ONE MARK UP DOWN, six more to go. The Senate Armed Services subcommittees will meet throughout the day today to mark up their portion of the fiscal 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, though most meetings are expected to be short, leaving the fireworks for the full committee mark up later this week.
The subcommittees on personnel, readiness and emerging threats are all open and you can find webcasts here. The mark ups for seapower and strategic forces are both closed.
And that full committee mark up where all the fights about women in the draft, Russian rocket engines and the funding mechanism are expected to go down? That’s closed too. It will start on Wednesday morning and go until they finish, usually mid-day on Thursday.
The first mark up in the airland subcommittee happened Monday afternoon, but was closed to the press and the public. We asked subcommittee chairman Sen. Tom Cotton any of the big fights that played out in the half-hour mark up, but he gave his characteristic “no comment” while walking out of the room, so who knows what happened behind closed doors. Check back here for coverage throughout the week.
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NSC IN THE CROSSHAIRS — AGAIN: Rep. Jackie Walorski introduced an amendment to the House NDAA that would make the president’s advisory board subject to Freedom of Information Act requests. Other lawmakers in the House, including Rep. Mac Thornberry, are trying to cap the size of the National Security Council, which has been accused of micromanaging the military, “well below” its current 400-person staff.
Daily on Defense will be tracking the defense bill as it move through the House in the coming weeks, including which other amendments are introduced and how Walorski’s fares. Check back here for the most up-to-date info.
And while authorizers are fighting about what they want to spend money on, appropriators are beginning the conversation about what the country will actually buy. The fiscal 2017 House defense spending bill is expected to be released on Tuesday night, and the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee will meet Wednesday night to mark up the bill in a closed session.
DAMAGE CONTROL: White House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes tried to backpedal and mend ties with the press corps after a New York Times profile last week showed him spinning facts to sell the Iran deal to press and saying that young reporters “literally know nothing.” Nicole Duran reports on Rhodes’ post published in Medium, in which he pushes back on the claims, saying that the administration has always sought to push out facts and pointing to an abundance of negative reporting about the deal.
On Capitol Hill, Sen. John McCain called said the issues with “aspiring fiction writer” Rhodes represent a larger problem in the White House — that the president is unwilling to accept reality if it is different from his “pre-conceived notions about the world.” McCain called on the White House to stop the Iran “spin campaign,” which he says ignores numerous transgressions by Iran, like the capture of 10 U.S. sailors in January and the recent successful ballistic missile test.
At the White House, spokesman Josh Earnest attempted to clarify Rhodes’ remarks about reporters, Susan Crabtree reports. “Based on the conversations I’ve had with Ben over the last few days, I assure you that’s not how it was intended. Based on the reaction, I’m confident he would say it differently if given the chance.”
And about that “blob” comment, which was Rhodes’ term for anyone in the foreign policy establishment who supported the Iraq war, including Hillary Clinton, Earnest had this to say, Duran reports.
ALTERED STATE: Pete Kasperowicz writes on how a State Department video from a 2013 discussion with reporters appears to have been altered in an attempt to hide whether the Obama administration misled reporters about when it first began the Iran nuclear talks. “Fox News reporter James Rosen reported Monday night that a section of a Dec. 2, 2013 press briefing was somehow erased from the State Department’s own video of the event. In the section that was erased, Rosen was interviewing then-spokeswoman Jen Psaki about when the talks started.” Read on.
CALLED UPON VS. SHALL NOT: Duran also writes on the administration’s response to what appears to have been another ballistic missile test by Iran. Also yesterday, the waters got muddier during a State Department briefing, Kasperowicz writes. “A State Department spokesman argued Monday that the current United Nations resolution in which Iran is ‘called upon’ not to engage in ballistic missile testing is just as strong as an expired resolution that said Iran ‘shall not’ engage in that activity.”
MISSILE NEWS: Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control and Raytheon Missile Systems were awarded a combined $649 million contract modification for Paveway II missiles yesterday, the Pentagon announced.
Raytheon Missile Systems also was awarded a $104.6 million contract on Monday for the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile program, the Pentagon said. The work will occur in Arizona and will be completed by February. The contract also involves foreign military sales to South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Romania.
ANOTHER SAIL-BY IN S. CHINA SEA: The Pentagon says the guided-missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence traveled within 12 nautical miles of Chinese-occupied Fiery Cross Reef, to “challenge excessive maritime claims” by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, reports the Wall Street Journal. China denounced the patrol as illegal and a threat to peace and stability.
MILITARY EMIR ELIMINATED: The Pentagon says another key Islamic State leader, a man described as the group’s “military emir,” was killed by a coalition airstrike along with three compatriots as they were traveling in a vehicle in Iraq’s Anbar province four days ago.
IN CINC SURVEY, DONALD TRUMPS HILLARY: If troops had to pick their next commander in chief, they’d go with Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton by more than a 2-to-1 margin, according to a Military Times survey released Monday. But a full 20 percent said, given just those two possibilities, they rather just not vote. Not exactly a ringing endorsement. The Times notes its survey is a not a scientific sampling of military voting patterns and the respondents were split roughly 2/3rds enlisted, 1/3rd officers.
Trump, by the way, isn’t planning a trip to Israel, Russia and Germany, Gabby Morrongiello reports. More on that here.
OPINION: In “Keep It Secret: Congress Should Back Off the B-21 Program,” the American Enterprise Institute’s Mackenzie Eaglen argues in Defense One that when it comes to the Air Force B-21, “unneeded transparency risks sacrificing a national military advantage for no tangible gain.”
COOK TIMER: Well that’s 19 minutes we won’t get back. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook was particularly unpunctual for his scheduled 1:30 p.m. briefing yesterday. Pentagon reporters cooled their heels for nearly 20 minutes waiting for Cook to take the podium. He explained it was a “busy Monday.” Hey, it’s busy for us, too, for Pete’s sake.
KISSINGER HONORED: Secretary of Defense Ash Carter hosted a ceremony at the Pentagon awarding Henry Kissinger the Medal for Distinguished Public Service, DoD’s highest civilian honor.
Kissinger, you may recall was also honored back in 2013 at the exclusive Alfalfa Club dinner in Washington, where President Obama, in a video message, famously joked that he and Kissinger had a lot in common. “Kissinger won the Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating an end to the Vietnam War, he reportedly said. “And I won mine for… (pauses, looks off camera) “What did I win mine for, again?” As my mom used to say, “Many a truth is said in jest.”
THE RUNDOWN
National Defense: Defense Business: These Are Nervous Times for Contractors
AP: Mass Rally in North Korea after Congress Bolsters Leader, Ex-N. Korea Army Head, who Seoul said was Executed, is Alive
Politico: New 30-year shipbuilding plan falls short of Navy goal
New York Times: A Better, Not Fatter, Defense Budget
Reuters: Ex-NATO and U.S. defense chiefs warn UK against EU exit
Politico: Former Marine suing Iran
Huffington Post: Confronting ISIS and Russia, NATO Is as Relevant as Ever. But It Must Adapt to Survive.
Foreign Policy: The Taliban’s Newest Public Enemy: Traffic Scofflaws
Defense News: USSOCOM: ‘Transregional’ Approach Needed To Combat ISIS
Washington Post: Investigation finds that Green Berets fought in Afghan city without proper maps
Foreign Policy: U.S. Likely to Lift Ban on Arms Sales to Vietnam
Breaking Defense: Navy’s New Jammer Passes Critical Design Review: SEWIP Block III
Marine Corps Times: Female Marine rifleman, machine gunner headed to the infantry
Daily Beast: Stealth Drones Could Be U.S. Pilots’ New Wingmen
Calendar
TUESDAY | MAY 10
9:30 p.m. Russell 232-A. The Senate Armed Services Seapower Subcommittee holds a closed mark up for the fiscal 2017 NDAA. armed-services.senate.gov
10 a.m. Dirksen 419. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee holds a hearing with State Department officials on terrorism in sub-Saharan Africa. foreign.senate.gov
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Frank Kendall, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, talks about the state of defense acquisition. csis.org
11 a.m. Dirksen G-50. The SASC Personnel Subcommittee holds an open mark up for its piece of the fiscal 2017 defense policy bill. armed-services.senate.gov
12 p.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Sen. Marco Rubio speaks about the crisis in the Middle East following his recent trip to Iraq, Qatar and Turkey. hudson.org
2 p.m. Dirksen G-50. The SASC Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support holds an open mark up for its piece of the fiscal 2017 NDAA. armed-services.senate.gov
3:30 p.m. Dirksen G-50. The SASC Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities holds an open mark up on the fiscal 2017 defense policy bill. armed-services.senate.gov
5:30 p.m. Russell 232-A. The SASC Strategic Forces Subcommittee holds a closed mark up on its piece of the NDAA. armed-services.senate.gov
5:30 p.m. Capitol H-140. The House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee marks up its fiscal 2017 spending bill in a closed session. appropriations.house.gov
5:30 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Bob Schieffer hosts an event with State Department officials on how to break the Islamic State’s brand. csis.org
WEDNESDAY | MAY 11
9:30 a.m. Russell 222. The Senate Armed Services Committee begins three days of 12-hour closed mark ups that will wrap up on Friday on the fiscal 2017 defense policy bill. armed-services.senate.gov
10 a.m. Pentagon courtyard. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency holds a demo day at the Pentagon’s outdoor courtyard where some of its latest technology will be on display. defense.gov
12 p.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Two panels of experts discuss the next steps in addressing the Islamic State’s genocide. Heritage.org
THURSDAY | MAY 12
10 a.m. Rayburn 2172. Think tank experts testify at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on the risks of economic engagement with Iran. foreignaffairs.house.gov
10 a.m. Dirksen 419. Former administration officials testify at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on America’s role in the world. foreign.senate.gov
10 a.m. Cannon 311. The House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence hosts a hearing on terrorist financing. homeland.house.gov
FRIDAY | MAY 13
8:30 a.m. Kennedy Caucus Room, 325 Russell. Aerospace Industries Association hosts a “Rockets on the Hill” event with 50 teams from Team America Rocketry Challenge. aia-aerospace.org
MONDAY | MAY 16
8:45 a.m. 201 Waterfront St., Oxon Hill, Md. The Navy League’s three-day Sea-Air-Space Exposition gets underway at National Harbor. Seaairspace.org
2 p.m. 1150 17th St. NW. Think tank experts look at rethinking the map of the Middle East 100 years after the agreement that served as the foundation for the border lines in the region. aei.org
TUESDAY | MAY 17
9:30 a.m. 1501 Lee Highway, Arlington, Va. Greg Zacharias, the chief scientist of the Air Force, will talk about the future of autonomous systems. Mitchellaerospacepower.org
9:30 a.m. 1211 Connecticut Ave. NW. A panel of experts discusses how drone proliferation may change the national security landscape of the future. stimson.org
