NATO TO UP ANTE IN IRAQ: Defense Secretary Ash Carter departs Brussels, wrapping up a two-day NATO summit with a news conference at the alliance headquarters, amid late word the alliance plans to do more to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq.
Jacqueline Klimas reports from Brussels that NATO is poised to increase its contributions to the fight against ISIS, including sending trainers to Iraq and providing surveillance from the air. A senior NATO diplomat says officials are “within reach of getting agreement” on the unanimous vote required among members to launch NATO operations against ISIS.
Before leaving, Carter said he still wants more from NATO, beyond what the organization has pledged. “I’d like to see NATO do more. I believe there’s still more NATO can do as I believe there’s more each of us as individual nations can do to hasten the destruction of ISIL.”
At the meetings, Britain, Germany and the United States moved ahead with previously announced plans to each command a battalion across the eastern flank to help deter Russia. After Carter’s NATO news conference this morning, he and his entourage jump into a motorcade for the mad dash to the Brussels airport and an eight-hour flight aboard the E-4B to Joint Base Andrews.
Obama heads to Orlando tomorrow in his role as “comforter in chief,” but not before delivering a sharply critical rebuttal to critics who say he’s sending the wrong message by avoiding the term “radical Islam.” Two other words the president avoided: “Donald Trump.” Obama mocked Trump but referred to him only as the “presumptive Republican nominee,” Nicole Duran reports. Speaking after meeting with his national security team, Obama asked, “What exactly would using this label accomplish? What exactly would it change?”
“Is there a military strategy that is served by this? The answer is, none of the above. Calling a threat by a different name does not make it go away.” Obama dismissed the whole debate as a political distraction. “It’s a political talking point, it’s not a strategy.”
Obama’s trip to Orlando is wreaking havoc with the Pentagon’s plans. Saudi Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman is in town and was supposed to meet the president tomorrow and then accompany Carter on a trip to Norfolk Friday. But with Obama in Florida tomorrow everything is in flux. Looks like Obama may meet with the Saudi deputy crown prince Friday, and the Norfolk trip could be scrapped.
Good Wednesday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre), National Security Writer Jacqueline Klimas (@jacqklimas) 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 for whatever reason, shoot us an email and we’ll be sure to add you to our list.
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CLINTON BEATS SANDERS, LEADS TRUMP: Hillary Clinton won almost 80 percent of the D.C. vote in the final Democratic presidential primary yesterday. And in the latest Bloomberg poll, which includes Libertarian Gary Johnson, Clinton leads Trump by 12 points, 49 percent to 37 percent. Bernie Sanders has not folded his tent yet, though after meeting last night both Clinton and Sanders issued statements saying they talked about “unifying the party and … the dangerous threat that Donald Trump poses to our nation.” For Sanders to take the nomination from Clinton at this point he’d have to flip 70 percent of the super delegates pledged to Clinton, who won more votes, more states, and more pledged delegates.
VETERAN GOP LAWMAKER OUT: Virginia Rep. Randy Forbes lost a primary contest yesterday to state delegate and former Navy SEAL Scott Taylor. Forbes served eight terms in Congress, but was running in a new, redrawn district. He became the third congressman and second Republican to be ousted in a primary this year. In defense circles, Forbes is best known as a powerful advocate for shipbuilding as head of the House Armed Services seapower subcommittee.
NDAA CLEARS HURDLE: The Senate approved the fiscal 2017 National Defense Authorization Act yesterday, sending it to conference to be reconciled with the House version, David Wilkes reports. The Senate version of the $602 billion policy bill includes changes to Pentagon acquisition, requires women to register for the draft, keeps the Obama administration from closing Gitmo and allows the Air Force to keep using Russian-made rockets for satellite launches.
On the appropriations side, the administration threatened to veto the bill because it shifts funds from the warfighting account toward base priorities, Susan Crabtree reports. The House Rules Committee wrapped up its vote of the bill last night with House floor debate scheduled to kick off next.
ORLANDO SHOOTINGS: An Army Reserve captain was among the 49 killed on Sunday in Orlando, the Pentagon confirmed yesterday, David Wilkes reports. Capt. Antonio Davon Brown, 29, was a Florida native. He was a 2008 graduate of Florida A&M where he studied criminal justice and was a member of Army ROTC. In a statement, Carter said “His service both at home and overseas gave his fellow Americans the security to dream their dreams, and live full lives.” Carter called the attack in Orlando “a cowardly assault on those freedoms, and a reminder of the importance of the mission to which Capt. Brown devoted his life.”
TRUMP’S TONE: Republicans hoping Trump would tone down his rhetoric for the general election didn’t get their wish yesterday when he fired off any number of criticisms following the Orlando attacks, David M. Drucker writes. “Trump did propose a vast overhaul of U.S. immigration policy to keep out Muslims and other individuals from countries with a history of terrorism as a means to prevent future domestic attacks. But Trump, beginning within hours of the attack, during Tuesday’s speech and after, specifically blamed Orlando on the incompetence of President Obama and Clinton, who served as his first secretary of state. He twisted certain facts of current U.S. policy to fit his narrative and insinuated that American Muslims are refusing to report terror plotters in their midst.”
BACK AT NATO: The NATO-Ukraine commission met early Wednesday morning to discuss the current security situation as well as how the implementation of defense reforms is going in the country. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said following the meeting that the ministers approved a Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine that will provide advice on command and control, logistics, cyber defense, recovery of wounded warriors, and strengthening civilian control of the military.
On Tuesday, Stoltenberg said the ministers had agreed to take steps to bolster defenses against Russian aggression, including increasing defenses along the Black Sea and sending four multinational battalions to the Baltic. Still, he stressed that NATO is not trying to provoke Russia into a “new Cold War.”
Stoltenberg also addressed Trump’s comments that NATO is now “obsolete in its current form,” noting that thousands of troops from NATO countries lost their lives fighting in Afghanistan — a conflict started when NATO came to the defense of America when Article 5 was invoked after 9/11.
“We are as relevant as ever and we are able to adapt to change in a more dangerous security environment and we are delivering,” Stoltenberg said, though he declined to comment specifically on Trump. “We have many other concerns than the U.S. election campaign.”
Most of the work done during the ministerial will set up final decisions and implementation plans that will be made in less than a month when NATO holds its Warsaw Summit. Jacqueline Klimas, who is traveling with Carter, tells Jamie McIntyre what officials are likely to address there, as well as a rundown of what was discussed during the ministerial, in this podcast.
FIRST TIMER: Montenegro is observing its first NATO defense ministerial in Brussels this week and could be approved to become the 29th member within months, though likely not before the summit in July. In some of the meetings, the official from Montenegro is sitting next to Carter, a senior defense official said.
LANDSCAPING DRONE: While it may not be the most high-tech military drone, the lawns are NATO are kept well-manicured by an unmanned vehicle. The small drone cuts the grass on interior lawns, turning around all by itself when it’s about to bump into something, according to staff. Reporters got to see it in action Wednesday during the last day of the defense ministerial. You can watch it in action here.
MOSCOW HACK: Russians breached the Democratic National Committee and stole oppo research on Trump, Rudy Takala writes. “When we discovered the intrusion, we treated this like the serious incident it is and reached out to CrowdStrike immediately. Our team moved as quickly as possible to kick out the intruders and secure our network,” DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said in a statement. “The security of our system is critical to our operation and to the confidence of the campaigns and state parties we work with.”
The answer from the State Department? It’s “deeply concerning,” spokesman John Kirby said. Pete Kasperowicz has more on their reaction.
And nothing can be considered in a vacuum. Defense One has a report on what last year’s hack of the Joint Chiefs e-mail system can tell us about this latest breach.
BAGHDADI NOT BAGH-DEADI, YET: There was a flurry of rumors yesterday that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had have been killed in a U.S. airstrike in Raqqa, Syria. As with previous reports, the Pentagon said “we don’t think so,” although Baghdadi has not been heard from in quite a while. Last week White House special envoy Brett McGurk predicted “It’s really a matter of time” until the U.S. gets him.
A-10 VS F-35: Arizona Rep. Martha McSally, a former A-10 squadron commander, advocated the language in the House version of the NDAA mandating a fly-off between the venerable and much beloved A-10 “Warthog,” and the fifth-generation fighter that’s supposed to take over A-10’s close air support role. In an Air Force Times op-ed McSally writes, “The Pentagon’s backward plan to replace the A-10 and its critical missions with the F-35 — before we even know if the F-35 can perform them — risks losing these vital capabilities permanently and puts the lives of American troops in danger.”
USS HIGBEE NAMED: Navy Secretary Ray Mabus announced last night that the newest Arleigh-Burke class destroyer, DDG 123, will be named Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee in honor of the pioneering U.S. Navy chief nurse. Higbee was the first woman to be honored by having a U.S. Navy ship named after here, but that was during World War II, when a destroyer was named for her. Higbee served as the superintendent of the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps during World War I and was the first female recipient of the Navy Cross. Today Mabus announces the name of the next Virginia class attack submarine, typically named after a state.
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Post: Iraqi Army Retakes Village South Of Mosul 3 Months After Launch Of Offensive
Christian Science Monitor: Latest group seeking to curb US gun violence: military veterans
The Blaze: Petraeus, McChrystal Join Dozens of Former Military Leaders to Create New Gun Control Group
Straits Times: China spy ship “shadowing” US, Japanese, Indian naval drill in Western Pacific
Military.com: Six Aircraft Carriers Underway Marks Milestone for Navy: Top Officer
Defense News: Did Boeing Receive a T-X Prototype From Saab?
Breaking Defense: McCain Compromises On RD-180s: Are Russian Rocket Wars Finally Over?
Defense News: Welsh ‘Confident’ in F-35, ‘Disappointed’ in KC-46 Delay
UPI: $40 billion aid to Israel is ‘largest ever’ to any country
USA Today: U.S. Isn’t Offering Libya Military Aid To Oust Islamic State
Stars and Stripes: Report: N. Korea ‘Significantly Increasing’ Its Nuclear Capabilities
Navy Times: Navy Weighs Radical Changes To Littoral Combat Ship Crews, Modules
Defense News: US Air Force Gen. Mark Welsh Pessimistic About Defense Budget Outlook
Defense Daily: Senators Warner And Gardner Launch Senate Cybersecurity Caucus
Breaking Defense: Navy’s Cyber Sea Change: ‘American Ninja Warrior’
Daily Beast: Are Bystanders To Blame For Terrorism?
The Cypher Brief: A Rough Patch in U.S.-Saudi Relations
Real Clear Defense: Is The Third Offset Just a Cover for Shrinking the Military?
Miitary.com: Navy Expands Review Of Gender-Specific Job Titles
Calendar
WEDNESDAY | JUNE 15
8:45 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW. The Atlantic Council hosts two panels to discuss security implications in the Black Sea for NATO and its regional partners. atlanticcouncil.org
9 a.m. 1000 Massachusetts Ave. NW. The Cato Institute hosts a day-long event on the case for restraint in U.S. foreign policy. cato.org
10 a.m. Rayburn 2118. House Armed Services committee hears from top DoD comptrollers on the Financial Improvement and Audit Readiness plan. Armedservices.house.gov
10 a.m. Pentagon Briefing room. Army Col. Chris Garver, spokesman, Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, briefs the media live from Baghdad, Iraq
THURSDAY | JUNE 16
9 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW. The Atlantic Council will discuss the progress of the Iran nuclear deal. atlanticcouncil.org
9:30 a.m. Dirksen G50. Senate Armed Services Committee will consider the nomination of General David Goldfein to be the next Air Force Chief of Staff. armed-services.senate.gov
3 p.m. 1800 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., keynotes a discussion on Desert Storm and its veterans. brookings.edu
6 p.m. 1301 K St. NW. Michele Flournoy, former undersecretary of defense for policy, and Kathleen Hicks, former principal deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, discuss Hillary Clinton’s foreign policy platform. hillaryclinton.com
FRIDAY | JUNE 17
1 p.m. 1030 15th St. NW. The Atlantic Council discusses a new national security space strategy. atlanticcouncil.org
SATURDAY | JUNE 18
10 a.m. Carney Auditorium, Dayton, OH. Critical role of 5th generation fighter aircraft in air dominance. armedservices.house.gov
MONDAY | JUNE 20
All day, 1331 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. The Center for a New American Security hosts its annual conference in D.C. conference.cnas.org
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. CSIS hosts a discussion on anticipating moves and countermoves in the South China Sea. csis.org
1 p.m. Los Angeles, CA. The Atlantic Council hosts Dr. Gregory Treverton, chairman of the U.S. National Intelligence Council, to discuss long-range global trends for the next president. atlanticcouncil.org
2 p.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Brookings Institute hosts Robert McDonald, secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, to talk about departmental reforms. brookings.edu
TUESDAY | JUNE 21
9:30 a.m. 1501 Lee Highway, Arlington, Va. Randall Walden, director of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, talks about acquiring capabilities more quickly. mitchellaerospacepower.org
12 p.m. SVC 208-209. Lexington Institute hosts a Capitol Hill Forum on the National Guard’s role in cybersecurity for the U.S. power grid. lexingtoninstitute.org
12 p.m. 1150 17th St. NW. The Armed Service Committee staff members discuss challenges facing the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act. aei.org
