NO CHOICE: Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley have mounted an aggressive defense of the Jan. 3 drone strike that killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard Quds force commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani, and are disputing criticism President Trump acted impulsively without fully considering the ramifications of the action.
“When we looked at this operation we knew there would be consequences. We knew there'd be risk. We knew that ahead of time. We didn't take any of it lightly,” said Milley in an off-camera session with reporters at the Pentagon on Monday.
“We laid out very clearly what the consequences were pro and con of every option,” added Esper. “We didn't put any option on the table that we didn't believe in and that we – we knew that – that we couldn't execute. And with each option we present the pros and cons, the cost and benefits. That's what we do all the time. That's my duty, my obligation.”
INTELLIGENCE WAS CLEAR, COMPELLING: While Democrats in Congress have been questioning the veracity of the U.S. intelligence indicating Soleimani was planning an imminent attack that would have cost hundreds of American lives, Milley, the nation’s top general, was adamant that Trump had to act.
“I've seen words like, oh, the intel was ‘razor thin.’ Very, very few people saw that intelligence. He and I saw that intelligence,” Milley said referring to Esper. “I'll stand by the intelligence I saw — that was compelling, it was imminent, and it was very, very clear in scale, scope.”
“I know what I saw,” Milley said. “Those of us who were involved in the decision making of that, we would have been culpably negligent to the American people had we not made the decision we made.”
ESPER DETAILS PLOT: While reports from the region have suggested Soleimani was returning to Baghdad with Tehran’s response to a Saudi proposal to de-escalate tensions after US airstrikes Dec. 28 against the Iran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah militia, Esper said U.S. intelligence indicated that Soleimani’s real mission was to launch a devastating attack against U.S. targets.
“He was planning attacks on American forces. He was there on the ground with the leader of Kataeb Hezbollah, met him on the ground at the airplane, welcomed him so they can further coordinate attacks,” Esper said. “This whole narrative that's being turned around is just – is silly.”
“How do you expect us not to respond after they've been killing our people for 20 years? Suleimani alone has the blood of hundreds of Americans. He's wounded thousands of Americans and coalition partners,” Esper said. “He is a terrorist, a leader of a terrorist organization who's been killing and attacking Americans for 20 some years. And the blood is on his hands.”
US TROOPS NOT LEAVING IRAQ — FOR NOW: Much of yesterday’s session with reporters was devoted to clearing up a mess created by the leak of a draft letter by a one-star Marine general in Iraq that appeared to announce preparations for the withdrawal of U.S. troops, following a non-binding vote by the Iraqi parliament.
Esper and Milley were clearly blindsided by the unsigned letter, which Esper said was “inconsistent with where we are right now.”
“There is no decision to leave nor did we issue any plans to leave or prepared to leave. We are committed to the de-ISIS mission in Iraq alongside our allies and partners,” Esper said.
Esper noted the resolution disinviting U.S. troops was a non-binding resolution, and observers in Baghdad noted the vote was boycotted by Sunni and Kurdish factions who oppose Iranian Shiite influence in their country.
“I think the Iraqi people don't want us to leave,” Esper said. “They know that the United States is there to help them become a sovereign independent prosperous country. That is not the intentions of Iran. Iran wants to control them as a proxy state.”
EXPLAINING THE SNAFU: It fell to Milley to call U.S. Central Command chief Gen. Frank McKenzie in Tampa, to sort out the screw-up over the withdrawal letter, which had already been shared with Iraqi military counterparts in Baghdad. After getting off the phone with McKenzie, Milley rushed back to set the record straight with reporters.
“It was a mistake – an honest mistake,” he said. “A draft, unsigned letter because we are moving forces around and we have increased helicopter movement in Iraq between Baghdad and Taji and other camps and stations. And we're bringing in people in from Kuwait.”
“He used other words that were a little bit more colorful than 'mistake.' Something that the Army infantry and the Marine infantry might use,” Milley said, according to a transcript provided by Task & Purpose.
“That letter is a draft. It was a mistake. It was unsigned. It should not have been released. And the first part of it, which says: 'In due deference … as requested … repositioning forces over the coming days and weeks to prepare for onward movement;' poorly worded; implies withdrawal. That's not what's happening.”
Good Tuesday 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 Susan Katz Keating (@SKatzKeating ). 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: President Trump meets with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to the White House.
CULTURAL DIVIDE: The Pentagon has once again been put in an awkward position by President Trump, who has insisted that bombing Iran’s cultural sights is fair game, despite international law barring targeting historic and cultural
Asked directly by CNN’s Barbara Starr if he would comply with a presidential order to bomb such targets in Iran, Esper insisted he would not commit what would amount to a war crime.
“So straight-up could you both say whether you are willing to target cultural sites?” Starr said.
“We will follow the laws of armed conflict,” Esper replied.
“And that means no because targeting a cultural sight is a war crime?” Starr pressed.
“That's the laws of armed conflict,” Esper said.
NATO BRIEFED: Following yesterday’s urgent meeting of NATO ambassadors, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters that the U.S. provided the alliance with the rationale behind killing of Gen. Soleimani.
“We had several briefers from the United States, from the State and from Pentagon and they briefed and explained to other Allies why they took this action against General Soleimani,” Stoltenberg said. “I will not go into the details of that briefing. I will leave that to the United States. But we value and appreciate the briefings provided by the United States. I think this provides, or once again shows that NATO is a platform where European Allies, North American Allies, are able to come together and address security concerns for all of us.”
SOLDIER ID’D: The Pentagon has identified the U.S. soldier killed in the attack by al-Shabaab fighters on a Kenyan air base used by U.S. counterterrorism troops, in an operation dubbed “Octave Shield.”
Spc. Henry J. Mayfield Jr., 23, from Evergreen Park, Illinois, was killed Jan. 5, 2020, during an attack in Manda Bay, Kenya. Mayfield was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 58th Aviation Regiment, 164th Theater Airfield Operations Group, Fort Rucker, Alabama.
ALIVE AND WELL: The commander of U.S. troops in Africa, Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, felt it necessary to respond on Twitter to claims by al-Shabaab that he was among the casualties of the Sunday assault on the base, which also claimed the lives of two Pentagon contractors.
“Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated,” Townsend said in statement tweeted by U.S. AFRICOM. “This is yet another example of the lies, propaganda, and fake news coming from al-Shabaab and other malign actors such as Iran and it’s proxies.”
LOCKHEED MARTIN AWARDED $1.9 BILLION F-35 CONTRACT: The Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Program Office has awarded Lockheed Martin a $1.9 billion contract to support operations and sustainment of the global F-35 fleet.
While the sticker price of the fifth generation fighter jet has continued to come down every year since 2015, the cost of sustainment remains a primary concern of the Pentagon. The latest contract award is intended to address that problem directly, says the company.
“This includes industry sustainment experts supporting base and depot maintenance, pilot and maintainer training, and sustaining engineering across the globe,” says a Lockheed Martin press release. “It also covers fleet-wide data analytics and supply chain management for part repair and replenishment to enhance overall supply availability for the fleet.”
The company announced last month that it delivered the 134 F-35s in 2019, exceeding the joint government and industry goal of 131 aircraft. The price of an F-35A is now $77.9 million, meeting the $80 million goal a year earlier than planned.
IRAN’S CRUISE MISSILE THREAT: A new Heritage Foundation report paints a stark picture of the cruise missile threat posed by Iran as tensions rise in the aftermath of the Soleimani strike.
“Iranian cruise missiles pose a growing threat to U.S. interests in the region, especially deployed U.S. military forces. The proliferation of Iranian cruise missiles to Tehran’s allies and proxies is also a challenge to American interests in the Middle East, including those of U.S. allies and partners,” writes Peter Brookes, a senior research fellow at Heritage.
“In the possession of non-state actors, Iranian cruise missiles increase the range of the conventional and unconventional threats these groups pose, including the possibility of terrorist acts. As such, the growing threat of Iranian cruise missiles and their proliferation merit immediate attention and action to protect American forces and advance U.S. interests in the Middle East.”
ESPER’S CHIEF OF STAFF MOVING ON: The Pentagon announced yesterday that Eric Chewning, chief of staff to the defense secretary, will be leaving at the end of the month to return to the private sector. "I'm grateful for Eric's professionalism, judgment, and leadership over the last seven months as I moved into the Secretary of Defense role," said Esper in a statement.
Chewning will be replaced by Jen Stewart, currently the minority staff director for the House Armed Services Committee. Chewning came to the Pentagon in October of 2017 as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for industrial policy, and became the chief of staff in January of 2019.
The Rundown
Washington Examiner : 'Endless array' of targets: The terrifying possibilities for an Iranian cyberattack
Wall Street Journal : U.S. Adds Troops To Mideast As Iranians Call For Revenge At General’s Funeral
Washington Examiner : Joe Lieberman blasts 2020 Democrats for opposing Trump’s 'morally' correct decision to kill Soleimani
New York Times : Khamenei Wants to Put Iran’s Stamp on Reprisal for U.S. Killing of Top General
Washington Post : After Trump’s threat, administration begins drafting possible sanctions against Iraq
Breaking Defense : Iran Launches Hunt For Soleimani ‘Mole;’ Back Channel Talks Open
CNN : Iran's top diplomat promises "proportional" response to US "state terrorism"
AFP : Germany To Withdraw Some Troops From Iraq
Bloomberg : Why China Won’t Join Any Iran-Russia Coalition Against Trump
Washington Examiner : Democrats poised for House vote blocking US military action against Iran
AP : Iran TV: 35 killed in stampede at funeral for slain general
AP : Moon renews invitation for Kim to visit South Korea
Washington Examiner : ‘The pressure will increase’: Standoff between Maduro and Guaido will deepen, says Trump's Venezuela expert
New York Times : Trolled, Taiwan Sees China’s Meddling
Reuters : Hong Kong Leader Vows To Work Closely With Beijing's New Envoy
C4IRSNET : Will Russia’s Nuclear-Armed Bombers In 2040 Be Drones?
Military.com : Carrier Lincoln Is Finally Headed Home. But Families Say the Navy Broke Trust
Calendar
TUESDAY| JANUARY 7
10:15 a.m. 1030 15th St. N.W. — Atlantic Council discussion with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who is in Washington to meet with President Trump at the White House. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event
12 p.m. 1025 Connecticut Ave. N.W. — SETA Foundation discussion ”The Day after Soleimani: Are the U.S. and Iran Headed to War?” with Luke Coffey, director, Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy; Kilic B. Kanat, research director, SETA Foundation D.C.; Trita Parsi, executive vice president, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft; Mark Perry, independent author and journalist; moderated by Kadir Ustun, executive director, SETA Foundation D.C. https://www.eventbrite.com
2 p.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. — Hudson Institute discussion "Updating U.S.-Japan Defense Cooperation,” with former Western Army of Japan Commander Lt. Gen. Koichiro Bansho, senior adviser at the Marubeni Corporation; former Japanese Minister of Defense Satoshi Morimoto; Sheila Smith, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations; Sugio Takahashi, chief of the National Institute for Defense Studies' Policy Simulation Division; retired Army Lt. Gen. and former White House National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, Japan chair at Hudson; and Patrick Cronin, Asia-Pacific security chair at Hudson. https://www.hudson.org/events
WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 8
10:30 a.m. 1789 Massachusetts Ave. N.W. — American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research book discussion on "Seven Pillars: What Really Causes Instability in the Middle East?" with co-author Michael Rubin, resident scholar at AEI; co-author Brian Katulis, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress; A. Kadir Yildirim, fellow at the Rice University Baker Institute for Public Policy; and Carol Giacomo, editorial writer at the New York Times. http://www.aei.org
2 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. N.W. — Center for Strategic and International Studies forum "Strategic Japan: Shaping the Rules Based Order in the Reiwa Era.” https://www.csis.org/events
7 p.m. 5015 Connecticut Ave. N.W. — Politics and Prose book discussion on "The Age of Illusions: How America Squandered Its Cold War Victory," with author Andrew Bacevich, professor emeritus of history and international relations at Boston University. https://www.politics-prose.com/event
THURSDAY | JANUARY 9
9 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. N.W. — Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion "Examining NASA's Role in U.S. Foreign Policy, with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine; and Todd Harrison, director of the CSIS Aerospace Security Project. https://www.csis.org/events
11 a.m. 7777 Arundel Mills Blvd., Hanover, Md. — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association discussion, with Dave Frederick, deputy director of the National Security Agency's Cybersecurity Directorate. https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register
2 p.m. 1030 15th St. N.W. — Atlantic Council discussion "U.S.-Iran Tensions Rising with Iraq in the Middle,” with Abbas Kadhim, director of the Atlantic Council's Iraq Initiative; Barbara Slavin, director of the Atlantic Council's Future of Iran Initiative; William Wechsler, director of the Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center; and Thomas Warrick, nonresident senior fellow in the Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event
5 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. N.W. — Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion on "2020 Challenges Ahead," with Kathleen Hicks, director of the CSIS International Security Program; Stephanie Segal, chair in political economy at CSIS; Sarah Ladislaw, director of the CSIS Energy and National Security Program; Beverly Kirk, director of the CSIS Smart Women, Smart Power Initiative; and Bob Schieffer, former host of CBS News' "Face the Nation.” https://www.csis.org/events
FRIDAY | JANUARY 10
8:30 a.m. 300 First St. S.E. — Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies "Space Power to the Warfighter" seminar, with Air Force Maj. Gen. John Shaw, combined force space component commander of U.S. Space Command and commander of 14th Air Force. http://www.mitchellaerospacepower.org/events
9 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. N.W. — Brookings Institution discussion "The Army's Strategy in the Indo-Pacific,” with Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy; and Michael O’Hanlon, senior foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution. https://www.brookings.edu/events
MONDAY | JANUARY 13
11:15 a.m. 2401 M St. N.W. — Foundation for Defense of Democracies National Security Summit, with keynote address by Vice President Mike Pence. Register at https://fdd.wufoo.com/forms
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“When Secretary of State Pompeo is out there saying, well, ‘maximum pressure, our goal is to get them back to the negotiating table,’ no naive child would believe that. You would have to be brain dead to believe that we tear up the agreement, we put an embargo on you, and we kill your major general, and they're just going to crawl back to the table and say, ‘What do you want, America?’ ”
Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul, on CNN Monday.
