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TIME TO FILL IN THE BLANKS: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo departed Joint Base Andrews in the predawn hours this morning for his third trip to North Korea, his first since last month’s summit in Singapore between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Pompeo has insisted that despite the paucity of details in the joint statement signed by Trump and Kim, the U.S. has made very clear precisely what it expects North Korea to do in the coming weeks and months to meet its obligation to dismantle its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. The statement had only specific points. Both sides agreed to “establish new relations,” and “build lasting and stable peace.” The third point called for North Korea to “work towards complete denuclearization,” and the fourth and final point was the most specific, committing North Korea to recover POW/MIA remains from the Korean War “including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.” Pompeo says the word “complete” covers the full range of actions to achieve the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Don’t be surprised if there are no new communiques issued after his meetings. Pompeo has told Congress it serves little purpose to reveal details of negotiations while talks are in progress. “We go into this eyes wide open,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Tuesday. “We obviously have a whole lot to talk about. We have at least a day and a half of meetings planned.” A DIFFERENT KIND OF FOURTH: While North Korea has yet to take any visible steps to begin to comply with its Singapore pledges, Nauert reminded reporters that on July 4 last year, Pyongyang was firing off pyrotechnics of its own. “I know I was in New York planning to go to fireworks with my family, had to hop on an earlier flight and come back to Washington. Why? Because there was an ICBM launch on the part of North Korea,” Nauert said. “A lot of people were in panic, a lot of people around the world were very concerned about what would happen between the United States and North Korea. “So if we look back to where we were one year ago, we’re in a good position today.” REMAINS TO BE SEEN: Two weeks ago the U.S. sent 100 wooden transfer cases to the Demilitarized Zone, where they sit with no indication from North Korea when any remains will be forthcoming. At a rally in Duluth, Minn., last month, Trump told a crowd of supporters, “We got back our great fallen heroes — the remains. In fact, today, already 200 have been sent back.” But that turned out to be premature. “There has been no significant change,” Pentagon spokesman Col. Rob Manning told reporters Monday. “We remain postured to receive those remains.” The Pentagon estimates that approximately 5,300 U.S. troops died north of the 38th parallel and remain unaccounted for. Good Thursday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre), National Security Writer Travis J. Tritten (@travis_tritten) and Senior Editor David Brown (@dave_brown24). Email us here for tips, suggestions, calendar items and anything else. If a friend sent this to you and you’d like to sign up, click here. 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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MORE NDAA CONFEREES: Just before the holiday break, House Speaker Paul Ryan named 30 lawmakers to assist with the conference committee on the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act. “The defense bill is always critical, but even more so now as we work to rebuild our nation’s military,” Ryan said in a statement. The lawmakers represent 15 House committees and will work with the 31 members of the House Armed Services Committee already picked by the chairman, Rep. Mac Thornberry, to hash out the final bill with the Senate. When Congress returns, the Senate will name its own representatives and proceed to the conference. AIR FORCE FLY-OFF ENDED EARLY: The Air Force said Tuesday that it has prematurely ended its experimental fly-off competition between two prospective light attack aircraft following a crash that killed a Navy pilot last month. Lt. Gen. Arnold Bunch, the military deputy in the office of the service’s assistant secretary for acquisition, said the program will continue and that the Air Force believes it has enough flying data on the two aircraft to eventually make a decision on the future of the program. “We will work with our industry partners to complete any remaining test requirements (developmental, maintenance and/or sustainment data) that are necessary to support future acquisition decisions,” Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said. Lt. Christopher Carey Short died and a copilot was injured June 22 when the A-29 Super Tucano he was flying crashed at a test range in New Mexico, where the experiment was taking place. The fly-off between the A-29, made by Sierra Nevada and Embraer, and the Beechcraft AT-6B Wolverine by Textron Aviation, began on May 7 and was slated to run three months before being cut short. Bunch said he does not expect the crash or the ending of the flying portion of the experiment to change the service’s timeline for OA-X. It could publish a request for proposals from defense contractors by the end of the year. ANOTHER UPBEAT ASSESSMENT: Just before the July 4 holiday the Pentagon released its twice-yearly congressionally-mandated report on progress in Afghanistan. The report titled “Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan” covers the six months from Dec. 1 to May 31. It takes the optimistic view that Trump’s new strategy, announced in August, is beginning to show results. Here are some excerpts: “The shift from a time-based to conditions-based approach also sowed new doubt in the Taliban, as fighters and leadership recognized that the United States is committed to Afghanistan and committed to transforming the ANDSF into a lethal force capable of defending its homeland. “During this reporting period, the ANDSF remained in control of all provincial capitals, quickly defeating the Taliban’s sole attempt to take control of the provincial capital of Farah in May. The mild winter allowed for sustained military pressure against insurgent and terrorist forces, and built positive momentum heading into the 2018 fighting season. “The assets and authorities to implement the South Asia Strategy in Afghanistan are now in place and have generated optimism within the Afghan government and ANDSF that a political settlement with the Taliban is possible.” MEANWHILE IN AFGHANISTAN: Thousands of demonstrators in Afghanistan’s northern Faryab province protested yesterday the arrest of a commander loyal to Abdurrashid Dostum, who is technically first vice president under President Ashraf Ghani but has fled the country, according to a dispatch from the Washington Post. From the Post report: “Unruly ethnic factions remain a persistent challenge to central authority and stability in Afghanistan, periodically clashing with government forces and following leaders like Dostum, who broke with the Ghani government that had handpicked him to serve as a bridge to his ethnic group. “Ghani’s government remains politically divided, with long-delayed parliamentary elections scheduled for October and the president expected to seek re-election next year. Ghani, an ethnic Pashtun, is often accused of ethnic bias, and revolts such as the one by Dostum’s supporters can fan such flames.” ONE-ON-ONE: Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will reportedly meet privately, without the company of aides, at the onset of their July 16 summit in Helsinki. Both presidents have previously spoken in-person, but the Finland meeting will be the first without interpreters or top diplomats in attendance, CNN reports. NEXT STOP, CARACAS: At a meeting last August in the Oval Office to discuss sanctions on Venezuela was concluding, Trump turned to his top aides and asked an unsettling question: With a fast unraveling Venezuela threatening regional security, why can’t the U.S. just simply invade the troubled country? The suggestion stunned those present at the meeting, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and national security adviser H.R. McMaster, both of whom have since left the administration. The account of the previously undisclosed conversation comes from a senior administration official familiar with what was said, the Associated Press reported. In an exchange that reportedly lasted around five minutes, McMaster and others took turns explaining to Trump how military action could backfire and risk losing hard-won support among Latin American governments to punish President Nicolas Maduro for taking Venezuela down the path of dictatorship, according to the official. The idea, despite his aides’ best attempts to shoot it down, would nonetheless persist in the president’s head. McCAIN’S QUIET FOURTH: Since the 9/11 attacks, Sen. John McCain has made a point to spend nearly every Independence Day with American service members and diplomats serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. This year his treatment for brain cancer kept him at his home in Arizona. “As we celebrate our nation’s independence, I am especially mindful of the value of our freedom. America is the freest and most prosperous country in the world, offering a life of liberty and endless opportunity. May we all remember the sacrifices made by generations of Americans to secure the liberty we so often take for granted, and that we celebrate today,” McCain said in a statement. SALUTE TO SERVICE: In his remarks at a Salute to Service dinner at the Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., Trump said, “Every time we see an American in uniform, any time we have the chance to shake the hand of a veteran, and whenever we hear the stories of our warriors, we are reminded how truly blessed we are to be American and to live in this land of our great heroes … This 4th of July, let us pledge to renew the bonds of love and loyalty that unite us together as Americans. Let us pledge to expand the blessings of liberty, prosperity, and justice to all of our citizens.” THE RUNDOWN AP: NATO Allies Defend Military Spending Amid Trump Criticism New York Times: Two Britons Were Exposed to Nerve Agent That Sickened Ex-Spy, Britain Says Washington Post: For the U.S., a frustrating history of recovering human remains in North Korea Reuters: Iran threatens to cut cooperation with nuclear body after Trump move Stars and Stripes: Navy Awards Additional $27 Million For Fitzgerald Repairs Washington Times: Erdogan Presses U.S. Over F-35 Jet Sale CNN: Analysis: Trump’s approach puts NATO at risk Fox News: Pompeo’s ‘Mission: Impossible’ — Is North Korea serious about giving up its nukes? We’ll find out soon enough Defense News: China launches two destroyers with tech similar to US Navy’s Aegis system Foreign Policy: Yemen on Brink of Catastrophe as U.N. Envoy Pushes for Truce The Hill: Ex-military officials sign on to oppose Trump’s transgender troops ban Defense Tech: Pentagon Memo Grounds Air Force Special Ops Quadcopters Task and Purpose: Get A Taste Of The Army’s Next Short-Range Air Defense System With This Explosive Video Washington Post: Why isn’t Trump bragging about his NATO successes? |
CalendarTUESDAY | JULY 10 8 a.m. 300 1st St. SE. Nuclear Deterrent Breakfast Series Review of Middle East and East Asian Missile Threats: Iran and North Korea Connections. mitchellaerospacepower.org 8 a.m. 1001 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Procurement Division Meeting. ndia.org 9:30 a.m. Hart 216. Mitchell Hour Panel on Manned-Unmanned Aircraft Teaming and Taking Combat Airpower to the Next Level with Maj. Gen. William Cooley, Commander of the Air Force Research Lab, and Tim Grayson, Director of the Strategic Technology Office at DARPA. mitchellaerospacepower.org 10 a.m. 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Stabilizing Sino-Indian Security Relations: Managing Strategic Rivalry After Doklam. carnegieendowment.org WEDNESDAY | JULY 11 6:45 a.m. 1250 South Hayes St. Special Topic Breakfast with Rear Adm. William Galinis, Navy Program Executive Officer for Ships. navyleague.org 10 a.m. Rayburn 2118. Subcommittee Hearing on Department of Defense’s Role in Foreign Assistance with Mark Mitchell, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict. armedservices.house.gov THURSDAY | JULY 12 7 a.m. 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd. Ninth Annual Integrated Air and Missile Defense Symposium. ndia.org
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ADVERTISEMENT: NDIA invites you to attend the Army Science and Technology Symposium and Showcase August twenty first through twenty third at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in DC. Register today at http://www.ndia.org/ArmyScience |
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