‘PEACE … WITHOUT LOSING OUR GREAT, YOUNG SOLDIERS’: In a town hall broadcast on ABC last night, President Trump called U.S. involvement in the Middle East “the worst decision in the history of our country.”
“We’ve spent $8 trillion, and we’ve lost thousands of lives — but really millions of lives because I view both sides,” Trump said in the forum moderated by ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. “Millions of lives. This was the worst decision.”
“We’ve been in there 20 years — almost 20 years in Afghanistan, I guess. It’s getting very close to that. It’s over 19,” Trump said. “I’m bringing our troops back from Afghanistan. I’m bringing our troops back from Iraq. We’re almost out of almost every place.”
U.S. Central Commander Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie announced this month that the U.S. will cut force levels from 5,200 troops to 3,000 in Iraq and from 8,600 to approximately 4,500 troops in Afghanistan by Election Day.
‘WE MARK THE DAWN OF A NEW MIDDLE EAST’: Trump touted the historic accords signed at the White House earlier in the day between Israel and two Arab neighbors, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, both close U.S. military allies in the region.
“What happened today with UAE and with Bahrain and with Israel, people don’t even believe it,” Trump said. “And George, as sure as you’re sitting there, I have numerous other countries in that region that are going to be signing very soon also.”
“You’ll have peace in the Middle East, and this is without war and without losing — and I’m talking about on both sides — but without losing our great, young soldiers.”
“After decades of division and conflict, we mark the dawn of a new Middle East,” Trump retweeted earlier in the day. In a sit-down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump called the diplomatic accords “peace in the Middle East without blood all over the sand.”
“Right now, it’s been blood all over the sand for decades and decades and decades. That’s all they do is they fight and kill people, and nobody gets anything,” Trump said, arguing that as more countries cement ties with Israel, the Palestinians will also fall into line. “And the Palestinians will absolutely be a member. I don’t say that with any bravado. I just tell you: The Palestinians will be a member at the right time.”
CALL FOR ARMS: Under a 2008 U.S. law, America is obligated to ensure that Israel remains the dominant military power in the Middle East by providing U.S. arms and technology to maintain its “qualitative military edge,” or QME.
In a morning interview with Fox and Friends, Trump made it clear he’s anxious to sell Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter jets to the UAE, which Israel has opposed on the grounds that it would upset the balance of military power in the region.
“I would have no problem in selling them the F-35. I would have absolutely no problem. I view it as an asset, not a liability,” Trump told Fox, describing the Gulf states as “very wealthy countries. … Some are extraordinarily, like UAE.” “Selling our stuff is good for our country in one way,” he added.
On Monday, a senior administration official confirmed that the sale of F-35s to the UAE is under consideration but insisted “it would only be done if Israel’s security wasn’t put at risk.”
Netanyahu reportedly came to the signing ceremony with an $8 billion shopping list of weapons sales he would like Trump to facilitate before the election. According to Breaking Defense, Netanyahu asked for 12 Boeing V-22s, another squadron of F-35s to bring the total to 75, and the very early delivery of two Boeing KC-46A aerial refueling jets.
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HAPPENING TODAY: Defense Secretary Mark Esper delivers remarks at the final day of the Air Force Association’s Virtual 2020 Air, Space, & Cyber Conference at 10 a.m. Esper’s remarks will be livestreamed at https://www.defense.gov/Watch/Live.
Other speakers today include Gen. Arnold Bunch, commander, Air Force Materiel Command; Lt. Gen. Richard Scobee, chief, Air Force Reserve; Lt. Gen. Michael Loh, director, Air National Guard; and Maj. Gen. John Shaw, commander, Space Operations Command, U.S. Space Force. Full agenda here.
ALSO TODAY: California Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier and Oklahoma Republican Rep. Markwayne Mullin are introducing the bipartisan I Am Vanessa Guillen Act in honor of the late Spec. Vanessa Guillen and survivors of sexual violence in the military.
Guillen went missing from Fort Hood, Texas, in April. Her remains were found in July, one of a series of murders and disappearances under investigation at the Army base.
“The bill responds to resounding calls for change by revolutionizing the military’s response to missing servicemembers and reports of sexual harassment and sexual assault by making sexual harassment a crime within the Uniform Code of Military Justice and moving prosecution decisions of sexual assault and sexual harassment cases out of the chain of command,” said a press release from Speier’s office.
The Guillen family and its attorney will take part in a noon news conference, along with six co-sponsors of the bill.
REUTERS INVESTIGATES: A just-published investigation by Reuters finds that U.S. troops battling racism report a high barrier to justice.
“In the U.S. military, troops outnumber civilian employees 2 to 1. But civilians file far more discrimination complaints. Service members say there’s a reason: The Equal Opportunity process is fraught with risks for warriors, and it helps mask the full extent of racial discrimination in the armed forces,” the report concludes.
Data obtained by Reuters show that service members rarely file formal EO complaints. “Many service members … say the EO process is often a dead end, resulting in little action, or worse, backfiring on the complainant. That’s because filing an EO complaint is often viewed as an act of defiance in the military, they say.”
TRUMP’S MATTIS BASHING CONTINUES: In both his morning Fox interview and his evening ABC News town hall session, Trump continued to unload on former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who he continues to insist he fired, even though Mattis claims he handed in his prewritten letter of resignation before Trump asked for it.
“Mattis was a highly overrated general, didn’t do a good job, didn’t do good on ISIS,” Trump said last night. “He didn’t resign. I said give me a letter. No more, give me a letter. I was being nice. One of the problems when you’re nice — oftentimes, it comes back to hit you. I said, Jim, give me a letter. It’s time for you to move on.”
On Fox in the morning, Trump essentially confirmed an account in Bob Woodward’s previous book, Fear, in which he reported that after a 2017 chemical attack in Syria, Trump called Mattis and suggested assassinating Syrian leader Bashar Assad, saying, “Let’s fucking kill him!” Mattis reportedly hung up the phone and told a senior aide, “We’re not going to do any of that. … We’re going to be much more measured.”
“I would have rather taken him out. I had him all set. Mattis didn’t want to do it.” Trump told Fox and Friends. “I had a shot to take him out if I wanted, and Mattis was against it. Mattis was against most of that stuff. He’d keep you in … but he didn’t know how to win.”
BOLTON WAS THE BAD COP: On ABC, Trump also trashed his former national security adviser, John Bolton, who like Mattis has called Trump unfit for office. “All he wanted to do was blow people up. He wanted to go to war with everybody,” Trump said, while arguing he used Bolton’s warmongering as a negotiating tool.
“Frankly, I used him very nicely. I’d bring him on a negotiation. When people saw him, they said, ‘Oh, wow, he’s going to go to war.’”
IRAN WANTS BIDEN: Trump also argued that Iran is biding its time hoping Democrat Joe Biden gets elected and the U.S. rejoins the 2015 Iran nuclear deal negotiated under President Barack Obama.
“They’re dying to make a deal, but they want to see what happens in the election. I said you should wait. Why don’t you wait to see what happens in the election,” Trump said on Fox, insisting that once Iran’s leaders realize they’ll have to deal with him, not Biden, they’ll quickly cave.
“We’ll have a deal with Iran within one month, and it will be a really good deal for the United States because they have no choice. But if Biden got in, they’ll all, they’ll just take — they’ll take our guts out.”
EXPANDING WAR AGAINST AL SHABAAB: After a deadly January attack on a military base in Kenya that killed a U.S. soldier and two American contractors, the U.S. Africa Command is asking for new authorities to carry out armed drone strikes against al Shabaab fighters who are using Kenya as a sanctuary for cross-border attacks into Somalia, according to the New York Times.
“The new authorities, which must still be approved by Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper and then President Trump, do not necessarily mean the United States will start carrying out drone attacks in Kenya,” the New York Times said. “Nevertheless, they would give Africa Command permission under certain circumstances to expand the counterterrorism drone war into another country.”
The American Civil Liberties Union released a statement opposing the idea. “This expansion of the American lethal strikes program would be unlawful and an escalation of the ‘endless war’ approach that President Trump claims he wants to end,” said Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU’s National Security Project. “Any such U.S. move would likely cause harm to civilians, as it has in multiple other countries.”
The Rundown
Washington Examiner: Rockets fired from Gaza as Israel peace treaties signed at White House, two injured in attack
Washington Examiner: New Army unit tools African militaries fighting terrorists in Mali
Washington Examiner: ‘I had him all set’: Trump says he wanted to kill Assad, but Mattis opposed it
Washington Examiner: Pompeo touts end of Palestinian ‘veto’ over Arab-Israeli ties
Washington Examiner: Iranian threat against US ambassador forewarns a ‘Benghazi moment’ in run-up to 2020 election
Washington Examiner: Alexei Navalny pictured for first time since ‘poisoning,’ plans to return to Russia
Washington Examiner: ‘Easily solvable problem’: Jon Stewart says Republicans are ignoring veterans on healthcare
The Capitol: Naval Academy Reports At Least 14 Coronavirus Cases Involving Midshipmen, Staff In A Month
Reuters: U.S. troops battling racism report high barrier to justice
New York Times: U.S. Military Seeks Authority to Expand Counterterrorism Drone War to Kenya
Reuters: China Says Military Drills Near Taiwan Were A ‘Necessary Action’
Stars and Stripes: China Sends Two Aircraft Carriers To Sea As U.S. Conducts Large-Scale Drills Off Guam
Reuters: South Korea Says No Use Of Nuclear Weapons In Joint Operational Plans With U.S.
Stars and Stripes: Navy Pushing For $580 Million For Large Unmanned Ships To Diversify Fleet, Report Says
New York Times: Two Are Accused Of Hacking U.S. Websites With Pro-Iran Messages
Defense News: The U.S. Air Force Has Built And Flown A Mysterious Full-Scale Prototype Of Its Future Fighter Jet
Breaking Defense: Air Force To Train ‘Lead Wings’ For Major Wars; First Test Next Month
McClatchey: Jon Stewart says defense firms should help pay for veterans costs from toxic exposure
The Hill: Coronavirus Creates Delay In Pentagon Research For Alternative To ‘Forever Chemicals,’ Official Says
Bloomberg Government: Pentagon Games Out Climate Change Future While Avoiding The Term
New York Times: Opinion: America Is Going To Decapitate Huawei
Calendar
WEDNESDAY | SEPTEMBER 16
8:30 a.m. — Heritage Foundation webinar: “Japan’s New Leader Faces China Threat and Other Challenges,” with Tobias Harris, senior vice president of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA; Jeffrey Hornung, political scientist at the Rand Corporation; Mireya Solis, chair in Japan studies at the Brookings Institution; and Bruce Klingner, senior research fellow for Northeast Asia at Heritage. https://www.heritage.org/asia/event/virtual-event
9 a.m. — National Democratic Institute webinar: “Democracy, Technology and China: U.S. Strategy for Innovation in the 21st Century,” with Senate Intelligence Vice Chair Mark Warner, D-Va.; former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, chairman of NDI; and Derek Mitchell, president of NDI. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register
10 a.m. — Defense Secretary Mark Esper delivers remarks to the Air Force Association’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference webcast. https://www.afa.org/events
10 a.m. 2172 Rayburn — House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing: “Why did the Trump Administration Fire the State Department Inspector General?” with Undersecretary of State for Management Brian Bulatao; Acting State Department Legal Adviser Marik String; and Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs R. Clarke Cooper. https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearings
11 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies webcast: “The Eisenhower Legacy in Space,” with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine; Susan Eisenhower, CEO and chairman of the Eisenhower Group; and Todd Harrison, director of the CSIS Aerospace Security Project. https://www.csis.org/events/online-event
12 p.m. House Triangle, U.S. Capitol — Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif.; and Rep. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., hold a news conference to introduce legislation to address the military’s response to sexual violence and missing servicemembers. https://www.facebook.com/JackieSpeier
1 p.m. — Center for Security Policy webinar: “An American Voter’s Guide to National Security Issues, 2020,” with David Satter, senior fellow, the Hudson Institute; and J. Michael Waller, senior analyst for Strategy at the Center for Security Policy. https://register.gotowebinar.com
1 p.m. — Intelligence and National Security Alliance and the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association virtual Intelligence and National Security Summit, with Army Lt. Gen. Bob Ashley, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency; Army Gen. Paul Nakasone, commander of the U.S. Cyber Command and director of the National Security Agency; Christopher Scolese, director, National Reconnaissance Office; and Vice Adm. Bob Sharp, director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; and Johny Sawyer, chief of staff at the Defense Intelligence Agency https://intelsummit.org/
2 p.m. — McCain Institute “Authors & Insights Book Talk Series”: “Foreign Policy Crossroads: Where We Are and How We Got Here,” with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, author of Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st Century Memoir, and Mark Green. https://asu.zoom.us
6 p.m. — Politics and Prose bookstore book discussion webcast on The Spymasters: How the CIA Directors Shape History and the Future, with author Chris Whipple, CEO of CCWHIP Productions. https://www.politics-prose.com/event
7 p.m. — Curious Iguana bookstore online book discussion on The Liberation of Marguerite Harrison: America’s First Female Foreign Intelligence Agent, with author Elizabeth Atwood, associate professor of journalism at Hood College and former Baltimore Sun reporter and editor. https://www.facebook.com/events/593182521367709
THURSDAY | SEPTEMBER 17
8:30 a.m. Hampton Roads, Virginia — Ceremony marking the initial operational capability for NATO’s newest command, Joint Force Command Norfolk, with Gen. Tod Wolters, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Vice Adm. Andrew Lewis, commander, Joint Force Command Norfolk, and leadership from NATO Allied Transformation Command and U.S. Fleet Forces Command.
9:30 a.m. SD-G50 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the budget of the National Nuclear Security Administration, with Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration; Ellen Lord, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment; and Adm. Chas Richard, commander, U.S. Strategic Command. https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings
10 a.m. — Atlantic Council webinar: “Should Europe Go Its Own Way?” focusing on the European Union, with Kateryna Smagliy, division chief at the Hennadii Udovenko Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine; Stephen Walt, professor of international relations at Harvard University; former U.S. Ambassador to Poland Daniel Fried, fellow at the Atlantic Council; former French Ambassador to the United States Gerard Araud; Jacob Heilbrunn, editor of the National Interest; and Benjamin Haddad, director of the Atlantic Council’s Future of Europe Initiative. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/should-europe-go-its-own-way
1 p.m. Rayburn 2118 — House Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Emerging Threats and Capabilities hearing: “Interim Review of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence Effort and Recommendations,” with Eric Schmidt, chairman, National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, Robert Work, vice chairman, National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence; Mignon Clyburn, commissioner, National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence; José-Marie Griffiths, commissioner, National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence. https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings
1 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies webcast: “Information Warfare: U.S. Competition with China,” with Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas; and Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas. https://www.csis.org/events/online-event
1 p.m. — Intelligence and National Security Alliance and the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association virtual Intelligence and National Security Summit, with Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Melvin Carter, intelligence director at the Marine Corps; Space Force Brig. Gen. Leah Lauderback, intelligence director at the Space Force; Army Maj. Gen. Kate Leahy, assistant deputy chief of staff for intelligence at the Army; Air Force Lt. Gen. Mary O’Brien, deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and cyber effects operations at the Air Force; Coast Guard Rear Adm. Andrew Sugimoto, assistant commandant for intelligence at the Coast Guard; and Navy Vice Adm. Jeffrey Trussler, deputy chief of naval operations for information warfare in the Office of the Director of Naval Intelligence; Doug Cossa, deputy CIO of the Defense Intelligence Agency; Sue Dorr, CIO in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence; Army Brig. Gen. Jeth Rey, director of command and control, communications and computer systems at the U.S. Central Command; and Greg Smithberger, CIO director of the National Security Agency Capabilities Directorate. https://intelsummit.org/
FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 18
9:30 a.m. — Atlantic Council webinar: “Belarus and Democracy in Europe,” with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius; Vladimir Kara-Murza, chairman of the Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom; Hanna Liubakova, journalist at Outriders; and Melinda Haring, deputy director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event
MONDAY | SEPTEMBER 21
12 p.m. — Day one of New America and Arizona State University Future Security Forum, a four-day virtual event reimagining national security in the age of COVID-19, with retired Gen. Joseph Votel, former U.S. Central Commander; Michèle Flournoy, former undersecretary of defense for policy; Bonnie Jenkins, founder and president, Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security and Conflict Transformation; Helene Gayle, MD, member, Committee on Equitable Allocation of Vaccine for the Novel Coronavirus, National Academies; Michael Osterholm, director, Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, University of Minnesota. https://www.newamerica.org/conference/future-security-forum-2020/
TUESDAY | SEPTEMBER 22
1 p.m. — Virtual Book launch of Adaptation Under Fire, with co-authors retired Lt. Gen. David Barno and Nora Bensahel, with discussion by Kori Schake, AEI; Karl Mueller, RAND; Richard Lacquement, U.S. Army War College; moderated by Jim Goldgeier. https://global.oup.com/academic/product/adaptation-under-fire
WEDNESDAY | SEPTEMBER 23
9:30 a.m. SD-562, Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support hearing on “Navy and Marine Corps Readiness,” with Navy Secretary Kenneth Braithwaite, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday, and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger. https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings
FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 25
10 a.m. — “Hack at the Harbor” virtual security conference sponsored by Point3 Security, with speakers including Chris Krebs, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Department of Homeland Security. https://hackattheharbor.com/
11:30 a.m. — Approximately 70 World War II aircraft will fly over the Washington Mall in two-minute intervals in historically sequenced warbird formations representing the major World War II battles. More than 20 different types of vintage military aircraft are scheduled to take part, including the P-40 Warhawk, P-39 Airacobra, P-38 Lightning, P-51 Mustang, P-47 Thunderbolt, F4U Corsair, B-25 Mitchell, B-17 Flying Fortress, B-29 Superfortress. https://ww2flyover.org/
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“We’re bringing our soldiers back home … and you know who’s the happiest? The soldiers. I see them all the time. ‘What do you think? Should we be here?’ ‘No, sir, you shouldn’t be here.’ ‘Why?’ ‘They don’t like us, sir.’”
President Trump, speaking at a town hall broadcast on ABC about his plans to end endless wars.
