Taliban conduct deadly bombing in Afghanistan as Pentagon defends keeping violence data secret

According to Reuters, since then, the Taliban have mounted more than 4,500 attacks in Afghanistan, including a more than 70% increase between March 1 and April 15 compared to the same period a year ago.

A Washington Post report cited figures from Afghanistan’s National Security Council showing that the Taliban have carried out an average of 55 attacks a day since March 1 — which has doubled the number of casualties among Afghan security forces.

PENTAGON KEEPING NUMBERS SECRET: As the U.S. is trying to keep the peace process on track, it is defending its decision to withhold its accounting of Taliban attacks and Afghan casualties.

“Our goal and our measure here is going to be whether we get to a peaceful solution in Afghanistan,” Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman told reporters Friday. “So I don’t think a report here and there or numbers here and there are going to be what we’re going to measure that by.”

The lack of transparency was first noted in a quarterly report to Congress released Friday by the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, but Hoffman said the key metric was not classified. It was simply not being made public at this time to facilitate sensitive negotiations with the Taliban.

“The decision was that the information was not going to be released as it’s part of the diplomatic discussions with the Taliban and with State Department and other parties in an effort to bring a diplomatic solution,” Hoffman said. “It’s not considered classified information; it’s considered deliberative … so it will be released in the future.”

At the same time, he said, “We are not pleased with the level of violence in Afghanistan. The level of violence by the Taliban is unacceptably high.”

WITHDRAWAL CONTINUES: Nevertheless, the first phase of the U.S. troops drawdown continues, with a planned reduction from more than 12,000 troops to 8,600 by the summer.

“At this time, we have not sought to adjust that,” Hoffman said. “That’s a number where we think we can be and we should be, and so we’re going to continue to move toward it.”

U.S. Afghanistan commander Gen. Scott Miller told the Pentagon last year that he was comfortable reducing U.S. forces to that level regardless of whether there was a peace agreement. The U.S. has another year to decide whether to pull its troops out of the country completely.

POWER-SHARING AGREEMENT CLOSER: Meanwhile, on Saturday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and challenger Abdullah Abdullah said they were close to resolving a standoff over last year’s disputed presidential election, according to Reuters.

The bitter dispute, in which both men declared victory and had dueling inauguration ceremonies, has been a major stumbling block to getting peace talks with the Taliban started.

A spokesman for Abdullah said a draft deal included proposals that Abdullah lead a high council for peace talks and have a half-share in government appointments, while a spokesman for Ghani said on Twitter late on Friday that there had been progress in resolving the dispute.

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 David Sivak and Tyler Van Dyke. 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: Defense Secretary Mark Esper will take part in an online discussion at 11 a.m. at the Brookings Institution, along with John Allen, Brookings president; and Michael O’Hanlon, senior fellow at Brookings.

The discussion will center on how the U.S. armed forces will ensure readiness during the COVID-19 pandemic and the investments needed to fight the wars of the future, according to Brookings.

ALSO TODAY: Congress gets slowly back to work today with the Senate back in session tonight. The first order of business is a scheduled vote to confirm a new inspector general for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The Senate has a number of in-person hearings scheduled for this week, including one for John Ratcliffe, a Texas Republican congressman and President Trump’s pick to be director of national intelligence, as well as a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the risks posed by the Federal Communication Commission’s decision to allow Ligado Networks to build a terrestrial 5G network that could interfere with GPS signals.

On Thursday, the Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on Gen. C.Q. Brown’s nomination to be the next Air Force chief of staff, as well as for Navy Secretary nominee Kenneth Braithwaite and James H. Anderson to be deputy undersecretary of defense for policy.

The House is taking a more cautious approach, having lawmakers work from home to try to craft a follow-on coronavirus relief package. Washington, D.C., remains a COVID-19 hot spot, with more than 5,000 reported cases and more than 250 deaths.

COVID-19 UPDATE: As of Friday, the Pentagon reported 7,145 cases of coronavirus infection, with 284 requiring hospitalization at some point, and 2,325 recovered. The death toll remains at 27, including two military members, 14 DOD civilians, four dependents, and seven contractors.

KIM’S BACK: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un emerged from 20 days of seclusion Friday to put to rest rumors that he was gravely ill or dead. Kim was seen chain-smoking but looking hale and hearty as he cut the ribbon to open a fertilizer plant.

“Considering the fact that most of the reports that had Kim Jong Un deceased, brain-dead, in a coma, or in a medically compromised state were either single-sourced or retreads of rumors in years past, we should not be shocked to find he is indeed alive,” said Harry Kazianis, a Korea expert at the National Interest.

“The most likely explanation for Kim’s absence is with North Korea declaring the coronavirus pandemic an existential threat — locking down the country in mid-to-late January — he most likely was taking steps to ensure his health or may have been impacted in some way personally by the virus,” Kazianis sais.

CHALLENGING CHINA: The Pentagon says two Navy ships, the USS Barry and USS Bunker Hill, conducted freedom of navigation operations last week in the South China Sea.

The ships “started and ended a full transit at a time and place of our choosing, as we always do,” spokesman Hoffman told reporters. “The United States will continue to fly, sail, and operate to challenge excessive maritime claims in order to preserve the rights, freedoms, and uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all nations under international law.”

COUNTERDRUG OPS: Hoffman also confirmed that in an executive order last week, President Trump authorized the Pentagon to activate the Selected Reserve to support an “enhanced” counternarcotics operation in the U.S. Southern Command area of operations.

“A determination was made, as it went through the staffing process and through the operational process here at the Pentagon, that the best force, the best unit for that mission, was a National Guard or Reserves unit,” said Hoffman. “It’s capped at about 200 people. It’s less than 200 people who are going to be taking up that mission.”

YOU WILL BE SCANNED: As part of the COVID-19 response, the U.S. Army will be providing thermal-imaging devices to screen for potentially elevated body temperatures of personnel entering military facilities.

“These stand-off thermal imaging capabilities provide significant advantages over hand-held thermometers as they provide a safe distance between the operators and subjects and require less manpower,” said an Army release. “The technology, which does not require physical contact, processes information quickly, allowing a faster flow of traffic into buildings and facilities.”

COOL VIDEO: If you missed Saturday’s joint Air Force Thunderbird and Navy Blue Angels flyovers of Baltimore, Washington, and Atlanta, check out the cool cockpit views posted by the Pentagon’s Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.

Operation America Strong Atlanta Flyover

Operation America Strong Baltimore Flyover

Operation America Strong Washington D.C. Flyover

The Rundown

Washington Examiner: Faster, deadlier missiles force US to rethink how and from where it will fight the next war

Washington Examiner: South Korea says Kim Jong Un did not have surgery after some note ‘difference to his walk’

Washington Examiner: Gunshots from North Korea hit South Korean guard post

Washington Examiner: China ‘intentionally concealed the severity’ of coronavirus outbreak to hoard supplies: DHS report

Washington Examiner: Polish military doctors help fight coronavirus alongside Illinois National Guard

Washington Examiner: Army chaplain facing scrutiny for sharing evangelical Coronavirus and Christ book

Reuters: Too Risky to Come Home, Crew of ‘Clean’ U.S. Warship in Coronavirus Limbo

Military Times: Military COVID-19 Cases Continue To Grow As DoD Begins To Study Asymptomatic Transmission

USNI News: Navy Continues Advanced Surface Training, Deemed Mission-Essential, During COVID Restrictions

Talk Media News: From a scrap of paper to barrier against COVID-19: Air Force creates airborne isolation chamber in less than month

Air Force Magazine: Space Force Mulls New Opportunities for Enlisted Airmen

Stars and Stripes: U.S., Taliban Spokesmen Clash On Twitter Over Terms Of Deal

AP: IS Extremists Step Up As Iraq, Syria, Grapple With Virus

The Hill: Defense Budget Brawl Looms After Pandemic

Wall Street Journal: Pentagon, Treasury Have $17 Billion Stimulus Money to Lend, But There’s Little Interest

Bloomberg: Warren Raises Doubts On Pentagon Bid To Get Cash To Contractors

Task & Purpose: General In Charge Of Female Recruit Training Once Suggested Gender Integration Would Destroy The Marine Corps

Stars and Stripes: 19-Year-Old Marine From New York Is The Latest Military Fitness Test Death

Task & Purpose: The US military’s silence on Afghanistan is a sign of weakness

Calendar

NOTE: Most events in Washington have been moved online in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Pentagon has been conducting frequent daily briefings, which are often announced after 9 a.m. Check https://www.defense.gov for updates to the Pentagon’s schedule.

MONDAY | MAY 4 | STAR WARS DAY

10 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies Africa Debate Series webcast: “Do Human Rights Protections Advance Counter-Terrorism Objectives?” focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa, with Rashid Abdi, former project director of the Horn of Africa at the International Crisis Group; Naunihal Singh, assistant professor of national security at the U.S. Naval War College; retired Army Col. Chris Wyatt, director of African studies at the U.S. Army War College; Karen Allen, senior research adviser at the Institute for Security Studies and former foreign correspondent for BBC News; and Judd Devermont, director of the CSIS Africa Program. https://www.csis.org/events/online-event

11 a.m. — The Brookings Institution webinar with Defense Secretary Mark Esper on “U.S. defense policy, how the armed forces will ensure readiness amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the investments needed to fight the wars of the future,” with John Allen, Brookings president; and Michael O’Hanlon, senior fellow at Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/events/webinar

11:30 a.m. — Atlantic Council webinar on “Pandemic, Reform, War, and Peace: The View from Ukraine’s White House,” with Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. https://atlanticcouncil.org/event

2 p.m. — SETA Foundation at Washington D.C. webinar: “U.S. Role in International Security in the Age of Coronavirus.” with Mary Beth Long, founder of Global Alliance Advisers LLC; Luke Coffey, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Foreign Policy Studies; and Kadir Ustun, executive director of SETA. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register

5 p.m. — Mitchell Institute Aerospace Nation conversation with U.S. Northern Commander Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy. Invite only, but a video recording will be posted after the event at https://www.mitchellaerospacepower.org/aerospace-nation

7 p.m. — Politics and Prose Bookstore webcast, with Jung Pak, senior fellow in the Brookings Center for East Asia Policy Studies, author of “Becoming Kim Jong Un — A Former CIA Officer’s Insights into North Korea’s Enigmatic Young Dictator.” https://www.politics-prose.com/event

TUESDAY | MAY 5 | CINCO DE MAYO

8 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies “Korea Update” webcast, focusing on the South Korean elections, COVID-19 response efforts, and diplomacy with the U.S. and North Korea, with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Korea and Japan Marc Knapper. https://www.csis.org/events/online-event-korea-update

10 a.m. — American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research webinar: “Disinformation Pandemic: Russian and Chinese Information Operations in the COVID-19 Era,” with Nataliya Bugayova, research fellow at the Institute for the Study of War; Frederick Kagan, director of the AEI Critical Threats Project; Dan Blumenthal, director of Asian studies at AEI; and Zack Cooper, research fellow at AEI. https://www.aei.org/events/webinar

10:30 a.m. — Atlantic Council webinar: “Security Through Global Partnerships,” with Army Lt. Gen. Charles Hooper, director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency; and Steven Grundman, senior fellow in the Atlantic Council’s Center for Strategy and Security. https://atlanticcouncil.org/event

10:30 a.m. — Heritage Foundation webinar: “Nuclear Deterrence for the 21st Century,” with Fred Fleitz, president of the Center for Security Policy; Matthew Kroenig, deputy director of the Atlantic Council’s Center for Strategy and Security; Michaela Dodge, research scholar at the National Institute for Public Policy; and Patty-Jane Geller, policy analyst for nuclear deterrence and missile defense at Heritage. https://www.heritage.org/missile-defense/event

11 a.m. — The Center for Strategic and International Studies Aerospace Security Project webcast: “NASA’s Moon to Mars Plan,” including NASA’s broader role in U.S. foreign policy and national security, with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and Todd Harrison, director of the CSIS Aerospace Security Project. https://www.csis.org/events/online-event

11 a.m. — Army Maj. Gen. Thomas Solhjem, chief of chaplains, and Army Sgt. Maj. Ralph Martinez, Chaplain Corps Regimental sergeant major host virtual town on Chaplain Corps activities since the outbreak of COVID-19. https://www.dvidshub.net/webcast/23954

WEDNESDAY | MAY 6

7 a.m. — International Institute for Strategic Studies webinar: “New Missile Technologies: Old Arms Control Solutions,” with William Alberque, director of NATO’s Arms Control, Disarmament, and Non-Proliferation Center; Rear Adm. John Gower, former assistant chief of defense staff (nuclear, chemical, biological) in the U.K. Ministry of Defense; Pavel Podvig, senior researcher in the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research’s WMD Program; and Heather Williams, associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute. https://www.iiss.org/events

11 a.m. — Space Foundation webinar: “America’s Space Force: Building the Future Today,” with Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett and Chief of Space Operations Gen. Jay Raymond. Registration at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register.

12 p.m. — Hudson Institute webcast: “Analyzing the Impact of the ‘Maximum Pressure’ Campaign on Iran Amid Coronavirus,” with Scott Modell, managing director of the Rapidan Energy Group and former senior Iran operations officer at the CIA; Mohsen Sazegara, president of the Research Institute on Contemporary Iran; David Asher, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute; and Michael Doran, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. https://www.hudson.org/events

1 p.m. — Women’s Foreign Policy Group webcast: “COVID-19’s Long Shadow: National and Global Security Challenges,” with former CIA Deputy Director of Intelligence Carmen Medina; Karen Monaghan, principal at KJM Analytics LLC; Miyeon Oh, director of the Atlantic Council’s Asia Security Initiative; Jennifer Griffin, national security correspondent at Fox News; and Samantha Vinograd, national security analyst at CNN. https://wfpg.memberclicks.net

3 p.m. G50 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Committee hearing: “DOD spectrum policy and the impact of the FCC approval of Ligado’s spectrum proposal on national security,” with Dana Deasy, DOD chief information officer; Michael Griffin, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering; retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen; Chief of Space Operations Gen. Jay Raymond. https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings

4:30 p.m. — Intelligence and National Security Alliance webcast with former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Sue Gordon. https://www.insaonline.org/event

THURSDAY | MAY 7

9:30 a.m. G50 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Committee hearing to consider the nominations of Kenneth Braithwaite to be secretary of the Navy, James Anderson to be deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, and Gen. Charles Q. Brown to be chief of staff of the Air Force. https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings

FRIDAY | MAY 8

11 a.m. — Brookings Institution webinar: “Global China: Assessing China’s Technological Reach in the World,” with Michael Brown, director of the Defense Department’s Defense Innovation Unit; and former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, visiting governance studies fellow at the Brookings Center for Technology Innovation. https://www.brookings.edu/events/webinar