DEMS’ NATIONAL SECURITY NIGHT: On day three of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, the lineup was long on national security luminaries, but short on any new specifics on how a President Hillary Clinton would handle the challenges facing the nation. But that was the point of the evening, not to contrast Clinton not with President Obama, but rather with Donald Trump. From former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, to Vice President Joe Biden, to the commander in chief himself, the night was filled with one-liners designed to make a single argument: Hillary Clinton is not Donald Trump.
OBAMA: “Donald Trump calls our military a disaster. Apparently, he doesn’t know the men and women who make up the strongest fighting force the world has ever known. He suggests America is weak. He must not hear the billions of men and women and children, from the Baltics to Burma, who still look to America to be the light of freedom and dignity and human rights. He cozies up to Putin, praises Saddam Hussein, tells our NATO allies that stood by our side after 9/11 that they have to pay up if they want our protection.”
BIDEN: “The times are too uncertain to elect Donald Trump as President of the United States. Now let me finish. No major party, no major party nominee in the history of this nation has ever known less, has been less prepared to deal with our national security.”
PANETTA: “In an unstable world, we cannot afford unstable leadership. We cannot afford someone who believes America should withdraw from the world, threatens our international treaties and violates our moral principles. We cannot afford an erratic finger on our nuclear weapons.”
Clinton made a surprise appearance at the end of the evening, walking on stage smiling to give Obama a warm hug. She speaks tonight as the DNC wraps up.
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COOPERATION OR CAPITULATION? Donald Trump once again was able to drive the day’s debate, with his apparent invitation to Russian hackers to have a go at finding the 30,000 emails Hillary Clinton deleted from her private server, an off-the-cuff comment that some outlets described as “tongue in cheek.” Trump himself later described his remarks as “sarcastic.” But critics immediately condemned Trump for allegedly urging a foreign power to conduct espionage against his political opponent. It’s unlikely hackers could find the emails, given that FBI investigator couldn’t and they had full access to Clinton’s servers, and her lawyers destroyed them “in such a way as to preclude complete forensic recovery.” Meanwhile Trump’s running mate Mike Pence took a different tone.
But another comment from Trump’s new conference in Miami alarmed many foreign policy experts, because it seemed to signal, if elected, Trump would make major concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Asked if he would recognize Crimea as Russian territory, Trump responded, “We’ll be looking at that. Yeah, we’ll be looking.” He also repeated his position that he would condition U.S. support of NATO allies on their payment of financial obligations, and once again repeated his desire for warm relations with the autocratic Russian leader. “I hope that we get along great with Putin,” he said, adding “I hope he likes me.”
NOT GONNA HAPPEN: In the wake of Trump’s “invitation” to Russia hackers, Rep. David Cicilline, a Democrat, urged Obama to bar Trump from sensitive intelligence. But Director of National Intelligence James Clapper has made it clear that classified briefings will be provided to the nominees of both major parties, regardless of whether they would qualify for a security clearance under other circumstances. To do otherwise, he says, would introduce politics into the process.
HAPPILY NEVER AFTER: Majority Whip John Cornyn said Wednesday that the Obama administration created a “fairy tale” to get the Iran deal approved, and that now, briefings show it’s even more dangerous than lawmakers thought, reports Kelly Cohen. “Unfortunately, we’re only now beginning to see the full extent of the administration’s deception,” Cornyn wrote in an op-ed.
RECRUITING REFORMS: This morning Defense Secretary Ash Carter is heading to a military entrance processing station outside of Chicago to see how the current process works and talk with officials there to implement reforms like computerizing entrance paperwork, a part of the next steps in his Force of the Future initiative. Later in the day, Carter will head to Navy boot camp at Naval Station Great Lakes where he’ll talk to both drill sergeants and new recruits about ways to improve the process.
WHAT’S NEXT?: Carter was at Fort Bragg, N.C., yesterday speaking with troops from the XVIII Airborne Corps who are about to deploy to Kuwait to join the fight against the Islamic State. While Carter told troops that their military mission is critical to defeating the terrorist group, the secretary also stressed that international rebuilding efforts to stabilize areas after the Islamic State has been defeated can’t “lag behind” the military pushes in Mosul and Raqqa.
We also caught up with Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend on the tarmac at Pope Field as Carter was getting ready to leave North Carolina. Townsend said he expects his troops in the XVIII Airborne to bring “fresh eyes” and new ideas to the ISIS fight.
THAT OTHER WAR: Afghanistan is not exactly the forgotten war, but with the Islamic State on the rise there, the conflict is assuming a higher profile these days. This morning, the top commander of U.S. and NATO troops, Gen. John Nicholson, will brief reporters at the Pentagon live from Kabul. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for an attack in the Afghan capital Saturday, in which 80 people were killed and more than 200 wounded.
ON THE KOREAN FRONT: South Korea’s Vice Minister of National Defense Hwang In-Moo was at the Pentagon yesterday. The No. 2 met with his counterpart Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work. A Pentagon statement says the two discussed “continuing cooperation” to counter North Korea, and that Work reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to defend South Korea. Meanwhile AP reports that North Korea’s top diplomat for U.S. affairs says Washington “crossed the red line” and effectively declared war by putting leader Kim Jong Un on its list of sanctioned individuals.”
TURKEY WORRIES: The continuing crackdown by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his political opponents and news media outlets has NATO allies increasingly concerned. Reuters reports nearly 1,700 military personnel have now been dismissed and more than 130 media outlets closed. “I think that we would see this as a continuation of what I’ve talked about is a troubling trend in Turkey where official bodies, law enforcement and judicial, are being used to discourage legitimate political recourse,” State Department spokesman John Kirby said yesterday.
Q2 EARNINGS: Boeing, Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics all gave their earnings calls yesterday. Raytheon’s is coming today.
THE RUNDOWN
Breaking Defense: F-35A Looks A Lock For IOC OK; CAS As Good As F-16
Task and Purpose: The Military Is Losing Air Superiority Because Pilots Aren’t Flying Enough
Defense News: India Awards $1 Billion Contract to Boeing for Four P-8I Aircraft
UPI: Raytheon launches NSA-approved ethernet encryption system
Military.com: Marines Look to Ease Strain on Special Operators in Middle East
Defense One: France, ISIS and the Fragile Unity of a Nation Under Attack
Military Times: U.S. combat adviser mission in Iraq expands to battalion level
Fox News: Ex-Guantanamo detainee who went missing in Uruguay reappears in Venezuela
Wall Street Journal: Afghan Special Forces Feeling Not So Special Anymore
War on the Rocks: What if a U.S.-Russian deal in Syria goes exactly as planned?
Daily Beast: Assad and Putin’s Sick Strategy Bombing Hospitals
Reuters: Mortar, bombing in Baghdad kill six, including four children
Stars and Stripes: Rising seas threaten to swamp US military bases by 2050
Calendar
THURSDAY | JULY 28
11 a.m. Pentagon Briefing Room. Army Gen. John Nicholson, commander, Resolute Support and United States Forces – Afghanistan, briefs the media live via Skype. Live streamed at defense.gov
12 p.m. 2001 Market St., Philadelphia. Sen. Chris Coons, Rep. Adam Schiff, Clinton campaign senior adviser Jake Sullivan discuss the Democratic vision for national security at a Politico Hub event. Livestream here.
FRIDAY | JULY 29
9 a.m. 1150 17th St. NW. AEI hosts Marine Lt. Gen. Jon Davis and Air Force Lt. Gen. (ret.) David Deptula to discuss the readiness crisis in Marine Aviation. aei.org
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. CSIS hosts Lt. Gen. Trey Obering to discuss how fewer resources, more responsibilities, and a growing budget squeeze affects the Missile Defense Agency. csis.org
MONDAY | AUGUST 1
1:30 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. CSIS hosts a panel to discuss religious extremism in Africa and how states and non-state actors are responding. csis.org
