A MORE CIVIL WAR: In the one and only vice presidential debate, both Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence seemed determined to show they are the better half of their respective tickets. Kaine was on the attack, often interrupting Pence, who remained unruffled through the 90 minute debate. Most polls and pundits called Pence, who was poised and polished throughout, the winner on points.
Kaine spent most of his time trying to get Pence to defend Donald Trump’s various controversial statements, while Pence mostly deflected the questions, and pivoted to criticism of Hillary Clinton.
In was on the question of what to do about the debacle in Syria that Pence advocated a far more muscular policy than Trump has articulated publicly, adding specifics like the need for a safe zone on the ground, and attacks against Syria’s military.
Some highlights:
SYRIA:
Pence: “I truly do believe that what America ought to do right now is immediately establish safe zones, so that families and vulnerable families with children can move out of those areas, work with our Arab partners, real time, right now, to make that happen. And secondly, I just have to tell you that the provocations by Russia need to be met with American strength. And if Russia chooses to be involved and continue, I should say, to be involved in this barbaric attack on civilians in Aleppo.”
Kaine: “The United States of America needs to be prepared to work with our allies in the region to create a route for safe passage and then to protect people in those areas, including with a no-fly zone… Hillary and I also agree that the establishment of humanitarian zones in northern Syria with the provision of international human aid, consistent with the U.N. Security Council resolution that was passed in February 2014, would be a very, very good idea.”
NORTH KOREA:
Pence: “We also need an effective American diplomacy that will marshal the resources of nations in the Asian Pacific Rim to put pressure on North Korea, on Kim Jong-un, to abandon his nuclear ambitions. It has to remain the policy of the United States of America the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, plain and simple.
Kaine: “So we’re working together with China, and we need to. China’s another one of those relationships where it’s competitive, it’s also challenging, and in times like North Korea, we have to be able to cooperate.”
VLADIMIR PUTIN:
Pence: “In Syria, in Iran, in Ukraine, that the small and bullying leader of Russia has been stronger on the world stage than this administration, that’s stating painful facts. That’s not an endorsement of Vladimir Putin. That’s an indictment of the weak and feckless leadership.”
Kaine: “Vladimir Putin is a dictator. He’s not a leader. Anybody who thinks otherwise doesn’t know Russian history and they don’t know Vladimir Putin. Hillary Clinton knows exactly who this guy is.”
U.S. MILITARY:
Pence: “We have the smallest Navy since 1916. We have the lowest number of troops since the end of the Second World War. We’ve got to work with Congress, and Donald Trump will, to rebuild our military and project American strength in the world.”
Kaine: “Donald Trump was fighting a very different fight. It was a fight to avoid paying taxes so that he wouldn’t support the fight against terror. He wouldn’t support troops. … When a guy running for president will not support the troops, not support veterans, not support teachers, that’s really important.”
NUCLEAR WEAPONS:
Kaine: More nations should get nuclear weapons. Try to defend that.
Pence: Don’t put words in my mouth. Well, he never said that, senator.
Kaine: He absolutely said it. Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Japan.
Pence: Most of the stuff you’ve said, he’s never said.
NATO:
Kaine: Donald Trump’s claim that he wants to — that NATO is obsolete and that we need to get rid of NATO is so dangerous.
Pence: That’s not his plan.
Kaine: Well, he said NATO is obsolete. And, look, if you put aside — push aside your alliances, who are you going to share intelligence with?
More Examiner coverage:
Pence on Clinton emails: My son would be ‘court-martialed’ for same thing
Kaine: Trump is ‘fool or maniac’ who could trigger nuclear catastrophe
Kaine, Pence trade blows on handling of Syrian refugee crisis
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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NEW START, NEW THREAT: House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry is alarmed that Russia is taking advantage of the New START treaty negotiated by the Obama administration to build up its nuclear edge over the the U.S. In a statement yesterday, the Texas Republican said the latest numbers released by the State Department show Russia is deploying more of its nuclear arsenal in an effort to intimidate the west. “The Obama administration hailed the New START Treaty as the ‘cornerstone’ of its efforts to ‘reset’ our relations with Russia, Thornberry said. “This latest development is further evidence of what this ‘reset’ actually is — a mistake and a failure. The numbers are clear: while we cut our U.S. nuclear forces, the Russians have built more.” Thornberry said Russia already enjoys a 10-to-1 advantage in tactical nuclear weapons.
RUSSIAN MISSILES TO SYRIA: The Pentagon is questioning the rationale for Russia’s latest deployment of an S-300 anti-aircraft missile battery to Syria, given that the only countries flying planes over Syrian airspace are Syria, Russia and the U.S.-led coalition. Russia says it’s to protect its naval base in Tartus along the coast, and is a purely a defensive system. At the Pentagon briefing yesterday one reporter asked, “would it be your military assessment that Russia is appearing to be ready to perhaps declare its own no-fly zone?” Spokesman Peter Cook replied: “You’d have to ask the Russians what it is they’re planning to do with these systems.”
OH, RODRIGO: The White House shrugged off Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte’s vow to pull out of the former U.S. colony’s military alliance with Washington yesterday, Nicole Duran writes. The controversial new leader, known as the “death squad mayor” has launched profanity-laced tirades against President Obama, most recently saying that Obama can “go to hell” during a speech in Manila Tuesday. Duterte is offended by Obama’s suggestion that a campaign that has killed some 3,000 suspected drug dealer may be a human rights problem.
“Those comments are at odds with the warm relationship that exists between the Filipino and American people,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. “There’s also an important record of cooperation between our two governments, cooperation that has continued under the Duterte government,” he said, pointing out that the annual joint military exercise in the Philippines got underway this week as scheduled. Earnest also pointed out how the U.S. military came to the Philippines’ aid in 2013 after a damaging typhoon.
SPEAKING OF HUMANITARIAN RELIEF: The U.S. military is dispatching an aircraft carrier, Navy and Marine helicopters and troops to the Caribbean as Hurricane Matthew hits Haiti, Mariana Barillas reports. The hospital ship Comfort may also deploy to the region, and Cuba has also asked for help.
CHOKING ON TWO WORDS: IN COMBAT Once again the Pentagon’s chief spokesman could not bring himself to say a U.S. service member killed by an IED blast while on foot patrol with Afghan counterterrorism forces died in combat. This is a semantic game the Obama administration has been playing since the “official” end of U.S. combat operations in December of 2014. So Peter Cook will say U.S. troops are in harm’s way, and even in a combat situation, but when asked directly will not just say, “Yes, the American service member died in combat.”
THE DAY AFTER MOSUL FALLS: This morning at the Pentagon, Canadian Army Brig. Gen. Dave Anderson will lay out the plan for what comes after the liberation of Mosul, when ISIS is expected to continue devolving into a terrorist and insurgent threat. Anderson has been overseeing the training of Iraqi Security Forces to conduct combined arms maneuver warfare. 11 a.m. Live streamed at www.defense.gov
TRUMP BIG AMONG VETS: Trump has opened a double-digit lead over his Democratic opponent among military veterans with just over a month left until Election Day, a new poll shows, Gabby Morrongiello writes. Trump leads Clinton 47-33 among retired service members, according to a Fox News poll. Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson draws 13 percent support, while 2 percent of veterans back Green Party candidate Jill Stein.
BUILD THE WALL: While Trump hasn’t given specifics of his plan to build a wall and secure the southern border, one analyst says that at least some pieces of the wall will have to be virtual to better cover mountainous terrain or rivers. While at AUSA this week, Elbit Systems of America, a company that built a virtual wall in Arizona, told us they have not spoken to the Trump campaign, but that their guard towers equipped with solar-powered sensors could be expanded to cover the whole border.
RANKLED OVER NAVY RANKS: Rep. Ron DeSantis, a former Navy lawyer who advised a SEAL commander in Iraq, is criticizing the Navy’s decision to jettison its timeworn tradition of specialty job titles, arguing the move will likely damage enlisted morale. The Florida Republican on Tuesday voiced deep concerns about the Navy’s decision, announced last week, to remove every enlisted sailor of the “rating” title, or specialty, in favor of a code for that position similar to other branches of the military. The move sparked a social media firestorm from critics who argued the action would scuttle hundreds of years of tradition and strip the titles that had defined sailors’ jobs and identities throughout their Navy careers. Meanwhile, a petition to get the White House to weigh in on the issue has passed the halfway point of 50,000 names.
HISTORIC PORT CALL: Former Vietnam War POW Sen. John McCain hailed the visit of two U.S. Navy ships, including one named for his father and grandfather, to Vietnam’s Cam Ranh Bay terminal this week. The visit of the destroyer John S. McCain and submarine tender Frank Cable marks the first port call for two such U.S. ships at the Vietnamese naval base since the United States and Vietnam normalized relations. “I am confident our two nations will continue to work together to strengthen open maritime commerce and maintain a balance of power that favors the rules-based order that underpins our shared security and prosperity,” McCain said in a statement. “I look forward to again visiting Vietnam in the near future to further advance our growing economic and security relationship.”
FINAL DAY AT AUSA: Army senior leaders host a military family forum on the third and final day of the Association of the United States Army’s annual convention. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson also speaks at 9:30 this morning. The full schedule is here.
COMIC RELIEF: AUSA is known for deep dives into policy and doctrine, not for comedy riffs, but at yesterday’s marquee panel on the multidomain battlefield of the future, some of the four-stars could not resist showing off their funny side. Take U.S. Pacific Commander Adm. Harry Harris, (please!) who was Skyped in from his HQ in Hawaii. “I have no time at all to make jokes about Army football. Which is too bad because I have a lot of them,” Harris said. “You probably think I’m just a Navy guy in a green suit. If you can’t see me, I’m wearing the new green camouflage, which probably explains why you can’t see me.” Rim shot.
And then there was Marine Commandant Gen. Bob Neller commenting on how he felt as the lone Marine at the Army event. “I feel like a Klingon at a Federation convention.” And Air Force Chief Gen. David Goldfein couldn’t resist joking about he and Army Chief Gen. Mark Milley both suffer the constant indignity of having their names mispronounced. “I’m hoping that history will also put in that category Goldfein and Milley, or as we’re known on congressional panels GoldSTEEN and MILEY.” OK, they won’t be getting an HBO special anytime soon.
THE RUNDOWN
Defense News: Top Air Force General: Recent F-35 Troubles Not Long-Term Problem
UPI: Saab launches Giraffe 1X radar in U.S. market
Defense News: US Army Contemplates Future Apache Helicopter Orders
Defense One: Army Warns that Future War with Russia or China Would Be ‘Extremely Lethal and Fast’
Defense News: Multi-Domain Battle Drives Army Toward New Missile
Breaking Defense: AUSA Head Carter Ham On Army’s Future, AUSA 2016
Marine Corps Times: MARSOC wants Raiders to develop deadly new technology
Defense One: Private Companies Shouldn’t Be The Ones Crying ‘State-Sponsored Hack!’
War on the Rocks: The carrot or the stick? Incentivizing safe cyber
Military Times: U.S. has not abandoned peace efforts in Syria, Kerry says
Defense One: Syria Is the Thread That Russia Is Pulling to Unravel International Order
Wall Street Journal: Russia Upgrades Military Prowess in Arctic
Calendar
WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 5
7:30 a.m. Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Senior Army leaders host a military family forum on the third and final day of the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual convention. ausameetings.org
8:15 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Brookings Institution experts will record a podcast live on what the next president has to do to achieve success in the Middle East. brookings.edu
9:30 a.m. Pentagon Library and Conference Center, Room B6. Defense Secretary Ash Carter opens the first Defense Innovation Board quarterly meeting.
11 a.m. Pentagon Briefing Room. Canadian Armed Forces Brig. Gen. D.J. Anderson, Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve and director of partner force development and the ministerial liaison team, briefs the media. Live streamed at www.defense.gov
THURSDAY | OCTOBER 6
8:30 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW. European officials and think tank experts talk about alliances in Europe post-Brexit. Atlanticcouncil.org
12 p.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Wall Street Journal reporter Jay Solomon discuss his new book The Iran Wars: Spy Games, Bank Battles, and the Secret Deals That Reshaped the Middle East. wilsoncenter.org
1 p.m. The Council on Foreign Relations hosts an event looking at President Obama’s pivot to Asia and if it’s working. cfr.org
5:30 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. A panel of national security reporters discusses the relationship between the U.S. and Iran. csis.org
TUESDAY | OCTOBER 11
1:30 p.m. 1211 Connecticut Ave. NW. The Stimson Center holds an event looking at Japan’s defense buildup and alliance with the U.S. stimson.org
WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 12
7 a.m. 1401 Lee Highway, Arlington. Lt. Gen. Gina Grosso, the deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel and services, speaks at an Air Force Association breakfast event. afa.org
12:30 p.m. 529 14th St. NW. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus speaks at a National Press Club luncheon. press.org
