TRUMP’S “OVERGENERALIZATION?” The president-elect’s decision to tap retired Marine Gen. John Kelly as his homeland security secretary has brought to three the number of generals in Trump’s administration. That’s prompted a lot of hand-wringing about whether the advice Trump gets will be too heavy on the military perspective. “I think we are probably reaching a tipping point,” former Defense Secretary William Cohen said in an interview with the Washington Examiner last night. “From a confidence point of view I certainly support more military being involved in government, as they retire. They have enormous talent, but I think given the fact that President-elect Trump has little military experience, in terms of governance, I think it’s going to create the perception it’s more autocratic and more military dominated, and I think it’s going to raise questions in terms of the level of civilian control.”
House Minority Whip Rep. Steny Hoyer also expressed concern about the optics of drawing so heavily from the ranks of recently retired military officers. “I worry about the signal this sends to emerging democracies that may have a history of greater confidence in their militaries than in the fledgling democratic civilian institutions whose development we, as the world’s leading democracy, have worked so hard to encourage,” Hoyer said in a statement.
MEMORIES ARE SHORT: When President Obama assembled his first Cabinet in 2009, he also ended up with three retired four-stars in his inner circle: Marine Gen. Jim Jones as his national security adviser, Army Gen. Eric Shinseki as Veterans Affairs secretary, and Navy Adm. Dennis Blair as director of national intelligence.
FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES: It’s always a good sign when the chairman of the committee that has to sign off on your nomination gives you a vote of confidence ahead your Senate confirmation hearing. Sen. John McCain said Kelly, as the former head of U.S. Southern Command “has a unique understanding of the challenges facing our southern communities, border personnel, and national and economic security,” adding “I hope he will have the opportunity to serve this nation once again.”
Gabby Morrongiello writes that Kelly, 66, is not expected to face difficulty being confirmed. He is viewed as a border security hawk who will please Trump backers looking for the president-elect to follow through on vows to limit immigration. “Kelly is a very accomplished and patriotic American … who understands the security threat to the U.S. and would bring a lot of knowledge of tactical deterrence [and] the use of physical structures to deter illegal migratory flows across the border,” Dan Stein, president of the conservative Federation for American Immigration Reform, told the Examiner ahead of Kelly’s anticipated appointment.
BOMBSHELL OR DUD? Upon further review, the Washington Post’s blockbuster report on back-office budget bloat at DoD is looking like there is less there than it first appeared. The report made two headline-grabbing assertions, that an internal Pentagon review identified $125 billion in “administrative waste” and that to fend off budget cuts, top Pentagon officials “buried” the report, and “suppressed” the results. In a report on Fox News last night, House Armed Service Committee Chairman Rep. Mac Thornberry essentially confirmed the Pentagon’s assertion that the Defense Business Board’s findings were fully briefed to Congress. “We didn’t bury it. As a matter of fact, in last year’s bill passed by the House, we made specific reference to this report.” Thornberry told Fox. It was, Thornberry said, the impetus for congressionally-mandated cuts, including a 25 percent reduction to headquarters staff and administrative support functions and a 12 percent reduction to the number of general and flag officers and Senior Executive Service civilian employees. Over at Bloomberg, self-described defense wonk Tobin Harshaw admitted feeling snookered by the Washington Post investigation. And as we mentioned yesterday, the report is still on the DBB’s website and was written about when the report was released.
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IN THE HOME STRETCH: The Senate advanced the fiscal 2017 National Defense Authorization Act yesterday with a 92-7 procedural vote, setting up the bill for final passage today. The senators who tried to block the bill — Kirsten Gillibrand, Ed Markey, Jeff Merkley, Rand Paul, Bernie Sanders, Mike Lee and Ron Wyden — couldn’t stop it from clearing the 60-vote threshold. In the bill, the Marines, as well as the Army and Air Force, all see a boost to their personnel levels above what the president requested for fiscal 2017.
Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller said Wednesday that he’d like to see those 3,000 extra Marines go into intelligence, cyber and maintenance. But he said the service had planned a reshuffling even without a higher troop level to make sure those capabilities were filled, even if it meant leaving some jobs uncovered. “We were going to do that and take that risk,” he said at a U.S. Naval Institute Event at the Newseum. Neller also said the service is making progress in its plans to build aviation readiness just hours after the sixth Marine F/A-18 Hornet this year crashed off the coast of Japan. “Is it where we want to be? No,” he said. “But we’re in a pretty tough place and we have a plan and our plan is happening, but it’s not happening fast enough.” As of this morning the Marine pilot is still missing at sea.
IN THE CR: The continuing resolution may extend fiscal 2016 funding levels for most of the federal government, but provides some exceptions for Defense Department priorities, including the funding for the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine by General Dynamics Electric Boat to keep it on schedule, authority to issue multi-year contracts for Boeing AH-64E Apache Longbow and Sikorsky MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, and procure the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus tanker.
MAKING THE ROUNDS: Retired Gen. Jim Mattis, who Trump formally nominated to be his secretary of defense this week, had a series of visits on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, including with McCain and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. “I am confident he will make an excellent secretary of defense, and I will continue to offer my full support throughout the confirmation process to ensure he can get to work on behalf of our nation and our service members as soon as possible,” McCain said in a statement.
At the top of the McConnell meeting, the two ignored questions about how a waiver that will allow Mattis to serve might be handled by Congress before reporters were quickly kicked out of the room. But the majority leader released a statement following the meeting saying that “civilian control of the military remains a central aspect of our federal republic, and over the course of our nation’s history much has occurred to bring scrutiny to the conduct of military affairs, not least of which is expansion of congressional oversight and the evolution of the all-volunteer force. General Mattis has lived a life of fidelity to our nation and its Constitution. I have every confidence that he will continue to do so if confirmed by the Senate.”
Senate Democrats are signaling they’re not fans of how Republicans are hoping to expedite Mattis’ confirmation, and say they want a full vetting process to consider him next year, Susan Crabtree writes. “I don’t think it should be in the [continuing resolution],” Sen. Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, told the Washington Examiner Tuesday evening.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen told the Examiner that she opposes any effort by Republicans to limit Senate debate on providing Mattis an exception to current law. “The important thing is that there is time to discuss and debate whether this is appropriate,” she said. “The last time we did this was at the end of WWII, when President Truman was asking that Gen. [George] Marshall serve as secretary of defense, and Congress had a very long debate about that, a very robust debate, and they said it’s OK for this one time. We don’t think we should do it again.”
On the House side, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi expected an easier ride for Mattis, Susan Ferrechio writes. “That will not be an obstacle,” Pelosi told reporters Wednesday. House Speaker Paul Ryan said Mattis’ record is worth changing the law, Al Weaver writes. “A lot of us know Jim Mattis quite well. He is so revered. He is exception-worthy to the waiver rule,” Ryan said. “That will help make sure that they can move on that nomination fairly quickly — so they can’t gum it up with the filibuster.”
SOLDIERS DIES FROM WOUNDS: The Pentagon says a soldier who was injured Nov. 12 in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan died Tuesday at a Maryland hospital. Sgt. First Class Allan E. Brown, 46, of Takoma Park, Md., died Dec. 6 at Walter Reed National Medical Center, the Defense Department said in a news release. Brown had been serving in Operation Freedom’s Sentinel and was wounded in Bagram when an improvised explosive device went off. Two other service members died in the explosion.
CEASE-FIRE DEMANDS: Obama and five other foreign leaders called Wednesday for an immediate cease-fire in the war-torn Syrian city of Aleppo and a United Nations investigation of alleged war crimes under the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, Gabby Morrongiello writes. “We condemn the actions of the Syrian regime and its foreign backers, especially Russia, for their obstruction of humanitarian aid, and strongly condemn the Syrian regime’s attacks that have devastated civilians and medical facilities,” Obama and the leaders of Germany, Britain, Italy, France and Canada said in a joint statement.
SIRTE NOW ISIS-FREE: The Pentagon stopped short of declaring victory in Sirte, Libya, where the Islamic State attempted to set up shop after things got hot in Syria. Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said the last nine Islamic State fighters surrendered from a single square block they were holding in the coastal town. “I think why this is significant is that this is that last area inside a city, inside a populated area that, that they actually controlled,” Davis said yesterday. “I don’t want to oversell this. There is still ISIS in Libya. They are out in the desert, they are underground, they have blended into the population, and they are going to be a challenge for the Libyan government in the future,” Davis said, “but this was an attempt by ISIS to establish a foothold in northern Africa, and it appears they failed.”
KELLY QUOTES: When Kelly was retiring as U.S. Southern Command head this year he gave a valedictory news conference at the Pentagon. Here are some of his quotable quotes from the Jan. 8 farewell in the Pentagon briefing room.
On being SOUTHCOM commander: “The beauty is it’s a long way from Washington, and as I think you’d all agree, at least it’s been my experience, the further you get away from Washington, the better things look. People actually talk to each other, people actually socialize with each other, they work together, there’s no rice bowls.”
On counterdrug Intel: “Sometimes, not unusual, plus or minus an hour or two, when a ton of cocaine is going to leave a given point and head — and head north, I might know the guy’s first name, I might have his phone number. That’s the human intelligence.”
On Gitmo: “The president wants to close it; I have a role not in closing it, I have a role in detention ops. My only role in transfers is give me a name, give me a country, give me a timeframe, and I will get the person to that country.”
On Cuba: “You know, we look forward to, you know — you know, increasing our relationship with Cuba. But for right now, and certainly for the last, what, 50 years, we’ve had zero relationship with Cuba, with exception of Guantánamo Bay.”
On women in combat: “So if you look at anything we are contemplating doing, does it make us more lethal? If the answer to that is do it — is yes, then do it. If the answer to that is no, clearly don’t do it. If the answer to that is, it shouldn’t hurt, I would suggest that we shouldn’t do it, because it might hurt. So that’s in my opinion. The way I think you do this is, since we’re all ordered to do it, is you simply do it.”
On losing his son in combat in Afghanistan in 2010: “When you lose one in combat, there’s — there’s a — in my opinion, there’s a pride that goes with it, that he didn’t have to be there doing what he was doing. He wanted to be there. He volunteered. Generally speaking, there’s no encouragement in our society today to serve the nation, but many, many, many people do, in uniform, as — in the military, as well as police officers and CIA and FBI. So I think they’re special people, but they were doing what they wanted to do, and — and they were with who they wanted to be with, when they lost their lives. But I can tell you, it is the most — it caught me by surprise, the level of emotional impact, and every single day it continues that.”
THE RUNDOWN
Defense News: Army Chief Supports Continuing DIUx Into Next Administration
Breaking Defense: $125 Billion Savings? Not So Fast, Say Experts, DoD, Rep. Smith
Defense One: What You Don’t Know About Gen. John Kelly
War on the Rocks: Mattis is outstanding, so what’s the problem?
Navy Times: The Pentagon told the Navy to cut $17B from its budget; the Navy said no
UPI: Lockheed Martin to provide spares for Saudi F-15s
Reuters: Ties between Russia and the Taliban worry Afghan, U.S. officials
Wall Street Journal: Nearing Defeat, Rebels Seek Talks on Fate of Aleppo
Marine Corps TImes: California Guard officials acknowledge bonus scandal hurt military’s reputation
Military.com: Deep Freeze: The Air Force’s Vital Mission in Antarctica
Calendar
THURSDAY | DECEMBER 8
9 a.m. Rayburn 2118. Navy officials and experts testify about oversight of the littoral combat ship program. armedservices.house.gov
10 a.m. Dirksen 419. State Department officials testify about challenges facing the department and USAID under the next administration. Foreign.senate.gov
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Arati Prabhakar, director, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, provides remarks at the Center for Strategic & International Studies’ Implementing Innovation Series. Webcast live from the CSIS webpage.
10 a.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. The Wilson Center hosts an event looking at what Russia expects from President-elect Trump. wilsoncenter.org
10:30 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW. A panel, including Army Secretary Eric Fanning, talks about the future of the all-volunteer force. Brookings.edu
11 a.m. Pentagon Briefing Room. Air Force Col. John Dorrian briefs live from Baghdad on counter Islamic State operation in Iraq and Syria.
11 a.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Masrour Barzani, the chancellor of the Kurdistan Region Security Council, talks about security and governing after the Islamic State is defeated in Iraq. wilsoncenter.org
12 p.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE. The Heritage Foundation hosts a panel discussion on how Trump’s administration should improve America’s nuclear weapons and missile defense policy. heritage.org
12 p.m. 1000 Massachusetts Ave. NW. The Cato Institute hosts an event looking at how to convince China to work with the U.S. to coerce North Korea to halt its nuclear weapons program. cato.org
FRIDAY | DECEMBER 9
7:30 a.m. 300 1st St. SE. Gen. Jay Raymond, the commander of Air Force Space Command, speaks at a breakfast event. mitchellaerospacepower.org
9 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Officials from the Army, Marine Corps and special operations communities talk about what requirements each service is looking for in future vertical lift capabilities. csis.org
12 p.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Rep. Ryan Zinke, a former Navy SEAL, discusses his new book, American Commander. heritage.org
MONDAY | DECEMBER 12
10 a.m. 25 Massachusetts Ave. NW. A panel talks about what the U.S. surveillance policy should be in 2017 and beyond. cnas.org
WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 14
8:00 a.m. 1250 S. Hayes St., Arlington, Va. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft speaks at a Navy League breakfast event that is closed to press. navyleague.org
9 a.m. 1331 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. The Center for New American Security releases a new report titled, “Future Foundry: A New Strategic Approach for Military-Technical Advantage.” cnas.org
9:30 a.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Hamdullah Mohib, the Afghanistan ambassador to the U.S., delivers the keynote at an event focused on American strategy in Afghanistan under President-elect Trump. heritage.org
9:30 a.m. 1501 Lee Hwy, Arlington, Va. Lt. Gen. William Bender, the Air Force’s chief information officer, will discuss his information dominance in his service. mitchellaerospacepower.org
6:30 p.m. 529 14th St. NW. Wall Street Journal reporter Jay Solomon discusses his new book, The Iran Wars: Spy Games, Bank Battles, and the Secret Deals That Reshaped the Middle East. press.org
THURSDAY | DECEMBER 15
4 p.m. 1211 Connecticut Ave. NW. A panel of experts discuss what opportunities the next administration has in nuclear security. stimson.org
