FOREVER ON GUARD? A review of security at the U.S. Capitol, ordered by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after the Jan. 6 insurrection by pro-Trump rioters, is suggesting among other options the establishment of a standing “quick reaction force,” that would be comprised of National Guard troops, or possibly civilian law enforcement officers.
The recommendation for a “dedicated QRF” is among many measures included in a draft report by retired Army Lt. Gen Russell Honore, briefed to Congress yesterday, which advocated the rapid response capability not just for the Capitol building but also the capital city of Washington, D.C., itself.
“Our national capital is a prominent tourist destination, venue for many peaceful First Amendment activities, and a high-value target for foreign terrorists or domestic extremists, yet it has no dedicated QRF for response to crises,” the report notes. “We recommend establishment of a robust, dedicated QRF, not only for the [U.S. Capitol Police] but to serve the nation’s capital writ large.”
The report called mobilizing National Guard forces on an as-needed basis to support law enforcement “temporarily sufficient, but not a permanent solution.”
THREE OPTIONS: The report lays out three options for the emergency response force, two of which would rely on National Guard troops:
- Establish a QRF from existing federal law enforcement entities with appropriate legal authorities and appropriations to staff, train, and equip such a force.
- Build a QRF under the command of the D.C. National Guard. This could be done by mobilizing military police from Guard elements across the U.S. on rotations of three to six months.
- Create a QRF that permanently resides within the D.C. Guard by reestablishing a military police battalion and staffing it with Active Guard Reserve troops who live in or near the city year-round, perpetually on active duty.
GIVE DC GUARD COMMANDER MORE AUTHORITY: One of the chief complaints of Maj. Gen. William Walker, commanding general of the D.C. National Guard, in his testimony before Congress this month, was his frustration over having his hands tied by the Pentagon over the deployment of troops he had held in reserve on Jan. 6 as a quick reaction force.
“The standard component of such support is the stand-up of an off-site quick reaction force, an element of Guardsmen held in reserve for civil disturbance response, [equipped with] helmets, shields, batons, et cetera,” Walker said. “They are postured to quickly respond to an urgent and immediate need for assistance by civil authorities.”
Walker testified he couldn’t even move troops on traffic control duty one block over without express approval from Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy at the Pentagon.
“The Secretary of the Army’s January letter to me withheld that authority for me to employ the quick reaction force,” Walker testified. “I found that requirement to be unusual, as was the requirement to seek approval to move Guardsmen supporting the Metropolitan Police Department to move from one traffic control point to another.”
The Capitol Security Review recommends that DOD directives be amended to make clear that “notwithstanding any restrictions on employment of the D.C. National Guard in non-emergency situations, the commanding general of the D.C. National Guard shall retain ‘emergency authority’ in extraordinary emergency circumstances where prior authorization by the president is impossible and duly constituted local authorities are unable to control the situation.”
The D.C. National Guard commander should be authorized to engage temporarily in activities that are necessary to quell large-scale, unexpected civil disturbances when necessary “to prevent significant loss of life or wanton destruction of property and are necessary to restore governmental function and proper order.”
SECURITY TASK FORCE BRIEFS LAWMAKERS ON RETRACTABLE FENCING AND OTHER SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS
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HAPPENING TODAY: U.S. Indo-Pacific Commander Adm. Philip Davidson will brief members of the Senate Armed Services Committee behind closed doors on classified intelligence regarding China’s military build-up and its designs on Taiwan.
Following the closed session, Davidson will testify in public about his recently submitted congressionally mandated report, which calls for $27.3 billion over five years to mount an effective deterrent to China’s desire to change the status quo in the Asia Pacific region.
Davidson is coming to the end of his three-year tour as the top commander responsible for China and North Korea. In the coming months, he’ll be handing the baton to Adm. John Aquilino, who will be moving up from commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Aquilino will be replaced as Pacific Fleet commander by Vice Adm. Samuel Paparo, who is currently serving as Fifth Fleet commander, as well as the commander of U.S. Naval Forces in the Central Command.
IS WAR WITH CHINA JUST A MATTER OF TIME?
AND THEN THERE WERE TWO: As of today, there is only one female four-star general in the U.S. military. Pending Senate confirmation, there may soon be two.
Yesterday, President Biden used an International Women’s Day ceremony to tout the nomination of two women generals to lead two of the Pentagon’s 11 combatant commands: Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost to head TRANSCOM, and Army Lt. Gen. Laura Richardson to get her fourth star and to head SOUTHCOM.
“Each of these women have led careers demonstrating incomparable skill, integrity, and duty to country,” said Biden. “And at every step, they’ve also helped push open the doors of opportunity to women in our military — blazing the trail a little wider, a little brighter for all the proud women following in their path and looking to their example.”
“We need the young women just beginning their careers in the military service to see it and know that no door will be closed to them,” Biden said. “We need women and men throughout the ranks to see and celebrate women’s accomplishments and leadership in the services. We need little girls and boys both, who have grown up dreaming of serving for their country, to know this is what generals in the United States Armed Forces look like.”
“There are 43 four-star generals and admirals in the military today; 42 are men. Presently, all 11 combatant commands are led by men. Only Cyber Command’s Gen. Paul Nakasone, who is Asian American, is a minority,” reports the Washington Examiner’s Abraham Mahshie. “There has only been one woman to lead a combatant command since they were created in 1986, when Air Force Gen. Lori Robinson led U.S. Northern Command, which protects the continental United States, from 2016 to 2018.”
“While it is certainly great news that the most qualified people for these positions are women who’ve been recognized for their professionalism, it also shows how far the military has to go to normalize women in leadership roles,” American Enterprise Institute’s Mackenzie Eaglen told Mahshie.
BIDEN NOMINATES WOMEN TO COMMAND POSTS, HIGHLIGHTING SCARCITY OF FEMALE GENERALS
ESPER END-AROUND: The New York Times, quoting former Defense Secretary Mark Esper on the record, reported last month that the planned nominations of the two women generals were held up until after the election, based on the concern that the White House, or President Donald Trump himself, might torpedo the promotions in favor of someone who was not picked by Esper, who had fallen into disfavor and whom Trump would soon fire.
“They were chosen because they were the best officers for the jobs, and I didn’t want their promotions derailed because someone in the Trump White House saw that I recommended them or thought DOD was playing politics,” Esper told the New York Times. “This was not the case. They were the best qualified. We were doing the right thing.”
NO COMMENT ON AFGHAN PULLOUT: Both the Pentagon and the State Department were tight-lipped yesterday about Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s pointed letter to Ashraf Ghani, warning the Afghan president to get serious about making peace with the Taliban in the face of the possible withdrawal of all U.S. and NATO troops in less than two months.
“I’m not going to be able to comment on any reported private correspondence,” said spokesman Ned Price at yesterday’s State Department briefing. “It is often important for our diplomatic efforts that we’re able to conduct them in private … It is absolutely true that the United States has sought out ideas to advance the prospects for peace, the prospects to galvanize endurable peace.”
In response to a question from the Washington Examiner about whether a U.S. proposed 90-day reduction in violence agreement wasn’t a tacit admission that a full withdrawal by the May 1 deadline was not in the cards, press secretary John Kirby could only fall back on standard talking points.
“I can’t speak to the correspondence you’re talking about,” he said. “I can only say, again, the review is ongoing and that no decisions about future force posture in Afghanistan have been made.”
“Everybody here is mindful of looming deadlines,” he added.
Kirby referred questions about whether planning for the possible withdrawal, now just 53 days away, was underway to the U.S. Central Command. An email query to CENTCOM went unanswered.
BLINKEN MOVE TO ‘ACCELERATE’ TALIBAN PEACE TALKS UPSETS AFGHAN OFFICIALS
BIDEN’S NUCLEAR WEAPONS POLICY: Retired Lt. Gen. Thomas Spoehr, director of the Center for National Defense at the Heritage Foundation, is scratching his head over the description of President Biden’s nuclear policy as outlined in his Interim National Security Strategic Guidance issued last week.
The document includes this paragraph:
“As we re-engage the international system, we will address the existential threat posed by nuclear weapons. We will head off costly arms races and re-establish our credibility as a leader in arms control. That is why we moved quickly to extend the New START Treaty with Russia. Where possible, we will also pursue new arms control arrangements. We will take steps to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in our national security strategy, while ensuring our strategic deterrent remains safe, secure, and effective and that our extended deterrence commitments to our allies remain strong and credible. And we will engage in meaningful dialogue with Russia and China on a range of emerging military technological developments that implicate strategic stability.”
The interim guidance contains some “puzzling thoughts,” says Spoehr. “For example, it states the administration will ‘head off costly arms races.’ Absent is acknowledgment that our two primary nuclear competitors, Russia and China, have already embarked upon — and largely completed — modernizations of their nuclear arsenals, while the U.S. continues to rely on antiquated platforms and aged weapons.”
“The nuclear section goes on to state the U.S. will ‘reduce the role of nuclear weapons in our national security strategy,’” which Spoehr argues, “seems rather at odds with statements made by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who testified at his confirmation hearing that nuclear deterrence is ‘DOD’s highest priority mission.’”
Read more at Heritage.
INDUSTRY WATCH: ANOTHER F-35 FAIL: The Pentagon says it has reached an agreement with Lockheed Martin to invest $70.6 million in the F-35 program as compensation for its failure to deliver spare parts that were ready for installation.
“We applaud the Department of Defense for its efforts to hold Lockheed Martin accountable for failing to meet contract requirements for F-35 spare parts,” said Rep. Carolyn Maloney, chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Rep. Stephen Lynch, the chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, in a joint statement. “While we believe Lockheed should have reimbursed American taxpayers for a greater share of the inefficiencies uncovered by our Committee’s investigation, this is a step in the right direction.”
DOES THIS MEAN MEN GOT THE DAY OFF? As it has since 2016, the Air Force Global Strike Command marked Women’s History Month by scheduling an all-female alert crew to “man” nuclear missile silos, as well as all-female bomber crews at some of its bases.
“It is important for us to recognize the important role women play in our military today, and International Women’s Day is the perfect opportunity to do that,” said Col. Anita Feugate Opperman, 341st Missile Wing Commander. “When I came in 27 years ago, we would have barely been able to put together a couple of female crews, and now we are doing it across all three missile wings as well as some of our bomber wings as well. We want the American public to know that women directly support our mission every day.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The Rundown
Washington Examiner: Biden nominates women to command posts, highlighting scarcity of female generals
Washington Examiner: Abbott announces Texas will deploy National Guard to combat the ‘border crisis’ escalating due to Biden administration
Washington Examiner: Blinken move to ‘accelerate’ Taliban peace talks upsets Afghan officials
Washington Examiner: US says four Russian platforms spreading disinformation to undermine COVID-19 vaccine confidence
Washington Examiner: Security task force briefs lawmakers on retractable fencing and other safety recommendations
Washington Examiner: Military veteran hails Trump changes for fast VA coronavirus vaccine rollout
Washington Post: U.S., South Korea reach military cost-sharing agreement after deadlock under Trump
The Drive: British Armed Forces Poised To Make Big Cuts To F-35 Plans And More
Reuters: China Says Hopes U.S. Will Remove ‘Unreasonable’ Curbs On Cooperation
Bloomberg: Top China Generals Urge More Spending For U.S. Conflict ‘Trap’
USNI News: Panel: China Copied Silicon Valley’s Model To Outpace The Pentagon In Weapon Development
Military.com: More Than 6,000 Active-Duty Troops Now Tapped to Help with COVID-19 Vaccinations
Defense One: Splitting NSA, CyberCom Now Could Reduce Military Access to Intelligence, Milley Says
Bloomberg: Pentagon Crafting Next Budget Close to This Year’s $704 Billion
The Hill: Biden Pledges To End ‘Scourge Of Sexual Assault In The Military’
Military Times: Inside The Pentagon’s Plan To Keep Extremists From Joining Up
Reuters: U.S. ‘Alarmed’ By Frequency Of Attacks On Saudi After Houthis Target Oil Heartland
Military.com: New Executive Order Requires Pentagon To Track Military Absentee Ballots
Daily Press: On USS Gerald R. Ford’s Flight Deck, All The Expensive New Gear Means School Is Always In Session
The Drive: Debate Over Navy’s Zumwalt Destroyer’s Seakeeping Abilities Doused After Rough Seas Tests
Calendar
TUESDAY | MARCH 9
9:30 a.m. G-50 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on “United States Indo-Pacific Command, with Adm. Philip Davidson, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. Hearing begins after the end of a prior closed session. http://www.armed-services.senate.gov
10 a.m. — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association Rocky Mountain Chapter holds two-day virtual Cyberspace Symposium, with Air Force Lt. Gen. Chris Weggeman, deputy commander of the Air Combat Command; and Deputy Air Force CIO Lauren Knausenberger. https://www.eventsquid.com/event
12:15 p.m. — New America virtual book discussion on The Hardest Place: The American Military Adrift in Afghanistan’s Pech Valley, with author Wesley Morgan; Emma Sky, senior fellow at the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs; and David Sterman, senior policy analyst in New America’s International Security Program. https://www.newamerica.org/international-security
1 p.m. — Day two the National Defense Industrial Associationand the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command virtual Pacific Operational Science and Technology Conference, with Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Acting Director Peter Highnam; John Garnaut, senior fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute; Dana Johnson, international outreach and policy director in the Office of the Defense Undersecretary for Research and Development; Michael Vaccaro, international armaments cooperation director in the Office of the Defense Undersecretary for Acquisition and Sustainment, and Adam Frost, senior vice president for China and transformational exports at the Export – Import Bank of the United States. https://www.ndia.org/events
2:15 p.m. — Fed Supernova virtual event with Air Force Lt. Gen. John Shaw, deputy commander, U.S. Space Command. https://emamo.com/event/fed-supernova
3 p.m. — Atlantic Council webinar: “The future of U.S.-Pakistan relations, with Pakistani Ambassador to the U.S. Asad Majeed Khan. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event
WEDNESDAY | MARCH 10
9 a.m. — Day one of three-day Ottawa Conference on Security of Defense with U.S. Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Air Force Gen. John Hyten at 1 p.m. https://cdainstitute.ca/ottawa-conference-2021
9 a.m. — Henry L. Stimson Center webinar: “North Korea Beyond the Six Parties: Examining Ties with Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia,” with Hoo Chiew-Ping, senior lecturer at the National University of Malaysia; Alon Levkowitz, lecturer at Bar-Ilan University; Ramon Pacheco Pardo, reader in international relations at King’s College London; Andreea Zaharia, associate researcher at the Romanian Institute for the Study of the Asia-Pacific; and Jenny Town, deputy director of 38 North. https://www.stimson.org/event/north-korea
10 a.m. — Day two the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association Rocky Mountain Chapter virtual Cyberspace Symposium, with Erin Miller, executive director of the Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center; and Air Force Lt. Gen. John Thompson, commander of the Space Force Space and Missile Systems Center; Maj. Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of Air Force Space Command. https://www.eventsquid.com/event
10 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies webinar with State Department Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John Sopko; and Anthony Cordesman, chair in strategy at CSIS. https://www.csis.org/events
11 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Committee hearing: “National Security Challenges and U.S. Military Activities in the Indo-Pacific,” with David Helvey, acting assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific affairs; Adm. Philip Davidson, commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command; and Gen. Robert Abrams, commander, United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, and U.S. Forces Korea.
12 p.m. — Association of the U.S. Army “Noon Report” webinar with Lt. Gen. Laura Potter, deputy chief of staff for intelligence. https://info.ausa.org/e/784783/Noon-Report
2:30 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies webinar: “The Army’s Next-Generation Vehicle,” with Brig. Gen. Richard Coffman, director of Army Futures Command’s Next-Generation Combat Vehicle Cross-Functional Team. https://www.csis.org/events/armys-next-generation-combat-vehicle
3 p.m. — Heritage Foundation virtual event: “Lessons from the West Capella Incident: Successful Naval Presence in the South China Sea,” with David Stilwell, former assistant secretary of state for east asian and pacific affairs; and Brent Sadler, Brent Sadler, senior fellow for naval warfare and advanced technology, Heritage. https://www.heritage.org/asia/event
4 p.m. — Institute of World Politics virtual lecture: “Seventy years of Chinese Strategic Intelligence Threats,” with former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Kenneth deGraffenreid, fellow in intelligence studies at the American Foreign Policy Council. https://www.iwp.edu/events/webinar
4:30 p.m. — Intelligence National Security Alliance virtual “Wednesday Wisdom” discussion with Dave Frederick, executive director of U.S. Cyber Command. https://www.insaonline.org/event
4:45 p.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Subcommittees on Readiness and Military Personnel Joint hearing: “Privatized Military Family Housing: Update on Implementation of Housing Reforms,” with Rick Taylor, president, facilities, operation and construction, Balfour Beatty Communities; Carolyn Tregarthen, managing director, Lendlease Americas; retired Army Maj. Gen. Al Aycock, Military Partnership Executive, Corvias Group LLC. https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings
THURSDAY | MARCH 11
9:30 a.m. G50, Dirksen — Senate Armed Service Committee hearing to receive “Final Recommendations and Report of National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service,” with Joseph Heck, chairman, Debra Wada, vice chair; and Alan Khazei, commissioner, National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service. https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings
11 a.m. — National Taxpayers Union and R Street Zoom webinar: “Pentagon Purse Strings Episode 3: An Interview with Lisa Hershman, former Chief Management Officer of the Pentagon,” with Jonathan Bydlak, R Street Institute; Andrew Lautz, National Taxpayers Union; Mark Cancian, senior adviser with the CSIS International Security Program. https://rstreet-org.zoom.us/webinar/register
11:30 a.m. — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies virtual Aerospace Nation event: “Nuclear Deterrence and Missile Defense Forum,” with Mark Schneider, senior analyst with the National Institute for Public Policy; and Stephen Blank, senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. https://www.mitchellaerospacepower.org
1:30 p.m. — Georgetown University’s Bridge Initiative virtual discussion: “The Human Cost of Guantanamo Bay,” with Mohamedou Ould Slahi, author of Guantanamo Diary and Nancy Hollander, attorney for Mohamedou Ould Slahi. https://www.georgetown.edu/event
2 p.m. — Center for a New American Security virtual book discussion: The Hardest Place: The American Military Adrift in Afghanistan’s Pech Valley, with author Wesley Morgan. https://www.cnas.org/events/virtual-book-discussion
3:30 p.m. — George Washington University Project for Media and National Security Defense Writers Group conference call conversation with Gen. James McConville, chief of staff of the Army. https://nationalsecuritymedia.gwu.edu/events
3:30 p.m. — Atlantic Council webinar: “Future Foreign Policy,” focusing on nuclear weapons, with Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif.; and Alexandra Toma, executive director of the Peace and Security Funders Group. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event
4 p.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel hearing: “Military Criminal Investigative Organization Reform Recommendations from the Fort Hood Independent Review Committee,” with Christopher Swecker, chairman, Fort Hood Independent Review Committee; Carrie Ricci, member, Fort Hood Independent Review Committee; Andrew Bland, former FBI special agent in charge, consultant for the Fort Hood Independent Review Committee; and Mary Counts, Former FBI supervisory special agent, consultant for the Fort Hood Independent Review Committee. A second panel will include Maj. Gen. Donna Martin, provost marshal general and commanding general, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command; Brig Gen. Terry Bullard, commander, Air Force Office of Special Investigations; and Omar Lopez, director, Naval Criminal Investigative Service. https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings
6 p.m. — Politics and Prose Bookstore virtual book discussion on 2034: A Novel of the Next World War with co-authors former Supreme NATO Commander Adm. James Stavridis, and co-author Elliot Ackerman. https://www.politics-prose.com/event/book
FRIDAY | MARCH 12
9:30 a.m. — Middle East Institute virtual discussion: “U.S. policies toward the Middle East during the Trump administration and lessons learned,” with former Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Simone Ledeen. https://www.mei.edu/events
11 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Subcommittee on Cyber, Innovative Technologies, and Information Systems and the Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on National Security joint hearing: “Final Recommendations of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence,” with Eric Schmidt, chairman; Robert Work, vice chairman; and Gilman Louie, commissioner, National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence. https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings
12 p.m. — McCain Institute virtual book discussion on Chaos Under Heaven: Trump, Xi, and the Battle for the Twenty-First Century, with author Josh Rogin, columnist at the Washington Post. https://www.mccaininstitute.org/news/josh-rogin
12:30 p.m. — Woodrow Wilson Center Polar Institute webinar: “Climate Security Risks in the Arctic,” with Norwegian Ambassador to the U.S. Anniken Ramberg Krutnes, Nina Borgen, deputy director of the Norwegian Security Policy and Operations Department’s Security Policy Analysis Section; former Deputy Defense Undersecretary for Environmental Security Sherri Goodman, senior fellow at the WWC Polar Institute; Ole Jacob Sending, director of research at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs; Shiloh Fetzek, senior fellow for international affairs at the Center for Climate and Security; John Conger, director of the Center for Climate and Security; Kate Guy, senior research fellow at the Center for Climate and Security; Marisol Maddox, Arctic analyst at the WWC Polar Institute; and Michael Sfraga, director of the WWC Polar Institute. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/climate-security-risks-arctic
2 p.m. — Brookings Institution webinar: “The Needs of Women Veterans,” with Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Calif.; Jen Silva, chief program officer at the Wounded Warrior Project; Tracy Farrell, vice president for engagement and physical health wellness at the Wounded Warrior Project; and Michael O’Hanlon, senior fellow at Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/events
TUESDAY | MARCH 16
6:15 a.m. — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg releases his annual report for 2020. https://www.nato.int
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“We need little girls and boys both, who have grown up dreaming of serving for their country, to know this is what generals in the United States armed forces look like.”
President Biden, in announcing the nomination of two new combatant commanders, Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost and Army Lt. Gen. Laura Richardson.
