OUT OF THE CROSSFIRE: As a battle rages between pro-government forces and a renegade warlord in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, the U.S. military has announced that a small contingent of American troops has “temporarily relocated” outside the country. “U.S. Africa Command will continue to monitor conditions on the ground in Libya, and assess the feasibility for renewed U.S. military presence, as appropriate,” said a statement released yesterday.
Reports from Benghazi and Tripoli this morning say the eastern militia calling itself the “Libyan National Army,” led by Khalifa Haftar, continues to mount an assault on capital, aided by airstrikes, as U.N. efforts to broker a ceasefire over weekend failed. The U.S. and the U.N. recognize the western government of Fayez Serraj, while the LNA backs a parallel government in the east.
“The security realities on the ground in Libya are growing increasingly complex and unpredictable,” U.S. Africa Command head Marine Corps Gen. Thomas Waldhauser said Sunday. “Even with an adjustment of the force, we will continue to remain agile in support of existing U.S. strategy.”
At the State Department, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed deep concern and called on Haftar’s forces to stand down. “We have made clear that we oppose the military offensive by Khalifa Haftar’s forces and urge the immediate halt to these military operations against the Libyan capital,” Pompeo said. “This unilateral military campaign against Tripoli is endangering civilians and undermining prospects for a better future for all Libyans.”
“There is no military solution to the Libya conflict,” Pompeo said, urging all sides to deescalate and return to political negotiations mediated by the United Nations. “A political solution is the only way to unify the country and provide a plan for security, stability, and prosperity for all Libyans.”
CIVCAS IN SOMALIA: After insisting for more than a year that U.S. airstrikes in Somalia were so precise that not a single civilian had been killed, U.S. Africa Command now says it has determined that a year ago two civilians were killed in a strike against al Shabab militants, but higher-ups were not notified because of a “reporting error” and therefore misled Congress and the Amercan public.
“Unaware of the subsequent assessment and findings, senior leaders later stated during congressional testimony and media engagements that U.S. forces caused zero civilian casualties in Africa,” said a statement released Friday.
The deaths of a woman and a child were discovered after Waldhauser ordered a review following a report last month from Amnesty International, which asserted at least 14 civilians were killed and 8 injured in just 5 of the more than 100 strikes over the past two years.
A U.S. Africa Command press release issued a day after the April 1, 2018, strike stated, “We assess no civilians were killed in this airstrike.” AFRICOM says the mistake was “an isolated occurrence” that is being addressed and the United States remains committed to transparency in reporting civilian casualties.
“Credibility, transparency, and accountability are fundamental to military operations,” said Waldhauser. “It is critically important that people understand we adhere to exacting standards and when we fall short, we acknowledge shortcomings and take appropriate action.”
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 Kelly Jane Torrance (@kjtorrance). 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.
HAPPENING AS SOON AS TODAY: The Trump administration is preparing to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a foreign terrorist organization, with an announcement expected as soon as today. For years, the State Department has labeled Iran the world’s leading state-sponsor of terrorism, but a foreign government’s military branch has never before been classified as a terrorist group by the State Department.
The IRGC is a powerful branch of Iran’s armed forces that, along with its Quds Force, supports global terrorist proxies, carries out cyberattacks and assassinations, funds missile development, and wields huge influence both inside the country and around the region.
In 2017, the Treasury Department labeled the IRGC a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
IRAN’S READY TO RESPOND: “If the Revolutionary Guards are placed on America’s list of terrorist groups, we will put that country’s military on the terror blacklist next to Daesh [ISIS],” Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, head of the Iranian parliament’s national security committee, said on Twitter.
Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, tweeted that the United States was acting on behalf of Israel and warned that President Trump “should know better than to be conned into another US disaster.”
EGYPT’S SISSI IN TOWN: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi is meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at Blair House this evening, ahead of tomorrow’s meeting with President Trump at the White House. The White House says Trump and Sissi will discuss conflicts in the Middle East and ways to counter terrorism.
The meeting comes as Israelis go to the polls tomorrow in what is expected to be a close election, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is under the threat of indictment, facing a challenge from retired Israeli army chief Benny Gantz.
ALSO TODAY: Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan is in Colorado, among the speakers at the 35th Space Symposium, held at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, which bills itself as “the premier U.S. space policy and program forum and as the ‘must attend’ opportunity for information on and interaction among all sectors of space.”
Tomorrow, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson, Air Force chief Gen. David Goldfein, and Air Force space commander Gen. Jay Raymond are among the speakers.
GOING IN A ‘TOUGHER DIRECTION’: President Trump’s frustration over the influx of Central American families overwhelming the southern border has finally led to the departure of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who resigned, or was fired, or resigned before she was fired, or was forced to resign — take your pick.
One thing is clear: Trump was not happy about the handling of the border crisis, and Nielsen’s departure came just two days after Trump surprised Congress by pulling the nomination for Ron Vitiello to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Vitiello, the acting ICE director, appeared to be cruising toward an easy confirmation, but Trump said he wanted to go in a “tougher direction.”
“Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen will be leaving her position, and I would like to thank her for her service,” Trump tweeted after meeting with Nielsen at the White House last night. “I am pleased to announce that Kevin McAleenan, the current U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner, will become Acting Secretary for @DHSgov. I have confidence that Kevin will do a great job!”
In her resignation letter, Nielsen said she “determined that it is the right time for me to step aside,” adding, “I hope that the next Secretary will have the support of Congress and the courts in fixing the laws which have impeded our ability to fully secure America’s borders and which have contributed to discord in our nation’s discourse.”
F-16s TO TAIWAN?: Taiwan insists President Trump’s trade negotiations with China have not derailed a plan for Taiwan to purchase American F-16 fighter jets, despite three U.S. officials saying otherwise this week. Taiwan wants new F-16 fighter jets and American-made tanks to help deter any potential invasion from China, which regards the island as a breakaway province.
“The sale had not been shelved,” a spokesman with Taiwan’s foreign affairs ministry said Saturday in a message carried by state-owned media.
Earlier this week, it appeared the deal was off. “That decision has contributed to concern among some in the Administration that the President may soon go soft on China in his desire to secure a trade deal,” according to Time. “The move underscores the complexity and difficulty of balancing U.S. relations with an increasingly powerful China against the American commitment to help Taiwan defend itself.”
The Rundown
Washington Examiner: US military intervention on the table for Venezuela
Reuters: Turkey’s Erdogan to discuss possible operation in Syria with Putin: RIA
Air Force Times: Here’s how F-35 technology would be compromised if Turkey also had the S-400 anti-aircraft system
Wall Street Journal: Russia and China Target Middle East Arms Deals
Washington Examiner: Feds warn: China sending ‘thousands’ of spies to US colleges
Washington Post: In Russia’s Dagestan region, a path back from the ruins of ISIS
CNN: Russian Warships Arrive In The Philippines Amid Rising South China Sea Tensions
New York Times: As Netanyahu Seeks Re-election, the Future of the West Bank Is Now on the Ballot
Reuters: Pakistan Says It Has Intelligence Of New Indian Attack This Month
Defense News: NATO Banks On Poland
Air Force Magazine: Rocket Lab, VOX Space to Launch USAF Small-Sat Missions This Year
USNI News: Navy Fighter Readiness Nearing 80 Percent Mission Capable Target
Calendar
TUESDAY | APRIL 9
9 a.m. 1152 15th Street N.W. Center for a New American Security briefing on “NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting and 70th Anniversary of the Alliance.” www.cnas.org/events
9:30 a.m. SD-G50 Dirksen. Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson, and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the “Posture of the Department of the Navy.” www.armed-services.senate.gov
11:45 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. Hudson Institute event: “Risks and Opportunities of Emerging Technologies: A Conversation with Congressman Mike McCaul,” ranking Republican, House Foreign Affairs Committee. www.hudson.org.
2 p.m. 2212 Rayburn. Mark Mitchell, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, and U.S. Special Operations commander Gen. Richard Clarke testify before the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Emerging Threats on U.S. Special Operations Command budget. armedservices.house.gov
3 p.m. SR-232A Russell. William Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics; Lt. Gen. Mark Kelly, deputy Air Force chief of staff for operations; Lt. Gen. Timothy Fay, deputy Air Force chief of staff for strategy, integration and requirements, testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee. www.armed-services.senate.gov
WEDNESDAY | APRIL 10
10 a.m. Rayburn 2118. Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson, and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller testify before the House Armed Services Committee on the Navy budget. armedservices.house.gov
10 a.m. SR-232A Russell. Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower “Marine Corps Ground Modernization and Naval Aviation Programs.” www.armed-services.senate.gov
THURSDAY | APRIL 11
9:00 a.m. 1667 K Street N.W. The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments releases a report, “An Air Force for an Era of Great Power Competition,” which recommends creating a future aircraft inventory that would be more lethal and better able to operate in future contested and highly contested environments compared with today’s force. Experts include: Mark Gunzinger, Carl Rehberg, Jacob Cohn, Timothy Walton, Lukas Autenried. Register at www.csbaonline.org.
9:30 a.m. SD-G50 Dirksen. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson, Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford, and U.S. Strategic Commander Gen. John Hyten testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the “Proposal to Establish a United States Space Force.” www.armed-services.senate.gov
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“It’s a colossal surge, and it’s overwhelming our immigration system, and we can’t let that happen. … We can’t take you anymore. We can’t take you. Our country is full.”
President Trump, speaking Friday before viewing a two-mile see-through steel-slat barrier in Calexico, California.
