U.S. COMMANDOS IN LIBYA: The Pentagon has made no secret of the fact that small teams of U.S. special operations forces have been in and out of Libya for months gathering intelligence and making contact with local fighters. But the Washington Post reports this morning that a small number of those commandos, along with some British troops, are “providing direct, on-the-ground support for the first time” to fighters battling the Islamic State, “coordinating American airstrikes and providing intelligence,” from a location near Sirte.
PROGRESS IN MANBIJ: The top counter-Islamic State commander Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland will brief reporters this morning, and is expected to have an update on the progress that U.S.-backed opposition fighters are making retaking the Syrian city of Manbij, which some reports say is now almost totally under their control.
Manbij is northeast of Aleppo, where the United Nations is calling for a ceasefire because of a humanitarian crisis. The U.N. says two million people in Aleppo have no access to clean water, and the risk of disease is high. Aleppo’s water pumping stations were heavily damaged in attacks last week.
SNAFU or FUBAR? The U.S says that military equipment that fell into the hands of the Islamic State in Afghanistan last month was the result of a prudent repositioning after a “casualty collection point” came under enemy fire. “The loss of any equipment is regrettable, but no equipment is worth undue risk to those involved,” according to U.S. military spokesman Brig. Gen. Charles Cleveland, who said wounded U.S. troops were being evacuated from the battlefield.
The website sofrep.com has a completely different take, describing the operation as a screw-up, in which U.S. commanders ill-advisedly ordered leaflets dropped that telegraphed the operation, giving the Islamic State fighters plenty of warning and time to dig in, and U.S. Army Rangers paid the price. Cleveland declined to comment directly on the report, except to say, “Overall, the mission was a success. The facts are that this operation resulted in the significant attrition of Daesh [ISIS] leadership and forces, and the destruction of multiple Daesh command and control locations and logistics locations.” Cleveland says Afghan forces are now “in almost total control” of two of four districts previously held by the Islamic State.
Good Wednesday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre), National Security Writer Jacqueline Klimas (@jacqklimas) 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 be sure to add you to our list.
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OH NO HE DIDN’T: Donald Trump is accusing the news media of deliberately distorting his comments about “second amendment people” at a rally in North Carolina, rejecting out of hand any suggestion that he was somehow encouraging violence. The quote, which you have no doubt heard by now: “Hillary wants to abolish, essentially abolish the Second Amendment. By the way, and if she gets to pick, If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is. I don’t know.”
On Hannity last night, Trump said he was talking about the gun rights movement organizing to defeat Hillary Clinton. “There can be no other interpretation,” Trump said. “Give me a break.”
CORRELATION OR CAUSATION? Three Republican senators are asking the State Department to confirm that Iran’s defense budget increased by $1.7 billion — the same amount the Obama administration paid to settle a decades-old legal claim in what critics called a ransom payment for American hostages, Joel Gehrke writes. “Does this not indicate to you that Iran is expanding its military and nefarious operations at the expense of the U.S. taxpayer?” Sens. David Perdue, Johnny Isakson and Mark Kirk wrote in a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry.
INTEL COOKED? A House Republican task force has concluded some higher-ups at U.S. Central Command “altered intelligence reports to portray the U.S. fight against ISIS and al Qaeda in a more positive light,” according a report in The Daily Beast. The story quotes “three officials familiar with the task force’s findings,” and says the roughly 10-page report is expected to be released by the end of next week.
F-35 READY FOR ITS CLOSE-UP: The Marine Corps’ version of the F-35 joint strike fighter is ready for combat and will be deployed overseas early next year, says Commandant Gen. Robert Neller. Neller told an audience at CSIS that the readiness crunch experienced by Marine Corps aviation is seeing “slow, steady improvement,” but added, “I’m not going to spike the ball because we’ve got to get more airplanes on the ramps so our air crews can fly more hours.”
MILLEY GOES DARK: The Army chief of staff, Gen. Mark Milley, asked for the livestream to be cut during his remarks on Tuesday at the Army Training and Doctrine Command’s Mad Scientist event, despite tweeting 30 minutes earlier that his followers could watch live. Milley’s spokeswoman said it was a “last minute change” to make the remarks off the record, but provided no reason as to why. Organizers said they would take notes and release them in 45 days.
SAUDI TANK BUY: The U.S. approved the possible sale of $1.15 billion worth of Abrams tanks and HERCULES armored recovery vehicles to Saudi Arabia, the Defense Department announced yesterday. That translates to 133 tanks, 20 battle replacements for the tanks and 20 HERCULES vehicles.
IRAQ WAR A MISTAKE: Longshot presidential candidate and former CIA operative Evan McMullin says that the Iraq war was a mistake, but that the decisions that went into it were more complicated than people often acknowledge, Joel Gehrke reports. “I don’t think we should have done that. I understand the reasons, I was close to some of those reasons, I understood — I was at the CIA, I heard the justification. I don’t think that served our best interest, but I understand. It’s more complicated than people imagine, but I understand,” McMullin said.
TIT FOR TAT? Vietnam is denying a Reuters report quoting Western officials as saying Hanoi has quietly moved mobile rocket launchers to five bases in the Spratly Islands in recent months. The launchers are said to be capable of striking China’s runways and military installations. Just one more thing that is raising tensions in the dispute over sovereignty in the South China Sea.
TRUMP AND HORNETS: Yesterday we asked you to finish Trump’s sentence about the F/A-18, when he said “I never thought that plane could—”. Here’s what we heard on email and Twitter:
“… land on the water anyway.” — Eric Krock
“… stand up to the stirling [sic] reputation of the F-35, but there you go.” @manaz_d
“… could fly. [He’s confusing it with the FA/35.]” @MarilynCapps
YOU GOTTA LOVE THIS GUY: A little more about Neller, who showed yesterday why he’s just the sort of no-B.S. guy you would want to follow into battle. He’s not politically correct, but neither is he dogmatic or close-minded. He’s someone who sees the battlefield as it is not as he wishes it would be. And he was in fine form at CSIS yesterday. Check out the quotable Neller as he drops some unvarnished pearls of wisdom here.
THE RUNDOWN
Navy Times: Four more U.S. sailors disciplined in Iran boat seizure incident
Washington Post: In the Nevada desert, the U.S. military prepares for a new kind of warfare
Air Force Times: B-2s head to the Pacific, demonstrating U.S. commitment to the region
Defense One: China May Hate THAAD, But There’s Not Much It Can Do About It
USA Today: U.S. says more military transparency needed in South China Sea
Defense News: Kuwait Orders French Airbus Transport Helicopters in $1.1 Billion Deal
UPI: General Atomics gets $8.8 million Predator upgrade and training contract
Military Times: U.S. gives Lebanon $50 million of new military assistance
Reuters: Executed Iranian nuclear scientist unfairly tried, said he was innocent: mother
Military Times: Effectiveness of some counter-IED efforts unproved, Pentagon report finds
Defense One: This is the War Against al-Qaeda the Next US President Will Inherit
Military.com: The Islamic State and Its Allies Have Killed 33K People, Study Says
Task and Purpose: Here’s What We Know About The Americans Signing Up To Fight ISIS
War on the Rocks: When the Islamic State is gone, what comes next?
Defense News: Turkey’s Failed Coup Leaves Military Weakened
New York Times: Putin and Erdogan Meet for Talks
Navy Times: Navy develops new fleet uniforms: the latest
Foreign Policy: How the Pentagon Became Walmart
Calendar
WEDNESDAY | AUGUST 10
11:30 p.m. Pentagon Briefing Room. Army Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland, commander, Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, briefs the media. Livestreamed at defense.gov
12 p.m. 1030 15th St. NW. Atlantic Council hosts a panel to bridge the gap between the Las Vegas “Hacker Summer Camp” and cybersecurity policy. Atlanticcouncil.org
2 p.m. Pentagon Briefing Room. Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James and Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein brief on the state of the Air Force. Live streamed at defense.gov
THURSDAY | AUGUST 18
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. CSIS hosts Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker, commander of U.S. Naval Air Forces in the Pacific fleet, to discuss the future of naval aviation. csis.org
