CANDIDATES TO TALK NATIONAL SECURITY: The focus returns (or remains, depending on your perspective) to national security today, as candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton take the stage tonight (though not at the same time) at a Commander-in-Chief forum in New York sponsored by the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and aired at 8 p.m. by NBC and MSNBC.
Trump gave a pretty good preview of the kind of answers he might give to big questions at two events yesterday, the first in Virginia Beach, where he was gently interviewed by one of his top advisers, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. A few examples:
Flynn: What do you see just overall as your strategy for North Korea?
Trump: What I would do very simply is say, China this is your baby. This is your problem. You solve the problem. China can solve that problem.
Flynn: As president, what are you going to do about Iran?
Trump: We’ll solve that problem if I get the chance, believe me. And if I get the chance, you’ll be very happy — you’ll be very happy.
Trump also said North Korea will “soon” have a carrier, which is probably a stretch.
NOT A PLAN, BUT A PLAN TO GET A PLAN: Later in North Carolina, Trump admitted he doesn’t have specific strategy to defeat the Islamic State, but he has a strict timeline to come up with a way to fast-track victory. “We’re going to convene my top generals and give them a simple instruction: You will have 30 days to submit to the Oval Office a plan for soundly and quickly defeating ISIS,” Trump told a rally in Greenville. “We have no choice,” he said, adding that the U.S. should no longer be “caught up in endless wars and conflicts.” You can read his full remarks here.
ON THE OFFENSIVE: Both Clinton and her running mate Tim Kaine attacked Trump’s view of the U.S. military yesterday. In Tampa, Florida, Clinton said “His whole campaign has been one long insult to all those who’ve worn the uniform to protect our most cherished American values,” Clinton told the crowd. Speaking in Wilmington, North Carolina, Kaine, whose son is an active-duty Marine, said Trump’s “disrespect for the military infuriates” him and he often wonders “how a guy who stiffs veterans’ charities and brags openly about evading taxes … could ever stand up for vets.” In his defense, Trump said yesterday, “I have to say, the people in our military are amazing. They’re amazing. The people.”
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THE VERY SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP: Defense Secretary Ash Carter is at the University of Oxford this morning and gave a speech about the “special relationship” between the U.S. and the U.K. following this summer’s Brexit vote. Despite publicly urging a remain vote, Carter said he respects the decision of the British people, and that it’s time to focus on the future and the two threats the partnership must remain strong to defeat: ISIS and Russia.
“The Brexit decision does not change all that we have to do together, whether in response to Russian provocation or ISIL’s threats. It does not change the fact that the UK will continue to have a rich relationship with countries across Europe, economically, politically, and militarily. And it does not change all that the United Kingdom, and particularly its military, is doing at home and around the world,” Carter said in the speech at the Blavatnik School of Government.
Carter is back on his old stomping grounds: Oxford is where the secretary earned his doctorate in theoretical physics — and spent a lot of time at the campus watering hole, the Lamb and Flag Pub, he joked. Later Carter meets British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon and Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, and appears at a joint press conference with Fallon.
Tomorrow, Carter holds more bilateral meetings in the U.K., including one with Turkish Minister of Defense Fikri Isik. But the meeting will focus on a series of issues, like the counter-ISIS mission and the refugee crisis, not on the recent rift between the U.S. and Turkey over a coup attempt. Experts’ advice? Let the Turkish temper tantrum run its course.
NEVER DO TODAY, WHAT YOU CAN PUT OFF UNTIL AFTER THE ELECTION: It’s looking more and more as though the Pentagon will start fiscal 2017 on a continuing resolution, a budgetary move that’s become the new norm in a stalemated Congress. Senate Democrats blocked for a third time a key defense spending bill, signaling they will not take up any spending legislation outside of an all-inclusive package that incorporates both military and domestic spending.
Speaking to reporters yesterday on his plane, Carter slammed the congressional inaction and urged lawmakers to stick to spending levels set by last year’s budget deal. “They will have the last word, and that I understand, but I hope that I’ll continue to be heard and that they’ll be going back in the direction of the bipartisan budget agreement,” he said.
Meanwhile Republicans railed against a leaked memo that outlined the Pentagon strategy to thwart a plan by House Speaker Paul Ryan to shift funds from the warfighting accounts to fund other programs in the authorization bill, saying it shows the Obama administration just wants to play politics instead of working to protect and fund U.S. troops. “For this administration, it’s always politics first, even at the Pentagon. This memo details with relish a plan to use a presidential veto of a defense bill as a ‘weapon,’” he said. “It’s shameless, and it threatens more than five decades of bipartisan cooperation.” House Armed Services Chairman Mac Thornberry also blasted the memo, saying it’s “unfortunate” the Pentagon would spend time playing “political games.” “In a Department charged with the security of our nation, the American people and our troops deserve better,” he said.
ZIKA POLITICS: For the third time in two months Senate Democrats blocked a $1.1 billion bill to combat the spread of Zika, the mosquito-borne virus that can cause birth defects. Both sides accuse the other of playing politics with an important health issue. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, “It’s hard to explain why, despite their own calls for funding, Senate Democrats decided to block a bill that would keep pregnant women and babies safer from Zika.” Democrats said it was because Republicans added a provision that would prevent Zika funds from being used by Planned Parenthood, and also got rid of a provision that would ban confederate flags at veterans’ cemeteries. The good news is it looks like they’ll try again this month.
IRAN’S GAME OF CHICKEN: The Pentagon response to the latest Iranian provocation in the Persian Gulf was to issue another stern warning to Iran to stop harassing U.S. Navy ships in international waters. The latest confrontation came Sunday, when one of those Iranian fast patrol boats intentionally parked itself in the path of the USS Firebolt, forcing the American coastal patrol boat to take evasive action and miss the Iranian vessel by a mere 100 yards.
The Pentagon has no explanation for Iran’s high-seas provocations, but Trump blames the Iran nuclear deal. “And so you see these four little boats circling, circling, going around, you know, taunting, taunting. It’s like they’ve been emboldened. Here we are, we made a deal that’s such a great deal for them and they now feel power. They feel power.”
“RANSOM” BAN: One of the most vocal congressional critics of the $400 million payment to Iran timed to the release of U.S. citizens held by Iran has introduced legislation to “ban cash payments to Iran — period.” House Foreign Affairs Chairman Rep. Ed Royce introduced the measure yesterday, which he says would also require “transparency on future settlements” to ensure they are not used to pay “ransom.”
HALF-HEARTED ENDORSEMENT: One of those 88 retired military officers who signed a letter of support for Trump revealed some reservations about Trump’s readiness to serve as commander in chief in an interview on CNN, the same morning of the endorsement. “Yes, he said some things that I don’t totally agree with, and I’ll be the first to admit that,” retired Brig. Gen. Remo Butler told CNN’s Carol Costello. “Hopefully he is growing and learning and there are enough people on his team … that will take him and help him find the right path to success.”
“Do you think the country can afford that when we’re fighting an enemy like [the Islamic State], to wait for our commander in chief to learn?” Costello interjected. “He’s not our commander in chief yet, is he?” Butler responded, adding that “by the time [Trump] becomes commander in chief, he should have learned those lessons.”
DUNFORD TO JAPAN: Amid rising tension with North Korea, U.S. Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford is traveling to Japan to meet with U.S. 7th Fleet officials. Dunford also visited the Philippines attending the 2016 Chiefs of Defense Conference and meeting with U.S. officials and regional allies “to discuss challenges, including maritime disputes and security,” according to the Pentagon.
D’OH, WHAT GOAT?: Taking questions from reporters en route to London, there was a moment on the plane when Carter asked one what the “N” on his hat stood for. The reporter responded that it was for Navy. “That’s more than ignorance, that’s like shameful,” Carter said of his not recognizing the logo.
VIDEO TAUNT: The U.S. military command fighting the Islamic State has released a video showing a coalition airstrike destroying a vehicle in Qayyarah, Iraq. But unlike the other footage posted by Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, this one came with an extra message. Check it out.
THE RUNDOWN
Associated Press: Stealthy Destroyer Ready To Set Sail To Join U.S. Navy
Bloomberg: America’s New Nuclear-Armed Missile Could Cost $85 Billion
National Defense: Military Turns to Online Auctions to Unload Unwanted Gear
USNI News: New South Korean Destroyers To Have Ballistic Missile Defense Capability
Associated Press: IS loss of border area with Turkey sharply harms group
USA Today: U.S. Plans To Hit ISIL Before Militants Grab Human Shields
Foreign Policy: This Is How North Korea Will Get Its Nukes Past American Missile Defense Systems
Army Times: Army announces Afghanistan deployment for 1,400 soldiers
The Daily Beast: The Disgraced and Little-Known Generals Backing Donald Trump
Defense Daily: GE To Acquire Two European 3D Manufacturing Companies To Boost Aerospace, Industrial Work
UPI: Lockheed delivers 2,000th JASSM to U.S. Air Force
Breaking Defense: LCS Troubles May Stem From Double Engine
Defense Daily: Navy’s New DDG-113 Destroyer Begins Sea Trials
C4ISRNet: Geospatial company Vricon awarded Army contract
DoDBuzz: Air Force Joins Investigation into SpaceX Rocket Explosion
Calendar
WEDNESDAY | SEPTEMBER 7
8 a.m. Capital Hilton, 1001 16th St. NW. Aerospace Industries Association hosts the National Aerospace and Defense Workforce Summit. Aia.aerospace.org
10 a.m. Dirksen 419. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee holds a hearing on the administration’s proposal for a UN resolution on the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty. foreign.senate.gov
2 p.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW. The Brookings Institution hosts a panel discussion on how to stop Islamic State recruitment. brookings.edu
2 p.m. Rayburn 2154. The House Oversight and Government Reform National Security Subcommittee holds a hearing on investigations into whistleblower reprisal. oversight.house.gov
2:30 p.m. Dirksen 419. Think tank experts testify on Capitol Hill about the UN proposal for a nuclear test ban treaty. foreign.senate.gov
3:30 p.m. Rayburn 2118. The House Armed Services Committee holds a hearing on the safety and mission risks of deferring maintenance on the nuclear enterprise. armedservices.house.gov
6:30 p.m. Livestream. Sen. Bob Casey speaks about financing terrorism at the Council on Foreign Relations. cfr.org
THURSDAY | SEPTEMBER 8
10 a.m. 2172 Rayburn. The House Foreign Affairs Committee holds a hearing on reforming the National Security Council. foreignaffairs.house.gov
10 a.m. 1152 15th St. NW. Michele Flournoy, the CEO of the Center for New American Security and widely speculated to be at the top of the list for a post in a Hillary Clinton administration, participates in a panel discussion on sanctions and the next administration. cnas.org
10 a.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE. The Heritage Foundation hosts a panel looking at how threats how evolved in the 15 years since 9/11. heritage.org
FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 9
7:30 a.m. Capitol Hill Club. Brig. Gen. Stephen Whiting, the director of integrated air, space, cyberspace and intelligence, speaks at a Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies breakfast event. mitchellaerospacepower.org
1 p.m. Livestream. The Council on Foreign Relations hosts an event looking at President Obama’s foreign policy legacy. cfr.org
MONDAY | SEPTEMBER 12
9 a.m. 2301 Constitution Ave. NW. The Center for New American Security unveils a new report of foreign policy strategy advice for the next administration. cnas.org
TUESDAY | SEPTEMBER 13
8 a.m. 1250 S. Hayes St., Arlington. Rear Adm. Bret Muilenburg, the commander of Navy Facilities and Engineering Command, speaks at a Navy League breakfast. navyleague.org
9 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW. Marcel Lettre, the Defense Department’s undersecretary of intelligence, will speak at the Atlantic Council about the role of transparency in strengthening defense intelligence. atlanticcouncil.org
10 a.m. Dirksen 419. State and Treasury Department officials testify about what impact the Brexit will have on U.S.-U.K. relations. foreign.senate.gov
10 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW. The Brookings Institution hosts a panel to talk about how creating jobs in the Middle East could boost security. brookings.edu
