SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN: House Speaker Paul Ryan will unveil a Republican national security agenda this morning at the Council on Foreign Relations. Our Susan Ferrechio has an advance look at the 25-page document, and reports it calls for a more muscular approach to destroying the Islamic State while projecting U.S. military power to more effectively protect the homeland. “Our enemies no longer fear us and our allies no longer trust us,” the documents says. The plan also says the U.S. should “scrap the current policy of denying Ukrainians lethal weapons” to fight the Russians.
No word if Donald Trump will adopt this section of the GOP’s six-part legislative agenda, but he did say in a radio interview he will push for a “stronger military.”
BOMBINGS IN BAGHDAD: As if on cue, the Islamic State has stepped up bombings and suicide attacks in and around the Iraqi capital. Today more than 20 people died in the latest attacks, something the top U.S. military spokesman in Iraq, Col. Chris Garver, predicted and said is a sign of the Islamic State’s increasing isolation and desperation. “As Iraq enters the holy month of Ramadan, we expect Daesh to attempt more high-profile, headline-grabbing attacks to sow terror and to distract from the fact that they keep losing militarily on the battlefield,” Garver told Pentagon reporters in his debut briefing from Baghdad yesterday.
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SANDERS AT 1600 PENN: Presumptive second place finisher Bernie Sanders meets at the White House today with President Obama, as Democrats wait to see when Sanders will concede defeat to Hillary Clinton, and how enthusiastically he will endorse her. Sanders holds a rally in the nation’s capital tonight. It’s expected Clinton will get Obama’s endorsement today, after the president meets with Sanders.
In other campaign news, Trump is using the GOP talking point regarding troops heading to museums to strip airplanes for parts, Diana Stancy reports. More context is here.
A TALE OF TWO FUNDING PRIORITIES: The Senate is expected to vote on Thursday on moving forward with an amendment from Sen. John McCain that would boost defense spending in fiscal 2017 by $18 billion, as well as a second-order amendment from Sen. Jack Reed that would increase domestic non-defense spending by a similar amount.
Republicans have made the case that a lower funding level could harm the national security of the country, while Democrats argue that it’s hypocritical for the GOP to bust budget caps for only defense since non-defense agencies, like the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, also keep the country safe.
Reed’s amendment would fund $18 billion in domestic priorities, including Zika research, grants to help fix the Flint water crisis and patches for cybersecurity vulnerabilities at non-defense agencies.
Whether the Senate can achieve its goal of finishing the National Defense Authorization Act by Friday remains to be seen. Senators have still not considered several key issues like reforming the military sexual assault justice system and whether women should be required to sign up for the draft.
YOU SHALL NOT PASS: Three Republican congressman seeking a visa to visit Iran and see for themselves whether Tehran is abiding by the nuclear deal were rejected by Iran, which called the request “a publicity stunt.”
Reps. Mike Pompeo, Lee Zelden and Frank LoBiondo were making the attempt, Diana Stancy reports. Read Iran’s somewhat snarky rejection here.
WHY SO BUSY?: “Is the secretary traveling?” one reporter asked aloud in the Pentagon press room yesterday. Ash Carter’s absence was notable at several events Wednesday. He was unavailable to greet visiting foreign defense ministers at the traditional honor cordons. He met only briefly with the Swedish minister, before turning things over to Deputy Secretary Bob Work, who it also fell to meet with the Montenegrin DM. Carter also skipped the LGBT Pride month ceremony in the Pentagon center courtyard, where some in the audience were hoping he might announce the new transgender policy, which is six months overdue.
Maybe Carter was working on his big “Force of the Future” announcement set for 11:15 this morning in the same center courtyard. Pentagon sources say the plan is essentially a series of benefits and incentives to make military services more attractive to the sharp minds the U.S. needs as it adapts to a high-tech future. More flexibility in schedules, more family-friendly policies, (like egg-freezing) and major adjustment to the “up or out” policy. The AP has more.
RACE TO RAQQA: There is a pincer move underway in Syria. U.S.-backed rebels are north of Islamic State “capital” Raqqa, while Russian-backed Syrian government forces are closing in from the north and west. Who will get there first?
WE NEED THOSE RUSSIANS: Retired Air Force Gen. William Shelton is out with an op-ed in the Washington Examiner saying that plans to abruptly end America’s dependence on the RD-180 engine for satellite launches are “arbitrary restrictions based in anger.”
BLUE ANGELS CRASH: The Navy has confirmed the authenticity of a video posted on YouTube showing the moment a Blue Angels F/A-18 crashed in Tennessee last week. The actual crash occurs behind a treeline so all you see is the black smoke and the shocked reactions of onlookers. [We bleeped out the expletives, so it’s safe for work.]
PETRAEUS LEAKS: Prosecutors and law enforcement types have a way of making the normal conduct of business sound sinister and illegal. The unsealed affidavit of the search of former CentCom commander and CIA Director David Petraeus revealed he on two occasions spoke to reporters on background “as a senior military officer” and discussed “sensitive military campaigns and operations.” The key phrase in the document is the conclusion that Petraeus’s briefing “is believed to contain classified information, including information at the Top Secret level,” on the basis of “a preliminary review by another government agency designated to assist in this investigation.”
“Typical FBI,” says national security attorney Mark Zaid. “Maybe they were classified, maybe not. It’s not difficult to squeeze them into the classification category,” Zaid told Daily on Defense in an email. “I have no doubt his conversations were likely no different from the hundreds, or thousands, that you have had. The only difference between your conversations and his was that his were being recorded.”
SHIPSHAPE: Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training received a $10 million contract to prepare the littoral combat ship Milwaukee for ship shock trials. The ship suffered an engine casualty in December as it crossed the Atlantic.
NO GOOD OPTIONS: World leaders in Asia told Sen. Tom Cotton during his recent trip to the Shangri-La Dialogue that they are “disappointed” with all three candidates left in the race for president, the Arkansas Republicans told reporters Wednesday during a Heritage Foundation breakfast.
Leaders are especially critical of Hillary Clinton, Cotton said, who is seen as the architect of the Obama administration’s pivot to Asia, which many leaders in the region said is nonexistent.
“I can tell you leaders in East Asia don’t feel as if the U.S. has pivoted there,” Cotton said.
Cotton also weighed in on other issues during the 40-minute long round table, including talking about his NDAA amendment that would declassify the history of Gitmo detainees and saying that he supported studying whether a draft is even still needed before deciding if women must register for it.
MODI PRAISES TROOPS: “Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi drew applause from U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday when he thanked the U.S. for its commitment to encouraging democratic values around the world, and praised the sacrifices made by America’s military,” Susan Crabtree reports.
“I applaud … India applauds, the great sacrifices of the men and women from the land of the free and the home of the brave,” he said to massive applause during his address before a joint session of Congress.
THE RUNDOWN
Washington Post: About 12 released Guantanamo detainees implicated in attacks on Americans
Washington Post: American ISIS fighter who ‘found it hard’ returns to face criminal charges
U.S. News: Military Still Mute on Overturning Transgender Policy
CNN: What was Elon Musk doing at the Pentagon?
Defense News: Canadian Fighter-Jet Debate Turns Testy
UPI: Northrop collaborates with NEC for Japanese cyber range system
Defense News: Study Finds Uptick in EU Defense Spending
Task and Purpose: Why We Shouldn’t Cut Military Bands From The Budget
Military Times: Trump: America’s ‘shoestring’ military will be a focus in the coming campaign
USNI News: Breedlove: U.S. and Russia Need Better Communications On Tactical Nukes
Breaking Defense: Cobra Gunships & 3D Printers: What Walters Means As Marine No. 2
War on the Rocks: DIUX 2.0 should focus on forging pathways for innovation
Army Times: The ‘absolutely insane’ reason this Green Beret didn’t get the Medal of Honor
Navy Times: Blue Angels cancel more shows following fatal crash
Wall Street Journal: Pentagon Shifts Command Structure for Terror Fight
Daily Beast: Iraq’s Shia Militias Accused of War Crimes in Fight Against ISIS
ABC News: Iraqi Troops in Southern Fallujah for First Time in 2 Years
CNN: 4 killed in Tel Aviv terror attack; 2 arrested at ‘soft target’
Reuters: Japan protests after Chinese navy ship sails near disputed islands
Stars and Stripes: North Korea’s military buildup isn’t limited to nukes
Calendar
THURSDAY | JUNE 9
8:30 a.m. 1777 F St. NW. Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Robert Papp, the State Department’s special representative to the Arctic, will speak at an event on national security risks in the Arctic. cfr.org
11 a.m. 1777 F St. NW. The Council on Foreign Relations host the Congressional Security Task Force to discuss national security goals. cfr.org
2 p.m. Rayburn 2118. The House Armed Services Committee and Foreign Affairs Committee hold a hearing on stopping the flow of funding to terrorists. Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict Theresa Whelan testifies. armedservices.house.gov
3 p.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE. The Heritage Foundation hosts a panel to discuss the major foreign policy and defense issues related to Asia. heritage.org
5:30 p.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Brookings Institution discusses the future of Islam and the Middle East through Shadi Hamid’s book, Islamic Exceptionalism: How the Struggle Over Islam is Reshaping the World. brookings.edu
FRIDAY | JUNE 10
11:45 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. The Hudson Institute discusses the dangers of a disinterested White House with ISIS in Iraq. hudson.org
1 p.m. Newseum, Washington D.C. Defense Secretary Ash Carter speaks at the Defense One Tech Summit. defenseone.com
MONDAY | JUNE 13
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. CSIS and the U.S. Naval Institute host Adm. Paul Zukunft, commandant of the Coast Guard, for a maritime forces update. usni.org
10:30 a.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Daniel Allyn discusses challenges the Army is facing during a speech at the Heritage Foundation. heritage.org
2:30 p.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. The Hudson Institute hosts Afghanistan’s ambassador to the U.S. to discuss the fight against the Taliban in light of the death of Mullah Mansour. hudson.org
WEDNESDAY | JUNE 15
8:45 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW. The Atlantic Council hosts two panels to discuss security implications in the Black Sea for NATO and its regional partners. atlanticcouncil.org
9 a.m. 1000 Massachusetts Ave. NW. The Cato Institute hosts a day-long event on the case for restraint in U.S. foreign policy. cato.org
THURSDAY | JUNE 16
9 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW. The Atlantic Council will discuss the progress of the Iran nuclear deal. atlanticcouncil.org
3 p.m. 1800 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., keynotes a discussion on Desert Storm and its veterans. brookings.edu
6 p.m. 1301 K St. NW. Michele Flournoy, former undersecretary of defense for policy, and Kathleen Hicks, former principal deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, discuss Hillary Clinton’s foreign policy platform. hillaryclinton.com
