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‘WE ARE THE SCHMUCKS’: President Trump devoted a large portion of his Make America Great Again rally in Great Falls, Mont., last night deriding NATO allies and defending his meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin. His most strident attack was leveled at Germany’s Angela Merkel, who he accused of playing the U.S. for suckers by failing to meet NATO defense spending goals while cutting deals with Russia for oil and natural gas. “They want to protect against Russia, and yet they pay billions of dollars to Russia, and we are the schmucks that are paying for the whole thing,” Trump told the friendly crowd. “We’re paying for anywhere from 70 to 90 percent to protect Europe, and that’s fine. Of course, they kill us on trade” Trump said. “We have $151 billion in trade deficits with the EU And on top of that, they kill us with NATO.” Trump said the U.S. spends “4 percent of a huge GDP” on defense (the actual number is 3.6 percent) while Germany, “which is the biggest country of the EU,” spends 1 percent (actual number is 1.2 percent). And Trump seemed to double down on a threat to reduce U.S. military support that was implied in his recent letter to Merkel expressing his displeasure with the failure to meet the 2 percent goal. “I said, you know, Angela, I can’t guarantee it, but we’re protecting you, and it means a lot more to you than protecting us because I don’t know how much protection we get by protecting you.” MIXED MESSAGE: Earlier in the day, reporters were getting a completely different message from Ambassador Kay Bailey Hutchison, the permanent U.S. representative to NATO. “There is nothing being said at all about the troop alignment in Germany or anything that would change the 32,000-troop force that we have in Germany,” Hutchison said during a White House briefing on the trip. When pressed, Hutchison insisted if any withdrawal of U.S. troops from Germany was being considered, she’d certainly know about it. “I’ve heard nothing different about that. And certainly, I think that I would have to,” she said. “I’ve heard nothing on that score.” Instead, Hutchison praised Germany’s willingness to host the headquarters of a new NATO mission focused on increasing “military mobility.” She said it was “very important” to be able to base, train and deploy our troops in a safe way, “which Germany is willing to help us do with this new hub.” She also said that of the 29 NATO nations, 16 are on track to meet the 2 percent pledge by 2024, per the agreement at the NATO summit in Wales in 2014. And she said all member countries have increased their military budgets, which she called “the biggest increase in defense spending by our allies since the Cold War.” PAY UP, FOLKS: Still, Trump confirmed that the issue of “burden sharing” will be at the top of his agenda in Brussels next week when alliance leaders meet for a summit at NATO’s brand new $2 billion headquarters. “I’m going to tell NATO, ‘You gotta start paying your bills. The United States is not going to take care of everything.’ ” At the same time, Trump bragged that it’s because of him NATO countries have all upped their game. “Since I came, which is a year and a half, almost $33 billion more is projected to be paid by those NATO nations, but it’s not enough. Do they ever tell you that? No, no,” Trump said. “But I will tell you, the [NATO] Secretary General [Jens] Stoltenberg is Trump’s biggest fan. He says … when you started talking, it went like a rocket ship. Went just like a rocket ship.” READY FOR PUTIN: At his Montana rally, Trump dismissed out of hand that he was not ready to go mano a mano with Putin in Helsinki July 16. “They’re going, ‘Will President Trump be prepared? You know, President Putin is KGB and this and that.’ You know what? Putin’s fine. He’s fine. We’re all fine. We’re people,” Trump said. “Will I be prepared? Totally prepared. I’ve been preparing for this stuff my whole life.” At the White House, U.S. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman confirmed the meetings in Finland will be with just the two leaders in a room, followed by an expanded bilateral meeting and a working lunch, before Trump flies back to Washington that night. “The president hopes that a meeting can help reduce tensions and lead to constructive engagement that improves peace and security around the world, because you can’t solve problems if you’re not talking about them,” Huntsman told reporters on a conference call. “The ball really is in Russia’s court, and the president will continue to hold Russia accountable for its malign activities,” Huntsman said, arguing that the meeting itself was an achievement, regardless of the outcome. “I think the fact that we’re having a summit at this level, at this time in history, is a deliverable in itself. I don’t exclude that there will be some concrete agreement that will be announced coming out on the other end of the summit.” Good Friday 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: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in Pyongyang for denuclearization talks, trying to nail down some specifics including a timetable for the North to make good on its promise to dismantle a missile engine production facility and begin repatriating remains of U.S. troops from the Korean War. Before landing in North Korea, Pompeo tweeted, “I spoke with @POTUS while we were both in the air. The President told me he believes that Chairman Kim sees a different, brighter future for the people of North Korea. We both hope that’s true.” Just before 7 a.m., Pompeo tweeted an update: “We just wrapped our first meeting of the day. I’m proud of my team’s work.” COULD IT BE TRUE? We haven’t confirmed this yet, but a published report says Pompeo has an unusual gift for Kim, a CD of Elton John’s classic song “Rocket Man.” The English language Chosun Ilbo quoted a diplomatic source in Washington as saying the song was the subject of discussion during Trump’s lunch with Kim in Singapore, after Kim mentioned that Trump referred to him as “rocket man.” “ ‘Trump then asked Kim if he knew the song and Kim said no.’ Trump remembered the conversation and told Pompeo to take a CD with the song for Kim. He reportedly wrote a message on it and signed it,” the website reported. The 1972 song, inspired by a Ray Bradbury short story, includes the following lyrics. And I think it’s gonna be a long long time ‘Till touchdown brings me round again to find I’m not the man they think I am at home Oh no no no I’m a rocket man Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone WHITE EXTREMIST WITH A SECURITY CLEARANCE: An investigation by ProPublica and FRONTLINE has identified a member of a racist extremist group who violently confronted counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Va., last year as a systems engineer for Northrop Grumman who holds a government security clearance. Michael Miselis, 29, of California, was identified as a member of the Rise Above Movement through video footage. Northrop issued a statement Thursday condemning the activity and calling it counter to the defense contractor’s values. “Northrop Grumman is absolutely committed to the highest levels of ethics and integrity in all that we do, and ensuring that our workplace reflects our values of diversity and inclusion. We do not tolerate hatred or illegal conduct and we condemn racist activities in any shape or form. We are taking immediate action to look into the very serious issues raised by these reports,” it said. BOEING, EMBRAER TEAM UP: Boeing, the biggest U.S. airplane maker, will work with Brazil’s Embraer to promote sales of military aircraft as part of two joint ventures that follow months of talks on a potential tie-up. The first project for the combined defense unit will be a joint global marketing effort for the KC-390 twin-engine military jet that Embraer is developing. The two companies had previously agreed to work together on promoting the aircraft. “Joint investments in the global marketing of the KC-390, as well as a series of specific agreements in the fields of engineering, research and development and the supply chain, will enhance mutual benefits and further enhance the competitiveness of Boeing and Embraer,” Nelson Salgado, Embraer’s executive vice president of investor relations, said in a statement. IRAN BACKS OFF: The number of incidents in which the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy provokes and harasses U.S. ships in the Persian Gulf has dropped off dramatically over the past six months, according to a report from Fox News. Citing statistics from the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, the number of “unsafe and unprofessional” interactions have gone from an average of about once a month during Trump’s first year, to none. But the trend may not last. As Fox notes, Iran is now threatening to block the Strait of Hormuz in response to threatened U.S. sanctions aimed at squeezing Iran’s oil revenue. “Our focus is on getting as many countries importing Iranian crude down to zero as soon as possible,” said Brian Hook in a State Department briefing Monday. “Our sanctions pressure the Iranian regime into changing its behavior.” Here’s the story in a simple chart: Iranian harassment of U.S. warships in the Gulf
Source: U.S. Navy SIGNS POINT TO RUSSIA: Russia is making the British people “targets” for an individualized chemical weapons attacks, a senior British official alleged following the second poisoning incident of the year. “It is unacceptable for our people to be either deliberate or accidental targets, or for our streets, our parks, our towns to be dumping grounds for poison,” Sajid Javid, the United Kingdom’s home secretary, told Parliament. “Obviously this incident will invoke memories of the reckless murder attempts of Sergei and Yulia Skripal earlier this year. This is the leading line of enquiry. However, we must not jump to conclusions and we must give the police the space and time to carry out their investigations.” “It is now time that the Russian state comes forward and explains exactly what has gone on,” he also said. IMMIGRANT RECRUITS DISCHARGED: Some immigrant U.S. Army reservists and recruits who enlisted in the military with a promised path to citizenship are being abruptly discharged, the Associated Press has learned. The AP was unable to quantify how many men and women who enlisted through the special recruitment program have been booted from the Army, but immigration attorneys say they know of more than 40 who have been discharged or whose status has become questionable, jeopardizing their futures. “It was my dream to serve in the military,” said reservist Lucas Calixto, a Brazilian immigrant who filed a lawsuit against the Army last week. “Since this country has been so good to me, I thought it was the least I could do to give back to my adopted country and serve in the United States military.” GENERAL’S ALL-PURPOSE AIDE: A Marine Corps general who commanded forces in Iraq during the battle for Mosul had an inappropriate to-do list for his military aide-de-camp, according to a newly released report by the Pentagon inspector general. While deployed to Iraq in 2016-17, Brig. Gen. Rick Uribe improperly had the aide pick up his snacks, make his bed, reserve gym equipment and arrange delivery of his prescription toothpaste, the IG found. The general also had the aide lend Uribe cash and pay for his haircuts. Uribe served as the deputy commanding general for operations and director of land operations at the Combined Joint Operations Center in Baghdad. “Where I would never think to engage in these activities in garrison, in the fog of the combat zone, it seemed acceptable somehow,” Uribe said in a response to the report findings. The IG report noted that “Immediately before deploying to Iraq, Brig. Gen. Uribe served as the Inspector General of the Marine Corps. In that position, he had the responsibility to investigate ethical violations involving misuse of subordinates, and to set a personal example of compliance with applicable standards,” the IG reported. THE RUNDOWN AP: US tariffs take effect, China announces retaliation Reuters: U.S. Navy says will protect commerce in face of Iran oil threat Stars and Stripes: New US Ambassador To S. Korea Introduces Himself, Vows To Maintain Bond Between Allies Business Insider: Watch France and Germany’s next generation stealth fighter, a two-engine jet that looks like it’ll outclass the F-35 Defense News: Ahead of summit, lawmakers worry over what Trump will say to Putin Foreign Policy: At Helsinki Summit, Putin Likely to Rebuff Any Pressure From Trump on Syria New York Times: At War: The Art of Drawing ‘The Art of War’ Task and Purpose: 5 Times HQ Really Tried To Screw Over Frontline Troops War on the Rocks: The Puzzle of Russian Behavior in Deir al-Zour Military.com: Air Force’s $1,200 Coffee Cups Could Last Longer Thanks to 3D Printing |
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 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 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 THURSDAY | JULY 12 7 a.m. 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd. Ninth Annual Integrated Air and Missile Defense Symposium. ndia.org 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
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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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