WELCOME TO MOSUL: Two weeks since the Iraqi operation to liberate Mosul was announced, Iraqi and Kurdish fighters are entering the city. One by one the villages surrounding Mosul have been freed of the grip on the Islamic State, and the New York Times reports this morning Iraq’s elite counterterrorism troops, with the backing of U.S. and coalition airpower, advanced from the east taking Bazwaya, the last village before the “Welcome to Mosul” sign. ABC news quotes Iraqi special forces commander Abdul Ghani al-Assadi as saying his troops have passed the city limits and are fighting to isolate the eastern neighborhood of Gagjali. The Islamic State is still putting up stiff resistance and relying heavily on their weapons of choice, the explosive-laden vehicle, to try to slow the advance.
Meanwhile to the south, Iraqi forces occupied a village south of Mosul on Saturday after U.S. airstrikes drove out Islamic State fighters, who had fled the village of Shura by using civilians as human shields, John Siciliano writes. The Iraqi ground forces were joined by Shiite militias who put pressure on Islamic State militants by opening up a front to the west of Mosul, according to the Associated Press.
The U.S. military’s chief spokesman in Iraq, Air Force Col. John Dorrian, tweeted this morning that the first U.S. C-130 cargo plane landed at the Qayyarah West airfield, where U.S. troops successfully rebuilt and repaired the runway that had been destroyed by retreating ISIS fighters a few months ago. Dorrian also said the U.S. is investigating, as it does with all such reports, allegations by Russia that the U.S. coalition is responsible for 10 separate incidents that killed civilians in Syria in a 24-hour period, but he dismissed the accusations with a hashtag saying they “smell like a #firehoseoffalsehood.”
THE BATTLE FOR ALEPPO: The Syrian government launched a counterattack Saturday to retake ground it had lost to insurgents a day earlier in the city of Aleppo, Siciliano also writes. The operation by troops loyal to Bashar Assad moved into Aleppo under the cover of Russian and Syrian airstrikes, according to activists and state media.
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THIS COULD BE BIG: Depending on how a federal judge rules this morning, companies could have an easier time selling technology to the Pentagon. The case was brought by Palantir Technologies Inc., which has been trying to sell the Army its data management system that disseminates intelligence to troops on the front lines. It’s the first real test of the 1994 Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act, and Palantir is hoping for a landmark ruling that could change how the government spends hundreds of billions of dollars. In its complaint, Palantir claims the Army has spent $6 billion and 15 years trying to build its own version of a data management platform that still does not work. The ruling is expected around 10 a.m.
THE BLACK BUDGET: Under law, the director of national intelligence must disclose how much money the nation is spending on intelligence programs at the end of each fiscal year. But it doesn’t have to say what the money was spent on. That’s classified. In a statement Friday, DNI James Clapper said the “top-line” aggregate amount of funds appropriated by Congress to the National Intelligence Program for fiscal 2016 was $53 billion, including funding to support overseas contingency operations. That’s it. That’s all you get. But they say it’s a bargain.
HASC IN 2017: The loss of seniority on the House Armed Services Committee could affect the fight to iron out a new budget deal next year, according to experts. That’s because it’s the senior lawmakers’ job to educate non-committee members about the budget’s implications on defense. The Navy’s shipbuilding budget could also face cuts because of the departure of Rep. Randy Forbes, an ally to the Navy and shipbuilders on Capitol Hill who did not win his primary this year.
HEARING REQUEST: As Congress prepares to return to D.C. for a post-election sprint to the end of the year, Rep. Jackie Speier is asking the leaders of the House Armed Services Committee to find time for a hearing on recent allegations of hazing in the Marine Corps. “For those brave enough to put their lives on the line in service to our country, the very least we can do is ensure that they do not face attacks from within their own ranks,” she said in a letter to Committee Chairman Rep. Mac Thornberry and Ranking Member Rep. Adam Smith.
BLAME SHIFTING: The Pentagon pushed back Friday against the idea that president’s Christmas vacation in Hawaii had anything to do with the January’s deadly mid-air collision between two CH-53 helicopters that killed 12 Marines off the coast of Hawaii. Buried deep with the supporting documents to the official accident investigation report was an interview with a Marine who said the temporary flight restrictions imposed by the Secret Service when the Obamas traveled to Hawaii in December cut into much needed flight hours that hurt pilot proficiency. “I tried to explain to the Secret Service that functional flight checks (quick maintenance flights), were necessary for all routine maintenance. They refused to allow any flights,” the Marine told investigators. But Pentagon officials checked with the Secret Service, which insists the Marine Corps never asked for an exemption, formally or informally, and that every exemption that was requested was approved, 35 in total. The investigation blamed the nighttime crash on pilot error, and painted a picture of a dysfunctional squadron struggling for months to deal with broken-down helicopters and morale problems.
SEMPER SORE: Congrats to all the Daily on Defense readers who completed a very warm Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday! Samuel Kosgei, an Army medic, won with a time of 2:23:52.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: The Pentagon’s peripatetic Defense Secretary Ash Carter heads out tomorrow on a domestic trip where he’ll hit four states. His travels begin in New York City, where Carter will talk up his favorite subject his “Force of the Future” initiative. Then he heads to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri to observe battlefield skills training and demonstrations. On Thursday, he’ll welcome Gen. John Hyten as the new head of U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, then visit Air Force Research Lab at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio before returning to D.C.
In D.C. on Friday, Carter spoke at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and said he is taking one of the recommendations from his Defense Innovation Board: the creation of a new chief innovation officer position at the Pentagon. No word on who will fill the new role.
WORSENING CONDITIONS: A report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction released over the weekend found that several aspects of life in the country have gotten worse in recent years. Poverty and unemployment are up, while perceptions that women should have equal rights and access to education are down.
GIVE US OUR JOB TITLES BACK: The White House will be forced to respond to sailors angry about the change in job titles after a petition on its official website reached the 100,000 signature threshold on Friday.
CLOSE CALL: The Pentagon confirmed Friday that a Russian aircraft came within half a mile of a U.S. plane over Syria two weeks ago, in an incident described as a little too close for comfort, so enough that the U.S plane felt the Russian jet wash. The U.S. complained to Russia over a special hotline, but didn’t make a big deal of it at the time since its didn’t seem intentional. U.S. military spokesman Col. John Dorrian said that’s the whole point of a memorandum of understanding between the two nations, “The purpose of that is to do the exact opposite of turning it into a major incident. It’s really more intended to keep the temperature down between us and the Russians in that very crowded and confused, at times, battlespace,” Dorrian said
OH GOD: The State Department on Friday laughed about reports that God advised Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to stop swearing, Joel Gehrke writes. “I’m not going to take the bait,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner said as he laughed. Duterte decided to change his tone last week due to hearing a voice tell him that if he didn’t stop swearing, the plane he was riding in would crash.
MEET THE DRONE ZAPPER: The Army has released video showing soldiers training to shoot down enemy drones amid the growing use of exploding aerial vehicles by the Islamic State. In the video, soldiers with 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment capture an “enemy” drone during the Army Warfighter Assessment 17-1 exercise at Fort Bliss, New Mexico. At one point, a soldier aims a DroneDefender, manufactured by Battelle, at a small drone in order to bring it down. Army Times has more on the overall assessment here.
MOSCOW ON THE OUTS: Russia on Friday lost its spot on the United Nations Human Rights Council, in a sign of international frustration with President Vladimir Putin’s support of Syrian dictator Assad, Joel Gehrke writes. Putin’s government was one of two to lose its reelection bid when the United Nations General Assembly voted to send 14 nations to the Human Rights Council, which has a total of 47 members.
THIS SHOULD SOLVE EVERYTHING: Sen. Mark Kirk on Friday apologized for questioning the military service of Democratic Rep. Tammy Duckworth’s ancestors. “Sincere apologies to an American hero, Tammy Duckworth, and gratitude for her family’s service,” he tweeted.
During a debate for the Illinois Senate seat Thursday, Kirk made a remark after Duckworth talked about her family’s long U.S. military service. “I forgot that your parents came all the way from Thailand to serve George Washington.”
FIRST LADY COMMISSIONING: First lady Michelle Obama commissioned the attack submarine Illinois on Saturday as the official sponsor of the boat. See video of the ceremony here.
THE RUNDOWN
Associated Press: Stolen Email Offers Unvarnished View of Military Leaders
Military Times: Congress isn’t finished with the California Guard bonuses scandal
Army Times: Army receives first Stryker upgraded with 30mm cannon
Digital Trends: SpaceX says it aims to launch again this year following September’s rocket explosion
Task and Purpose: Army Testing Device That Generates Energy Just By Walking
Breaking Defense: Carter, Roper Unveil Army’s New Ship-Killer Missile: ATACMS Upgrade
Defense One: Here’s How the Pentagon Wants to Use Social Media On the Battlefield
Military Times: In Syria, the U.S. may need more troops to manage shaky alliance
Defense One: The Shia Power Brokers of the New Iraq
CNN: Aleppo: Opposition groups step up offensive
Wall Street Journal: Saudi-Led Airstrikes on Yemen Prison Kill at Least 60
USNI News: Vice Adm. Grady Takes Command of U.S. 6th Fleet
Navy Times: This ‘life-changing’ shift has made submariners much happier
Washington Post: Marine recruit at Parris Island injured in two-story fall
Military.com: Government Wants to Push Bergdahl Court-martial to May
Calendar
MONDAY | OCTOBER 31
9 a.m. 1150 22nd St. NW. The 35th Conference on U.S.-Turkey relations begins, including sessions on how the new administration will approach its relationship with Turkey. atctaikconference.com
1:30 p.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. A panel of experts discusses the relationship among the U.S., Israel and Iran in the wake of the nuclear deal. wilsoncenter.org
2 p.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW. The Brookings Institution hosts a panel on what nuclear arms choices the next president will face. brookings.edu
TUESDAY | NOVEMBER 1
8:15 a.m. The Brookings Institution hosts its fourth and final podcast recording about preparing for the next president with a look at how the next administration should counter violent extremist. brookings.edu
10 a.m. Pacific. USS Midway Museum, San Diego. Rep. Scott Peters speaks at an event commemorating the beginning of National U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier month. www.aircraftcarrier.com
WEDNESDAY | NOVEMBER 2
9 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Rear Adm. Christian Becker, the program executive officer for space systems, talks about the role of space in maritime operations. csis.org
12 p.m. 1030 15th St. NW. The Atlantic Council hosts a discussion on what ISIS will become once it is militarily defeated. atlanticcouncil.org
5 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Arnold Punaro launches his new book, On War and Politics: The Battlefield Inside Washington’s Beltway. csis.org
THURSDAY | NOVEMBER 3
9 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW. A panel of experts discusses the relationship between Russia and the West after the U.S. presidential election. atlanticcouncil.org
