AMERICA STRIKES BACK: The U.S. launched a volley of Tomahawk cruise missiles into Yemen last night (early morning Yemen time) to take out three radar sites that were used to track and fire missiles toward U.S. ships in the Red Sea. The objective was to make it harder for Houthi rebels to target ships with their shore-launched cruise missiles, which they did on Sunday and Wednesday. The Tomahawks were fired from the destroyer USS Nitze, and were said to have destroyed three radar sites in Houthi-controlled territory on Yemen’s Red Sea coast.
The retaliatory strikes were in response to two incidents in which U.S. ships were unsuccessfully targeted by anti-ship missiles, and one in which a UAE-flagged vessel was hit while operating in international waters, as well as multiple threats to other vessels in the Bab-al Mandeb Strait. You can see video of the strike here.
“These limited self-defense strikes were conducted to protect our personnel, our ships, and our freedom of navigation in this important maritime passageway.” Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said in a statement issued late last night. “The United States will respond to any further threat to our ships and commercial traffic, as appropriate, and will continue to maintain our freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandeb, and elsewhere around the world.”
KIRK’S TAKE: Yesterday’s attack on the USS Mason happened 16 years to the day since terrorists rammed the destroyer USS Cole with an explosive-laden boat in the Port of Aden, Yemen, while the ship was refueling. Seventeen sailors were killed. The commander of the Cole at the time, now-retired Cmdr. Kirk Lippold, told Daily on Defense last night he believes Iran is behind the missile attacks. “This attack is an attempt by the Iranians (through the Houthi rebels) to try and draw the US into the Yemen conflict and the ongoing regional struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran,” Lippold said. Smart people who have looked at video of the attack on the UAE Navy vessel HSV-2 Swift think the anti-ship missile was likely an Iranian-made Noor, which the rebels probably captured when they took over the coastal area.
NOT A BLANK CHECK: The ship attacks and Saudi Arabia’s mistaken bombing of a funeral in Yemen over the weekend have swung the spotlight toward the conflict between the Saudis and the Houthi rebels. In Washington yesterday, after the funeral bombing raised questions over how much the U.S. should be supporting Riyadh’s mission, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the U.S. isn’t blindly giving military aid to the Saudis, Nicole Duran writes.
“Our security cooperation with Saudi Arabia is not a blank check, and we do have expectations about the conduct of our partners,” Earnest said. The U.S. “primarily” offers Saudi Arabia logistical support. “We do share some intelligence with them, but the United States does not do targeting for them. The Saudis and their partners use some of the intelligence that we have collected, but they make their own targeting decisions.”
FUN FACT: The U.S. Navy turns 241 today. And based on what’s going on off Yemen, it looks the celebrating began a little early.
Good Thursday 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, shoot us an email and we’ll be sure to add you to our list.
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FLYING IEDS: The U.S. military says it is deploying high-tech defenses in response to the use of commercially-available drones by the Islamic State to deliver small bombs. The “flying IEDS” are not seen as militarily significant, but at least one non-U.S. coalition soldier was injured when a small drone exploded after it was shot down and was brought back to a base for inspection. The top U.S. military spokesman in Iraq, Air Force Col. John Dorrian, says the drones are typically the kind of quadcopters anyone can buy on Amazon, but that doesn’t mean they are not a threat. “We don’t just let the enemy develop a capability that threatens our forces, and leave that threat unaddressed,” Dorrian said at a Pentagon briefing. “It’s something that we are going to move out smartly to address, that’s why we brought this additional capability into the country.”
ENGENDERING NEUTRALITY: Rendering job titles in the Navy and Marine Corps gender neutral was a priority for Navy Secretary Ray Mabus — notwithstanding all the other problems facing the fleet today — because he wanted to “quit segregating women,” the service leader told a National Press Club audience yesterday. “I thought it was important to be gender-neutral. Now we’ve gone one step farther in the Navy,” Mabus said, touting the career advantages of the Navy’s new rating system.
ON AGAIN, OFF AGAIN: Secretary of State John Kerry will try to restart talks with Russia about a cease-fire in Syria during a multilateral meeting on Monday, Joel Gehrke reports. “The main focus right now … is getting a cessation of hostilities in place, particularly around Aleppo, and to get humanitarian aid delivered, which has not happened,” State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday.
The White House denied that the meeting with members of the International Syria Support Group was a resumption of Syria peace talks since it won’t just be Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the room. “We are certainly working through a variety of diplomatic channels to try to reduce the violence inside of Syria; and that’s necessarily going to include some Russian participation,” Earnest said.
PUTIN A FINE POINT ON IT: Last week, the Obama administration blamed Russia for the hack of the Democratic National Committee. It’s doing the same thing with the latest round involving Clinton campaign chief John Podesta, but the White House isn’t directly blaming Russian President Vladimir Putin, Nicole Duran writes. The intelligence community concluded that the hacks were “almost certainly directed by senior Russian government officials.” Whether that includes Putin, Earnest said, only the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and Homeland Security Department can say.
YES, SERGEY WENT THERE: Not something you normally hear a foreign minister say, but hey, it’s 2016. CNN’s Christiane Amanpour sat down with Lavrov and referenced the “Pussy Riot problem” Russia had with its punk rock protest group, and asked what he thought of the United States’ problem. The master diplomat replied “There are so many pussies around the presidential campaign on both sides that I prefer not to comment on this,” barely keeping a straight face. Check out the video here. It was too much for Amanpour, who broke down in giggles, eventually taking Lavrov with her.
INFLATED THREAT: Russia is investing in an arsenal of inflatable decoy military equipment as part of an effort to confuse its enemies, Mariana Barillas writes. “If you study the major battles of history, you see that trickery wins every time,” engineer Aleksei Komarov told the New York Times. The U.S. military famously produced a “ghost army” of inflatable tanks and vehicles during World War II to successfully confuse the Nazis about where Allied forces intended to land in France on D-Day. “Nobody ever wins honestly,” said Komarov. He oversees military sales at Rusbal, a hot air balloon company that also produces bounce houses.
AFTER THE MINUTEMAN: Boeing is the latest defense contractor to bid on the potentially lucrative contract to develop the replacement for the stalwart Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile, the delivery vehicle for the land-based leg of America’s nuclear triad. Boeing can boast of having built the Minuteman in the 1960s, and in a press release touted its expertise in ICBM design, development and production. The program for what’s been dubbed the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent is in the technology maturation and risk reduction phase. Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin will also be players in the competition for a contract that is estimated to eventually cost $60 to $100 billion.
THE RUNDOWN:
Breaking Defense: Ford Carrier Problems Worse Than LCS: Navy Secretary Mabus
C4ISRNET: Marines want small, vertical lift UAS
UPI: L-3 unit begins KC-10 tanker support
Defense One: The Pentagon’s Mapmakers Want to Offer Customers an Amazon-Like Experience
Stars and Stripes: In Trump’s shadow, military veterans vie for Senate control
C4ISRNET: Tactical timekeeper: Army to roll out tiny atomic clocks
Reuters: Putin rejects accusations of meddling in U.S. election
UPI: Russia, Armenia to set up joint air defense system in the Caucasus
Wall Street Journal: Turkey’s Demands Complicate Battle Plan to Retake Mosul From Islamic State
Washington Post: Pentagon says fierce Iraq-Turkey feud won’t hinder key Islamic State battle
Military.com: Marine Fights for Afghan Interpreter to Gain Entry Into US
Associated Press: Drone attack on Kurdish, French forces reveals new threats
Associated Press: Rebel advances in central Syria set back by infighting
Breaking Defense: ‘Lot Of Noise’, Little Change In Philippine-US Relationship: State
USNI News: NSC Official: U.S. – India Security Relationship ‘Tremendous Opportunity’ for Next Administration
Calendar
THURSDAY | OCTOBER 13
11 a.m. Pentagon Briefing Room. Army Gen. John Nicholson, commander, Resolute Support and U.S. Forces Afghanistan provides an update on operations in Afghanistan. Live from Kabul at www.defense.gov
MONDAY | OCTOBER 17
10:30 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Michael Doran, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, talks about his new book, Ike’s Gamble: America’s Rise to Dominance in the Middle East. brookings.edu
12 p.m. 1030 15th St. NW. Officials will talk about remaining priorities for the U.S. while it holds rotating chairmanship of the Arctic Council. atlanticcouncil.org
TUESDAY | OCTOBER 18
8 a.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Retired Gen. Michael Hayden, the former head of the CIA, speaks at the start of a morning event on cyber security challenges for the next administration. heritage.org
8:30 a.m. 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Think tank experts discuss how the Pentagon can develop alternative defense strategies. csbaonline.org
8:30 a.m. Albuquerque, NM. CSIS hosts the second of a two-part Project on Nuclear Issues conference. All speakers and presentations are off-the-record. csis.org
9 a.m. 1789 Massachusetts Ave. NW. NSA Deputy National Manager for National Security Systems Curt Dukes gives an update on the U.S. cyber defenses. aei.org
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Former service leaders discuss how to use public-private partnerships to invest in defense infrastructure. csis.org
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Adm. Kurt Tidd, the commander of U.S. Southern Command, talks about maritime security. csis.org
10 a.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. U.S. and Mexican military officials, as well as think tank analysts, discuss the evolving military relationship between the U.S. and Mexico. wilsoncenter.org
12 p.m. Rayburn 2212. Former B-2 bomber pilots speak about the importance of long-range strike capabilities on the 15th anniversary of the longest bombing run. mitchellaerospacepower.org
WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 19
9 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW. The Atlantic Council presents its new paper on a 10-year plan for U.S.-Iran relations. atlanticcouncil.org
2 p.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Retired Gen. Sir Richard Shirreff, the former deputy supreme allied commander for Europe, talks about whether armed conflict with Russia is a real possibility. brookings.edu
4 p.m. 1030 15th St. NW. A panel of experts talks about the cybersecurity threats facing the upcoming presidential election. atlanticcouncil.org
