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NOTHING TO SEE HERE: The wheels of bureaucracy grind slowly. The Pentagon says it has yet to turn a single shovel of dirt for the construction of planned detention facilities for families and unaccompanied minors who have crossed the southern border illegally, while environmental assessments are completed and formal requests are finalized. The plan is for illegal immigrant children to be held at Goodfellow Air Force Base and for families to be housed at Fort Bliss, both in Texas. But yesterday, the Pentagon said work hasn’t yet begun on setting up the tent cities, and indicated it could take two months more before the detention facilities are ready to accept their first involuntary residents. A Pentagon announcement June 28 made it sound as though the need was urgent. “DHS requires the requested capacity to house 2,000 people within 45 days.” But while Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has signed off on two separate requests from the departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services, the Pentagon must still draw up a memorandum of understanding and both DHS and HHS must submit formal statements of intent to run the camps. Until then nothing much is happening. “Once we receive that, then we would go ahead and break ground, with 45 days being when the first facilities would be available,” Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Jamie Davis told reporters yesterday. “Once they send the statement of intent, that will start the clock for the 45 days.” MIXED REVIEWS: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in Afghanistan yesterday on one of those visits where for security reason his presence isn’t announced until after he gets there. At a news conference, he was asked again about the bellicose statement issued by North Korea’s Foreign Ministry accusing the U.S. of “gangster-like” demands that sharply conflicted with his own perception that the denuclearization talks went well. “I saw some of the statements came out. They were mixed. You haven’t reported on the mixed statements, but maybe you will now,” Pompeo complained to reporters in Kabul. As we noted yesterday, a separate Foreign Ministry statement said North Korea’s interest in “sincerely implementing the joint statement” was “profoundly discussed” during Pompeo’s negotiations with North Korean leaders. “Chairman Kim’s statement following our discussions continued to express his desire to complete the denuclearization to which he is so committed,” Pompeo said. HEY, WE SHOOK ON IT: President Trump yesterday expressed confidence Kim Jong Un will keep his pledge to dismantle his nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, after all the two leaders didn’t just sign a document, they shook on it. “I have confidence that Kim Jong Un will honor the contract we signed &, even more importantly, our handshake,” Trump tweeted, along with a warning to China. “We agreed to the denuclearization of North Korea. China, on the other hand, may be exerting negative pressure on a deal because of our posture on Chinese Trade-Hope Not!” DON’T BLAME US: China insists it’s playing “a positive role” in the negotiations. “China’s attitude on this issue is consistent and clear-cut,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters during a press briefing in Beijing. “We will continue to play a positive role in and make constructive contributions to realizing the denuclearization of the peninsula and achieving the long-lasting peace and stability of the region.” $14 MILLION SAVED: The Pentagon has finally attached a dollar figure to the cost of the annual Freedom Guardian joint exercise with South Korea, which was “indefinitely suspended” under surprise orders from Trump last month. Pentagon spokesman Col. Rob Manning said the U.S. would save $14 million by not holding computer-assisted exercises next month, which he said was designed to “enhance readiness,” but could be skipped without any “atrophy” of the capabilities of U.S. and South Korean forces. After announcing an end to “provocative and expensive war games” Trump tweeted the U.S would “save a fortune,” but said the moratorium would last only “as long as we are negotiating in good faith.” Asked if the military could turn the exercise back on quickly, Manning said the Pentagon stands ready to execute whatever directives are provided by “our national leadership.” Good Tuesday 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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HAPPENING TODAY: Trump arrives in Brussels today for a two-day annual summit of leaders of the 29 NATO nations that begins tomorrow. Judging by his tweets, he’s spoiling for a fight with the allies over his long-running complaint that the U.S. is paying too much to protect the other countries. “Getting ready to leave for Europe,” Trump tweeted this morning. “First meeting – NATO. The U.S. is spending many times more than any other country in order to protect them. Not fair to the U.S. taxpayer. On top of that we lose $151 Billion on Trade with the European Union. Charge us big Tariffs (& Barriers)!” He added: “NATO countries must pay MORE, the United States must pay LESS. Very Unfair!” Yesterday he escalated his attacks on NATO, excoriating the other member nations for not only failing to spend 2 percent of their GDP on their own defense, but also for not paying their fair share of NATO’s operating budget. “NATO benefits …Europe far more than it does the U.S. By some accounts, the U.S. is paying for 90% of NATO,” Trump tweeted yesterday. Trump was contradicted later in the day by his ambassador to NATO, Kay Bailey Hutchison. “The U.S. part of the NATO common funding is 22 percent, and it is capped at that,” Hutchison told the PBS NewsHour last night. “Of course, we do have other forces that are not just for European security, but are for our forward presence. I don’t know where he is looking for the 70 to 90 percent, but I know that there are many different areas where we dual-purposed.” Hutchison said NATO nations are stepping up and improving their capabilities as a deterrent to Russia or other potential adversaries. “Much of what we have done this year is to affirm this alliance and strengthen it,” she told PBS. “We are looking at a very strong capability of what we call the four 30s. And that is 30 battalions, 30 air squadrons, 30 ships in 30 days, meaning that we could respond to any crisis in any of our 29 countries with that kind of a force.” ASK THE CHIEFS: Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson and Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. Robert Burke host a Facebook Live “all hands call” on the Navy’s Facebook page at 5 p.m. ‘NOT EVEN CLOSE’: In an interview with the Washington Examiner Rep. Martha McSally says the big increase in the Pentagon’s budget “is not even close” to solving the readiness problem in the military. You can read the interview here, and don’t miss the video in which we take a look back 25 years when young McSally stared down then-Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Merrill McPeak at the Pentagon news conference in which she was introduced as one of America’s first female combat pilots. It’s a classic moment. ANOTHER FITNESS APP BLOWS OP-SEC: U.S. service members have again been put at risk by a GPS-enabled fitness app that published a trove of mapping data and personal information on troops, according to the investigative site Bellingcat. The Polar app allows users to track movements of troops and other U.S. personnel on secretive sites, identify their homes and see their movements around the globe going back to 2014, the website reported. “Compared to the similar services of Garmin and Strava, Polar publicizes more data per user in a more accessible way, with potentially disastrous results,” it found. Bellingcat was able to identify 6,500 users at more than 200 sensitive sites. Polar said it has temporarily suspended the feature due to the concerns. “We are aware of the potential impacts of devices that collect and report personal and locational data,” Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Audricia Harris said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “Recent data releases emphasize the need for situational awareness when members of the military share personal information.” AFGHANISTAN: This morning reports from the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad say at least 10 people have been killed by a suicide bomber who blew himself up a checkpoint in Nangarhar Province. No one has yet claimed responsibility, but it’s an area where ISIS-K has been active. The attack came a day after Pompeo, on a brief visit to Kabul, stood next to Ashraf Ghani and praised the Afghan president’s efforts to reach out to the Taliban to try to get peace talks started. “The vast majority of the Afghan people no longer wish to see violence and war. And we’re very, very hopeful that over the coming periods, we can begin to see true progress,” Pompeo said. While he didn’t say Afghanistan has “turned a corner,” he did suggest that upcoming elections could be a major inflection point. “If we can begin to move down that path, we will have made a historic pivot, a historic change, transformational work here in Afghanistan which will give the Afghan people back their country in a way that is important and, frankly, what I’m convinced most of the Afghan people want.” Pompeo said Trump’s strategy announced last August is working. “The strategy has sent a clear message too to the Taliban — they cannot wait us out — and we are beginning to see the results both on the battlefield where the Taliban’s momentum is slowing and in the prospects for peace with them,” Pompeo said. “Many of the Taliban now see that they can’t win on the ground militarily.” MAY’S BREXIT EXITS: When Trump arrives in London later this week he will find that British Prime Minister Theresa May was forced to reshuffle her cabinet to quell internal dissent over Brexit. Out are Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and chief Brexit negotiator David Davis. Both quit over their unhappiness with May’s Brexit strategy. So Pompeo’s new British counterpart is Jeremy Hunt, who was formerly the UK health secretary. DON’T DEAL WITH IRAN: The Treasury Department has announced it is imposing sanctions on a Malaysian company that has been “conducting financial transactions” on behalf of an Iranian airline. “Companies that continue to service Mahan aircraft, or facilitate Mahan flights in and out of airports in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, are on notice that they do so at great financial risk,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said yesterday afternoon. MARK YOUR CALENDARS: The Pentagon confirmed yesterday that the date for Trump’s parade to honor America’s military has been shifted a day from Sunday, Nov. 11 to Saturday, Nov. 10. No reason was given for the change of date. The plan is for the parade over the Veteran’s Day weekend to also mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I and to feature ceremonial units in military uniforms from various periods in the nation’s history. THE RUNDOWN Wall Street Journal: ISIS Remnants Fight On, Despite U.S. Campaign Foreign Policy: It Still Doesn’t Get Worse Than Afghanistan Bloomberg: Pentagon’s Research Commitment Found to Decline Over Two Decades New York Times: Britain Suggests Russia Is Behind Latest Nerve Agent Case Reuters: When Donald meets Vladimir: the neophyte and the black belt Breaking Defense: GAO Says Oracle Protest Did Not Make Policy; Criticizes Greenwalt Op-ed Defense News: Schumer: ‘Yawning gap’ between Trump’s North Korea denuclearization claims—and reality Navy Times: US sailor dies after small-boat operation mishap in the Red Sea CNN: Senior US Navy SEAL leaders in Africa suspended over alleged sexual misconduct War on the Rocks: What Does Assad’s Southwestern Offensive Mean for the Future of Syria? Stars and Stripes: Air Force fighters escape Typhoon Maria’s path, draw a crowd in Tokyo |
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 2:30 p.m. Dirksen 419. Hearing on S. Res. 557 expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the strategic importance of NATO. foreign.senate.gov 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 9 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. What is the Future for America’s Alliances? Lessons From the G-7, North Korea and NATO summits. csis.org 9 a.m. 1301 K St. NW. Today’s World View: The Future of Democracy with Leon Panetta, former Secretary of Defense and CIA Director, and John Negroponte, former U.S. ambassador and Director of National Intelligence. washingtonpost.com 10 a.m. Rayburn 2154. Subcommittee Hearing on the Muslim Brotherhood’s Global Threat. oversight.house.gov 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 6 p.m. 529 14th St. NW. Defense Reporters Happy Hour. press.org THURSDAY | JULY 12 7 a.m. 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd. Ninth Annual Integrated Air and Missile Defense Symposium. ndia.org 9 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Transatlantic Crossroads: What to Expect from the NATO Summit. hudson.org 10 a.m. 529 14th St. NW. Ohio Gov. John Kasich Addresses America’s Foreign Policy. press.org 10 a.m. Dirksen 419. Hearing on Tariffs and Implications for U.S. Foreign Policy and the International Economy. foreign.senate.gov FRIDAY | JULY 13 9 a.m. 300 1st St. SE. Space Breakfast Series Presents on Commercial Launch and Ranges with Brig. Gen. Wayne Monteith, Commander of the 45th Space Wing. mitchellaerospacepower.org 1 p.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Dialogue of American Foreign Policy and World Affairs: Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and Walter Russell Mead. hudson.org MONDAY | JULY 16 2 p.m. 1030 15th St. NW. Pulling at the Strings: Kremlin’s Interference in Elections with a Fireside Chat Between Sens. Mark Warner and Marco Rubio. atlanticcouncil.org 3 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. With Partners Like These: Strategies and Tools for Counterterrorism Cooperation. csis.org TUESDAY | JULY 17 8 a.m. 2101 Wilson Blvd. S&ET Division Executive Breakfast. ndia.org 4 p.m. 2101 Wilson Blvd. Beyond the Hype: Industry’s Experience with OTAs. 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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