THE SHUTDOWN THREAT: The Pentagon, like other federal government agencies, is busy making contingency plans for the possibility that many of its workers may leave work Friday, and not be back on Monday. There’s still time to avoid a partial government shutdown, but two days out, Congress has not found the magic compromise.
Senate lawmakers blocked a stopgap bill yesterday that would have temporarily funded the government and provided $1.1 billion for the fight against Zika, Susan Ferrechio reports. The bill failed mostly by the hand of Democrats, who said Republicans must also add federal aid for the Flint, Michigan, water crisis before they can support it. Sixty votes were needed to advance the bill, but it failed 45-55 the first time around. Republican leaders called up the bill again in the hope it could survive, but it failed again.
AMERICA’S AGING NUKES: Defense Secretary Ash Carter is wrapping up his inspection tour of America’s aging nuclear arsenal, with a warning that Russia is not only rebuilding its nuclear forces, but developing new ways to use them. “The Russians have been doing things that are not only technologically sophisticated, which they have always been, but have gone in some novel doctrinal and technological directions,” Carter told troops at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. Carter says for the past decade and a half the U.S. has been “preoccupied” with Iraq and Afghanistan and has failed to pay enough attention to “the nuclear enterprise,” which he called “the bedrock of our security.” Carter’s comments over the last two days track with concerns Donald Trump raised in Monday night’s presidential debate about Russia outpacing the U.S. in nuclear modernization.
YES, FIRST USE: Carter also answered the question both of the candidates were asked but neither answered Monday night, namely, whether the U.S. should adopt a “no first use” policy regarding nuclear weapons. But Carter’s answer was a classic example of strategic ambiguity, indicating obliquely he favored retaining the option for a U.S. preemptive nuclear strike. “It has been our policy for a long time and it’s part of our plans going forward.”
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PRESIDENTIAL TOWN HALL: President Obama will take questions from the troops in a one-hour town hall style event being taped this afternoon at Fort Lee, Virginia, and airing tonight on CNN at 9 EDT. The president will take questions from active duty service members, veterans and the military community, and CNN’s Jake Tapper moderates. Fort Lee is home of the Combined Arms Support Command.
VETOVERRIDE: The Senate will try today to override the president’s veto of a bill that would allow the families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia, which he argues could harm U.S. national security and open America up to similar lawsuits. Senate Armed Services Chairman Sen. John McCain said Tuesday at the Capitol that he was still unsure how he’d vote in the override attempt.
STILL WAITING: Rep. Joe Wilson sent a letter to Obama on Tuesday expressing concern that the administration had still not sent over a supplemental funding request to pay for the increased number of U.S. troops that would remain in Afghanistan. “I am still waiting,” Wilson wrote. Carter told reporters traveling with him this week that the supplemental request is coming in November.
NO SYRIA PLAN B: Many national security experts argue that in the wake of the failed Syrian cease-fire and the absence of a “Plan B” from the Obama administration, it’s time for the U.S. to impose tough new sanctions on both Syria and Russia to finally stop the bloodshed and deepening humanitarian crisis in the war-torn country. Susan Crabtree writes Republicans have been pushing for a vote on new sanctions legislation Obama has resisted, going so far as to pressure Democrats this month to withdraw their support for a bipartisan bill that would easily pass in the House.
WHAT’S THE REFUGEE GOAL? State Department officials hope to increase the number of Syrian refugees who can enter the country next year, but they can’t say by exactly how many, Joel Gehrke reports. “We don’t have a target number for a number of Syrians for next year,” Anne Richard, the assistant secretary of state responsible for refugee issues, told reporters Tuesday. “This administration has been very clear that we want to bring more Syrians. So, my own guidance to our staff is that we want to bring even more than we brought this year without having a target.”
THROUGH A REFUGEE’S EYES: Doctors Without Borders is setting up a model refugee camp at the base of the Washington Monument beginning on Saturday to give Washingtonians a glimpse into the life of someone fleeing violence. Learn more about the exhibit and link to reserve free tickets here.
MONEY FOR TRITONS: The Navy has awarded a $255 million contract to Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. for three unmanned MQ-4C Triton drones, the Defense Department announced.
BAGGING BAGHDADI: Experts said it’ll take more assets collecting intelligence on the ground to fulfill Hillary Clinton’s goal of getting ISIS founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The easiest way to do that would be to increase the number of U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria, something Clinton has promised not to do.
NEVERMIND: Turns out after all the excitement about the possibility that U.S. troops came under chemical attack in Iraq, tests of a rocket fragment found no evidence of mustard agent. The U.S. ordnance disposal team suspected an oily substance might be residue from the chemical irritant, but after an initial positive field test, follow-on tests all came back negative. The shell landed Sept. 20 near Qayyarah West Air Base, where about 200 U.S. troops are preparing to the base for use as a staging area for the upcoming Mosul offensive.
COMPLICATED CONOPS: Things are coming together for the Iraq assault to liberate Mosul as soon as next month. Carter says the “envelopment phase” is nearly complete with Iraqi and Kurdish fighters taking up positions surrounding the city. “The plan is quite elaborate,” Carter told reporters in New Mexico. But the timing, he said, will depend on when Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi decides the time is right.
SOMEONE, HIDE THE FOOTBALL: President Obama on Tuesday argued that Donald Trump shouldn’t have his finger on the nuclear button because he doesn’t have the “preparation, the temperament or the core values” to be president, Susan Crabtree writes. “I get worried when I hear somebody like Donald Trump start saying, ‘Well, I don’t necessarily know whether Japan or Korea should be protected by us — maybe they should get their own nuclear weapons,'” Obama said. “That shows somebody who doesn’t pay attention to these issues, and you don’t necessarily want close to the nuclear button.”
WARNER FOR CLINTON: Former Navy secretary and Sen. John Warner is set to back Clinton Wednesday morning, adding his name to the list of conservatives who have picked the Obama Cabinet member over Trump. “The event will highlight how Hillary Clinton is by far the strongest and most experienced candidate on a full range of national security issues, and that she has the knowledge, steadiness and temperament to be Commander in Chief,” the Clinton campaign said in a press release.
No word yet on how the crew of the USS John Warner feels about this.
THE RUNDOWN
Stars and Stripes: Pentagon worried about drone threat to nuclear sites
Breaking Defense: BAE Unveils 1st Amphibious Combat Vehicle For Marines
UPI: Oshkosh gets $42 million JLTV delivery order
Military.com: The Marine Corps Has a New Ideal Force Size: 190,000 Troops
Air Force Times: Air Force budget woes could scuttle effort to add more airmen
Defense News: Air Force Lines up Funding for GBSD Test Requirements
War on the Rocks: How to get generals out of politics
CNN: As Trump and Clinton debate foreign policy, Syria barely gets a mention
New York Times: Syrian Ground Troops Clash With Rebels in Aleppo
UPI: Russia working to develop hypersonic weapons by early 2020s
USNI News: Panel: NATO Needs More Capability to Effectively Deter Russia
Business Insider: Britain ‘will oppose any idea of an EU army’
Fox News: At least 7 Afghan military students AWOL in US this month, Pentagon says
Calendar
WEDNESDAY | SEPTEMBER 28
10 a.m. Dirksen 419. State Department officials testify on the response to North Korea. foreign.senate.gov
2 p.m. Rayburn 2212. Officials from the military’s labs testify about innovation through science and engineering for military operations. armedservices.house.gov
2:30 p.m. 1030 15th St. NW. The Atlantic Council hosts an event on countering violent extremism in Bangladesh. atlanticcouncil.org
THURSDAY | SEPTEMBER 29
9:30 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW. Former NATO secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen speaks about America’s role in the world. atlanticcouncil.org
10 a.m. Dirksen 419. Antony Blinken, the deputy secretary of state, testifies on the regional impacts of the crisis in Syria. foreign.senate.gov
3:30 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Analysts will talk about redefining the U.S. agenda for nuclear disarmament. csis.org
FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 30
Noon. Suite 700, 1 Dupont Circle, NW. The Aspen Institute hosts a book talk with author Rosa Brooks regarding How Everything Became War and the Military Became Everything: Tales from the Pentagon. aspeninstitute.org
MONDAY | OCTOBER 3
7:30 a.m. Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The first day of the Association of the United States Army includes remarks from the sergeant major of the Army and Army Secretary Eric Fanning. ausameetings.org
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson speaks about maintaining maritime superiority. csis.org
10:30 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Retired Gen. David Petraeus and former ambassadors talk about the future of Afghanistan. brookings.edu
Noon. 1000 Massachusetts Ave. NW. The Cato Institute hosts an event about if immigrants and refugees impact America’s national security. cato.org
TUESDAY | OCTOBER 4
2 p.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Think tank experts talk about arms control and the U.S. relationship with Russia. brookings.edu
