to reach a Milestone A decision this summer.
Goldfein also admitted that Russia’s entry into the Syrian civil war vastly complicated any prospect of setting up a no-fly zone over Syria. The only way it could work, Goldfein said, is if he had the authority to shoot down Russian planes. Despite calls in Congress, there was really never any serious consideration by Obama to set up a no-fly zone in the sky or a safe zone on the ground.
HOUSE PASSES SPENDING BILL: The House on Thursday passed the fiscal 2017 defense appropriations bill by a 282-138 vote, but defeated two proposals from Democrats to force Congress to deal with a new, Islamic State-specific authorization for the use of military force.
“Perhaps we lack the courage or perhaps we are satisfied to let these wars run along on automatic pilot, but our inaction is wrong,” Rep. Jim McGovern said on the House floor.
The bill uses $18 billion from the war chest to fund base operations, a funding move that drew a veto threat from the White House and differs from the structure of the Senate bill.
RADIO GA GA: Harris Corp. won a $1.7 billion contract to supply radios, ancillaries, spare parts and services to Afghanistan, the Pentagon announced yesterday.
KILL THE DEAL, START A WAR: White House strategic communicator Ben Rhodes has a warning for the next president: pulling out of the Iran nuclear could deal trigger another war in the region, Nicole Duran reports. A “basic principle is you don’t come into office and create a massive new problem for yourself,” Rhodes said.
ELECTION: SANDERS NOT QUITE OUT: In a webcast, with an echoey soundtrack (he must have laid off the audio guy already) presumptive non-nominee Bernie Sanders said while he’s not ready to formally fold his campaign, he is going start helping Hillary Clinton, soon. ”The major political task that we face in the next five months is to make certain that Trump is defeated and defeated badly. And I personally intend to begin my role in that process in a very short period of time.”
TOO MUCH FUN: Philip Klein reviews the latest presidential polls, channeling the voice of Trump, and concludes, in the words of The Donald, “he’s getting schlonged.”
HARRIERS IN THE FIGHT: The Navy says Marine Corps AV-8B Harriers have joined the fight against the Islamic State, flying from the amphibious assault ship Boxer in the Persian Gulf. You can see the jump-jets in action here.
BUG BOUNTY: Defense Secretary Ash Carter announces the results of the “Hack the Pentagon” bug bounty program today, thanking the vetted hackers for their help in strengthening cybersecurity by finding vulnerabilities in some of the DoD’s public-facing non-classified websites. The first-ever bounty program for a federal agency turned up 138 bugs, we’re told.
COOK TIMER: To the charge of “tardiness in the first degree,” Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook pleads “guilty, with an excuse.” His scheduled 2 p.m. Pentagon briefing began at 2:16. “I apologize for being late,” Cook explained, “Our meeting with the Saudi deputy crown prince just wrapped up a moment ago.” OK, we’ll let it go this time, but we’re making up an Excel spreadsheet.
THE RUNDOWN
Washington Post: CIA Drone Strikes Plummet In Shift To Pentagon
Stars and Stripes: Afghans Ready To Fight Pakistan As Tensions Mount
Defense News: UK in Talks with Pentagon for JLTV Buy
Breaking Defense: Former NSC Cyber Head Clarke Calls For Global Cyber Treaty
Defense One: The Pentagon is Developing A New Suite of Tools to Fight the Lone Wolf Problem
Defense News: Nuclear Cruise Missile Survives Challenge in House
Politico: Congress’ national security brain drain
Defense Daily: Raytheon Completes Two Milestones In Next-Generation GPS Controls
UPI: U.S. Marines to deploy Intergraph emergency system
USNI News: BAE Systems Developing Search-and-Track System For ONR To Counter Small Threats
Military.com: Russia Assails NATO’s Move to Deploy Troops Near Its Border
Washington Post: This is the salvage ship the U.S. is sending to help with the Syrian migrant crisis
AP: Air Force Thunderbirds heading back to the sky after crash
Stars and Stripes: Navy eases liberty, alcohol restrictions in Japan
Marine Corps Times: All Marines to undergo 2-day training as women join combat units
Army Times: Will Reserve captain killed in Orlando massacre earn Purple Heart?
Calendar
FRIDAY | JUNE 17
1 p.m. 1030 15th St. NW. The Atlantic Council discusses a new national security space strategy. atlanticcouncil.org
SATURDAY | JUNE 18
10 a.m. Carney Auditorium, Dayton, OH. The House Armed Services tactical air and land forces subcommittee discusses the critical role of 5th generation fighter aircraft in air dominance. armedservices.house.gov
MONDAY | JUNE 20
All day, 1331 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. The Center for a New American Security hosts its annual conference in D.C. conference.cnas.org
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. CSIS hosts a discussion on anticipating moves and countermoves in the South China Sea. csis.org
1 p.m. Los Angeles. The Atlantic Council hosts Dr. Gregory Treverton, chairman of the U.S. National Intelligence Council, to discuss long-range global trends for the next president. atlanticcouncil.org
2 p.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Brookings Institution hosts Robert McDonald, secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, to talk about departmental reforms. brookings.edu
TUESDAY | JUNE 21
9:30 a.m. 1501 Lee Highway, Arlington, Va. Randall Walden, director of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, talks about acquiring capabilities more quickly. mitchellaerospacepower.org
10 a.m. Dirksen 342. Senate Homeland Security Committee will discuss the ideology of ISIS. hsgac.senate.gov
12 p.m. SVC 208-209. Lexington Institute hosts a Capitol Hill Forum on the National Guard’s role in cybersecurity for the U.S. power grid. lexingtoninstitute.org
12 p.m. 1150 17th St. NW. The Armed Service Committee staff members discuss challenges facing the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act. aei.org
WEDNESDAY | JUNE 22
3 p.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Wilson Center hosts a panel to discuss the geopolitics of oil in the Gulf region in light of the Iran nuclear deal. wilsoncenter.org
3:30 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. CSIS hosts a panel of experts to discuss the future of U.S. Army missile defense. csis.org
THURSDAY | JUNE 23
7 a.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments and Booz Allen host a daylong summit on the future of directed energy with a classified afternoon portion. csbaonline.org
9 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Gen. Mark Milley, the Army chief of staff, speaks about the U.S. military strategy. csis.org
12:30 p.m. 1777 F St. NW. The Council on Foreign Relations host Sen. Christopher Coons to discuss the Iran nuclear deal. cfr.org
FRIDAY | JUNE 24
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. CSIS and the U.S. Naval Institute discuss challenges facing the Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard. usni.org
