House votes today on waiver to allow Austin to serve as defense secretary

“While I initially had concerns about the nomination of another recently retired general, Secretary-designate Austin has reinforced his understanding of the role civilian control of our military plays in the safety and security of our democracy and is committed to upholding this cherished principle,” Smith said in urging his House colleagues to approve the waiver.

The vote is expected around 3 p.m.

‘ALMOST QUAINT NOW’: Austin could also get a vote today in the Senate Armed Services Committee, where the new chairman, New Jersey Democrat Sen. Jack Reed, has reversed a vow of four years ago and indicated he’ll vote for the waiver and to confirm Austin.

In 2017, after voting for a waiver for retired Marine Gen. Jim Mattis to serve as President Trump’s Pentagon chief, Reed famously said, “Waiving the law should happen no more than once in a generation. Therefore, I will not support a waiver for future nominees. Nor will I support any effort to water down or repeal the statute in the future.”

In a statement released yesterday, Reed backtracked, characterizing his 2017 words as only “strongly indicating” that he would not grant a similar waiver in the future.

“I backed the waiver for General Mattis in large part because of Donald Trump’s inexperience and temperament and had no intention of supporting another waiver so soon,” Reed said. “That rationale seems almost quaint now considering the seismic forces we are currently facing.”

“After recent events, in depth hearings, and careful analysis, my questions have been answered and I believe Secretary Austin is the right person to lead the Pentagon through a unique, complex, and unprecedented set of challenges,” he added.

HAINES CONFIRMED AS DNI: Biden begins his first full day on the job with one confirmed Cabinet member. The Senate yesterday confirmed former CIA Deputy Director Avril Haines as director of national intelligence with an 84-10 vote.

The director of national intelligence, an office created after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, serves as the head of the U.S. intelligence community, overseeing 18 intelligence agencies, including the recently added U.S. Space Force.

NATSEC TEAM A PRIORITY: “We have prioritized getting our national security team in place, given the crises we're facing, given the importance of keeping the American people safe at this time,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki in her first briefing last night.

Psaki was briefing reporters just as the Senate was voting on the Haines nomination, and she indicated that Biden is hoping the rest of his team could be in place by the end of the week. “We are eager for those to move forward quickly in the coming days,” she said. “It's something that he is raising in his conversations, as we all are, with members of Congress and their team.”

MEANWHILE PENTAGON IN CARETAKER STATUS: The Pentagon says that as of 12:01 p.m. yesterday, Deputy Defense Secretary David Norquist assumed the additional duties of defense secretary in an acting capacity to “maintain continuity and readiness” until a defense secretary is confirmed.

At the same time, the Pentagon released a long list of civilian holdovers who will fill key positions until Biden nominees are named and confirmed. The six-page memo lists career Pentagon officials who will step in on a temporary basis, either in an acting or PTDO [Performing The Duties Of] capacity.

The succession plan was reviewed by the incoming Biden administration, according to the memo.

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HAPPENING TODAY: The Pentagon is already up and running with another list of 25 Biden political appointees who do not require Senate confirmation.

Included in the group that was sworn-in virtually or in-person yesterday at the Pentagon was retired Rear Adm. John Kirby, who, as assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs, will serve as the chief spokesman for the department and the defense secretary.

Kirby is expected to resurrect the past practice of regular on-camera, on-the-record, Pentagon briefings, and because of his extensive experience as a senior military public affairs officer and his familiarity with the presidential press corps, he is also expected to take a less contentious tone with journalists.

At the White House yesterday, Jen Psaki indicated that the Biden administration does not consider the free press to be “the enemy of the people.”

“I have deep respect for the role of a free and independent press in our democracy and for the role all of you play,” she said. “There will certainly be days where we disagree, through extensive parts of the briefing even, perhaps, but we have a common goal, which is sharing accurate information with the American people.”

READY FOR HIS CLOSE-UP: Austin, who was notoriously camera-shy during his time as U.S. Central Commander, pledged at his confirmation hearing Tuesday to be more accessible to the press and the public if confirmed as defense secretary.

“I fully understand and appreciate the role that secretary of defense has in communicating with the American public,” he said in response to a question from New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand about whether Austin would “regularly appear on TV to explain where the administration has asked service members to risk their lives and why.”

“You have my commitment that I will establish a good relationship with the media and provide them the access and the information required to do their job of reporting out to the American people,” Austin said.

HOFFMAN’S FAREWELL: Now former chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Rath Hoffman sent a goodbye email to the Pentagon press corps in which he acknowledged the friction between the media and the department during the Trump years.

“Thank you for all you do at the Pentagon,” Hoffman wrote in an email addressed to “media friends,” adding, “I apologize if I made your jobs more tiresome at times advocating for the department.”

Hoffman, with the encouragement of former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, did more than any of Trump’s previous Pentagon spokespersons to engage the press and encouraged reluctant senior officials to give regular briefings to reporters.

“I hope my minor edits and asks over the last 20 months have not been too onerous and were received with the intentions in which they were offered — a drive for accuracy in all things DOD related,” Hoffman wrote. “You each have difficult jobs that are made more trying by the challenging times our nation faces.”

“Please keep up the good work but always remember that at the base of any story you are writing there are men and women who have taken an oath to serve their country,” Hoffman concluded. “These are good people. They are doing their best. You can help them do better. You can help them share their stories of success and service.”

Let the record show that serving as a spokesperson in the Trump administration is also “a difficult job.”

THE FIGHT AGAINST ‘TRUTH DECAY’: In his inaugural address, President Biden zeroed in on one of the most serious problems facing America, the pollution of the information ecosystem to the extent that many Americans are genuinely confused about what is fact and what is fiction.

“Recent weeks and months have taught us a painful lesson: There is truth and there are lies, lies told for power and for profit,” Biden said. “And each of us has a duty and a responsibility, as citizens, as Americans, and especially as leaders, leaders who have pledged to honor our Constitution and protect our nation, to defend the truth and defeat the lies.”

Asked how Biden would “defeat the lies,” Psaki told White House reporters, “There are a number of ways to combat misinformation. One of them is accurate information and truth and data and sharing information even when it is hard to hear and even when it is not meeting the expectations of people at home who are desperate for this crisis to be over.”

The White House plans to bring back the daily briefing Monday through Friday and authorize public health officials to brief the public directly about the battle against the coronavirus.

INDUSTRY WATCH: Boeing has been awarded a $2.1 billion contract for 15 additional KC-46 refueling aircraft. Work will be performed in Seattle, Washington, and is expected to be completed May 31, 2024, the Pentagon announced Wednesday.

The Rundown

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Washington Examiner: As Trump stayed away, Pence helped usher in a peaceful presidential transition

Washington Examiner: Europe hopes for ‘magic force’ in Biden’s presidency

Washington Examiner: 'Nuclear football' system shrugs off Trump's norms-breaking

Washington Examiner: Pro-Trump protests fizzle out across country

Washington Examiner: The view from Air Force One: Trump enjoys last perks of the job as power ebbs away

AP: World hopes for renewed cooperation with US under Biden

Washington Examiner: Trump bypasses troop thank you — but revels in military sendoff at Joint Base Andrews

Politico: ‘Really Quite Shocking’: Inside The Ugly Transition At The Pentagon

NBC: Biden To Reverse Transgender Military Ban Imminently, White House Says

Federal Times: Biden Overrides Trump Orders On Diversity Training

Washington Post: Biden Orders ‘Pause’ On Border Wall Construction To Allow Review Of Contracts

Stars and Stripes: ‘America Is Back’: Indo-Pacific Allies Tweet Their Congratulations To Biden On Inauguration

AP: Analysis: Biden faces a more confident China after US chaos

AP: Marine Vet Among 3 Militia Members Charged With Plotting Capitol Breach

Washington Post: China Turbocharges Bid To Discredit Western Vaccines, Spread Virus Conspiracy Theories

Reuters: Biden Administration Calls China Sanctions On Trump Officials 'Unproductive And Cynical'

Defense News: The Defense Department Still Isn’t Meeting Its F-35 Readiness Goals

Reuters: Egypt And Qatar Agree To Resume Diplomatic Ties, Cairo Says

Reuters: UAE Signs Deal With U.S. To Buy 50 F-35 Jets And Up To 18 Drones: Sources

AP: Military Helicopter Crash Kills Three In Training Exercise In NY

USNI News: Marine Corps to Stand Up First Marine Littoral Regiment in FY 2022

19fortyfive.com: Mk 17: The U.S. Special Forces Special Assault Rifle

Navy Times: Operation High Tide: Inside The Navy’s Effort To Sting Sex-Trafficking Sailors In Bahrain

Washington Post: Opinion: Rep. Jackie Speier: The Military Needs Help Fighting Radicalization In The Ranks

19fortyfive.com: Opinion: How President Biden Should Support The U.S.-Japan Alliance

Calendar

THURSDAY | JANUARY 21

9 a.m. — German Marshall Fund of the United States webinar: “The U.S.-EU Relationship in 2021 and Beyond – What Can We Expect from the Biden Administration?" with Sven Biscop, director of the Egmont Royal Institute for International Relations; Reinhard Butikofer, member of the European Parliament; Ellen Laipson, director of the George Mason University Center of Security Policy Studies; and Ian Lesser, vice president of GMFUS. https://www.gmfus.org/events

10 a.m. — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association virtual forum on Army Information Technology Days, with Army Maj. Gen. Maria Barrett; and Army Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. John Morrison. https://afceanova.swoogo.com/20tharmyitday

4:30 p.m. — Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments webinar on a new report, "Seizing on Weakness: Allied Strategy for Competing with China's Globalizing Military,” co-author Toshi Yoshihara, senior fellow at CSBA; co-author Jack Bianchi, research fellow at CSBA; and John Lee, nonresident senior fellow at the University of Sydney U.S. Studies Center. https://csbaonline.org/about/events/report-release

5 p.m. — Council on Foreign Relations virtual discussion: “Transition 2021 Series: Renewing the U.S. State Department,” with former U.S. Ambassador to Malta Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, consultant for Abercrombie-Winstanley Consulting LLC and former U.S. consul general in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; former U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala Arnold Chacon, senior vice president of National Defense University; former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Anne Patterson, senior fellow at the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs; and Margaret Talev, politics and White House managing editor at Axios https://cfr.zoom.us

8 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies webcast: “The New Biden Era and the Korean Peninsula,” former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, founding partner and president of Armitage International; former Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Wendy Cutler, vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute; former Republic of Korea Prime Minister Lee Hong-koo; former Republic of Korea Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Kim Sung-han, professor at Korea University; former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Kathleen Stephens; former Republic of Korea Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Yoon Young-kwan; Park In-Kook, president of the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies; Park Cheol-Hee, director of the Institute of International Affairs at Seoul National University; Chung Jae Ho, professor at Seoul National University; and Kim Byung-yeon, professor at Seoul National University. https://www.csis.org/events/online-event

FRIDAY | JANUARY 22

11 a.m. — U.S. Institute of Peace Media Roundtable: “North Korea Could be Early Test for Biden Administration,” with Amb. Joseph Yun, senior adviser, Asia Center; Frank Aum, senior expert North Korea.

TUESDAY | JANUARY 26

3 p.m. — Air Force Association "Air and Space Warfighters in Action" event, with Brig. Gen. Jeremy Sloane, commander of the 36th Wing, Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register

President Biden, in his inaugural address Wednesday.