‘COMPLETELY CONFIDENT’: Defense Secretary Mark Esper says the Pentagon’s effort to deliver enough COVID-19 vaccine doses to conduct a mass inoculation of Americans by the end of the year is not simply a goal — it’s a promise.
“I’ve spoken to our medical experts about this. We are completely confident that we can get this done,” Esper told NBC Friday. “DOD has the expertise and the capability, of course, to get the manufacturing done and the logistics, and I’m confident that we will deliver.”
Pressed by NBC’s Savannah Guthrie about how he could be so certain when others, like Dr. Anthony Fauci, have cautioned it could take longer, up to 18 months, Esper said in a Today show interview that failure is not an option.
“You know, when Eisenhower launched the U.S. military against Nazi Germany, he didn’t say, ‘We might win World War II. We’ll try.’ When John F. Kennedy aspired to put a man on the moon, he didn’t say, ‘We’ll give it a good shot.’ He said, ‘We will do it.’” Esper said. “The Defense Department, once again, is committed to get this done. We’re going to live up to the expectations, and we’re going to deliver on this virus.”
NO PROMISE TO THE GUARD: Esper, a former Army captain who also served in the National Guard, stopped short of promising to correct what many see a slap in the face to the more than 40,000 Guard troops who have been serving on the front lines of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
Under the current plan, the Guard’s mission will end June 24, one day short of the 90 days of service that would qualify them for extended benefits under federal law. Esper told the Today show that the Federal Emergency Management Agency would make the call as to whether the deployment orders would be extended.
“If they have a valid what we call mission assignment that’s verified by FEMA, then my view is we should extend those tours of duty,” Esper said. “I’ve expressed that to the governors. I’ve shared that with the White House. I think it’s the right thing to do.”
But Esper indicated that the decision was out of his hands. “I’m not worried about the number of days. What I’m worried about is making sure that we win the fight against the coronavirus and we fully support the young men and women who are serving on the streets of America in the National Guard.”
Good Tuesday 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.
Subscribe today to the Washington Examiner magazine and get Washington Briefing: politics and policy stories that will keep you up to date with what’s going on in Washington. SUBSCRIBE NOW: Just $1.00 an issue!
HAPPENING TODAY: John Ratcliffe will be sworn in as director of national intelligence. The former Texas congressman was confirmed by the Senate on a straight party line 49 to 44 vote that included no Democrats.
NORTH KOREA NUKES: It’s been two years since President Trump first met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore to discuss the dismantling of the North’s nuclear arsenal.
North Korea has held to a self-imposed moratorium on underground nuclear tests, and the United States has scaled back joint military exercises with South Korea, but aside from that, there has been no progress toward an agreement nor any recent talks.
Now, at a meeting of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers’ Party, Kim was reportedly talking about building up his nuclear arsenal to “reliably contain the persistent big or small military threats from the hostile forces,” according to the state-controlled Korea Central News Agency.
“Set forth at the meeting were new policies for further increasing the nuclear war deterrence of the country and putting the strategic armed forces on a high-alert operation in line with the general requirements for the building and development of the armed forces of the country,” KCNA reported, according to an English translation on the North Korean media monitoring site KCNA Watch.
HONG KONG: China’s intention to impose new national security law on Hong Kong brought thousands of protestors back to the streets of the city, which prompted police to resort to tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowds.
“It looks like with this national security law, they’re going to basically take over Hong Kong,” national security adviser Robert O’Brien said on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, which he noted would put China in violation of the 1984 Sino-British declaration that guaranteed Hong Kong would have a degree of autonomy and would maintain its way of life through 2047.
If Beijing follows through, the U.S. will likely withdraw its preferential trade status for Hong Kong and impose sanctions. “Secretary Pompeo would likely be unable to certify that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy. And if that happens, there will be sanctions that will be imposed on Hong Kong and China,” O’Brien told NBC. “It’s hard to see how Hong Kong could remain the Asian financial center that it’s become if China takes over.”
CORPUS CHRISTI SHOOTING HERO: Social media has been posting a picture purporting to show the U.S. Navy security guard who thwarted a terrorist attack on Naval Air Station Corpus Christi last week.
The Navy has yet to identify publicly the sailor, who took a bullet to the chest but was saved by the ceramic plate that was part of her body armor. “She was able to roll over and hit the switch that raised a barrier, preventing the man from getting onto the base,” The Associated Press reported. “She’s doing well, I understand,” Esper told NBC on Friday.
As for the gunman, 20-year-old Adam Alsahli, who was killed at the scene, “The FBI is working through the details at present, and we hope to know more in the coming days as to what happened, what this person was motivated by,” Esper said. “At this time, we understand there’s no DOD affiliation.”
TWO ISIS REGIONAL LEADERS KILLED: Meanwhile, in Iraq and Syria, the war against the Islamic State goes on. Last week, the U.S.-led coalition reported that along with members of the local Syrian Democratic Forces, it raided an ISIS stronghold in Deir Ezzor province, Syria, killing ISIS leaders.
“Ahmad ‘Isa Ismail Ibarhim al-Zawi, also known as Abu Ali al-Baghdadi, was the ISIS Wali of North Baghdad. As a regional leader, al-Zawi was responsible for disseminating terrorist guidance from senior ISIS leadership to operatives in North Baghdad. And Ahmad ‘Abd Muhammad Hasan al-Jughayfi, also known as Abu Ammar, was a senior ISIS logistics and supplies official responsible for directing the acquisition and transport of weapons, IED materials, and personnel across Iraq and Syria,” said a statement from Operation Inherent Resolve.
INDUSTRY WATCH — ZAPPED!: The Navy has posted a video of a successful test of a ship-based laser taking out a drone with the Northrop Grumman Laser Weapon System Demonstrator.
The high-energy, solid-state laser weapon was installed on USS Portland, an amphibious transport dock ship, for its first at-sea demonstration.
“By conducting advanced at-sea tests against UAVs and small crafts, we will gain valuable information on the capabilities of the Solid State Laser Weapons System Demonstrator against potential threats,” said Capt. Karrey Sanders, commanding officer of Portland.
The Rundown
Washington Examiner: Bay of Pigs Museum awaits Trump christening
Washington Examiner: Russia asks for 18-year sentence for ex-Marine in spying trial
Wall Street Journal: Hong Kong in Shock as China’s Xi Jinping Goes for ‘Nuclear Option’
Reuters: Taiwan Considers Revoking Hong Kong’s Special Status On Law Fears
Washington Post: Chinese Diplomat Warns U.S. Against Pushing To ‘Brink Of A New Cold War’
AP: China Denies Using Virus To Grow Presence In South China Sea
AP: Time Running Out On The Last U.S.-Russia Nuclear Arms Treaty
ABC: USS Theodore Roosevelt Captain Confident Ship Can Deal With New COVID-19 Cases
Orange County Register: Surfing And Active Use Returns To Camp Pendleton Beaches As Marines Continue Training For Readiness
Fox: Ford Motor Co. Donates Thousands Of COVID-19 Face Shields To U.S. Military
USNI News: Beyond Mercy: Navy’s COVID-19 Hospital Ship Missions And The Future Of Medicine At Sea
Washington Post: Perils For Assad No Longer On Battlefield
New York Times: ISIS Prisoners Pose ‘Significant Risk’ To U.S. Mission In Northeast Syria
Air Force Magazine: Air Force Removes Height Requirement for Pilot Applicants
New York Times: Black Troops Fight At The Front, But Rarely Get Jobs At The Top
Washington Times: Pentagon Bashes New York Times Over ‘White Supremacy’ Editorial
Los Angeles Times: Op-Ed: Our son, a Marine, died in training at Camp Pendleton. He could have been saved
Washington Post: James Mattis: Let’s honor the fallen by protecting our fragile experiment in democracy
Calendar
TUESDAY | MAY 26
9:30 a.m. — United States Institute of Peace webinar: “Understanding Career Foreign Fighters.” with Leanne Erdberg Steadman, interim executive director of the RESOLVE Network; Colin Clarke, senior research fellow at the Soufan Center; Chelsea Daymon, associate fellow at the Global Network on Extremism and Technology; Jeanine de Roy van Zuijdewijn, researcher in the Leiden University Institute of Security and Global Affairs; and David Malet, associate professor of public affairs at American University https://www.usip.org/events
10 a.m. — Brookings Institution webinar: The Kill Chain: Defending America in the Future of High-Tech Warfare book discussion with author Chris Brose, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Frank Rose, senior fellow at Brookings; Mara Karlin, nonresident senior fellow at Brookings; and Michael O’Hanlon, senior fellow at Brookings https://www.brookings.edu/events
11 a.m. — Woodrow Wilson Center webinar: “Violent Non-State Actors and COVID-19: Challenge or Opportunity?” with Louise Isobel Shelley, professor at George Mason University; former Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., director, president and CEO of WWC; Eric Olson, global fellow at WWC; Michael Kugelman, deputy director and senior associate for South Asia at WWC; Marina Ottaway, Middle East fellow at WWC; Aaron Jones, director of congressional relations at WWC; and Duncan Wood, director of the WWC Mexico Institute https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event
12 p.m. — Cato Institute webinar: “Nuclear Deterrence with Russia and China: Are U.S. Course Corrections Needed?” with Fiona Cunningham, assistant professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University; Michael Kofman, director of the CNA Russia Studies Program; Amy Woolf, specialist in nuclear weapons policy at the Congressional Research Service; and Eric Gomez, director of defense policy studies at Cato https://www.cato.org/events
1:30 p.m. — Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies webcast: “National Security in the Post-Coronavirus Era.” with Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis.; and Robert Driscoll, shareholder at the Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c. Labor and Employment Practice https://fedsoc.org/events/national-security
2 p.m. — Stanford University’s Hoover Institution webcast: “COVID-19 and China,” with Elizabeth Economy, senior fellow and Asia studies director at the Council on Foreign Relations https://www.hoover.org/events
3 p.m. — Air Force Association Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies webinar, with Drew Walter, performing the duties of deputy assistant Defense secretary, as part of the Nuclear Deterrence Forum series https://www.mitchellaerospacepower.org
5 p.m. — The Institute of World Politics webinar: “China’s Influence in South Korea: Belt and Road and More,” with Tara O., founder of the East Asia Research Center https://www.iwp.edu/events
WEDNESDAY | MAY 27
9 a.m. — Atlantic Council webcast: “Drone attacks against critical infrastructure in the Middle East.” with former Assistant Defense Secretary for International Security Affairs Mary Beth Long, co-founder and principal at Global Alliance Advisors; and Scott Crino, founder and CEO of Red Six Solutions https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event
12 p.m. — Cato Institute webcast: “Chinese-U.S. Relations after the COVID-19 Pandemic,” with Michael Swaine, senior associate in the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Asia Program; Bonnie Glaser, senior adviser for Asia and director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies China Power Project; Doug Bandow, senior fellow at the Cato Institute; and Eric Gomez, defense policy studies director at the Cato Institute https://www.cato.org/events
2 p.m. — George Washington Project for Media and National Security Defense Writers Group conference call conversation with Gen. John Murray, commander, Army Futures Command; and Bruce Jette, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology https://nationalsecuritymedia.gwu.edu
3 p.m. — Jewish Institute for National Security of America webinar: “Bolstering the U.S.-Israel Security Relationship,” with Israeli Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer; and Michael Makovsky, president and CEO of JINSA https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register
5 p.m. — National Security Institute “NatSec Nightcap” conversation on the national security implications of pandemics, climate change, and the erosion of faith in public institutions, with former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and NSI Founder and Executive Director Jamil Jaffer. Register: https://nationalsecurity.gmu.edu/natsec-nightcap-may-27-2020/
THURSDAY | MAY 28
12 p.m. — Atlantic Council webinar: “A Post-Conflict Libya?” with Ahmed Maitig, deputy prime minister of the Libyan Government of National Accord; former Egyptian Ambassador to Lebanon, South Africa and Yemen Mohamed Zayed; Mehmet Ogutcu, former Turkish diplomat and chairman of Global Resources Partnership; and Karim Mezran, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/events/#allevents
12:30 p.m. — Atlantic Council webinar: “The United States and the European Union — Allies or Rivals?” with former U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Anthony Luzzatto Gardner; former Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns; and Frances Burwell, fellow at the Atlantic Council https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event
2:00 p.m. — Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments virtual roundtable examining the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for the future competitive balance between the U.S. and China, with Tim Junio, CEO and co-founder, Expanse; Heino Klinck, deputy assistant secretary of defense; Vance Serchuk, executive director, KKR Global Institute; retired Adm. Sandy Winnefeld, former vice chairman of the joint chiefs of staff; and moderated by Thomas Mahnken, president and CEO of CSBA https://zoom.us/webinar/register
FRIDAY | MAY 29
9:30 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies webcast: “Artificial Intelligence (AI), Defense, and Intelligence.” with Air Force Lt. Gen. Jack Shanahan, director of the Defense Department’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center https://www.csis.org/events/online-event
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“When Eisenhower launched the U.S. military against Nazi Germany, he didn’t say, ‘We might win World War II. We’ll try.’ When John F. Kennedy aspired to put a man on the moon, he didn’t say, ‘We’ll give it a good shot.’ He said, ‘We will do it.’ … We’re going to live up to the expectations, and we’re going to deliver on this virus.”
Defense Secretary Mark Esper, speaking on NBC’s Today show, promising a vaccine for COVID-19 by the end of the year.
