Coronavirus relapses complicate effort to return aircraft carrier to sea

“The sailors were immediately removed from the ship and placed back in isolation, their close contacts were mapped, and they are receiving the required medical care,” said Cmdr. Myers Vasquez.

RIGOROUS SCREENING: The Navy says its standard for determining who has recovered from the viral infection exceeds all of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines.

“Sailors are required to isolate for a minimum of 14 days, have no symptoms for a minimum of three days, and are required to have two consecutive negative tests in a greater than 48 hour period prior to returning to the ship,” Vasquez wrote in an email to the Washington Examiner. “While onboard, these sailors self-monitored and adhered to the strict social distancing protocols established by the Navy.”

Both the sailors who retested positive and the crew members they came in contact with were removed from the ship. Medical teams have been conducting multiple screenings daily for the 2,900 sailors who have returned to the ship out of the crew of 4,865.

“As we continue to learn more about this virus, the Navy will aggressively respond to COVID virus in accordance with the latest guidance and best practices, and then evolve and adapt as experience is gained,” Vasquez said.

ONE CASE OF TUBERCULOSIS: In the course of monitoring the crew, one sailor exhibiting influenza-like symptoms was diagnosed with tuberculosis, a highly infectious disease.

“The individual has been removed from the ship, isolated, and will remain under the direct care of the naval health system until cleared by doctors,” said Vasquez. “A thorough contact investigation has been conducted, and those sailors have been medically evaluated, and cleared.” Other crew members were given tuberculin skin tests and chest x-rays, but no other cases were found.

STILL STUCK IN PORT: Despite the Navy’s best efforts, the massive ship is not yet ready to return to sea. “The patriots aboard TR continue to demonstrate their toughness and the discipline necessary to prevent the spread of this virus,” said Vasquez. “The ship remains on the road to recovery and will prepare to get back underway once a critical mass of crew with the required expertise is onboard.”

On Sunday, sailors conducted an at-sea simulation called a “fast cruise” while the carrier remained pierside in Guam. During the “fast cruise” exercise, crews “simulate normal underway conditions while testing the critical systems required to sustain the ship during its upcoming underway operations,” according to a Navy statement.

Good Monday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by David Sivak and Tyler Van Dyke. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email and we’ll add you to our list. And be sure to follow us on Twitter: @dailyondefense.

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POMPEO UNDER SCRUTINY: President Trump’s notification to Congress Friday night that he intends to replace State Department Inspector General Steve Linick has provoked outrage among Democrats in Congress — and from some Republicans too.

“President Trump seems to howl every time an independent watchdog investigates or exposes wrongdoing and failures by his administration,” said Sen. Jack Reed, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “This president is systematically undermining oversight, firing nonpartisan professionals, and installing loyalists,” he said. “The inspectors general are being removed simply for doing their jobs.”

According to multiple reports, Trump fired Linick at the urging of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was being investigated by Linick for allegedly misusing his staff to run personal errands, including walking his dog, picking up his dry cleaning, and making dinner reservations for him and his wife.

“The firings of multiple Inspectors General is unprecedented; doing so without good cause chills the independence essential to their purpose. It is a threat to accountable democracy and a fissure in the constitutional balance of power,” tweeted Sen. Mitt Romney, the lone Republican to vote for President Trump’s impeachment.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins noted that she helped craft the law that was designed to protect the independent inspectors general from political retribution. “In 2008, I coauthored with former Sens. McCaskill and Lieberman The Inspector General Reform Act (P.L. 110-40), which among other provisions requires the President to notify Congress 30 days prior to the removal of an Inspector General along with the reasons for the removal,” she tweeted. “The President has not provided the kind of justification for the removal of IG Linick required by this law.”

A STEP FORWARD: The dueling presidents in Afghanistan have come to a power-sharing agreement that resolves last September’s disputed election and paves the way for peace talks with the Taliban.

Under the agreement announced over the weekend, Ashraf Ghani will remain president, but Abdullah Abdullah will appoint half of the Cabinet members, be able to issue executive orders, and lead the National Reconciliation High Council, which essentially puts him in charge of negotiations with the Taliban.

OPERATION WARP SPEED: Army Gen. Gustave Perna, the commander of Army Materiel Command, has been named a co-leader in the effort to find and mass-produce a vaccine for COVID-19.

The goal is to have 300 million vaccines by January, reports Abraham Mahshie in the Washington Examiner, who notes that the Pentagon underscored the word “goal.”

“He set a goal, and then you work back from there,” said spokesman Jonathan Hoffman. “You set a goal. You have confidence that you’re going to put the resources to it to obtain that goal. And I think that’s what the secretary and that’s what the president are saying, is that we have a goal, we’ve got the team together, we’ve committed to putting the resources to it, and we’re going to obtain that goal.”

SPACE FORCE FLAG: The new U.S. Space Force doesn’t have its own uniforms yet, an official anthem, or the other accouterments associated with being a separate branch of the armed forces, but it does now have its own flag, which was officially unfurled at the White House as President Trump signed a proclamation for Armed Forces Day.

“This is a very special moment because this is the presentation of the Space Force flag,” Trump said. “We’ve worked very hard on this, and it’s so important from a defensive standpoint, from an offensive standpoint, from every standpoint there is.”

“I have to say that from my standpoint, having a force — a Space Force, in this case, but to be adding to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which I’ve known about and read about and heard about all my life — just like General Milley to be the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is something that’s a very special thing,” Trump said.

The flag features the Space Force seal on a black background, with the North Star at the top. You can see the design here.

RHYMES WITH GARY COOPER: White House and Pentagon officials were at a loss to explain what the president was talking about when he touted an “incredible” new weapon, the likes of which “nobody has ever seen before.”

“I call it the ‘super-duper missile.’ And I heard the other night, 17 times faster than what they have right now,” Trump gushed while Defense Secretary Mark Esper said, “Yes, sir,” in agreement.

“You’ve heard Russia has 5 times, and China is working on 5 or 6 times. We have one 17 times. And it’s just gotten the go-ahead. Seventeen times faster, if you can believe that, general. That’s something, right?” he said. “Seventeen times faster than what we have right now. Fastest in the world by a factor of almost three.”

Later at the Pentagon, spokesman Jonathan Hoffman had nothing to add: “I’m going to have to refer you back to the White House on that. I don’t have any information to give you on that.”

At the White House, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany was similarly in the dark: “I would just refer you back to the president’s remarks. … I don’t have any new information on that at this point.”

The Rundown

Washington Examiner: Operation Warp Speed sets ‘goal’ of 300 million coronavirus vaccines by January 2021

Washington Examiner: Space Force launches mystery plane in dedication to coronavirus workers and victims

Washington Examiner: House Veterans Affairs Committee member laments stalled legislation amid coronavirus shutdown

Washington Examiner: Pompeo warns against Chinese threats to ‘interfere’ with US journalists in Hong Kong

Washington Examiner: At least 1 dead after Canadian military jet saluting front-line coronavirus workers crashes

Washington Examiner: Newborn, three hours old, survives Afghanistan maternity ward attack despite being shot

Foreign Policy: Top Trump Defense Pick Shows Up at Pentagon Before Senate Confirmation

AP: Thousands Defer Plans To Leave The Military During Crisis

Military.com: SecDef Keeps Military Stop-Movement Order in Place After Review

Washington Post: Military faces another potential coronavirus toll: Budget cuts

Reuters: China’s Defence Budget Likely To Grow Despite Economic Cost Of Coronavirus

Washington Times: Chinese deception fuels fears of ethnic biological weapons ‘experiments’

Defense Daily: Report To Congress Seeks Clarification On Marine Corps’ Redesign Plans

New York Times: Hong Kong Legislators Brawl Amid Fears Over Widening Chinese Control

Forbes: Sweden’s Famously Stealthy Submarine Is Now Even Quieter

Forbes: Air Force “Digital Century Series” Fighters: Technologically Exciting, Operationally Unworkable

Military.com: Arlington Cemetery to Stay Closed to Public for Memorial Day

Task & Purpose: Does anybody care about UFOs anymore?

Calendar

MONDAY | MAY 18

12 p.m. — Hudson Institute webcast: “The Strength of Democracies: The Atlantic Relationship During COVID-19,” with Sven Biscop, director of the Royal Institute for International Relations Egmont Europe in the World Programme; David Shullman, senior adviser at the International Republican Institute; Liselotte Odgaard, visiting senior fellow at the Hudson Institute; and Nadia Schadlow, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. https://www.hudson.org/events

2 p.m. — SETA Foundation webinar: “U.S.-China Relations in the Age of Coronavirus,” with James Carafano, vice president of the Heritage Foundation’s Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy; Matthew Kroenig, deputy director of the Atlantic Council’s Center for Strategy and Security; and Kilic Kanat, research director at SETA. https://setadc.org/events

3 p.m. — Jewish Institute of National Security for America conference call on the F-35, airpower, and implications for U.S. national security, with former Air Force Chief of Staff retired Gen. Mark Welsh; retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Frank Campbell; and Jeb Nadaner, vice president of defense and government affairs at JINSA. Email [email protected] for dial-in info.

TUESDAY | MAY 19

10 a.m. — Woodrow Wilson Center conference call briefing: “Iran: COVID-19, the Oil Crisis and New Tensions with the U.S.,” with Suzanne Maloney, interim vice president of the Brookings Institution; Henry Rome, senior analyst for global macro politics and Iran at the Eurasia Group; former Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., director, president and CEO of WWC; and Robin Wright, fellow at WWC.

10 a.m. — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association and George Mason University webcast: “Critical Issues in Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence,” with Mark Lewis, director of defense research and engineering for modernization at the Defense Department; and Sean Plankey, principal deputy assistant energy secretary for cybersecurity, energy security and emergency response. https://www.afcea.org/event/GMU-Home

11 a.m. — Atlantic Council webinar: “Is Ukraine’s Defense Industry Finally Being Fixed?” with former Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky, senior fellow at the Harvard University Belfer Center; Aivaras Abromavicius, director general of Ukroboronprom; Michael Carpenter, managing director of the Atlantic Council’s Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement; and former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst, director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center. https://atlanticcouncil.org/events

12 p.m. — Woodrow Wilson Center Polar Institute virtual conference: “COVID-19 Impacts in the Arctic,” with 4 p.m. session on “U.S. Coast Guard Arctic Operations.” https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event

12:30 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies webcast: “Who Makes Cyberspace Safe for Democracy?” with Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I.; David Sanger, chief Washington correspondent for the New York Times; and Suzanne Spaulding, senior adviser for homeland security in the CSIS International Security Program. https://www.csis.org/events/online-event

2:30 p.m. — Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs E. Casey Wardynski; Army Sgt. Maj. Wardell Jefferson; and Peter Hosutt, deputy director of the Army’s Civilian Human Resources Agency online briefing to update on Army talent management and personnel policy. Livestream at https://www.dvidshub.net/webcast/24067.

3 p.m. — Government Executive Media Group webcast: “Powering Mission Readiness: Mitigating the Supply Chain Risk,” with Terry Busch, chief of the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Integrated Analysis and Methodologies Division; Nand Mulchandani, CTO in the Defense Department’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center; Alexander Miller, senior adviser for science and technology to the Army; Patrick Biltgen, director of analytics and data services at Perspecta Inc.; Constance Sayers, president of Government Executive; and Patrick Tucker, technology editor at Defense One. https://www.govexec.com/feature

4 p.m. — Atlantic and the Century Foundation webcast book discussion on Dark Mirror: Edward Snowden and the Modern Surveillance State, with author Barton Gellman, staff writer at the Atlantic; Mark Zuckerman, president of the Century Foundation; and Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of the Atlantic. http://darkmirrorbooktalk.theatlantic.com

5 p.m. — The Institute of World Politics webinar: “Reagan’s Cold War: Indications and Warning Intelligence,” with Darlene Almont, former U.S. Air Force major, adjunct professor at IWP and assistant professor at the Director of National Intelligence/Defense Intelligence Agency’s National Intelligence University. https://www.iwp.edu/events

WEDNESDAY | MAY 20

9:30 a.m. — Brookings Institution webinar: “Tunnels, Missiles, Reactors — Understanding North Korea’s Role in the Middle East,” with Amos Yadlin, executive director of the Institute for National Security Studies and former head of the Israeli Defense Forces’ Military Intelligence Directorate; Sima Shine, senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies; Shira Efron, visiting fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies; Robert Einhorn, senior fellow at Brookings; and Jung Pak, senior fellow at Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/events

9:30 a.m. — Washington Space Business Roundtable webcast with Defense Undersecretary for Research and Engineering Mike Griffin. https://www.wsbr.org/events/breakfast-with-mike-griffin/

10 a.m. — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association and George Mason University Critical Issues in C4I symposium, with Army Maj. Nathaniel Bastian, chief artificial intelligence solution architect and acting chief of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center’s Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Engineering Division; and Chris McGuire, director for research and analysis at the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence. https://www.afcea.org/event/GMU-Home

10 a.m. — Atlantic Council webinar “Will COVID-19 Exacerbate or Defuse Conflicts in the Middle East?” with U.N. Undersecretary General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo; Barbara Slavin, director of the Atlantic Council’s Future of Iran Initiative; and Damon Wilson, executive vice president of the Atlantic Council. https://atlanticcouncil.org/event

11 a.m. — Heritage Foundation webinar: “A Strategic Blueprint: U.S.-China Relations,” with Walter Lohman, director of the Heritage Asian Studies Center; Dean Cheng, senior research fellow in the Heritage Asian Studies Center; Riley Walters, senior policy analyst in economics at Heritage; James Jay Carafano, vice president of the Heritage Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute; and Cherise Trump, associate director of coalition relations at Heritage. https://www.heritage.org/asia/event

12 p.m. — Woodrow Wilson Center Polar Institute virtual conference: “COVID-19 Impacts in the Arctic,” with 1 p.m. session on “International Arctic Governance.” https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event

1:30 p.m. — Henry Stimson Center webinar: “U.S. Arms Sales in a Time of COVID-19,” with Brittany Benowitz, chief counsel in the American Bar Association’s Center for Human Rights; William Hartung, director of the Center for International Policy’s Arms and Security Program; Diana Ohlbaum, legislative director for foreign policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation; and Rachel Stohl, vice president of Stimson. https://www.stimson.org/event/u-s-arms-sales

2 p.m. — SETA Foundation webinar: “U.S. Policy on Syria in the Age of Coronavirus,” with retired Army Col. Richard Outzen, member of the policy planning staff at the State Department; Jomana Qaddour, nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council; Will Toddman, associate fellow in the Center for Strategic and International Studies’s Middle East Program; and Kadir Ustun, executive director of SETA. https://setadc.org/the-us-policy-on-syria

5 p.m. — Commonwealth Club webinar: “Reducing Nuclear Weapons: Stopping the War that No One Wants,” with U.N. Undersecretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu; former Secretary of Defense William Perry; former Secretary of State George Shultz; former NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller; former Gov. Jerry Brown, D-Calif.; and Gloria Duffy, president and CEO of the Commonwealth Club. https://www.commonwealthclub.org/events

6 p.m. —Politics and Prose Bookstore book discussion webcast on “Dark Mirror: Edward Snowden and the American Surveillance State, with author Barton Gellman. https://www.politics-prose.com/event

6 p.m. — Institute of World Politics webinar: “Taiwan’s Cybersecurity Environment Versus China’s Cyber Strategy,” with Ji-Jen Hwang, research scholar at the University of California at Berkeley’s Institute for East Asian Studies. https://www.iwp.edu/events

THURSDAY | MAY 21

12 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies “Korea Chair Capital Cable” webcast, on “breaking events on the Korean peninsula related to North Korea, South Korea’s COVID-19 response efforts, and issues related to U.S. alliances in East Asia,” with Victor Cha, senior adviser and Korea chair at CSIS; Mark Lippert, nonresident senior adviser and Korea chair at CSIS; and Sue Mi Terry, senior fellow and Korea chair at CSIS. https://www.csis.org/events/online-event

1:30 p.m. — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association webinar: “Artificial Intelligence+Machine Learning: The Virtual Experience,” with George Duchak, CIO of the Defense Logistics Agency; David Spirk, chief data officer of the U.S. Special Operations Command; and Air Force Lt. Gen. John “Jack” Shanahan, director of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center. https://dcevents.afceachapters.org/aiml20virtualexperience

2 p.m. — Defense One and the Intelligence National Security Alliance webcast: “The Human Machine Team: Narrowing the Skills Gap,” with Assistant Director of National Intelligence for Information and Data Nancy Morgan; Ari Chanen, vice president of artificial intelligence at Strategic Education Inc.; Tony Frazier, executive vice president of global field operations at Maxar Technologies; and Patrick Tucker, technology editor at Defense One. https://www.defenseone.com/feature

3:30 p.m. — George Washington Project for Media and National Security Defense Writers Group conference call conversation with Chief of Space Operations Air Force Gen. John Raymond. https://nationalsecuritymedia.gwu.edu

FRIDAY | MAY 22

12 p.m. — Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies book discussion webinar on The Kill Chain: Defending America in the Future of High-Tech Warfare, with author Christian Brose, former staff director for the Senate Armed Services Committee. https://sais.jhu.edu/campus-events