HANDOVER OR SELLOUT: The movement of Iraqi forces — including some militia units backed by Iran — into the Iraqi city of Kirkuk underscores not only the rift between two U.S. allies in the fight against the Islamic State but also exposed tension between competing Kurdish factions. While there was an exchange of gunfire and some casualties yesterday morning, which the U.S. military said was a result of a “misunderstanding,” the retaking of a military base and airfield was accomplished largely without fighting under an agreement worked out with one faction of the Kurds, the PUK, or Patriotic Union party. The Iraqi forces later moved into the city itself, raising the Iraqi flag over a government building, as Peshmerga forces withdrew. The ruling KDP, or Kurdish Democratic Party, immediately denounced the capitulation to the central Baghdad government as a betrayal, not just by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, but the U.S., which was opposed to last month’s referendum in which 93 percent of Kurds expressed a desire for independence.
The U.S. had urged the Kurds, America’s most effective battlefield partner against ISIS, to put off the vote for a year. But Kurdish leaders ignored America’s entreaties, including a personal letter from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, a draft of which was published by Bloomberg. Yesterday the Pentagon downplayed the threat of open warfare between government troops and Kurdish fighters, but called the growing tensions “not helpful” while calling on all sides to resolve their differences through dialogue. This morning, the chief U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad Col. Ryan Dillon told us, “There is still dialogue among Coalition leaders and counterparts in the ISF and Peshmerga to ease tensions,” and he called the situation in Kirkuk “calm.”
“We have not received official reports of any armed engagement since the ‘misunderstanding’ incident from early yesterday morning, south of Kirkuk,” Dillon said. “The movement of ISF into areas around Kirkuk was coordinated.”
The AP reports a similar situation in Sinjar, where Kurdish forces withdrew before Iraqi forces arrived to take over. The commander of the local Yazidi militia, Masloum Shingali, told AP there was no fighting and that Kurdish forces “left immediately, they didn’t want to fight.” The town’s Iranian-backed PMF, or Popular Mobilization Forces, are securing Sinjar.
NOT TAKING SIDES: The official U.S. government position is neutrality in what is being treated as internal political dispute. “We don’t like the fact that they’re clashing. We’re not taking sides, but we don’t like the fact that they’re clashing,” President Trump said in the Rose Garden yesterday. “Let me tell you, we’ve had, for many years, very good relationship with the Kurds, as you know. And we’ve also been on the side of Iraq, even though we should have never been in there in the first place. We should have never been there. But we’re not taking sides in that battle.”
MCCAIN’s WARNING: Trump may be neutral, but Sen. John McCain has come down squarely on the side of the Kurds, issuing a pointed warning to Iraq to back off. “Iraqi forces must take immediate steps to de-escalate this volatile situation by ceasing their advances,” McCain said. He called on Abadi and the Kurdish regional government to begin a dialogue on halting hostilities and greater autonomy for the Kurds The Armed Services Committee chairman also warned of “severe consequences” if the competing factions damage military equipment supplied by the U.S., following reports Kurdish Peshmerga forces destroyed at least five U.S. Humvees that were used by Iran-backed Shiite militias, in the so-called “misunderstanding” engagement.
“The United States provided equipment and training to the Government of Iraq to fight ISIS and secure itself from external threats — not to attack elements of one of its own regional governments, which is a longstanding and valuable partner of the United States,” he said. McCain’s close colleague and Armed Services member, Sen. Lindsey Graham, said the U.S. must act quickly and decisively to quell the tensions, with an eye toward Tehran. “This has the potential to further destabilize the region and expand the war in Iraq, all of which strengthens the hand of Iran,” Graham said.
NORTH KOREA: The latest bellicose rhetoric out of North Korea comes by way of CNN, which reports that a North Korea official has told the network that Pyongyang has no interest in talks with the United States until it has perfected a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reliably hitting the U.S. mainland. “A North Korean official reaffirmed Pyongyang’s commitment to developing a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching ‘all the way to the East coast of the mainland U.S.,’ ” CNN reported, adding “the rogue nation is currently not interested in diplomacy with the U.S. until it achieves that goal.” The official reportedly told CNN, “Before we can engage in diplomacy with the Trump administration, we want to send a clear message that the DPRK [North Korea] has a reliable defensive and offensive capability to counter any aggression from the United States,” the official said.
Meanwhile Reuters reports that North Korea’s deputy U.N. representative is warning, “a nuclear war may break out any moment. Kim In Ryong made the remarks at a U.N. General Assembly committee yesterday. He did not read out loud another section of his prepared remarks that said, “As long as one does not take part in the U.S. military actions against the DPRK, we have no intention to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against any other country.”
The state-run Korean Central News Agency continues to give the standard line that North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs are intended to defend the country from a U.S. preemptive strike. “The Trump administration of the U.S. is reported to mull introducing smaller tactical nuclear weapons in a bid to destroy the nuclear facilities of the DPRK,” one report said. “Now, the Korean Peninsula is on the threshold of a nuclear disaster and no one knows at what time a thermonuclear war will break out. The Trump group should think twice about what terrible consequences the U.S. will face due to its scheme for a nuclear attack on the DPRK.”
REED: SOUTH KOREANS ‘SHAKEN’ BY TRUMP: Fresh from a trip to South Korea and the DMZ, Sen. Jack Reed said the U.S. ally is confused and lacks confidence in Trump’s handling of the North’s nuclear weapons program. “I think they are confused and I think they are a little bit shaken because they understand that they would be in the line of fire if there’s any contact between the United States and North Korea in terms of a kinetic military operation,” said Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Trump has said that “talking is not the answer” to stopping North Korea from acquiring nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of striking the U.S., even as Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis insisted diplomacy remained the best hope. But last week, Trump appeared to change tactics and said he would consider negotiating with the North.
“On one hand they hear Secretary Tillerson being reprimanded for suggesting that he is trying to set up lines of communication. On the other hand, Trump casually says that he might talk to Kim Jong Un,” said Reed, who called a press conference to urge more unified U.S. rhetoric, more diplomatic cooperation with China and Russia, and the appointment of a U.S. ambassador to South Korea.
Good Tuesday 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.
HAPPENING TODAY: Trump is delivering what is being billed as “a major policy speech on tax reform,” at The Heritage Foundation’s annual President’s Club meeting tonight in Washington. He’s also expected to touch on national security issues during the 7 p.m. event. The president also has a joint news conference scheduled for this afternoon, after meeting with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
THE THREE-YEAR MARK: “Today, 17 October 2017, marks the third anniversary of the international effort to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS),” Col. Dillon wrote this morning, noting that it’s been three years since Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve was stood up by the United States. Since then it has grown to include 69 nations and four partner organizations.
“The ‘by, with and through’ strategy of working with the Government of Iraq and the Syrian Democratic Forces has seen almost 130 thousand forces trained by the Global Coalition in the past three years,” Dillon said. “These same forces have liberated more than 6.5 million Iraqi and Syrian civilians from ISIS and have reclaimed more than 53 thousand square miles of territory — representing 85% of territory once held by ISIS.” Dillon will brief Pentagon reporters from Baghdad at 11 a.m. Live streamed here.
LAST STAND IN RAQQA: The AP reports that U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led fighters have cornered the remaining ISIS militants in a local sports stadium, which it calls “their last stand in the fight over what was once the extremists’ de facto capital.”
YEMEN STRIKES: The Pentagon said it has killed dozens of Islamic State fighters in airstrikes on two training camps in Yemen. The strikes in western Yemen south of the capital Sanaa disrupted training sites in a lawless area of the country where the militant group was training fighters on how to use AK-47 rifles, machines guns, and rocket-propelled grenades, according to the Pentagon.
“ISIS has used the ungoverned spaces of Yemen to plot, direct, instigate, resource and recruit for attacks against America and its allies around the world,” it said. “For years, Yemen has been a hub for terrorist recruiting, training and transit.” Trump has ratcheted up military operations in Yemen, which is in the midst of a civil war, since taking office with a special operations raid early this year that killed a Navy SEAL and many more airstrikes aimed at the Islamic State and also al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
McCAIN’S CALL FOR LEADERSHIP: McCain’s eyes seemed to be brimming with tears as he sat and listened to former Vice President Joe Biden at last night’s ceremony in which the 81-year-old senator was awarded the National Constitution Center’s annual Liberty Medal. When McCain took the rostrum, he had some passionate remarks of his own. “What a privilege it is to serve this big, boisterous, brawling, intemperate, striving, daring, beautiful, bountiful, brave, magnificent country,” McCain said. “With all our flaws, all our mistakes, with all the frailties of human nature as much on display as our virtues, with all the rancor and anger of our politics, we are blessed.”
But McCain also has a warning, directed at members of his own party, not to forsake America’s role as leader of the free world. “To fear the world we have organized and led for three-quarters of a century, to abandon the ideals we have advanced around the globe, to refuse the obligations of international leadership and our duty to remain ‘the last best hope of Earth’ for the sake of some half-baked, spurious nationalism cooked up by people who would rather find scapegoats than solve problems is as unpatriotic as an attachment to any other tired dogma of the past that Americans consigned to the ash heap of history.”
It was classic McCain, who as he is battling brain cancer, called himself, “the luckiest guy on Earth.” You can see the entire ceremony here
BERGDAHL PLEADS: Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl told a military judge he’s pleading guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. His lawyer says the prosecution and defense have not agreed to a stipulation of facts in the case, which is an indication that they did not reach a deal to limit his punishment.
Bergdahl is charged with endangering his comrades by walking away from a remote post in Afghanistan in 2009. He told the judge that he now understands that what he did caused others to search for him. The Army has said no U.S. forces died in the search, but the months-long effort diverted resources from the war effort, and several U.S. troops were serious wounded in operations that were related in some way to the search effort.
14 STATES BACK TRANSGENDER SUIT: Attorneys general from 14 states and the District of Columbia have filed amicus briefs in support of a federal lawsuit by a group of active-duty troops attempting to stop Trump from instituting a ban on transgender military service, according to rights groups handling the case. “Our military should be open to every brave American who volunteers to serve. Together with my colleagues, I am filing this brief today to ensure inclusion and opportunity for everyone who puts on a uniform,” Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said in a statement. California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont also filed the briefs. Top Obama administration officials who helped write the current policy allowing transgender service, including former Army Secretary Eric Fanning, former Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James and former Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, filed statements of support in August.
The support comes as the plaintiffs in Doe v. Trump — five active-duty troops, a Naval Academy midshipman, and an ROTC student who are all transgender — filed a response in D.C. district court late last night to the Trump administration’s motion earlier this month for the case to be dismissed. The two lead attorneys for the plaintiffs, National Center for Lesbian Rights director Shannon Minter and GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders Transgender Rights Project director Jennifer Levi, said the administration was trying to “paper over” the damage being done by Trump’s order to roll back open transgender service by March. “They brand transgender people unfit for service but want the court to believe that nothing has changed for transgender service members on the front lines,” Levi said. The Department of Justice argued the case should be dismissed because no new personnel policy has been finalized and now the court will decide whether the case goes forward.
TRUMP’S ASIA TRIP: The White House on Monday released details of Trump’s Nov. 3-14 trip to the Asia-Pacific. Highlights:
- Hawaii: Briefing at U.S. Pacific Command, visit Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial.
- Japan: Meet with U.S. and Japanese military members, join bilateral meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
- South Korea: Meet with President Moon Jae-in and visit with American troops based there.
- China: In Beijing, attend a “series of bilateral, commercial, and cultural events, including meetings with President Xi Jinping.”
- Vietnam: Participate in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders’ Meeting and speak at the group’s summit in Danang. Then meet with Vietnam President Tran Dai Quang and other officials in Hanoi.
- Philippines: Attend a dinner for the 50th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and then celebrate the 40th anniversary of the U.S.-ASEAN the following day. Meet with President Rodrigo Duterte.
CLAIM DEBUNKED: Former President Barack Obama’s deputy chief of staff for operations called Trump a “deranged animal” yesterday after the president claimed his predecessor “didn’t often” call the families of fallen service members.
Trump said Monday he wrote letters to the families of the four soldiers killed this month in Niger, adding that he planned to eventually call them “when it’s appropriate.”
“President Obama and other presidents, most of them didn’t make calls. A lot of them didn’t make calls,” Trump said at an impromptu news conference in the Rose Garden.
“That’s a fucking lie,” Alyssa Mastromonaco tweeted in response to Trump’s claim. “To say president obama (or past presidents) didn’t call the family members of soldiers KIA — he’s a deranged animal.”
Trump later equivated after a reporter challenged his statement. “President Obama I think probably did sometimes, and maybe sometimes he didn’t. I don’t know,” he added. “That’s what I was told. All I can do is ask my generals. Other presidents did not call. They’d write letters and some presidents didn’t do anything, but I like the combination of — I like, when I can, the combination of a call and also a letter.”
THEN THE WHITE HOUSE DOUBLED DOWN: “The President wasn’t criticizing predecessors, but stating a fact,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement. “When American heroes make the ultimate sacrifice, presidents pay their respects. Sometimes they call, sometimes they send a letter, other times they have the opportunity to meet family members in person. This President, like his predecessors, has done each of these. Individuals claiming former Presidents, such as their bosses, called each family of the fallen, are mistaken.”
Sanders appears to be hanging her rebuttal on the argument that not each and every family has been called by the president in the past. No details were provided on how many families Trump has called during his time in office. Trump’s statement marked his first public comments on the deaths, which had occurred 12 days earlier.
THE RUNDOWN
Military Times: Pentagon says Iraqi train-and-equip mission could end if attacks on Kurds continue
Foreign Policy: If Trump wants to confront Iran, he should start in Kirkuk
Military.com: Death Toll In Puerto Rico At 48 As Trump Eases Up On Pullout Threat
New York Times: U.S. evacuation drills in South Korea heighten fears of military action
Reuters: North Korea warns states: Don’t join any U.S. action and you’re safe
Wall Street Journal: EU foreign ministers agree to stand by Iran nuclear deal
Defense One: How the U.S. Air Force made its ISR network cheaper to run and easier to upgrade
Task and Purpose: Is the nuclear sub the U.S. sent to South Korea packing Navy SEALs?
Navy Times: Influential congressman calls on Navy to extend lives of oldest cruisers
War on the Rocks: Deadly overconfidence: Trump thinks missile defenses work against North Korea, and that should scare you
Stars and Stripes: Octopus skin holds promise as combat camouflage model of the future
USNI News: U.S. Navy won’t upgrade USS Fitzgerald to baseline 9 Aegis combat system
Roll Call: Word on the Hill: Moulton flashes back to ‘Basic Instinct’ uproar in Iraq
UPI: Marines test system to 3D-print spare parts in the field
DefenseTech: Last C-130H leaves Air Force’s active-duty inventory
Calendar
TUESDAY | OCT. 17
7:30 a.m. 300 1st St. SE. Breakfast series with Lt. Gen. Arnold Bunch, military deputy at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition. afa.org
11 a.m. Pentagon auditorium BH650. Dana White, the assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs and Michael Rhodes, director of administration and management, talk about the director’s cut of PBS’s “The Vietnam War” with Ken Burns and Lynn Novick.
11:15 a.m. 1700 Army Navy Dr. NDIA Washington, D.C. chapter defense leaders forum luncheon with Vice Adm. Robert Burke, deputy chief of naval operations for manpower, personnel, training and education. ndia.org
12:15 p.m. 1211 Connecticut Ave. NW. The diplomacy of decolonization and United Nations peacekeeping during the Congo Crisis of 1960-1964. stimson.org
2:30 p.m. Hart 216. Open hearing on the nomination of Christopher Sharpley to be the inspector general of the Central Intelligence Agency. intelligence.senate.gov
7 p.m. President Trump will speak to the Heritage Foundation’s annual President’s Club meetings. heritage.org
WEDNESDAY | OCT. 18
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. A book talk with Sir Lawrence Freedman about “The Future of War: A History.” csis.org
12 p.m. 1030 15th St. NW. Kevan Harris on Iran from below and findings from the Iran social survey. atlanticcouncil.org
3 p.m. 529 14th St. NW. The KRG independence referendum and regional realities with Arshad Al-Salihi, the Iraqi Turkmen Front leader and a member of the Iraq Parliament; James F. Jeffrey, former U.S. ambassador to Turkey and Iraq; and Lukman Faily, former Iraqi ambassador to the U.S. press.org
7:15 p.m. 529 14th St. NW. Adm. Kurt Tidd, commander of U.S. Southern Command, speaks about the challenges and opportunities in Latin America and the Caribbean. press.org
THURSDAY | OCT. 19
8 a.m. 529 14th St. NW. Open Architecture Summit 2017 with a keynote speech by William Bray, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy. openarchitecturesummit.com
9:30 a.m. Dirksen G-50. Roles and responsibilities for defending the nation from cyber attack with Kenneth Rapuano, assistant secretary of defense. armed-services.senate.gov
12:15 p.m. 1211 Connecticut Ave. NW. The fait accompli in the 21st century security landscape: From Crimea to Doklam to the Spratly Islands. stimson.org
3 p.m. 1030 15th St. NW. A strategy for the trans-Pacific century: Final report of the Atlantic Council’s Asia-Pacific strategy task force. atlanticcouncil.org
3 p.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE. The North Korean nuclear challenge and international response. heritage.org
FRIDAY | OCT. 20
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. Global leaders forum with H.E. Florence Parly, France’s minister for the armed forces. csis.org
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. How Jihadism ends: Comparing state strategies toward violent extremism in Kenya and Uganda. csis.org
1:30 p.m. 529 14th St. NW. The way forward on Iran policy with a keynote speech by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. press.org
MONDAY | OCT. 23
12 p.m. 6715 Commerce St. 20th Annual Systems Engineering Conference with Vice Adm. Paul Grosklags, head of Naval Air Systems Command. ndia.org
TUESDAY | OCT. 24
7:45 a.m. 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd. Precision Strike Technology Symposium with Vice Adm. Mat Winter, F-35 program executive officer, and Gen. Stephen Wilson, vice chief of staff of the Air Force. ndia.org
8 a.m. 100 Westgate Circle. 22nd Annual Expeditionary Warfare Conference with Lt. Gen. Bob Hedelund, commanding general of the II Marine Expeditionary Force, and Vice Adm. Kevin Scott, director of Joint Staff force development. ndia.org
11 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Securing democracy: The history of foreign election interference. csis.org
