‘ANALYZING’ LANDMINE POLICY: It was revealed in an oh-by-the-way aside at an off-camera gaggle by Pentagon press secretary John Kirby, just as the briefing was wrapping up.
“Look, there’s one other thing I wanted to mention, just to clarify,” Kirby said. “I got a question yesterday on the landmine policy, and we gave a response back which was accurate and factual, but there’s some context I want to add to it.”
At issue is a directive issued Jan. 31 of last year by former Defense Secretary Mark Esper removing a geographic restriction on landmine use by the U.S. military that limited the employment of so-called “persistent” anti-personnel mines to Korea and instead gave commanders discretion on the use of landmines elsewhere in the world.
“We are analyzing Secretary Esper’s decision, his policy of January of 2020. We’re analyzing the process by which that decision was made to continue to espouse conventional landmine use,” Kirby said. “And when we complete that analysis of that decision, then we’ll be able to have a better idea of whether or not further review of our landmine policy is warranted.”
WHY THE CLARIFICATION? Kirby’s clean-up was required after the Pentagon issued a statement outlining the current policy following a Monday briefing at the State Department in which Stan Brown, acting principal deputy assistant secretary of state, said, “We haven’t had any discussions yet in the administration on changing the policy,” and referred reporters to the Pentagon.
The statement by spokesman Mike Howard vigorously defended the Trump-era policy, arguing that the changes ordered by Esper were needed in “an era of strategic competition that requires our military to become more lethal, resilient, and ready for future contingencies.”
“Landmines, including anti-personnel landmines, remain a vital tool in conventional warfare that the United States military cannot responsibly forgo, particularly when faced with substantial and potentially overwhelming enemy forces in the early stages of combat,” Howard said. “Withholding a capability that would give our ground forces the ability to deny terrain temporarily and therefore shape an enemy’s movement to our benefit irresponsibly risks American lives.”
The Pentagon has long argued it uses “smart” landmines that have self-destruct and self-deactivate features, which unlike low-tech mines, allow them to be employed responsibly to the risk of unintended harm to civilians.
THE KOREA PROBLEM: The employment of landmines in Korea to deter North Korea’s million man army from coming south across the DMZ has been the primary reason the U.S. has declined to join the 1997 Ottawa Convention that bans the production or use of anti-personnel landmines. The treaty has 164 signatories, but the U.S., China, India, Russia, North Korea, South Korea, Pakistan, and Iran have all declined to sign on.
Last May, more than 100 members of Congress expressed their “disappointment” over the Trump landmine policy, and in response to the latest reaffirmation of the policy by the Pentagon, Amnesty International called on President Joe Biden to stop producing and using landmines.
“This landmine policy starkly sets the U.S. apart from its allies. It is in direct opposition with President Biden’s aspirations to be a global human rights leader,” said Adotei Akwei, the group’s advocacy director. “For the United States to truly be a leader, it must change its land mines policy as soon as possible.”
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HAPPENING TODAY: Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday will discuss the future of America’s naval strategy with Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Center for a New American Security, at 10 a.m.
UKRAINE SEEKS NATO SHIELD: The continued buildup of Russian troops along the border with Ukraine, generally seen as an effort by Russian President Vladimir Putin to intimidate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, has spooked Zelensky to the point he’s asking NATO to speed up the process under which Ukraine could join NATO.
“NATO is the only way to end the war in Donbass,” Zelensky told NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in a phone call, according to a statement from Zelensky’s office, reported by Reuters. It would be “a real signal for Russia,” he said.
NATO agreed in 2008 that Ukraine could join the alliance and reaffirmed the decision in 2018, but it required a “Membership Action Plan” laying out Ukraine’s path to entry that has been slow in coming as U.S. and NATO officials await required democratic reforms.
“We are committed to ensuring that aspirant countries wishing to join NATO meet the organization’s standard for membership,” said spokesman Ned Price at the State Department. “To that end, we continue to urge the government of Ukraine to implement the deep, comprehensive, and timely reforms necessary to build a more stable, democratic, prosperous, and free country.”
RUSSIAN INTENT UNCLEAR: At the Pentagon, spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. continues to see Russian forces arrayed along the border with Ukraine in Crimea.
“We’re monitoring that very, very closely, but I don’t want to get into specific assessments of exactly what we’re seeing in terms of numbers of forces,” Kirby said, citing the need to protect intelligence sources. “The intent is not completely clear, and I believe our State Department colleagues yesterday called on Russia to make their intentions known.”
“It is concerning, and we continue to monitor it,” he said.
IRAN TALKS ‘CONSTRUCTIVE’: The first days of talks in Vienna aimed at bringing Iran back into compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal and having the U.S. rejoin the agreement were “constructive,” according to Enrique Mora, the European coordinator for the talks, and the U.S. State Department.
“Even though we are not meeting directly with the Iranians, as we have said, it is a welcome step, it is a constructive step, it is a potentially useful step as we seek to determine what it is that the Iranians are prepared to do to return to compliance with the stringent limitations under the 2015 deal, and as a result, what we might need to do to return to compliance ourselves,” said spokesman Ned Price. “The shorthand is ‘compliance for compliance.’”
Iran’s lead negotiator, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, said the talks were on “the right track,” while Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said today that the talks show that America’s maximum pressure policy against Iran has failed, and he called the talks “the victory of the Iranian nation,” according to Iran’s Fars news agency.
AFGHANISTAN COUNTDOWN, DAY 24: As of today, there are 24 days left before U.S. and international troops are scheduled to withdraw fully from Afghanistan under the Feb. 29, 2020, agreement negotiated with the Taliban by the Trump administration.
President Joe Biden has still not indicated whether he will abide by the agreement or extend the deployment of more than 2,500 U.S. troops, along with more than 5,000 NATO and partner forces.
MOVING UP: The Center for a New American Security has announced that Paul Scharre has been named vice president and director of studies.
Scharre has served as director of the CNAS Technology and National Security Program since 2017 and previously as a senior fellow in the Defense Program. As a member of the CNAS executive team, Scharre will be responsible for managing the center’s research agenda, publications, and research staff.
INDUSTRY WATCH, ‘FAILURE TO LAUNCH’: Lockheed Martin’s hypersonic AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon failed to separate from the wing of a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber Monday, resulting in a failure of the highly anticipated test, reports the Washington Examiner’s Abraham Mahshie.
Lockheed Martin is working with the Air Force to develop the ARRW hypersonic weapon by Nov. 30 under a $480 million contract. The 419th Flight Test Squadron and the Global Power Bomber Combined Test Force, both located at Edwards Air Force Base, were involved in the testing.
The failure follows a successful test last August, and because the missile didn’t separate, it can be studied by engineers before attempting another test.
“While not launching was disappointing, the recent test provided invaluable information to learn from and continue ahead. This is why we test,” Brig. Gen. Heath Collins said in a Tuesday statement.
Hypersonic speed is defined as five times that of sound. The AGM-183A is designed to fly at 3,000 mph, covering 500 miles in just 10 minutes.
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The Rundown
Washington Examiner: Border officials arresting terror suspects is ‘rare,’ White House says
Washington Examiner: Air-launched hypersonic weapon fails in botched Air Force booster test
Washington Examiner: China sends hundreds of ships into Philippine waters, pushing Duterte back toward US
Washington Examiner: Biden hasn’t confronted Xi Jinping about allegations China misled world about pandemic origins
Washington Examiner: State Department: Beijing Winter Olympics boycott ‘on the agenda’ for US and allies
Washington Examiner: Navy medic dead after shooting and critically injuring two people near Army base
Washington Examiner: Former Fort Bragg soldier sentenced to 12 years in prison for staging kidnapping of 12-year-old ‘girlfriend’
Washington Examiner: Tennessee man arrested after publicizing pro-ISIS media, authorities say
Washington Examiner: Nation of Islam distances itself from attacker who killed Capitol Police officer
Washington Examiner: Military suicide deaths rose 25% at the end of 2020: Report
Washington Post: Marines Begin New Investigation Of Armored Vehicle Sinking That Killed Nine Troops
AFP: U.S. Defense Chief Austin To Visit Israel: Report
The Hill: Honoré says Jan. 6 stemmed from ‘propaganda’ that gave people ‘a little BS’
Defense One: US Army’s Not Stupid for Wanting Long-Range Fires — But More Analysis Needed, Hyten Says
USNI News: Theodore Roosevelt Strike Group Now Operating in South China Sea
AP: China Holds Aircraft Carrier Drills In Waters Near Taiwan
Seapower Magazine: Chinese, Russian Naval Build-Ups Keep U.S. Navy ‘Elbowing’ For Advantage, Navy’s Intel Director Says
New York Times: Israel-Iran Sea Skirmishes Escalate With Mine Attack
Defense Daily: Project Overmatch Communication Network Tests Planned This Year
AP: Senators press for more on SolarWinds hack after AP report
AP: Iran ship serving as Red Sea troop base near Yemen attacked
Air Force Magazine: USAF Retiring its Two OC-135 Open Skies Aircraft
Forbes: Opinion: The Navy’s Future Large Surface Combatant Is A Slow Boat To China. Too Slow.
Military.com: New Book On Navy Reading List Prompts Senator To Introduce Bill Banning Racial Bias Training
Washington Examiner: Opinion: How the Navy’s push for diversity and inclusion threatens unity in the ranks
Calendar
WEDNESDAY | APRIL 7
9 a.m. — National Defense Industrial Association virtual 2021 Insensitive Munitions and Energetic Materials Technology Symposium, with Lawrence Fan, acting manager of the Joint Enhanced Munitions Technology Program. nhttps://www.ndia.org/events
10 a.m. — Center for a New American Security virtual fireside chat on ”The Future of U.S. Naval Strategy,” with Adm. Mike Gilday, chief of naval operations; and Richard Fontaine, CNAS chief executive officer. https://www.cnas.org/events/special-event
11 a.m. — Atlantic Council webinar: “Preventing Nuclear Proliferation and Reassuring America’s Allies,” with former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel; former Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Non-Proliferation Christopher Ford; former Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary for Nuclear and Missile Defense Policy Elaine Bunn; and Missy Ryan, national security reporter at the Washington Post. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event
11 a.m. — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association virtual 2021 5G Defense Tech summit, with Wendy Noble, executive director of the National Security Agency; Joint Chiefs Vice Chairman Gen. John Hyten. https://dcevents.afceachapters.org/5gdefensetechsummit/agenda
11:30 a.m. — Technology Training Corporation virtual Next Generation Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance symposium, with Assistant Coast Guard Commandant for Capabilities Rear Adm. John Mauger. https://ttcus.com/nextgenisr
12:30 p.m. — Economic Club of Washington, D.C. webinar with Raytheon CEO Gregory Hayes on the commercial aerospace business and defense innovations. https://www.economicclub.org/events
12:30 p.m. — National Defense Industrial Association virtual Integrated Precision Warfare Review: :Impact of New Administration on Precision Warfare,” with Brig. Gen. John Rafferty, director of Army Futures Command’s Long Range Precision First Cross Functional Team. https://www.ndia.org/events
2 p.m. — Heritage Foundation and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute webinar: “The Need to Maintain U.S. Nuclear Deterrence: The Growing Threat from China and Russia,” with former Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., senior counsel at Covington & Burling LLP; Roger Zakheim, Washington director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute; Rebeccah Heinrichs, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute; Matthew Kroenig, deputy director of the Atlantic Council’s Center for Strategy and Security; Keith Payne, CEO and president of the National Institute for Public Policy; Patty-Jane Geller, policy analyst for nuclear deterrence and missile defense at Heritage; and James Jay Carafano, vice president of Heritage’s Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute. https://www.heritage.org/missile-defense/event
3 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies webinar: “Cooperation or Competition: Planning for the Next National Security Strategy,” with former Deputy Secretary State James Steinberg; former Deputy National Security Adviser Nadia Schadlow; Seth Jones, director of the CSIS International Security Program; and Daniel Runde, director of the CSIS Project on Prosperity and Development. https://www.csis.org/events
5 p.m. — Institute of World Politics webinar: ‘How to Best Leverage U.S. Alliances and Partnerships Against the People’s Republic of China,” with former Acting Defense Undersecretary for Policy James Anderson. https://www.iwp.edu/events/webinar
7 p.m. — Physicians for Social Responsibility webinar: “China, the U.S. and the Risk of Nuclear War,” with Rachel Esplin Odell, research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft; Tong Zhao, senior fellow in the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Nuclear Policy Program; Zia Mian, co-director of Princeton University’s Program on Science and Global Security; and Michael Klare, professor at Hampshire College. https://www.psr.org/blog/event
THURSDAY | APRIL 8
11 a.m. — National Defense Industrial Association and the Aerospace Industries Association virtual 2021 Joint Industrial Security Spring webinar, with William Lietzau, director of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. https://www.ndia.org/events
1 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Secure World Foundation webinar: “The Dark Arts in Space: Developments in Counterspace Weapons,” with Victoria Samson, Washington office director at the Secure World Foundation; Brian Weeden, director of program planning at the Secure World Foundation; Kaitlyn Johnson, deputy director of the CSIS Aerospace Security Project; Makena Young, research associate in the CSIS Aerospace Security Project; and Joe Moye, military fellow in the CSIS International Security Program. https://www.csis.org/events/dark-arts
1 p.m. — Defense One webinar: “Defense Innovations,” as part of the Tech Talks series. https://www.defenseone.com/feature/Tech-Talks
2 p.m. — Association of the U.S. Army Thought Leaders webinar with James Helis, director of the Army Resilience Directorate to discuss the Army’s efforts to prevent sexual assault and harassment in the ranks. https://www.bigmarker.com/ausaorg
2 p.m. — Intelligence National Security Alliance virtual forum: “OSINT (open-source intelligence): Thinking Outside the SCIF,” with Mary-Kate Leahy, assistant deputy Army chief of staff for intelligence; Leo Garciga, director of Army intelligence community information management in the Office of the Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence; Assistant Director of National Intelligence for Information and Data Nancy Morgan; former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Sue Gordon; Adam Lurie, president of Exiger Federal Solutions; and Don Widener, director of the Advanced Analytics Lab and CTO of BAE Systems. https://www.insaonline.org/event/osint-thinking-outside-the-scif
5 p.m. — Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and Duke University’s Program in American Grand Strategy virtual conference: “Politics, Protests, and the Post-Pandemic World: Civil-Military Relations Moving Forward,” with Kathryn Wheelbarger, former acting assistant defense secretary for international security affairs. https://sais.jhu.edu/campus-events
FRIDAY | APRIL 9
9 a.m. Pentagon Briefing room — Press briefing with Lt. Gen. Michael Groen, director, Joint Artificial Intelligence Center; and Robert Work, commissioner, National Security Commission on AI. https://www.defense.gov/Watch/Live-Events/
9 a.m. — Technology Training Corporation virtual Next Generation Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance symposium, with John Fiore, technical director of the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division https://ttcus.com/nextgenisr/
MONDAY | APRIL 12
12 p.m. — Association of the U.S. Army Noon Report webinar with Lt. Gen. R. Scott Dingle, the Army surgeon general, and Command Sgt. Maj. Diamond Hough, senior enlisted leader for U.S. Army Medical Command. https://www.bigmarker.com/ausaorg/AUSA-Noon-Report
WEDNESDAY | APRIL 14
10 a.m. 216 Hart — Senate Select Committee on Intelligence annual hearing on worldwide threats, with Avril Haines, director of National Intelligence; CIA Director William Burns; FBI Director Christopher Wray; NSA Director Gen. Paul Nakasone; and DIA Director Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier. https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/hearings/worldwide-threats
THURSDAY | APRIL 22
9:50 a.m. — U.S. Army Futures Command and the Lieber Institute for Law and Land Warfare at West Point virtual seminar: “The Future Character of War and the Law of Armed Conflict.” https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-future-character-of-war
10 a.m. — American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research event “Priorities for the fiscal year 2022 defense budget,” with Rep. Adam Smith, chairman, House Armed Services Committee; and Mackenzie Eaglen, Resident Fellow, AEI. https://www.aei.org/events/a-conversation
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“While not launching was disappointing, the recent test provided invaluable information to learn from and continue ahead. This is why we test.”
Brig. Gen. Heath Collins, Armament Directorate program executive officer, on the failure of a hypersonic AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon to launch from the wing of a B-52 in a test flight Monday.
