Trump pushing to cut US troop levels in Afghanistan in half by Election Day

“No, you’re wrong,” Trump quickly pushed back. “We had much more. We had a lot of people over there too.” Swan countered with the official troop level numbers released by the Pentagon in early 2017. “Look, when you came in, it was 8,800. You boosted to 14,000, and now, you’re back down to 8,500.”

“We’ll be down in a very short period of time to 8,000. Then, we’re going to be down to 4,000,” Trump replied. “We’re negotiating right now. We’ve been there for 19 years.”

HOW SOON IS ‘VERY SOON’? Pressed by Swan about when the additional troop drawdown would be complete, Trump first said, “I don’t want to tell you that,” but when pressed further about how many troops would be left by Election Day, Trump ventured. “Probably anywhere from 4,000 to 5,000.”

“We’ll be down in a very short [time] — it’s already planned,” he said.

POMPEO PRESSING TALIBAN: Trump’s secretary of state held an undisclosed video conference on Monday with the Taliban’s chief negotiator, Mullah Baradar Akhund, the Reuters news agency reported.

Mike Pompeo has been pressing both sides to complete a prisoner swap, which is a precondition for peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government.

“The meeting between Pompeo and Baradar, the Taliban’s Doha-based deputy leader, came as Afghan security forces ended a siege of a major prison in eastern Afghanistan by Islamic State militants in which hundreds of prisoners escaped,” Reuters reported. “It was not immediately known if the escapees included any of the prisoners whose release the Taliban is demanding.

The State Department did not comment on the reported talks, but Pompeo is scheduled to take questions from reporters Wednesday morning in a briefing set for 10:30 a.m. that will be streamed live on www.state.gov.

TRUMP: ‘I READ A LOT’: In his Axios interview, Trump insisted that despite reports he doesn’t read his daily intelligence briefing, he reads a lot. “I comprehend extraordinarily well, probably better than anybody that you’ve interviewed in a long time. I read a lot,” he told Swan. “I spend a lot of time at meetings. Usually, it’s once a day or at least two or three times a week, intelligence meetings.

But as for intelligence that the Russians have been supplying weapons and money to the Taliban for years, something publicly acknowledged by former U.S. Afghanistan commander Gen. John Nicholson and more recently by Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, Trump again pleaded ignorance. “I have so many briefings on so many different countries, but this one didn’t reach my desk.”

‘RUSSIA DOESN’T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH AFGHANISTAN’: Trump told Axios that if Russia aided the Taliban, it was no different than when the United States provided Stinger missiles and other military assistance to the Afghan mujahedeen in the 1980s to help to drive the Soviets out of the country.

“Well, we sold them weapons when they were fighting Russia too. When they were fighting with the Taliban in Afghanistan,” Trump said, in the next breath insisting that Russia has no interest in Afghanistan anymore, directly contradicting his national security advisers.

“Russia doesn’t want anything to do with Afghanistan. Let me just say about Russia. Russia used to be a thing called the Soviet Union. Because of Afghanistan, they went bankrupt. They became Russia, just so you do understand,” Trump said. “Went bankrupt. They became Russia — just so you do understand, OK? The last thing that Russia wants to do is get too much involved with Afghanistan. They tried that once. It didn’t work out too well.”

Good Wednesday 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 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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HAPPENING TODAY: Defense Secretary Mark Esper headlines Day 2 of the virtual Aspen Security Forum, which begins at 8:30 a.m. Livestream at https://www.youtube.com/watch. Esper can also be viewed at https://www.defense.gov/Watch.

Here’s the rundown for today:

• 8:30 a.m. — Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan delivers remarks on “The View from Singapore.”
• 10 a.m. — Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsoakis delivers remarks on “The View from Athens.”
• 12 p.m. — U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook delivers remarks on “Maximum Pressure: America’s Strategy to Counter Iran.”
• 12:30 p.m. — Former Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman delivers remarks on “Iran, North Korea and Beyond.”
• 1:30 p.m. — Defense Secretary Mark Esper delivers remarks on “The View from the Pentagon.”
• 3:30 p.m. — Former national security adviser Tom Donilon; and former national security adviser Stephen Hadley participate in a discussion on “Foreign Policy Choices: Recommendations from Past National Security Advisors.”
• 4:15 p.m. — Former Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivers remarks on “Foreign Policy Choices for 2021 and Beyond.”

MARINE REMAINS FOUND: The U.S. Navy’s Undersea Rescue Command says it has located the amphibious assault vehicle that sank last Thursday in 385 feet of water off the coast of San Clemente Island.

The remains of the seven Marines and one sailor who were missing and presumed dead were located inside the submerged armored vehicle by an underwater, remotely operated video system deployed from the merchant vessel HOS Dominator, a ship specializing in undersea search and rescue.

“The Navy has expedited the movement of assets to recover the remains of the Marines and Sailor, as well as raise the AAV,” said a statement from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit. “The equipment to properly and safely perform the recovery from the seafloor will be in place at the end of this week, and a dignified transfer of our Marines and Sailor will occur as soon as possible after the conclusion of recovery operations.”

TRUMP CALLS LEBANON EXPLOSION ‘AN ATTACK’: Despite Lebanese government assertions that the massive explosion that rocked Beirut on Tuesday was caused by a fire that ignited a stockpile of ammonium nitrate that had been stored in a warehouse, Trump said he’s been told it was an attack.

“Well, it seemed like it, based on the explosion,” Trump told reporters. “I met with some of our great generals, and they just seem to feel that it was. This was not some kind of a manufacturing explosion type of event. This was — seems to be, according to them, they would know better than I would, but they seem to think it was an attack. It was a bomb of some kind, yes.”

The Pentagon provided no confirmation of the assessment from unnamed generals, and Lebanon’s interior minister said that “it appeared the blast was caused by the detonation of more than 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been stored in a warehouse at the dock ever since it was confiscated from a cargo ship in 2014,” according to the Associated Press.

“There is no evidence the Beirut explosion was an attack,” the AP reported. “An official with the Lebanese Red Cross said at least 100 people were killed and more than 4,000 were wounded.”

INDUSTRY WATCH: Raytheon Missiles & Defense and RAFAEL Advanced Defense Systems, an Israeli-based defense technology company, have signed a joint venture to establish an Iron Dome Weapon System production facility in the U.S.

Iron Dome is touted by Raytheon as “the world’s most-used” missile defense system “with more than 2,500 operational intercepts and a success rate exceeding 90 percent” against cruise missiles, unmanned aerial systems, and short-range targets such as rockets, artillery, mortars, and other aerial threats.

The new partnership, called Raytheon RAFAEL Area Protection Systems, anticipates finalizing a site location before the end of the year, according to a press release from Raytheon.

The Rundown

Washington Examiner: US strategic position eroding as Philippines cozies up to China

Washington Examiner: DHS to change camouflage uniforms of federal agents deployed to Portland

Washington Examiner: Marines find vehicle and human remains involved in fatal training accident

Washington Examiner: Pompeo says US ‘ready to assist’ following Beirut blast that killed dozens and wounded thousands

Washington Examiner: Chinese behind malware used in attacks on US over past decade

AP: Fireworks, ammonium nitrate likely fueled Beirut explosion

Task & Purpose: No, that mushroom cloud in Beirut doesn’t indicate a nuclear bomb went off

USNI News: CAPE Nominee: SECDEF Esper Blocked Shipbuilding Plan to Congress Because it Lacked ‘Credible Pathway’ to 355-Ship Fleet

Washington Times: Lax vetting of foreign employees at U.S. broadcasters jeopardizing national security

AP: US sending highest official to Taiwan since ties cut in 1979

Wall Street Journal: Saudi Arabia, With China’s Help, Expands Its Nuclear Program

Bloomberg: Next Carrier’s Cost Creeps Up After First One Hit $13.3 Billion

Stars and Stripes: U.S. Participates In Arctic Exercise As Region Sees Increased Military Activity From Russia And China

Seapower Magazine: Admiral Cool to Notion of Separate Arctic Fleet

Wall Street Journal: U.S. Sending 200 Troops To Poland, Part Of A Gradual Increase

Defense News: MDA Pauses Defensive Hypersonic Missile Design To Refocus Plan

Popular Mechanics: The Marines 3D-Printed A Rocket Launcher Shelter In 36 Hours

AP: Navy SEALs cut ties with museum over Colin Kaepernick video

Defense One: U.S. Missile Defenses Are About to Level Up

Breaking Defense: NRO Taps AI For Future ‘Hybrid Architecture’

National Defense Magazine: Air Force to Fly New Skyborg Drones Next Year

Calendar

WEDNESDAY | AUGUST 5

9 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies webcast: “The New China Rules,” with Michael Auslin, research fellow in contemporary Asia at the Hoover Institution and author of “Asia’s New Geopolitics”; Jude Blanchette, chair in China studies at CSIS; and Seth Center, director of the CSIS History and Strategy Project. https://www.csis.org/events/online-event-new-china-rules

10:30 a.m. — United States Institute of Peace webinar: “Pakistan’s National Security Outlook,” with Moeed Yusuf, Pakistani special assistant to the prime minister on national security and strategic policy planning; former State Department Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Olson, senior adviser at USIP; and Nancy Lindborg, president and CEO of USIP. https://www.usip.org/events/pakistan

11 a.m. — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace webinar: “Why Did the United States Invade Iraq?” with Robert Draper, contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine and author of To Start a War: How the Bush Administration Took America into Iraq; and former Deputy Secretary of State William Burns. https://carnegieendowment.org

12 p.m. — Brian Hook, U.S. Special Representative for Iran, interviewed by Nick Schifrin, foreign affairs and defense correspondent, PBS NewsHour, at the Aspen Security Forum. https://www.aspensecurity2020.com/attend

12:30 p.m. — Wendy Sherman, former undersecretary of state for political affairs, interviewed by David Sanger, national security correspondent and senior writer, the New York Times, at the Aspen Security Forum. https://www.aspensecurity2020.com/attend

1:30 p.m. — Mark Esper, secretary of defense, interviewed by David McCormick, CEO, Bridgewater Associates, at the Aspen Security Forum. https://www.aspensecurity2020.com/attend and https://www.defense.gov/Watch/Live

2 p.m. — Hoover Institution webcast: “From Huawei to Hong Kong: How the U.S. and China are Clashing Around the World,” with Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.; and Michael Auslin, Asia scholar at the Hoover Institution. https://www.hoover.org/events

3 p.m. — Chief Information Officer Dana Deasy speaks at the 2020 Forbes CIO Summit Virtual Series. Livestreamed on defense.gov.

THURSDAY | AUGUST 6

9 a.m. G50 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the nominations of Jason Abend to be DOD inspector general; Bradley Hansell to be deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security; Lucas Polakowski to be assistant secretary of defense for nuclear, chemical, and biological defense programs; and Louis Bremer to be assistant secretary of defense for special operations/low-intensity conflict. https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings

9:30 a.m. — Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein formally retires and is replaced by incoming Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. The ceremony can be viewed at www.af.mil/live.

9:30 a.m. — Mark Warner, ranking member, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence interviewed by David Sanger, national security correspondent and senior writer, the New York Times, at the Aspen Security Forum. https://www.aspensecurity2020.com/attend

10 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies and the United States Naval Institute webcast: “The Movement Toward Greater Integration in Naval Warfare,” with Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfighting Requirements and Capabilities Vice Adm. James Kilby; Lt. Gen. Eric Smith, commander of the Marine Corps Combat Development Center; and retired Vice Adm. Peter Daly, CEO of USNI. https://www.csis.org/events/online-event

10 a.m. — Middle East Institute webinar: “After Qassem Soleimani: The Islamic Republic’s Strategy for the Arab World,” with Tarek Osman, senior political counselor for the Arab World at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; Ariane Tabatabai, Middle East fellow in the German Marshall Fund’s Alliance for Securing Democracy; Morad Vaisibiame, journalist and editor at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Radio Farda; and Alex Vatanka, director of the MEI Frontier Europe Initiative and Iran Program. https://www.mei.edu/events/after-qassem-soleimani

4:15 p.m. — Michele Flournoy, former U.S. undersecretary of defense for policy, interviewed by Courtney Kube, NBC News Pentagon correspondent, at the Aspen Security Forum. https://www.aspensecurity2020.com/attend

5 p.m. — Mike Brown, director, Defense Innovation Unit, and Kathleen Hicks, director, International Security Program, CSIS interviewed by Anja Manuel, director, the Aspen Strategy Group at the Aspen Security Forum. https://www.aspensecurity2020.com/attend

5 p.m. — George Mason University National Security Institute “NatSec Nightcap,” conversation with John Demers, assistant attorney general of the National Security Division at the Department of Justice; and Jamil Jaffer, NSI’s founder and executive director. https://nationalsecurity.gmu.edu/natsec-nightcap-august-6-2020/

6 p.m. — East-West Center in Washington webinar: “Japan’s Missile Defense Debates: A Multipolar World, Collective Defense, and Leadership Transition,” with Yoichiro Sato, professor at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University; James Schoff, senior fellow in the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Asia Program; and Satu Limaye, director of the East-West Center. https://www.eastwestcenter.org/events

MONDAY | AUGUST 10

10 a.m. — Association of the U.S. Army’s Thought Leaders webinar with Chris Brose, author of The Kill Chain: Defending America in the Future of High-Tech Warfare. Register at https://info.ausa.org.

WEDNESDAY | AUGUST 12

12 p.m. — SETA Foundation at Washington D.C. webinar: “Bolton’s Book: Trump Administration’s Foreign Policymaking,” with Trita Parsi, executive vice president, Quincy Institute; Mike Doran, senior fellow, Hudson Institute; and Kadir Ustun, executive director, SETA Foundation at Washington D.C. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register