FROM RUSSIA WITH LEAKS: The accusations that Moscow was behind the hack of Democratic National Committee servers in an attempt to steer the U.S. election intensified yesterday as party officials at this week’s nominating convention in Philadelphia braced for more leaks. President Obama, meanwhile, said “anything’s possible” when asked specifically if Russia was trying to sway voters toward Donald Trump. Much more on that below.
Despite the controversy, it was a historic day in Philadelphia yesterday as Hillary Clinton became the first woman to be nominated for president. “Eight years ago, our party nominated and elected the first person of color to ever serve in the White House not just for one, but two terms,” Rep. John Lewis said. “Tonight we will shatter that glass ceiling again. We’re the party of tomorrow, and we will build a true democracy in America.”
CARTER IN CAROLINA: Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s next stop on his three-day domestic trip is Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, N.C., where today he’ll meet with members of the XVIII Airborne Corps who are about to deploy to the fight against the Islamic State. He’ll also meet with Lt. Gen. Steve Townsend, who is taking over the lead in the counter-ISIS fight from Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland.
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A DAY OF HACKUSATIONS: As speculation over the DNC hack continues, cyber sleuths have followed the dotted line from party headquarters to Moscow, Rudy Takala reports. ThreatConnect analyzed emails from the hacker or hackers to WikiLeaks, and not only do they say the theft originated from Russia, but the hackers did a rotten job covering their tracks.
That didn’t stop the Russians from getting super mad that all the experts — and Democratic operatives — say they were at fault for the leak and subsequent scandal that forced the ouster of the committee’s chairman and lit a fire under pro-Bernie Sanders delegates at this week’s convention in Philadelphia. “I don’t want to use four-letter words,” was Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s response to reporters.
We learned other stuff yesterday, too. Like the fact that DNC members used really weak passwords and struggled over basic email functions, and that they had been warned about the breach months before doing anything about it.
Coincidentally, the Obama administration yesterday also released new guidance on cyber attacks, laying out how the government will handle incidents and how the public should report hacks. The guidelines were months in the making and weren’t a response to the DNC hack.
Even so, our adversaries are most likely feasting on the data that U.S. organizations leave out for hacking. “We all live in an environment now where we see bad actors [like] the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, the Iranians, the Russians, who all have active cyber programs to steal emails,” Rep. Mike Pompeo, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, told the Washington Examiner.
DIUX SUCCESS: Carter was in Cambridge on Tuesday to officially open the second Defense Innovation Unit Experimental Hub and tout the successes the Silicon Valley branch has had over the past 10 weeks, including securing its first contract for a headphone-like wearable device that can stimulate the brain with electricity to help it better absorb training.
Carter said special operators will try out the brain-hacking device from Halo Neuroscience to see if it can help them improve their marksmanship and close quarters fighting tactics.
Carter also announced that several new members were joining his Defense Innovation Advisory Board, including Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and celebrity astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. The secretary said some members are doing research at Fort Bragg, where retired Adm. Bill McRaven was seen on Tuesday night in the lobby of SecDef’s hotel.
Spotted in the crowd: Dean Kamen, the inventor of the Segway, and Helen Greiner, who co-founded Roomba-maker iRobot, were in the second row for Carter’s announcement. Thanks to Boston Globe reporter Curt Woodward for the heads up.
THIS IS ONE OF THOSE DON’T-READ-THE-COMMENTS STORIES: The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation announced yesterday that Carter and former Vice President Dick Cheney will receive the Peace Through Strength Award in December, David Wilkes reports. “Secretary Carter and Vice President Cheney are both immensely worthy of this honor, having dedicated their careers to protecting and preserving freedom through a strong national defense and showed immeasurable respect for the role America’s defenses play in strengthening world peace,” said Frederick Ryan Jr., chairman of the board of trustees of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. And there you have it.
A GET-WELL PROGRAM: Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said yesterday that her service needs help, and partisan politics in Washington is a factor, David Wilkes reports. The service has old airplanes, is low on people and is facing severe readiness problems, she said at a Defense One forum.
James also questioned the affordability of a replacement for the service’s A-10 ground attack aircraft, Defense News reported. “So far I have read about this in the news. I have not actually seen a proposal on any of this that has come forward to me. So it sure is pre-decisional. It hasn’t been decided on,” she said. “Where would we get the money? Not at all clear to me.”
Q2 RESULTS: Boeing, Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics all release their second quarter results today.
WHAT THEY DIDN’T TALK ABOUT: Mike Pence, Trump’s running mate, couldn’t help but notice that the first day of the Democratic convention made no mention of the Islamic State or terrorism, Gabby Morrongiello reports. “It is extraordinary to think that yesterday in Philadelphia, 61 speakers came to the podium and not one of them named ISIS by name,” Pence said Tuesday during remarks at the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ annual convention in Charlotte. “This man will name our enemies without apology and he will defeat them,” Pence said, gesturing toward Trump.
Just sit tight, Clinton’s spokeswoman said not long after. “It’s not just a major threat that’s facing the country, but how America combats terrorism is another example of why you do not want to have somebody as reckless as Trump in charge of defending our country, somebody who wants to break down the alliances that are helping us fight terrorism,” Clinton spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri told reporters. “So it’s something you should expect to hear discussed throughout the convention.”
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar brought up ISIS last night in her speech, in the context of human trafficking. “As long as ISIS is selling girls for $165, and parents in Nigeria are left with nothing but bows and arrows to chase the terrorists who steal their daughters in the middle of the night, we will never have a just and good world,” she said.
AMERICA THE LONER: While some have called Trump’s foreign policy plan to build walls and withdraw from the world “isolationist,” Alex Ward, associate director of the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security at the Atlantic Council, said Tuesday that it’s more about alienating America from the rest of the world — essentially making it the nerdy kid with no friends to sit with at lunch, Diana Stancy reports.
“It’s about America devoid of friends and allies and partners and working by itself to remake the way the world works. And the only person that can do that is Trump,” Ward said.
GET OFF MY SONG! The producer of the 1997 Harrison Ford film “Air Force One” wants Trump to stop playing the original score at his rallies, Kelly Cohen reports. “The music for Air Force One was composed and conducted by the legendary Oscar-winning film composer Jerry Goldsmith,” Gail Katz wrote in the letter. “Jerry’s music was hijacked in a misguided attempt to associate Trump with the film and the president in that film.” More like Hair Force One, amirite?
A MISSILE WORTH CHECKING OUT: This morning, retired Navy Cmdr. Jim Feldkamp is out with an op-ed in the Washington Examiner singing the praises of the Naval Strike Missile for the littoral combat ship. “With over 70 nations now owning more than 75,000 anti-ship missiles, we need our fleet to have the weapons to enhance combat effectiveness and remain offensive in nature.”
BE CAREFUL OUT THERE: The military released a video warning of the dangers of playing Pokemon Go on and off military installations. Check it out here.
THE RUNDOWN
War on the Rocks: Don’t rush to ‘fix’ Goldwater-Nichols
Stars & Stripes: New Army secretary makes fire, watches robots on first Pacific tour
Defense One: Pentagon Turning to Private ‘Bad Guys’ to Dogfight US Fighter Pilots
Military Times: Cybersecurity experts see merit in claims of Russian hacking
UPI: Navy conducts first LCS Harpoon missile test
Breaking Defense: Army Should Break With DoD’s Modernization Strategy
UPI: U.S. Air National Guard fires Lockheed laser-guided training rounds for first time
Defense One: Vladimir Putin’s Best Summer Ever
Associated Press: In break from Trump, Paul Ryan defends NATO, trade deals
New York Times: ISIS Says Its ‘Soldiers’ Attacked Church in France, Killing Priest
Associated Press: Many factors make France the top IS terror target in Europe
Military Times: This is the Democrats’ plan for strengthening America’s military
Associated Press: IS claims responsibility for attack on Syrian town; 22 die
USNI News: Fallout From Turkey Coup Attempt May Complicate U.S. Operations Against ISIS
Army Times: Army announces Afghanistan deployment for 800 soldiers
Associated Press: IS group claims attack that killed 85-year-old French priest
Washington Post: The U.S. is apparently using anti-drone rifles against the Islamic State
Military.com: Marines to Buy Bulletproof Panels for Recruiting Stations
Reuters: Climate change risk threatens 18 U.S. military sites: study
Air Force Times: Chaplains violated policy by appearing at event in uniform, according to IG complaint
Washington Post: Navy’s top admiral: U.S. is not at an impasse with Beijing after South China Sea ruling
Calendar
FRIDAY | JULY 29
9 a.m. 1150 17th St. NW. AEI hosts Marine Lt. Gen. Jon Davis and Air Force Lt. Gen. (ret.) David Deptula to discuss the readiness crisis in Marine Aviation. aei.org
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. CSIS hosts Lt. Gen. Trey Obering to discuss how fewer resources, more responsibilities, and a growing budget squeeze affects the Missile Defense Agency. csis.org
MONDAY | AUGUST 1
1:30 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. CSIS hosts a panel to discuss religious extremism in Africa and how states and non-state actors are responding. csis.org
