As this budget crisis is averted, another one on military spending waits

THE NEXT BUDGET BATTLE: Last night’s deal simply draws the battlelines for what could be an even bigger political battle over defense dollars. Once the current appropriations legislation is put to bed, Congress will turn its focus toward Trump’s first full year defense budget. Trump has pledged an historic military buildup and proposed smashing through the defense budget caps often called sequestration by $54 billion.

The president’s plan faces big hurdles on Capitol Hill. First, it is unlikely to gather the 60 votes needed in the Senate to repeal the sequester caps, as Sen. Lindsey Graham recently pointed out. So lawmakers will be faced with the hard lift of negotiating a deal to raise the limits. Congress managed such a deal two years ago. But Trump wants to slash the State Department budget by 28 percent and make deep cuts to domestic programs. That is a non-starter with Democrats, who will almost certainly want increases in domestic spending in return for more defense dollars. A detailed White House budget is expected this month, which will jumpstart debate and could lead to more shutdown showdowns this fall.

THE EXAMINER INTERVIEW: Trump sat down with the Washington Examiner’s Salena Zito in which he discussed the unrelenting demands of the job, the burden of making life-and-death decisions, and his belief that his ability to build relationships will help him make progress on problems the previous administration found intractable.

On firing cruise missiles into Syria: “I legitimized President Obama’s red line in the sand,” he says. “Which we had to do. I mean, somebody had to do it. It is a hard decision. You don’t know what is going to happen,” once the missiles are fired. “Is one of them going to go haywire and end up in a city or in a town and kill a lot of people? But it was an important decision. Not an easy decision to make. Because you know, when you say ‘yes,’ there is death.”

On Chinese President Xi Jinping: “President Xi of China, who I think is a very good person, wants the best for his people… I think he is a fantastic person. Now, maybe he won’t do anything for the United States or maybe he will. But I think he is a very good person, and my opinion of that won’t change.

“I think he is going to try to help us with North Korea. Because he does not want to see us wanting to attack North Korea. And I think he would love to see if he could work something out.”

On his workday: “It’s a very intensive process, Really intense. I get up to bed late and I get up early. When I was doing many real estate deals at one time, I always thought that was going to be more comprehensive and lengthier than a day like this. It’s not.”

On what keeps him up at night: “Not much … I don’t sleep but, then again, I never did.”

Good Monday 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.

SOLDIER KILLED IN MOSUL IDENTIFIED: The Pentagon has identified a U.S. Army paratrooper killed by an improvised explosive device while serving in Iraq. 1st Lt. Weston Lee, 25, of Bluffton, Ga., a member of the 82nd Airborne Division, died while on patrol outside of Mosul, his division said in a statement Sunday. Specifically he was serving as an infantry officer assigned to 1st Battalion, 325th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.

FRIENDLY FIRE INVESTIGATION: The U.S. military is investigating a possible fratricide in Afghanistan that occurred last Wednesday night when Afghan National Security Forces along with U.S. Army Rangers conducted a night raid in Nangarhar province, targeting a key ISIS-Khorasan leader. The deaths came in a fierce three-hour firefight, in which U.S. airstrikes were called in. The U.S. says the combined forces killed several high-level ISIS-K leaders and upwards of 35 enemy fighters.

“The families and fellow Rangers of Sgt. Joshua “Josh” Rodgers and Sgt. Cameron Thomas have my respect and sympathies,” Mattis said in a statement Friday.  “Fighting alongside their Afghan partners, Josh and Cameron proved themselves willing to go into danger and impose a brutal cost on enemies in their path. They carried out their operation against ISIS-K in Afghanistan before making the ultimate sacrifice to defend our nation and our freedoms. Our nation owes them an irredeemable debt, and we give our deepest condolences to their families.”

HAPPENING TODAY: CIA Director Mike Pompeo is in South Korea today for what the U.S. embassy describes as internal meetings with U.S. and South Korean officials over the North Korean situation.

NORTH KOREA MISSILE FAILURE: North Korea test-fired another ballistic missile, the South Korean military said Friday, the latest in a series of recent provocations from Kim Jong Un’s regime. The missile launched from an area north of Pyongyang and exploded seconds after launch, the South Korean military said. The U.S. military also said the missile broke up mid-flight over land.

The White House said it was aware of the missile test and that Trump has been briefed. Trump scolded North Korea for being “Bad!” after the launch, and said Kim had “disrespected” China and its “highly respected” president.

ANTI-NORTH KOREA COALITION: White House chief of staff Reince Priebus touted Trump work to assemble a coalition of countries in the Asian-Pacific rim who are ready and willing to work with the U.S. to put pressure on the North Korean regime. “We’ve got a president that means business,” Priebus said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” “Working with China to put pressure on North Korea, working with our allies. Yesterday, he had a conversation with the president of the Philippines. Today, he’ll talk to Singapore and Thailand. He keeps in close contact with the president in Japan, President [Shinzo] Abe. This is a mission-driven president who spends a lot of time talking to allies and talking with our experts.”

Also Sunday, news came out that Trump invited the leaders of Thailand and Singapore the the White House amid growing tensions over North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. Trump talked on the phone with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha of Thailand and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore, according to the White House.

THE ANTI-WAR POPE: Pope Francis says the U.S. is unnecessarily escalating a confrontation with North Korea, saying “things have gotten too hot.” If a war were to break out, it could have catastrophic consequences leading to the destruction of “a good part of humanity and culture,” the pope said this weekend while departing Egypt for Rome. “We are talking about the future of humanity. Today, a widespread war would destroy — I would not say half of humanity — but a good part of humanity, and of culture, everything, everything,” he said. “It would be terrible. I don’t think that humanity today would be able to withstand it.”

DUTERTE’S INVITE: Trump had a “very friendly” call with Rodrigo Duterte, the brash Filipino president who declared a desire for “separation” from the United States in favor of China last year. “President Trump also invited President Duterte to the White House to discuss the importance of the the United States-Philippines alliance, which is now heading in a very positive direction,” the White House press office said in a readout of the call.

Duterte’s attacks on then-President Obama startled the State Department, especially when they culminated in his stated interest in abandoning the U.S. alliance in favor of a new relationship with Russia and China. That would have been a major strategic development, as the Philippines is a former U.S. colony that overlooks one of the largest shipping lanes in the world, which China is trying to claim as sovereign territory.

But it’s Duterte’s alleged role in state-sanctioned killing of accused drug dealers that has many critics fuming. Former U.S. attorney Preet Bharara, fired by Trump, tweeted yesterday, “Admin attacks crime approach of NYC — America’s safest large city — then invites admitted killer, Philippine Pres Duterte, to White House.”

MCMASTER CLARIFIES: Trump’s national security adviser H.R. McMaster asserted that a report mischaracterized his words about who will pay for the U.S.-provided anti-missile defense system being deployed in South Korea. Reuters reported that McMaster, during a Sunday phone call with his South Korean counterpart, Kim Kwan-jin, said the U.S. will abide by their prior bilateral agreement and pay for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system being installed in South Korea in response to North Korean aggression. That could contradict what Trump said recently. The news outlet said it learned of the substance of the call from South Korea’s presidential office, and did not provide any quotes.

However, on “Fox News Sunday,” McMaster said the Reuters report was wrong. “The last thing I would ever do is contradict the president of the United States,” McMaster said. “That’s not what it was. In fact, what I told our South Korean counterpart is until any re-negotiation that the deal is in place, we will adhere to our word.” He said the U.S. is looking for “appropriate burden-sharing, responsibility-sharing” in South Korea, as it is in NATO.

RUSSIA’S TARGETING OF SYRIAN CIVILIANS: The Institute for the Study of War says the U.S. cruise missile attack April 6 may have deterred Syria from using chemical weapons against its own citizens, but it has had no effect on what the group calls “Russia’s unrelenting attacks on Syrian civilians.”

“Local reports indicate Russia regularly used incendiary munitions and bunker buster munitions in Idlib and Aleppo provinces in order to inflict mass casualties on the population in rebel-held terrain following the U.S. strike. Russian airstrikes also targeted local civilian infrastructure from April 4-25, including hospitals, schools, mosques, and civil defense centers across Syria. Russia continually targeted Khan Shaykhoun, the site of the regime’s chemical attack on April 4,” the ISW reports this morning.

GORKA LEAVING THE WHITE HOUSE: Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to Trump, will soon accept a position outside the White House, two sources told the Washington Examiner on Sunday. Gorka’s new role will deal with the “war of ideas” involved in countering radical Islamic extremism, a senior administration official said, and will entail an appointment to a federal agency.

Gorka has served for months on the Strategic Initiatives Group, an internal organization within the White House, and as a national security adviser. His exit from the White House comes amid increased speculation that a reported lack of a security clearance prevented him from fully performing in his job. But a source said Gorka’s role in SIG was always meant to be temporary, and suggested he had been placed there while administration officials created a terrorism-related position for him elsewhere in the government. An official said Gorka has been in a “holding pattern” while he waited for the position, which will not be at the State Department, to be established.

THE RUNDOWN:

Washington Post: In White House, Mattis Emerges As Top Voice On National Security Issues

Politico: McCain on pre-emptive strike on North Korea: ‘We have to consider that option’

Reuters: Defiant North Korea hints at nuclear tests to boost force ‘to the maximum’

Associated Press: N. Korea missile fears in Japan: ‘Whatever will be, will be’

Military.com: Turkey threatens more strikes on US-allied Syrian Kurds

New York Times: Turkey purges 4,000 more officials, and blocks Wikipedia

Associated Press: Pentagon: 45 civilians killed by coalition strikes

Wall Street Journal: Estonia leads the way in NATO’s cyberdefense

Reuters: Iraqi commander says to complete capture of Mosul in May

USA Today: U.S. fight against ISIS has killed 352 civilians

Stars and Stripes: Marines take over advising mission in Helmand

New York Times: Trump’s ‘very friendly’ talk with Duterte stuns aides and critics alike

Military Times: Jim Mattis has ordered the Pentagon to cut wait times for combat valor awards

Washington Post: Grim Take On Efforts In Afghanistan

Military Times: Opinion: More U.S. troops might turn the tide of war in Afghanistan

NBC: Russia’s Military Buildup In Arctic Has U.S. Watching Closely

Calendar

MONDAY | MAY 1

10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Three former Japan defense ministers discuss the country’s strategy toward the Trump administration. csis.org

12 p.m. 1030 15th St. NW. Trump’s first 100 days and what is next. atlanticcouncil.org

12:30 p.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Sen. Todd Young discusses whether it is time for Congress to pass an ISIS-specific AUMF. heritage.org

2 p.m. Pentagon Briefing Room. Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Dana White; Elizabeth Van Winkle, performing the duties of assistant secretary of defense for readiness; Navy Rear Adm. Ann Burkhardt, director, Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office; and Dr. Nate Galbreath, deputy director, SAPRO, brief reporters.

TUESDAY | MAY 2

8 a.m. 300 First St. SE. A discussion with Vice Adm. Charles Richard, vice commander of U.S. Strategic Command, about nuclear deterrence.

8:30 a.m. 1401 Pennsylvania Ave. Sasakawa USA’s fourth annual security forum with former Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Itsunori Onodera, former Japan minister of defense. spfusa.org

9:30 a.m. Dirksen G50. Gen. Darren W. McDew, commander of U.S. Transportation Command, testifies. armed-services.senate.gov

10 a.m. Dirksen 419. Consideration of the nomination of Terry Branstad to be ambassador to China. foreign.senate.gov

11 a.m. Rayburn building foyer. Missile Defense Day exhibit. ndia.org

11 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. The future of U.S. seapower with Rep. Rob Wittman and Rep. Joe Courtney. csis.org

2:30 p.m. Dirksen 124. U.S. European Command theater assessment and European Reassurance Initiative progress. appropriations.senate.gov

3:30 p.m. Rayburn. 2118. Overview of the annual report on sexual harassment and violence at the military service academies. armedservices.house.gov

WEDNESDAY | MAY 3

8:30 a.m. 1201 M St. SE. Systems engineering division meeting. ndia.org

9:30 a.m. 1307 L St. NW. Nicholas Rasmussen, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, and others discuss new terrorism threats and counterterrorism strategies. cnas.org

10:30 a.m. Dirksen 192. A review of defense innovation and research funding. appropriations.senate.gov

11 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. On America’s Arctic frontline: A conversation with Adm. Paul Zukunft, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. csis.org

2 p.m. House Visitor Center 210. Findings of the bipartisan Task Force on Combatting Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel. homeland.house.gov

2:30 p.m. Russell 222. Building a F.A.S.T. Force, a flexible personnel system for a modern military. armed-services.senate.gov

3:30 p.m. Rayburn 2118. Rear Adm. John P. Neagley, program executive officer for Navy littoral combat ships, and Rear Adm. Ronald Boxxall, director of Navy surface warfare, testify about littoral combat ships and the transition to frigate class. armedservices.house.gov

THURSDAY | MAY 4

9 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW. John Negroponte, former secretary of state, discusses a new strategy for U.S. engagement in Central America. atlanticcouncil.org

9:30 a.m. 901 17th St. NW. A conversation with Gen. Mark Milley, Army chief of staff. atlanticcouncil.org

9:30 a.m. Dirksen G50. Testimony by Gen. Raymond Thomas III, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, and Theresa Whelan, acting assistant secretary of defense for special operations. armed-services.senate.gov

1 p.m. House Visitors Center 304. Closed hearing on ongoing intelligence activities. intelligence.house.gov

MONDAY | MAY 8

8 a.m. 529 14th St. NW. Breakfast roundtable with Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations. press.org

9:30 a.m. Senate Visitor’s Center 212/10. Discussion with Maj. Gen. Peter Gersten, director of strategic plans for the Office of the Deputy Air Force Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Requirements, and others about space access. mitchellaerospacepower.org

9:30 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW. A strategic look at U.S. Pacific Command with Adm. Harry Harris. atlanticcouncil.org