FRUSTRATED AT THE PUSHBACK: President Trump is reportedly frustrated that his military commanders are resisting his desire to deliver on his tweeted promise to bring all U.S. troops home from Afghanistan by Christmas.
“During a recent White House meeting the issue came up again,” reported NBC News. “But military advisers, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley, argued in favor of keeping a so-called residual force in Afghanistan to defend the large U.S. embassy in Kabul and conduct counterterrorism missions,” NBC said, citing two senior administration officials and a defense official.
In a speech a week ago in Las Vegas, national security adviser Robert O’Brien told an audience that the U.S. would reduce its troop levels in Afghanistan from 4,500 to 2,500 by early in 2021, which apparently took the Pentagon by surprise.
In an interview with NPR Monday, Milley distanced himself from O’Brien’s statement, implying the president has yet to order the additional troop cuts. “I think that Robert O’Brien or anyone else can speculate as they see fit. I’m not going to engage in speculation,” Milley said. “I’m going to engage in the rigorous analysis of the situation based on the conditions and the plans that I am aware of and my conversations with the president. And then when we get to the point where we have further discussions and further decisions, those will be appropriately made public.”
A SWEEPING FOREIGN POLICY SPEECH: The NBC report says Trump wants to deliver a sweeping foreign policy speech that would cast him as the first president in a decade not to get the U.S. into a new military conflict and highlight his efforts to bring U.S. troops home from endless wars.
“The speech under discussion in the White House would focus on Trump’s China policy, his administration’s negotiations with Russia on a new nuclear arms agreement, and his overarching strategy for U.S. competition with other global powers, the officials said. It also would outline Trump’s efforts in the Middle East, in particular his administration’s success in facilitating normalized relations between Israel and some of its Arab neighbors,” NBC said.
“No final decision has been made on the timing of such a speech or a venue,” officials told NBC. “The president’s team also hasn’t decided whether it would be a campaign speech or an official White House event,” according to one official.
THE TALIBAN PRESSES OFFENSIVE: While Trump is anxious to accelerate the U.S. exit from Afghanistan after 19 years of fighting, the Taliban has stepped up its offensive against Lashkar Gah, a key city in Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province.
“The heavy fighting, in which Afghan forces supported by United States airstrikes are defending the Helmand Province capital from a Taliban assault, has taken out power across the entire city as well as telephone lines and internet access,” said a statement from Amnesty International, who says Taliban forces have blocked all exit routes from the city and forced at least 35,000 people to flee their homes.
“The situation for civilians in Lashkar Gah is grave and could deteriorate rapidly in the coming days. Tens of thousands of people are trapped in the middle of a bloody battle that shows no sign of abating,” said Amnesty International’s Omar Waraich. “To avoid this turning into a humanitarian disaster, all parties to the conflict must ensure that civilians are protected and allowed to safely leave the war zones and get out of the city.”
Good Thursday 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 Victor I. Nava. 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: Defense Secretary Mark Esper will make two public appearances today. At 10 a.m., he will deliver prerecorded remarks to the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2020 virtual annual meeting. Then at 1 p.m., Esper will be at the Heritage Foundation for a virtual conversation with Thomas Spoehr, director of Heritage’s Center for National Defense, on “The Readiness of the U.S. Armed Forces.”
“With increasing fiscal demands due to Covid-19 recovery and stimulus efforts, there have been calls to reduce the defense budget to accommodate greatly increased spending. This shortsighted approach of cutting the defense budget will only increase America’s vulnerability in the world, especially in an era of great power competition,” said Heritage’s James Carafano in announcing the event with Esper.
“America cannot afford for its military to fall behind its adversaries. Sustained and robust investment is necessary to maintain the ability of the U.S. to preserve peace through strength and secure its interests at home and abroad,” he said. “It is therefore important for us to come together and support the military during this time when many advocates for defense cuts are hoping for an opportunity to advance their agenda.”
SEAL TEAM SMEAR: President Trump retweeted a video yesterday which advanced a conspiracy theory that President Barack Obama colluded with Iran to stage the death of Osama bin Laden in May of 2011 to boost his reelection chances.
According to the interview with self-described Benghazi whistleblower Nick Noe, bin Laden was being held by Iran, who offered to turn him over to the U.S., but instead the U.S. paid Tehran so that bin Laden could be secretly moved to Pakistan for a “trophy kill” by SEAL Team 6. Or maybe it wasn’t bin Laden, but a body double, and bin Laden is still alive somewhere. Nobody knows.
The president’s tweet drew an immediate rebuke from former Navy SEAL Robert O’Neill, who says he killed bin Laden during the 2011 raid on his compound in Abbottabad.
“Very brave men said goodby to their kids to go kill Osama bin Laden. We were given the order by President Obama. It was not a body double,” O’Neill tweeted, later adding, “Shit. I just found out that I killed Osama bin Johnson. Drinks are on me, I guess…”
In an interview on CNN last night, O’Neill called the conspiracy theory “an insult to real people,” and said those who spread the bogus story for political reasons are “trampling on the graves of some of the best heroes I have ever personally worked with.”
O’Neill says if Trump has any doubts about what happened, he has access to the CIA files, which include a picture of O’Neill holding bin Laden’s head after the kill, along with DNA evidence confirming his identity.
POMPEO ON HOSTAGE RELEASE: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo welcomed the release of two Americans held hostage by Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen while making no mention of the deal, which was reportedly in exchange for more than 250 rebel fighters who will return to Yemen from Oman.
“We join with all Americans in welcoming the release of two U.S. citizens from Houthi custody in Yemen,” said Pompeo in a statement. “Today’s news is the latest affirmation that President Trump remains committed to bringing every American held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad back home.”
The deal brokered by the United States freed aid worker Sandra Loli, who had been held for three years, and Mikael Gidada, a businessman held for nearly a year.
Saudi Arabia was reportedly hesitant about supporting Wednesday’s swap, although it later backed the agreement. Saudi officials told the Wall Street Journal that among the militants who were returned were dozens who had drone and missile knowledge.
“I would like to thank Sultan Haitham bin Tariq of Oman, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia for their diplomatic efforts,” said Pompeo, adding, “My deepest condolences go out to the family of a third American who died while in captivity, but whose remains are being repatriated,” referring to Bilal Fateen, who died under unknown circumstances.
ANOTHER BELARUS WARNING: Rep. Michael McCaul, the Republican leader of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the committee’s Democratic chairman, Rep. Eliot Engel, are warning Belarus’s self-declared president, Alexander Lukashenko, that his threat to use lethal force against peaceful protesters “is completely unacceptable.”
“On top of the use of stun grenades, water cannons, torture, and mass detentions, the escalation to the use of live ammunition as a way to cling to power would only underscore Lukashenka’s illegitimacy in the eyes of the Belarusian people and those watching around the world,” said McCaul and Engel in a joint statement. “We are committed to supporting the democratic aspirations of the Belarusian people and ensuring those responsible for the violence and egregious human rights violations in Belarus do not go unpunished.”
The Rundown
Washington Examiner: Black Sea region not ready for more US troops despite eagerness to partner
Washington Examiner: ‘Al Shabaab presents a future threat to America’ says AFRICOM after Trump Somalia plans made public
Washington Examiner: Two US hostages held captive by Iran-backed group in Yemen freed in trade
Washington Examiner: Pompeo gives Saudi Arabia credit for ‘the success’ of Arab-Israeli peace
Washington Post: As election nears, Pentagon leaders’ goal of staying out of elections is tested
CNN: Chinese President Xi Jinping Tells Troops To Focus On ‘Preparing For War’
Stars and Stripes: USS Barry Cruises Through Taiwan Strait After Beijing Blasts McCain’s South China Sea Transit
Defense News: Are The U.S. Army And U.S. Marine Corps Competing For Missions In The Pacific?
UPI: Test-firing of U.S. hypersonic missile hit within 6 inches of target
Breaking Defense: Navy Chief Demands Network Linking All Ships ‘This Decade’
USNI News: CNO Gilday Lays Out Priorities For ‘DDG Next’ Warship, New Attack Submarine
NBC News: Trump weighs pre-election foreign policy speech that reveals plan to pull more troops from Afghanistan
Yonhap: Esper Says Equitable Burden-Sharing Necessary For ‘Stable Stationing’ Of U.S. Troops
Defense News: Russia Denies New START ‘Gentleman’s Agreement’ With U.S.
New York Times: E.U. Preparing Sanctions On Putin Allies Over Navalny’s Poisoning
Washington Post: Army will encourage urgency to find missing soldiers after high-profile disappearances
Air Force Magazine: F-15Es Can Now Carry ‘StormBreaker’ Bombs
Reuters: U.S. Pleased Iraq Doing More To Protect U.S. Embassy — Pompeo
Japan Times: Japan Unveils New Submarine In Face Of China’s Growing Assertiveness
USNI News: U.K. Ballistic Missile Sub Crew Suffers COVID-19 Outbreak After Visit To U.S. Sub Base
FDD: Opinion: Corruption, Not Sanctions, Is Causing Medicine Shortages in Iran
Calendar
THURSDAY | OCTOBER 15
10 a.m. — Defense Secretary Mark Esper addresses the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2020 virtual annual meeting in pre-recorded remarks. https://meetings.ausa.org
11 a.m. — German Marshall Fund of the United States webinar: “Is the Trump Administration’s Maximum Pressure Campaign Against Iran Working?” with Richard Nephew, senior research scholar at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy; Mark Dubowitz, chief executive of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies; and Ariane Tabatabai, Middle East fellow at the Alliance for Security Democracy. https://www.gmfus.org/events
11 a.m. — Politico virtual Artificial Intelligence (AI) Summit, with Eric Schmidt, chairman of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence; Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash.; and Nand Mulchandani, acting director of the Defense Department’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center. https://www.politico.com/live-events
1 p.m. — Heritage Foundation virtual event: “A Conversation with Secretary of Defense Mark Esper on the Readiness of the U.S. Armed Forces,” with introduction by Kay C. James, president, Heritage Foundation, and moderated by Thomas Spoehr, director of Heritage’s Center for National Defense. https://www.heritage.org/defense/event
1 p.m. — Middle East Institute virtual discussion with Heidi Grant, director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, focusing on U.S. arms sales to the Middle East. https://www.mei.edu/events/mei-defense-leadership-series
2 p.m. — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association virtual Tech Summit, with Navy Rear Adm. John Polowczyk, Joint Staff vice director for logistics; Gil Alterovitz, director of the Veterans Affairs Department National Artificial Intelligence Institute; Thomas Beach, interim chief data officer at the Commerce Department; and Ted Kaouk, chief data officer at the https://connellyworks.swoogo.com
8 p.m. — President Trump participates in a town hall forum hosted by NBC News in Miami, Fla.
8 p.m. — Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden participates in a town hall forum hosted by ABC News.
FRIDAY | OCTOBER 16
9 a.m. — Aspen Security Forum: “President Trump’s National Security Agenda,” with national security adviser Robert O’Brien and Stephen Hadley, former national security adviser to President George W. Bush. https://aspeninst.zoom.us/webinar/register
9 a.m. — Counter Extremism Project webinar: ‘The Prospect For Peace In Afghanistan,” with Amb. Edmund Fitton-Brown, coordinator, ISIL, al-Qaida and Taliban Monitoring Team, UNSC; and Dr. Ellinor Zeino, country representative, Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Afghanistan. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register
10 a.m. — U.S. Institute of Peace webinar: “Russia’s War in Donbas: Ripe for a Resolution?” with Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Reznikov; Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Volodymyr Yelchenko; Orysia Lutsevych, manager of the Chatham House Ukraine Forum; Donald Jensen, director of the USIP office of Strategic Stability and Security; and former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor, vice president of the USIP Office of Strategic Stability and Security. https://www.usip.org/events/russias-war-donbas-ripe-resolution
10 a.m. — George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs webinar: “What’s New Under the Sun? Nuclear and Military Affairs in U.S.-Russian Relations.” Polina Sinovets, head of the Mechnikov National University’s Center for Nonproliferation; Adam Stulberg, head of Georgia Institute of Technology’s Sam Nunn School of International Affairs; Mikhail Troitskiy, associate professor at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations; and Dmitry Gorenburg, senior research scientist at CNA. https://elliott.gwu.edu/event-calendar
1 p.m. — Air Force Association Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Space Power Forum with Lt. Gen B. Chance Saltzman, deputy chief of space operations for operations, cyber, and nuclear, U.S. Space Force. https://www.mitchellaerospacepower.org
3 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies webcast: “Innovation in the Intelligence Community.” with Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn. https://www.csis.org/events/online-event
TUESDAY | OCTOBER 20
12 p.m. — McCain Institute for International Leadership virtual book talk on The Luckiest Man: Life with John McCain, with McCain’s longtime adviser, coauthor and friend Mark Salter; and McCain Institute Trustee and former Sen. Joseph Lieberman. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/authors-insights
1 p.m. — Center for a New American Security Fireside Chat with Brett Goldstein, director, Defense Digital Service, with CNAS senior fellows Susanna Blume and Paul Scharre. https://cnas.zoom.us/webinar/register
THURSDAY | OCTOBER 22
9 a.m. — Northrop Grumman Corporation conference call to announce its third quarter 2020 financial results. http://investor.northropgrumman.com
FRIDAY | OCTOBER 30
5:30 p.m. — Air Force Association virtual discussion “Airmen in the Fight: AFA Roll Call” with Gen. Stephen “Seve” Wilson, Air Force vice chief of staff. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Shit. I just found out that I killed Osama bin Johnson. Drinks are on me, I guess…”
Former Navy SEAL Robert O’Neill, mocking a conspiracy theory that he may have killed a body double, not the real Osama bin Laden in a raid in Pakistan in 2011.
