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TRUMP BLINKS: President Trump appears to be backing off his demand for $5 billion to fund his border wall. That would pave the way for a short-term spending bill to avoid a partial government shutdown before the Friday deadline. The administration backtracking comes amid clear signs congressional Republicans lack the votes to pass the funding. And after Democrats rejected a Republican compromise that would have provided $1.6 billion for border security, plus another $1 billion for the president’s border priorities. NO SLUSH FUNDS: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, N.Y., rejected the proposal, labeling the additional $1 billion request a “slush fund for the president to use for his radical immigration agenda.” The Democrats have proposed two options that would provide funding for the remainder of the fiscal year, but Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., appears to be leaning toward another short-term continuing resolution, or C.R., which would put off a resolution until January. “If Leader McConnell puts a short-term C.R. on the table, it’s something we’d very seriously consider,” Schumer said. McConnell pledged a deal would be signed into law by the Dec. 21 deadline, avoiding a shutdown. “I am now in consultation with the White House on the way forward,” McConnell said, after huddling with GOP senators. “I might say the administration is extremely flexible on this issue.” OTHER WAYS TO FUND THE WALL: At the White House, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump is now looking for other funds to pay for his pet project. “We are looking at existing funding through other agencies right now that we can draw on to do that immediately.” The problem is Congress would have to approve any money that “reprogrammed” from its original appropriated purpose. Sanders also made the curious argument that funds from other agencies are somehow not taxpayers’ money. “We’re not asking American taxpayers for that,” she said, repeating the president’s proposition that somehow the revamped U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal would result in a positive cash flow that would in effect pay for the wall. “He’s saying that the revenue provided, and the money that would be saved through the USMCA deal, we can pay for the wall four times over,” Sanders said. “And by doing that new trade deal we have the opportunity to pay for the wall.” Pressed on how the deal would bring new money into the Treasury, Sanders said simply, “There have been a number of things that we’ve looked at, in which we know we’ll have additional revenue that comes in through the USMCA.” It was an argument Trump made in his Oval Office meeting last week with Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. Pelosi, the likely next House speaker, mocked afterward, “What money? What money? What money?” Pelosi said. “The money that businesses make? What money is he talking about that’s going to go pay for the wall? It just doesn’t measure up.” A THING OF BEAUTY: Trump took to Twitter last night to counter one of the arguments against the wall — that a huge concrete barrier would be ineffective because it would not allow Border Patrol agents to see what’s happening on the other side. “The Democrats, are saying loud and clear that they do not want to build a Concrete Wall – but we are not building a Concrete Wall, we are building artistically designed steel slats, so that you can easily see through it,” Trump tweeted. “It will be beautiful and, at the same time, give our Country the security that our citizens deserve. It will go up fast and save us BILLIONS of dollars a month once completed!” Good Wednesday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and National Security Writer Travis J. Tritten (@travis_tritten). Email us here for tips, suggestions, calendar items and anything else. If a friend sent this to you and you’d like to sign up, click here. 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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HAPPENING TODAY, PENCE TO THE PENTAGON: Vice President Mike Pence arrives at the Pentagon this morning to meet with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. The vice president is fresh from a trip to Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Fla., to view the Air Force’s planned launch of a new GPS satellite on a SpaceX rocket. The launch was delayed due to weather, but Pence did speak about the Space Force, which is likely to be a main topic during the Pentagon visit. SPACE FORCE UNVEIL COMING: Trump yesterday signed a memo establishing U.S. Space Command, and the administration is also set to release its final plan for a new Space Force military service branch, Pence said. “In the days ahead, President Trump will also sign a new space policy directive that will lay out our plans and our timeline to create the new sixth branch of the armed forces, the U.S. Space Force,” Pence said during a speech at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Pentagon indicated last week it was finishing up a planning effort that started last summer and Trump’s memo could finally provide details such as the size, scope, and cost of the Space Force. Any final changes are up to Congress, which will consider the plan next year. “We’re working as we speak with leaders in both parties in Congress to stand up the United States Space Force before the end of 2020,” Pence said. NEW COMBATANT COMMAND: The creation of U.S. Space Command had been planned for months by the Pentagon and is part of a major overhaul of space operations as the U.S. faces rising threats to its military and civilian satellites from Russia and China. In his memo, Trump ordered U.S. Strategic Command, which now handles nuclear deterrence, global strike capabilities, and missile defense, to turn over all its space-related operations to the new space command. Mattis will pick new leaders for the combatant command, which will join 10 others, including Cyber Command and Special Operations Command. “I will also direct the secretary of defense to recommend officers for my nomination and Senate confirmation as commander and deputy commander of the new United States Space Command,” Trump wrote in the memo. The headquarters will be located at Peterson Air Force Base, in Colorado Springs, Colo., which is already home of the Air Force Space Command and the Joint Functional Component Command for Space, which will now be rolled into the new combatant command. “Establishing U.S. Space Command in Colorado Springs is the only serious option for providing the desired capability on the shortest, most cost-effective timeline, and is a natural long-term home for this exciting new organization,” said GOP Rep. Doug Lamborn, whose district includes the base. “Colorado is the epicenter of the national security space enterprise and was home to the original Space Command for 17 years.” PRESSING TURKEY TO CHOSE PATRIOTS: The U.S. has been trying to convince Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to cancel his order of Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missiles and to buy the U.S. Patriot system instead. Turkey is a NATO ally and the Russian system would not be compatible with NATO systems. The deal could also allow Russian engineer access to sensitive information about NATO’s air defenses. So yesterday the State Department notified Congress it has approved a possible $3.5 billion sale of Raytheon’s Patriot air and missile defense systems to Turkey. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the proposed sale would send 80 Patriot guidance-enhanced missiles and 60 other missiles to Ankara along with related equipment, including radar sets, engagement control stations and launching stations. “This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by improving the security of a key NATO Ally on the front lines of the fight against terrorism,” said DSCA in a press release. “Turkey is a member of and critical enabling platform for the Defeat-ISIS campaign and continues to be an essential element of our National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy efforts to compete against great powers in both Europe and the Middle East.” KYL’S PARTING SHOTS: After serving in the Senate and sitting on the Armed Services for few months, Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., is heading back to private life at the end of the month. His departure comes after the Arizona governor appointed Rep. Martha McSally to fill the late Sen. John McCain’s old seat. But Kyl made some eyebrow-raising defense budget comments on the Senate floor Tuesday as he closes out his second stint in the chamber. “The improvements that you have made in the last two years have not rebuilt the military or even begun to close the gap. It’s stanched the flow of blood, it’s been like the tourniquet on the arm to prevent any more loss of blood for the military,” said Kyl, who helped draft the recent National Defense Strategy Commission report. He had joined Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., the Armed Services chairman, on the Senate floor for what have become regular speeches advocating for Trump’s new $750 billion defense budget proposal. But the president’s proposed $17 billion hikes over the Pentagon’s planned fiscal year 2020 budget would be just the very, very beginning, Kyl implored. Hikes must span the next decade, Kyl said. “Some people think that the last two years because you all were very effective, this is before I came back to the Senate, in stanching that flow of blood, therefore, the fight is over,” he said. “Nothing could be further from the truth. Really, a 13-15-year program to rebuild our military has just begun.” GREEN BERET’S PARENTS SPEAK OUT: The parents of a former Special Forces officer charged last week with murdering a suspected Taliban bomb-maker eight years ago, say their son did nothing wrong and has already been unfairly punished by the Army after an extensive investigation in 2015. The Army last week recalled Maj. Mathew Golsteyn to active duty to charge him with one count of murder. “Matt broke no code. That was proven in the board of inquiry,” said his mother, Nancy Golsteyn, in an interview on CNN Tuesday. “Everyone that has testified for him has said that he is honorable and has never committed any crime,” she said, “And he was working within the rules of engagement when this incident occurred, and the Afghans interviewed at the time all testified to that.” While legal experts say that President Trump’s decision to review the case of Golsteyn, who he called “a U.S. military hero,” could violate a military judicial principle known as “undue command influence,” Golsteyn’s father says he welcomes the presidential intervention. “I don’t know what the implications might be as far as the law is concerned. But he is the commander-in-chief,” said Jerry Golsteyn. “If he feels that action is not being taken in the proper way as he learns more about this situation, we are in favor of him doing whatever he feels is necessary. So, we would encourage his involvement.” NIELSEN STILL ON BOARD: Notable in Sarah Sanders’ announcement of who would be accompanying the president attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland next month was the inclusion of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. Nielsen has been the subject of persistent rumors that she may be the next Trump administration official to be shown the door. The Davos meeting runs from Jan. 22 to 25. The U.S. delegation will include Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Small Business Administrator Linda McMahon, Adviser to the President Ivanka Trump, Senior Adviser to the President Jared Kushner, and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Coordination Chris Liddell. A VOTE OF CONFIDENCE: The chief of the Transportation Security Administration suggested Trump should keep Nielsen on as homeland security secretary, despite reports he has grown frustrated with her leadership of the department. “My hope is Secretary Nielsen continues as the secretary of homeland security. It’s been an honor to serve with her over the past year,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske told reporters following a tour of security operations at Washington Dulles International Airport in Northern Virginia. “I’ve worked for Secretary Nielsen for a little over a year now and in my view, she’s been an outstanding secretary of homeland security,” Pekoske added. “And she has been very, very supportive of me as the TSA administrator, very interested in our issues, and importantly, very engaged with our workforce.” BUDGET CAPS COULD CLIP ANGELS’ WINGS: The U.S. Navy is warning that the Blue Angels may participate in fewer air shows in 2020 if Congress fails to reach an agreement to avoid scheduled sequester-level budget caps by January. Navy Secretary Richard Spencer shared a report with Congress last week that estimates a “mechanical sequestration” — meaning automatic, across-the-board cuts to spending — would require the Blue Angels to drop 21 shows, Defense News reported. PUTIN’S MISSILE RATTLING: A new missile system should give Western powers pause before they threaten Russia, Vladimir Putin told his defense advisers in Moscow on Tuesday. “Serious, breakthrough steps have been made in the development of the unique state-of-the-art weapons,” Putin said, according to an official transcript. “These weapons are consolidating the balance of forces and, thus, international stability. I hope our new systems will provide food for thought to those who are used to militaristic and aggressive rhetoric.” THE RUNDOWN Washington Examiner: Judge rips Michael Flynn: ‘You sold your country out’ New York Times: Hacked European Cables Reveal a World of Anxiety About Trump, Russia and Iran Washington Post: Ex-Pentagon official’s Amazon ties scrutinized Bloomberg: Lockheed’s $31 Billion King Stallion Copter Delayed by New Flaws Military Times: This badass professor hired mercenaries to rescue a college student from an ISIS war zone Breaking Defense: Navy To Begin Arming Subs With Ship-Killer Missile Air Force Magazine: New Air Force Planning Boss: 386 Squadron Level a “Baseline” Defense News: US Navy eyes cutting Blue Angels’ 2020 season if budget ax falls Washington Post: U.S.-Taliban talks stretch into second day as government delegation arrives Defense One: Want NATO Allies to Boost Defense Spending? Don’t Build Fort Trump USNI News: USS Freedom Gets Underway After Two Years of Repairs Al-Monitor: Trump’s pick for top general could expand Mideast advising role Wall Street Journal: U.S. Citizen, Believed Executed in Syrian Prison, Heightens Fears for Others Task and Purpose: US Space Command Will Stand Up To Find Ziggy Stardust And Spiders From Mars |
CalendarWEDNESDAY | DEC. 19 2 p.m. 529 14th St. NW. Human Rights in North Korea. press.org |
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