Pompeo seeks to build on historic Israel-UAE agreement during five-day trip to the region

Pompeo’s trip comes after the U.N. Security Council refused the United States’s demand to extend an arms embargo against Iran that is scheduled to expire under the terms of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. “Make no mistake about it: It is an enormous mistake not to extend this arms embargo. It’s nuts,” Pompeo said in New York before the U.S.-authored resolution failed with only the Dominican Republic supporting the U.S.

China and Russia voted against it, while 11 members of the 15-member council, including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, abstained.

PUSHBACK ON SNAPBACK: America’s European allies argue that since the U.S. withdrew from the Iran deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, it has no authority to invoke the snapback provisions of the agreement.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif advanced that argument in a video posted to his Twitter account Saturday, which quotes former national security adviser John Bolton and other U.S. officials as saying publicly that the U.S. has no say on snapback sanctions “because we’re no longer in the deal.”

SCHEDULE CHANGE: An Atlantic Council virtual conversation with Pompeo originally scheduled for this morning at 9:30 has been postponed until Sept. 8 because of his travel this week. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event

Good Monday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Tyler Van Dyke. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email and we’ll add you to our list. And be sure to follow us on Twitter: @dailyondefense.

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HAPPENING TODAY: Republicans will formally nominate Trump and Vice President Mike Pence for reelection tonight in an in-person roll-call vote at the Charlotte Convention Center tonight, as the four-day Republican National Convention begins.

Trump, who is expected to make an appearance on all four nights, said the Republican convention will be a contrast to last week’s Democratic convention, which he called “the darkest and angriest and gloomiest convention in American history.”

“I think we’re going to see something that is going to be very uplifting and positive,” he said in an interview that aired Sunday on Fox. “That’s what I’d like it to be.”

HAPPENING TOMORROW: Defense Secretary Mark Esper departs for the Indo-Pacific region Tuesday to participate in events commemorating the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. Esper will visit Hawaii, Palau, and Guam, where he will “conduct meetings with military leaders, local officials and foreign partners” and visit U.S. troops deployed throughout the region, according to the Pentagon.

FINAL REPORT ON GUARD FLIGHTS: Late on Friday, the Pentagon released the results of its investigation on the use of National Guard planes to monitor protesters in four U.S. cities in early June.

The redacted report, which runs 75 pages, said the planes that flew over demonstrators, who were protesting after the death of George Floyd did not violate any restrictions on the surveillance of U.S. citizens.

“There were a total of seven flights in four cities, and we looked at every single one of them,” a senior official told reporters. “None of the flights, that’s seven flights, four cities, did any of the crews violate the rules of intel collection on U.S. persons.”

“The seven RC-26B flights in question, all flown by National Guard units, took infrared and electrooptical images, which had enough resolution to show distinct architectural features of infrastructure such as buildings and roads, as well as basic features of vehicles,” the report said. “The RC-26B missions did not collect personal information. The sensors on the aircraft were not capable of identifying any distinguishing features of people or other potentially identifying characteristics such as race or gender.”

Nevertheless, the report also found that the National Guard Bureau had “a mistaken belief” that approval from the Secretary of Defense was not required for the flights and that there was “a lack of understanding and knowledge” of the applicable governing instructions.

BELARUS PROTESTS INTENSIFY: As more than 200,000 demonstrators filled a central square in the Belarusian capital of Minsk to protest what they say was the fraudulent Aug. 9 reelection of President Alexander Lukashenko, the authoritarian president staged a dramatic show of defiance.

“Lukashenko militarized his response to protests,” said the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War in its latest analysis of the situation. “Lukashenko made a staged propaganda trip to the Presidential Palace” last night, the ISW report said. “He and his 15-year-old son arrived via helicopter in military gear carrying rifles. Lukashenko briefly toured the barricades around the Presidential Palace and spoke with security personnel, who shouted ‘we’re with you until the end!’ Lukashenko’s press office released a video as he departed Minsk via helicopter in which Lukashenko can be heard commenting ‘look at how the rats [referring to protesters] scatter.’”

“Belarusian security forces did not take any action against protesters,” said ISW, but it noted that “Lukashenko will likely increasingly militarize his response to protesters in the coming week.”

NOT A MISSION FOR DHS: Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf says his department does not have the authority to send law enforcement officers to monitor polling places, despite comments from Trump on Friday that “we’re going to have sheriffs, and we’re going to have law enforcement, and we’re going to have hopefully U.S. attorneys” to polling locations on Election Day in order to prevent fraud.

Speaking on CNN’s State of the Union, Wolf said the president “absolutely has not” said anything to him about it.

“That’s not what we do at the Department of Homeland Security. We have law enforcement authorities and law enforcement officers at the department. We have express authorities given to us by Congress. And this is not one of them,” Wolf said. “But this is not a mission for the Department of the Homeland Security.”

ARMY JOINS SPACE COMMAND: The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command is being integrated into the new Space Force by assuming the additional responsibility of serving as the Army service command component to U.S. Space Command, the Army announced Friday.

“The Army is the largest user of space-enabled systems in the Department of Defense,” said Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy. “Naming USASMDC as a component command to both combatant commands strengthens command and control, unity of effort, and synchronization of Army space and missile defense operations.”

INDUSTRY WATCH: The 63-day strike at Bath Iron Works ended Sunday with the approval of a three-year contract by union members of International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local S6.

The 4,300 shipbuilders will return to work Monday, producing warships for the U.S. Navy.

“After falling behind schedule, Bath Iron Works is eager to get caught up on production of destroyers as the U.S. Navy faces growing competition from China and Russia on the high seas,” reported the Associated Press. “The General Dynamics subsidiary was already more than six months behind schedule before the strike.”

The Rundown

Washington Examiner: Barr is ‘vehemently opposed’ to pardoning ‘traitor’ Edward Snowden

AP: Taliban Set Powerful Negotiating Team For Intra-Afghan Talks

Honolulu-Star Advertiser: Coordinators Of RIMPAC And The Commemoration Of WWII Ending Scale Back Events Due To The Pandemic

Reuters: With China Tensions Rising, U.S. Joins Taiwan To Mark Battle Anniversary

Washington Post: Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, comatose in Berlin with suspected poisoning, was under covert surveillance, Russian media reports

Reuters: Siberian doctors say they saved Kremlin critic Navalny’s life

Forbes: To Hide Their Rocket Launchers From The Chinese, U.S. Marines Could Print ‘Instant’ Bunkers

Air Force Magazine: AFMC: Air Force Not Bound to 144 F-15EXs

USNI News: Summer Fury Drills Hone Marines’ New Island-Hopping Fight

USNI News: Families Honor 9 Killed In AAV Sinking As Investigations Continue

Breaking Defense: Grim Future For Repairing Navy Subs And Carriers On Time

Kitsap Sun: USS Carl Vinson Departs Bremerton For New Homeport Of San Diego

NBC News: Missing Fort Hood soldier a victim of ‘abusive sexual contact,’ Army says

Wall Street Journal: With U.S. Backing, Iraq Pushes For Energy Rapprochement With Saudis

Calendar

MONDAY | AUGUST 24

9:30 a.m. — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo takes part in a virtual conversation on his recent trip to Europe and how European nations are awakening to the China challenge with Atlantic Council President and CEO Frederick Kempe. Streamed live on www.state.gov.

10:30 a.m. — Heritage Foundation webinar: “The Imperative to Improve the Army’s Precision Fires Capability,” with John Rafferty, director of the Army Futures Command’s Long Range Precision Fires Cross Functional Team; and Thomas Spoehr, director of the Heritage Center for National Defense. https://www.heritage.org/defense/event

12 p.m. — Association of the U.S. Army Noon Report webcast with senior leaders to discuss women and their service in the Army, with Kathleen Miller, administrative assistant to the secretary of the Army; Lt. Gen. Laura Richardson, commanding general of U.S. Army North; Lt. Gen. Jody Daniels, chief of the Army Reserve; and Command Sgt. Maj. Lynice Thorpe-Noel, the senior enlisted leader for Army Human Resources Command. https://info.ausa.org

6 p.m. — Politics and Prose Bookstore book discussion webcast on The Rise of the G.I. Army, 1940-1941: The Forgotten Story of How American Forged a Powerful Army Before Pearl Harbor, with author Paul Dickson. https://www.politics-prose.com/event

9 p.m. Charlotte, N.C. — Day One of the virtual Republican National Convention with the theme “Land of Heroes,” featuring the nomination of President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence by delegates. https://www.2020gopconvention.com

TUESDAY | AUGUST 25

10 a.m. — American Institute for Contemporary German Studies virtual discussion: “Bases and Burdens,” examining the impact of an American drawdown on NATO, Germany and the United States, with Rachel Ellehuus, deputy director and senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Europe Program; Wolfgang Ischinger, chairman of the Munich Security Conference; Danielle Pletka, senior fellow in foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute; Jana Puglierin, senior policy fellow and head of the European Council on Foreign Relations’s Berlin office. https://www.aicgs.org/events

10 a.m. — Middle East Institute Defense Leadership Series virtual discussion on U.S. strategies for the great power competition, with retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Nagata, senior fellow at MEI and former strategy director of the National Counterterrorism Center; and Bilal Saab, director of the MEI Defense and Security Program. https://www.mei.edu/events/mei-defense-leadership-series

11 a.m. — Navy League of the United States webinar on how U.S. naval shipbuilding is being reshaped for the future, with Rear Adm. Tom Anderson, program executive officer for ships at the Navy; Rear Adm. Eric Ver Hage, director of surface ship maintenance and modernization and commander of the Navy Regional Maintenance Center; John Rhatigan, chairman of the Marine Machinery Association; and Bryan Clark, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. https://www.navyleague.org/programs/webinars

12 p.m. — New America virtual discussion: “Where Does the National Security Community Stand Three Months After George Floyd Changed the World?” with former Defense Undersecretary for Policy Michele Flournoy; former Acting U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Alonzo Fulgham; Bonnie Jenkins, former coordinator for threat reduction programs at the State Department; Camille Stewart, fellow at the New America Political Reform Program; and Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO of New America. https://www.newamerica.org/political-reform/events

12 p.m. — Center for the National Interest online discussion “Belarus: Eye of a New Geopolitical Storm in Europe?” Nikolas Gvosdev, U.S. Naval War College; Michael Kofman, Center for Naval Analysis; Fyodor Lukyanov, presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy; and David Marple, University of Alberta. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register

1 p.m. — National Security Institute at George Mason University virtual fireside chat: “China’s Rise: Confronting China’s Challenge to the World Order,” with Randall Schriver, former assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, and Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, China reporter at Axios. https://nationalsecurity.gmu.edu

2:30 p.m. — Assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics Will Roper hosts an “Ask Me Anything” event about the Advanced Battle Management System moderated by Air Force Chief Architect Preston Dunlap. https://www.af.mil

9 p.m. 1301 Constitution Ave. N.W. — Day Two of the virtual Republican National Convention with the theme “Land of Promise,” featuring first lady Melania Trump from the White House Rose Garden)/ https://www.2020gopconvention.com/

WEDNESDAY | AUGUST 26

11 a.m. — National Defense Industrial Association webinar: “Transforming DoD’s Learning Infrastructure,” with Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary for Force Education and Training Fred Drummond; Lora Muchmore, director in the Office of the Defense Secretary’s Defense Business Systems Directorate; Jim Seacord, acting director in the Office of the Defense Undersecretary for Intelligence’s Human Capital Management Office; Amy Rogers, chief learning officer for the civilian workforce in the Office of the Assistant Defense Secretary for Personnel and Readiness; and Sae Schatz, director of the Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative. https://www.trainingsystems.org/events/2020/8/26/ntsa-august-webinar

1 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies Defending Democratic Institutions Project virtual discussion on “Combating Malign Influence in 2020,” with Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen. https://www.csis.org/events/online-event

4:30 p.m. — Intelligence and National Security Alliance virtual discussion: “A View from the Hill: Insights into Congressional Priorities for the IC (intelligence community),” with Tara McFeely, majority budget director at the Senate (Select) Intelligence Committee; and Jon Rosenwasser, minority budget director at the Senate (Select) Intelligence Committee. https://www.insaonline.org/event/a-view-from-the-hill

9 p.m. 1301 Constitution Ave. N.W. — Day Three of the virtual Republican National Convention with the theme “Land of Opportunity,” featuring Vice President Mike Pence speaking from Fort McHenry National Monument, Baltimore, Md. https://www.2020gopconvention.com

THURSDAY | AUGUST 27

9 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion, on U.S. policy toward North Korea and inter-Korean relations, with Markus Garlauskas, nonresident senior fellow at Atlantic Council and former national intelligence officer for North Korea at the National Intelligence Council; Victor Cha, CSIS senior adviser and Korea chair; Mark Lippert, CSIS senior nonresident adviser and Korea chair; and Sue Mi Terry, CSIS senior fellow and Korea chair. https://www.csis.org/events/online-event

10 a.m. — Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute launches new Reagan Institute Center for Freedom and Democracy, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. https://www.reaganfoundation.org

9 p.m. 1301 Constitution Ave. N.W. — Day Four of the virtual Republican National Convention with the theme “Land of Greatness.” President Trump delivers remarks at 10 p.m. from the White House South Lawn. https://www.2020gopconvention.com

FRIDAY | AUGUST 28

4 p.m. — Gen. James C. McConville, Army chief of staff addresses the National Guard Association of the United States’s two-day General Conference, streamed live from Washington, D.C. Saturday speakers include: Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, the new chief of the National Guard Bureau at 1 p.m.; Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., Air Force chief of staff at 2 p.m.; Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond, the Space Force’s first chief of space operations at 2:30 p.m.; Lt. Gen. Jon A. Jensen, the new director of the Army National Guard at 3:40 p.m.; and Lt. Gen. Michael A. Loh, the new director of the Air National Guard at 4:10 p.m. www.ngaus.org/events/142nd-general-conference