‘JUST WAITING FOR THAT CALL’: The back and forth over whether there was a delay in authorizing National Guard reinforcements to be dispatched to the Capitol from neighboring Maryland escalated over the weekend, with the Pentagon releasing a detailed timeline of events and Maryland’s governor repeating claims that his Guard commanders waited hours for approval.
On CNN yesterday, Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, said he immediately called up the Guard but kept getting the runaround from the Pentagon.
“Our Guard mobilized and was ready. But we couldn’t actually cross over the border into D.C. without the OK. And that was quite some time. We kept running it up the flagpole, our generals talking to the National Guard generals,” Hogan told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “Eventually, I got a call from Ryan McCarthy, the secretary of the Army, asking if we could come into the city. But we had already been mobilizing. We already had our police there. We already had our Guard mobilized. And we were just waiting for that call.”
A DELAY THAT MADE NO DIFFERENCE: But pressed by Tapper, Hogan essentially conceded the Pentagon’s point, namely that the delay in approval did not delay the Guard’s arrival at the Capitol the next morning. “It takes about 12 hours for Guard units to mobilize,” Hogan said. “These are folks that are doing something else, and they have to pack their bags, get their uniforms, show at the armories. We were the very first ones to arrive in the city.”
While they were waiting for approval from the Pentagon, the Maryland Guard troops were busy using the three hours to get ready.
“Nothing with regard to a phone call from the secretary of Army or paperwork from DOD in any way inhibited that timeline,” a defense official told reporters on a call Friday night. “They were moving in a parallel track. The approvals were moving. They entered D.C. and were on station in a timeline that is no different than if they had gotten the approvals the first second.”
The Capitol was declared secure at 8 p.m. with the help of 150 D.C. National Guard troops who arrived shortly after 5:30 p.m. The Maryland National Guard didn’t arrive until 10 a.m. the next day, 14 hours after the Capitol was secured, according to the Pentagon timeline.
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 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: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the House will take up a measure today calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove President Trump from office for being unfit.
Washington Examiner Chief Congressional Correspondent Susan Ferrechio reports Pelosi told fellow Democrats last night she will first attempt to pass the measure by unanimous consent, and if Republicans block it, as they are likely to do, the House would then reconvene tomorrow for a vote.
In an interview that aired last night on CBS’s 60 Minutes, Pelosi said if Pence fails to act, she’s ready to move ahead with a single article of impeachment for “incitement of insurrection.”
“There is strong support in the Congress for impeaching the president a second time,” Pelosi said. “This president is guilty of inciting insurrection. He has to pay a price for that.”
PELOSI QUESTIONS TRUMP NUCLEAR AUTHORITY: In a letter circulated to fellow Democrats Friday, Pelosi revealed that she consulted Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley to ask about safeguards against “an unstable president from initiating military hostilities or accessing the launch codes and ordering a nuclear strike.”
“The situation of this unhinged President could not be more dangerous, and we must do everything that we can to protect the American people from his unbalanced assault on our country and our democracy,” Pelosi wrote.
Last night on 60 minutes, Pelosi explained, “I had sought information from those who are in a position to know that there were protections against this dangerous president initiating any military hostilities or something worse than that.”
REAL FEARS ABOUT THE NUCLEAR ‘FOOTBALL’: Former Defense Secretary William Perry has been arguing for years that it’s folly to have a system in which one fallible human being can destroy the planet. Perry and Tom Collina of the Ploughshares Fund have written a book on the subject, The Button.
“There is no justifiable need to give any president the unilateral power to end the world within minutes,” they write. “There is no better way to reduce the danger of nuclear catastrophe than by getting rid of the nuclear button.”
“Thus, sole presidential authority should be allowed only in retaliation to a confirmed nuclear attack on the United States (or an ally covered by our extended deterrent). As such, there would be no need for the president to launch nuclear weapons quickly, within minutes,” Perry and Collina argue.
In a follow-up op-ed in Politico, they urge President-elect Joe Biden to retire the “nuclear football,” the secure briefcase holding the nuclear launch codes that goes everywhere the president goes.
“And if we are lucky enough to survive the next two weeks and hand that power to a much more trustworthy president, that does not mean that we no longer need to fix this problem,” they write.
“Once in office, Biden should announce he would share authority to use nuclear weapons with a select group in Congress. He should also declare that the United States will never start a nuclear war and would use the bomb only in retaliation … Once Biden is sworn in as president, the nuclear football will be his. It will then be up to Biden to retire the football and ensure that we never again entrust the most powerful killing machine ever created to just one fallible human.”
SMITH ON BOARD WITH WAIVER FOR AUSTIN: House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith said after one-on-one discussions with retired Gen. Lloyd Austin, Biden’s pick for defense secretary, that he’s OK with granting the former military man a required waiver so he can serve as the civilian head of the Defense Department.
“Following our extensive conversation today, I am reassured that Secretary-designate Austin shares my commitment to civilian control of the military and will do what it takes to uphold this cherished principle once confirmed by the Senate,” Smith said in a statement Friday.
Austin must be confirmed by the Senate, but he needs a waiver from both houses of Congress. His confirmation hearing is set for Jan. 19, in theory so he could be confirmed on the 20th after Biden is sworn-in.
But Smith says House members won’t hear from him until the next day, raising doubts about how swiftly he can be confirmed.
“In order to pave the way for Secretary-designate Austin’s historic nomination, subject to the organization of the House Armed Services Committee, I intend to convene a public hearing before the full committee on Thursday, January 21 so that members of our committee and the American people can hear directly from Secretary-designate Austin regarding civilian control of the military,” Smith said.
Another unknown factor is whether the Senate may be consumed by an impeachment trial since Democrats are considering not transmitting the article of impeachment to the Senate until after Trump leaves office and Democrats are in control of the upper chamber.
COUP AT USU? Maryland’s two Democratic senators smell politics behind a move to fire the president of the U.S. military’s medical school.
Pentagon officials are to meet today to decide the fate of Dr. Richard Thomas, president of Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, located in Bethesda, Maryland, on the campus of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
“The fact that this action is taking place despite the strenuous objections of the President of the USU Board of Regents raises serious questions about its basis and whether it is retaliatory in nature,” said Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin in a letter to acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller.
Van Hollen and Cardin suggest that Thomas, who they say has served “with distinction and integrity,” appears to be targeted because of his vigorous opposition to budget cuts that would have eliminated funding for combat casualty care and infectious disease research.
“His removal at this particular time appears to be retribution for his advocacy on behalf of military medicine. We urge you in the strongest possible terms to review this action immediately,” the senators write.
CAN THE USS FORD FIGHT? Another bad review for America’s newest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, and its high-tech problem-plagued catapult launching system.
“Aircraft takeoff and landing systems on the USS Gerald R. Ford remain unreliable and break down too often more than three years after the $13.2 billion carrier was delivered,” according to a report in Bloomberg, which obtained an assessment from Robert Behler, the Pentagon’s top weapons tester.
“Poor or unknown reliability of new technology systems critical for flight operations,” including its $3.5 billion electromagnetic launch system and advanced arresting gear, could “adversely affect” the carrier’s ability to generate sorties, he said.
The Rundown
Washington Examiner: ‘Down a rabbit hole’: Pentagon dismisses importance of delaying Maryland Guard response to Capitol rioting
Washington Examiner: Army secretary promises National Guard will help deliver a ‘peaceful transition of power’
Washington Examiner: US Capitol Police knew about potential for violence, according to the FBI
Washington Examiner: US diplomats condemn Trump in State Department ‘dissent channel’
Washington Examiner: US expects Iran to prepare for talks with Biden, not plot attacks in Trump’s final days
Washington Examiner: ‘Null and void’: Pompeo lifts restrictions on US-Taiwan contacts in parting shot at China
Washington Examiner: Senators launch bipartisan hearings to investigate Capitol attack
Washington Post: Two men who allegedly held zip ties in Capitol during riots being investigated by U.S. counterterrorism prosecutors
Task & Purpose: Here’s why Pentagon described the Capitol Hill riots as ‘First Amendment protests’
Air Force Magazine: Police Officer Killed in Capitol Attack Served in New Jersey Air Guard
New Yorker: An Air Force Combat Veteran Breached the Senate
Air Force Magazine: F-35 Readiness for Full-Rate Production Lies With Independent Academic Team
Washington Post: These U.S. troops survived one of the greatest crises of the Trump era. A year later, they’re still coping.
Washington Post: The mysterious murder of an Afghan election monitor sends a chill through Kabul
Reuters: Mixed signals for North Korean leader’s sister as Kim seeks to cement power
Washington Post: N. Korea’s Kim calls U.S. ‘our biggest enemy,’ says its hostile policies never change
Bloomberg: Navy’s Priciest Carrier Ever Struggles to Get Jets On, Off Deck
Business Insider: U.S. Aircraft Carriers Still Rule The Seas, But Russia And China Both Have Plans To Change That
Inside Defense: Navy Takes Up Project To Arm Zumwalt With Hypersonic Strike; Eyes Next-Generation Vertical Launch System
Seapower Magazine: Navy Envisions Containerized Weapon System To Arm Amphibious Ships
19fortyfiuve.com: The U.S. Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship: Size Doesn’t Matter
Defense News: Unclear On Unmanned: The U.S. Navy’s Plans For Robot Ships Are On The Rocks
New York Times: U.S. to Put Terrorist Label On Houthis in Yemen War
Defense One: How Will Biden’s Pentagon Handle Extreme Right-Wing Media?
Forbes: The Four Biggest Hurdles To Rebuilding The Nuclear Bomber Force
Calendar
MONDAY | JANUARY 11
11 a.m. — Atlantic Council webinar: “Ukraine’s National Security on Trial,” with retired Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, former supreme NATO commander; retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark, former supreme NATO commander; retired Army Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, former commander of U.S. Army Europe; Phillip Karber, president of the Potomac Foundation; and former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Alexander Vershbow. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event
1 p.m. — Jewish Institute for National Security of America virtual discussion: “Turkey-Israel Relations: Reset, Rhetoric or Rivalry?” with Gallia Lindenstrauss, senior research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies; Selin Nasi, op-ed contributor to Karar Newspaper; and Alan Makovsky, member of the JINSA Eastern Mediterranean Policy Project. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register
TUESDAY | JANUARY 12
9 a.m. — Institute for Policy Studies webinar: “Setting a Progressive Foreign Policy Agenda,” with panel discussions on “The State of U.S. Foreign Policy and Prospects for the Future in a COVID-19 Era,” “Progressive New Deal – Foreign Policy Implications,” and “Rebuilding Multilateralism – Fair International Organizations for a Multipolar World.” https://ips-dc.org/events
9 a.m. — Intelligence National Security Alliance virtual discussion on “the enduring strength of the U.S.-U.K. partnership and how the nations are collaborating to advance mission needs related to cybersecurity, counterterrorism and great power competition,” with Rob Joyce, special U.S. liaison officer at the U.S. Embassy in London. https://www.insaonline.org/event
11 a.m. — American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research virtual discussion of “counterterrorism policy, past and future,” Nathan Sales, State Department counterterrorism coordinator; Bruce Hoffman, senior counterterrorism and homeland security fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations; and Katherine Zimmerman, AEI resident fellow. http://www.american.com/watch/aei-livestream
5 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual Taiwan and Indo-China Regional Security Architecture Conference, with former Assistant Defense Secretary for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Randy Schriver; Rory Medcalf, head of the Australian National University’s National Security College; Lai I-chung, president of the Prospect Foundation; and Yasuhiro Matsuda, professor of international politics at the University of Tokyo’s Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia. https://www.csis.org/events/online-event
WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 13
10:30 a.m. — U.S. Institute of Peace virtual discussion: “Joe Biden’s Tough Challenges in Iran,” with Jarrett Blanc, senior fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and former lead State Department coordinator for the Iran Nuclear Deal; James Jeffrey, chair of the Middle East Program, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and former ambassador to Iraq and Turkey and special envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, Robin Wright, USIP-Wilson Center distinguished fellow; author and columnist for The New Yorker; and Steve Inskeep, moderator, host of NPR’s Morning Edition. https://www.usip.org/events/joe-bidens-tough-challenges-iran
11 a.m. — Heritage Foundation webinar: ‘Building an Army Ready for Great Power Competition,” with Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville; and Thomas Spoehr, director of the Heritage Center for National Defense. https://www.heritage.org/defense/event
11:30 a.m. — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association Lexington Concord virtual discussion with Air Force Lt. Gen. Shaun Morris, commander of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center to provide an update on the overall health of the AFLCMC programs. https://www.afcealexcon.org/programs-events
2 p.m. — Association of Old Crows virtual discussion with Air Force Lt. Gen. David “DT” Thompson, vice commander of the Space Force, part of the EMSO (Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations) Leadership series. https://www.crows.org
2 p.m. — Woodrow Wilson Center virtual discussion: “Is NATO prepared for the Future? Reflections on NATO 2030: United for a New Era,” German Bundestag Member Thomas de Maiziere, former German Interior and Defense minister; Former Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell, vice chairman of the board of the Center for European Policy Analysis; and Daniel Hamilton, fellow and director of the WWC Global Europe Program. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/nato
3 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies webcast on the Asia-Pacific, with former Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo. https://www.csis.org/events
7 p.m. — Politics and Prose Bookstore virtual book discussion on Strongman: The Rise of Five Dictators and the Fall of Democracy, focusing on Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, Mao Zedong and Saddam Hussein, with author Kenneth Davis. https://www.politics-prose.com/event
THURSDAY | JANUARY 14
11:30 a.m. — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association virtual discussion: “Shaping a Common, Modern, Joint Defense,” with Vice Adm. Nancy Norton, director of the Defense Information Systems Agency; Christopher Barnhurst, DISA executive deputy director; Serena Chan, director of the DISA Cyber Development Directorate; Brian Hermann, director of the DISA Services Development Directorate; Llewellyn “Don” Means Jr., executive at the DISA National Leadership Command Capabilities; Steve Wallace, systems innovation scientist at the DISA Emerging Technologies Directorate; and Army Maj. Gen. Garrett Yee, DISA assistant to the director. https://dcevents.afceachapters.org/DISA2021
1 p.m. — Heritage Foundation webinar: “Why America Needs the Long Range Standoff Weapon,”: with: Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration Lt. Gen. James Dawkins; Peter Huessy, director of strategic deterrence studies at the Air Force Association’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies; and Patty-Jane Geller, policy analyst for nuclear deterrence and missile defense at Heritage https://www.heritage.org/missile-defense/event
3 p.m. — Henry L. Stimson Center webinar: “U.S. Congress and the Legacies of the Vietnam War,” with Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif.; Tim Rieser, senior foreign policy aid to Senator Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.; and Matthew Breay Bolton, associate professor at Pace University. https://www.stimson.org/event
FRIDAY | JANUARY 15
9 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies webcast: “A New Transatlantic Agenda,” with European Union Director General for Trade Sabine Weyand. https://www.csis.org/events/online-event
9:30 a.m. — George Washington University School of International Affairs webinar: “U.S.-China Relations Under the Biden Administration,” with David Michael Lampton, director of China studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies; Barbara Stallings, research professor at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs; William Rhodes, research professor at Brown University’s Institute for International and Public Affairs; and Deborah Lehr, vice chairman and executive director of the Paulson Institute https://calendar.gwu.edu/us-china-relations
1 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies webcas on “great power competition with China, COVID-19 relief efforts, the Trump administration’s work on religious freedom, the future of U.S. foreign assistance, and opportunities and challenges for the incoming Biden administration,” with Jim Richardson, director of U.S. foreign assistance resources at the State Department. https://www.csis.org/events/online-event
3 p.m. — Reagan Institute virtual discussion: “”U.S. Foreign Policy in 2021 and Beyond,” with Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo and Roger Zakheim, director, Reagan Institute. https://www.reaganfoundation.org/programs-events
MONDAY | JANUARY 18
Martin Luther King Jr. Day — Federal Holiday
TUESDAY | JANUARY 19
11 a.m. — Arms Control Association Zoom webinar “Nuclear Challenges for the Biden Administration in the First 100 Days,” with Kelsey Davenport, director for nonproliferation policy; Kingston Reif, director for disarmament and threat reduction policy; Daryl Kimball, executive director; and Tom Countryman, fmr. acting undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, and ACA’s board chair. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register
3 p.m. G50 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Committee holds confirmation hearing for Lloyd J. Austin III to be Secretary of Defense. https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings
WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 20
Inauguration Day — Federal holiday
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“This was not a failure to connect the dots, but a failure to believe the dots.”
Veteran CBS national security correspondent David Martin, in a report on CBS Sunday Morning.
