TOP STORY: As we publish this morning, terrorism has not been ruled out in the crash of EgyptAir flight 804 from Paris to Cairo. The Airbus A320 with 66 on board suddenly dropped off radar in Egyptian air space over the Mediterranean just 40 minutes before it was due to land, Anna Giaritelli reports. Conflicting reports about whether a distress signal was broadcast raises the specter of foul play, and a Paris prosecutor’s office has announced an investigation into the crash.
Also this morning a B-52H Stratofortress has crashed on the flight line at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. All seven crew were reportedly able to safely escape unharmed. The aging Cold War-era bomber was forward deployed from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota.
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NDAA WRAP UP: The House passed its annual defense policy bill Wednesday night by a 277-147 vote. The second-day of debate considered 120 amendments, including one to require the military to use the cheapest energy source even if it’s not eco-friendly, one to repeal the 2001 war authorization against terrorists and one to reduce the Defense Department’s base budget by 1 percent. See what ended up in the House’s final bill here.
Rep. Adam Smith, ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, said he wouldn’t support the bill both because it used a funding mechanism that put the Pentagon “on a fiscal path to nowhere” and because it includes a provision that Democrats feel codifies discrimination against LGBT federal employees and contractors.
Democrats also criticized the Rules Committee for refusing to allow debate on nearly half of the 377 amendments offered.
Now that the House has wrapped up its consideration of the defense bill, the debate moves over to the Senate, which is expected to take up its version of the NDAA this month.
THEY’RE *NOT* ON A BOAT: Many members of the House Armed Services readiness and seapower subcommittees, including several veterans, aren’t making the trip to Norfolk next week for Monday morning’s field hearing on Navy readiness aboard the carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower because they’ll still be in their home districts.
HURRY IT UP! Twenty seven Senate Democrats are telling President Obama to speed up the resettlement of Syrian refugees, saying the U.S. has brought in fewer than 1,800 refugees, far short of the 10,000 the president said he would bring in by September, Joel Gehrke reports. “The international community’s response to the Syrian refugee crisis has been uneven. We urge your administration to devote the necessary resources to expeditiously and safely resettle refugees from Syria,” they wrote.
DEAL OR NO DEAL? The White House sidestepped a question yesterday on what exactly the Defense Department did or didn’t promise to Sen. Pat Roberts in order to get him to lift his hold on the nomination of Eric Fanning to be the next Army secretary. Roberts said he received reassurances from Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work that Guantanamo prisoners won’t be moved to Fort Leavenworth. But the Pentagon and White House aren’t being as specific. Susan Crabtree has the back and forth.
Pentagon sources say Work simply stated the obvious: if Congress doesn’t act, time will run out on moving any Gitmo detainees to any prison in the U.S.
HEAVY LIFTING: The U.S. is finalizing its $8.6 million purchase of heavy water from Iran, John Siciliano reports. The purchase raised the ire of Sen. Tom Cotton, who tried to ban the transaction. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said the U.S. is buying it to help dismantle Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
FIRST RUSSIA, NOW CHINA: It’s not just Russia that has been conducting what the Pentagon calls “unprofessional intercepts” of U.S. military aircraft flying in international airspace, the Wall Street Journal reports. A Pentagon statement says a U.S. maritime patrol aircraft was on “a routine U.S. patrol,” when two Chinese fighter jets carried out an “unsafe” intercept.
The plane that was intercepted, an EP-3, is the same kind of Navy spy plane that was hit by a Chinese J-8 fighter jet over Hainan Island in 2001. The Chinese pilot died and the U.S. plane made an emergency landing on the island. The crew of 24 was detained for 10 days.
CHINA’S TRIAD: In the Pentagon’s latest report to Congress on China’s growing military might are new details about the progress Beijing is making developing ballistic missile submarines, which would give China a nuclear triad. The Daily Beast points out that will give China “a level of nuclear strike capability that, at present, just two countries—the United States and Russia—can match or exceed.”
ELECTION SPYING? The nation’s top spymaster says there is little doubt that foreign intelligence agencies are spying on American presidential candidates, Rudy Takala reports. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said, “We have already had some indications of [hacking] and a combination of DHS [and] FBI are doing what they can to educate both candidates of potential cyber threats.”
OUR MAN IN BAGHDAD: The Pentagon press corps’ favorite briefer, the indefatigable Col. Steve Warren, a.k.a. “The Colonel of Truth,” turned in another spirited defense of what he insists is slow but steady progress in the fight against the Islamic State. It’s not an easy sell, but Warren pulls it off with a mixture of facts and blunt talk.
COOK TIMER: Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook is scheduled to brief the media at 1:30 p.m. today. Check in tomorrow to see what time he actually arrives in the Pentagon Briefing Room.
PENTAGON SERENADED ON SESAME STREET: OK it’s the shape, not the building, that Nick Jonas is singling about, along with Cookie Monster, the Count and Bert. It’s a segment called “Check That Shape.” Rolling Stone has the the lowdown and the video.
THE RUNDOWN
Stars and Stripes: Navy’s Growler jets jam Islamic State’s ability to communicate
Defense One: If Russia is Selling, the Pentagon Should Keep Buying — Rocket Engines, That Is
The Drive: Those Old OV-10 Broncos Sent To Fight ISIS Were Laser Rocket-Slinging Manhunters
Breaking Defense: Navy Wants LCS ‘Frigate’ Upgrade A Year Earlier: 2018, Not 2019
Defense News: Polaris Defense Rolling Out Turbo Diesel MRZR
UPI: Germany urges Airbus to fix A400 issues
USNI News: Navy, Marines Catching Up to Maintenance Needs of MV-22s and H-1 Helos
Foreign Policy: Exclusive: In Rebuke of Trump, New House Resolution Defends NATO
Military Times: A bigger Army, military pay raise: White House says no, House votes yes
Air Force Times: Air Force general fired over inappropriate emails will keep rank, pay
Breaking Defense: Civil Liberties Debate Coming On Drone, Sat Photos
Defense News: Ending US Weapon Export Ban to Vietnam Faces Challenges
Military.com: Meet the US Navy’s Robotic Lifeguard Named ‘Emily’
Washington Post: Top NATO commanders signal support for keeping troops in Afghanistan
Calendar
THURSDAY | MAY 19
8 a.m. 300 1st St. SE. Rep. Jim Bridenstine speaks about Congress’ perspective on space national security. mitchellaerospacepower.org
5 p.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., will address the major reforms to the Department of Defense included in the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act. brookings.edu
MONDAY | MAY 23
9:30 a.m. Naval Station Norfolk. The House Armed Services Committee will hold an open hearing aboard the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower with four Navy captains on force structure and readiness. armedservices.house.gov
TUESDAY | MAY 24
8:30 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., speaks about cybersecurity after information sharing. csis.org
10 a.m. Rayburn 2172. House Foreign Affairs will hold a hearing on the implementation and consequences of the Iran Nuclear Deal Oversight. foreignaffairs.house.gov
12:30 p.m. 1030 15th Street NW. The Atlantic Council think tank will host the 10th annual Country of Georgia Defense and Security Conference. atlanticcouncil.org
1:15 p.m. Tampa Convention Center. Gen. Raymond Thomas, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, will speak at the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference. sofic.org
2 p.m. Rayburn 2172. House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade will hold a hearing on Terrorism and the Saudi Royal Family. foreignaffairs.house.gov
2 p.m. Rayburn 2154. House Oversight Committee on national security will hold a hearing on the remaining detainees at Guantanamo Bay. oversight.house.gov
2:30 p.m. 1211 Connecticut Ave. NW. Stimson releases its new report on the long-term foreign policy and budgetary implications of the overseas contingency operations fund. stimson.org
WEDNESDAY | MAY 25
10 a.m. Dirksen 419. The Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Africa, the Pacific, and International Cyber Security will hold a hearing to discuss cybersecurity deterrence and global cyber norms. foreign.senate.gov
THURSDAY | MAY 26
9 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Gen. Mark Milley, the Army chief of staff, speaks about the U.S. military strategy. csis.org
5 p.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Retired Adm. James Stavridis will speak about the future of NATO and U.S. alliances. heritage.org
