In Ankara, Tillerson tries to ease tensions

Erdogan is furious that a Raqqa liberation force includes elements of the Kurdish YPG militia, which Erdogan sees as linked PKK insurgents, who have been designated a terrorist group by both the United States and Turkey.  Erdogan is also incensed that the U.S. has refused to extradite Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Erdogan claims was behind the failed coup last July.

The top U.S. commander overseeing the counter-ISIS effort in Syria said the U.S. military increased its interaction with Turkey to make sure “there is good visibility” on the things the U.S. is doing. But in testimony before the House Armed Services Committee yesterday, Gen. Joseph Votel, head of U.S. Central Command, said the U.S. is committed to using the local fighters who have so far proved the most capable of taking on ISIS. “We certainly recognize Turkey’s interests and concerns with this. They’re a great partner here, and we couldn’t do many of the things we’re doing without them,” Votel testified. “That said, the most effective force that we have right now in Syria is the Syrian Democratic forces that consist of both Kurds and Arabs, Turkmen, and in some cases, some Christian organizations.”

The U.S. has been trying without success to convince Turkey the YPG elements in Syria are not terrorists or linked to Kurdish extremists who have fought an insurgency inside Turkey for three decades. This month, the top U.S. ground commander in Iraq told reporters at the Pentagon that the YPG fighters who make up about 40 percent of the Syrian Arab Coalition are not a threat to Ankara. “Of those YPG fighters, I mean, I’ve talked to their leaders, and we’ve watched them operate. And they continually reassure us that they have no desire to attack Turkey, that they’re not a threat to Turkey,” said Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend. “In fact, they desire to have a good working relationship with Turkey and I have seen absolutely zero evidence that they have been a threat to or supported any attacks on Turkey from northern Syria over the last two years.”

THE MORAL HAZARD OF INACTION: During his Capitol Hill testimony yesterday, Votel said there has been no change to the strict rules of engagement that are intended to minimize the risk of civilian casualties in the battle against ISIS, and promised the U.S. is doing “everything humanly possible” to prevent the kind of accidents of war like the one in Mosul that has claimed more than 100 innocent lives. Many of the committee members pushed back against the growing criticism of the heavy toll that U.S.-led airstrikes are taking on the civilian population. Notably Rep. Martha McSally, a 26-year Air Force veteran and former A-10 squadron commander, cited the “the moral hazard of inaction.” She explained that while some civilians may tragically die in strikes against legitimate military targets, the cost of inaction is much higher, allowing ISIS to continue to brutally murder thousands more innocent victims. “ISIS knows that they can use human shields to avoid being hit. It is their air defense system,” McSally said. “They now realize if they take human shields, they are going to avoid being struck and actually this is adding to the problem.”

We’ll get another update on the progress on the ground in both Iraq and Syria this morning from Army Col. Joseph Scrocca, the current U.S. military spokesman in Iraq, who briefs Pentagon reporters at 11 a.m. The briefing should be livestreamed on defense.gov.

MONEY QUESTIONS: Air Force secretary nominee Heather Wilson might need to do some explaining when she testifies today before the Senate Armed Services Committee, the first step of her confirmation process. From 2009 to 2011, the Air Force Academy grad and former New Mexico congresswoman’s company was paid $450,000 from contractor-run nuclear laboratories and the Department of Energy inspector general found in 2013 that invoices were unclear on what work was performed. Lockheed Martin, which ran Sandia National Laboratories, settled with the Department of Justice for $4.7 million in 2015 over charges of improper lobbying efforts that allegedly included $226,000 in consulting fees for Wilson.

Good Thursday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre), National Security Writer Travis J. Tritten (@travis_tritten) and Senior Editor David Brown (@dave_brown24). Email us here for tips, suggestions, calendar items and anything else. If a friend sent this to you and you’d like to sign up, click here. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email and we’ll be sure to add you to our list. And be sure to follow us on Twitter @dailyondefense.

HAPPENING TODAY: As the House Intelligence Committee’s investigation into Russian attempts to influence the 2016 president election grinds to a halt, the Senate Intelligence Committee is gearing up. Today’s public hearing featuring cybersecurity experts is designed to set the stage for what is promising to be a months-long effort. At a joint news conference yesterday, Sens. Richard Burr and Mark Warner promised to work together in an impartial non-partisan effort. Burr said the committee has 20 requests for individuals to be interviewed, some in private, some public. The only name mentioned was Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, who is also a senior adviser.

Burr, the Republican, said he will put his personal support for Trump aside as the investigation proceeds. “I’ll do something I’ve never done. I’ll admit that I voted for him,” Burr said, “but I’ve got a job in the United States Senate and I take that job extremely seriously. It overrides any personal beliefs that I have or loyalties that I might have.” And Warner, the Democrat, expressed complete confidence in Burr’s integrity. “I have confidence … that we together with the members of the committee are going to get to the bottom of this. And if you get nothing else from today, take that statement to the bank.”

SUPPLEMENTAL DELAY: With a month to go before Congress must pass either a budget or another stopgap funding measure, talk of another government shutdown is starting to be heard on Capitol Hill. The current spending authority expires April 28, and concern about a budget battle has some Republicans saying they may have to delay until May the Trump administration’s requested $30 billion supplemental boost in defense spending.

Sen. Roy Blunt tells the Washington Examiner that the additional fiscal 2017 funding for Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornets as well as ships, missiles and troops should not be considered while lawmakers wrangle over passing 2017 appropriations bills or an omnibus budget. “I think that the best way to get [fiscal year 2017] done is to do FY17, which includes defense … and then deal with the supplemental as a separate issue,” said Blunt, who sits among Republican leadership and is a member of the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee.

PILOTS GROUNDED: Air Force budgets don’t have the money to pay for any U.S. pilots to fly in the last six weeks of the fiscal year, a general warned Congress. “So, the last month and a half, the entire Air Force would have to stop flying,” Lt. Gen. Jerry Harris told a Senate Armed Services subcommittee on Wednesday. “But because we can’t do that, it would start affecting units almost immediately, forcing their grounding, and that turns around our readiness program.” That message is designed to jolt lawmakers ahead of a contentious fight over government spending, which is set to run out at the end of April.

A similar warning was sounded on the House side by Marine Lt. Gen. Mark Brilakis, who testified that “we will by summertime have to basically have to idle 24 flying squadrons.” Brilakis was one of four senior aviation officers testifying before a House subcommittee on the growing pilot shortage caused by those who decide not to reenlist because of lack of flying hours, frustration over quality of life issues and better paying jobs with civilian airlines. The Air Force is down 1,555 pilots, including 1,211 fighter pilots. Air Force Lt. Gen. Gina Grosso, deputy chief of staff for Manpower and Personnel Services, testified that the cost of training a single Air Force pilot to fly a fifth generation fighter plane is $11 million, and said a 1,200 pilot shortage translates into a $12 billion capital loss for the Air Force.

HALEY’S WARNING: United Nations diplomats should worry about the “wave of populism” sweeping across the world, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley warned Wednesday, Joel Gehrke writes. “The U.N. is missing the growing discontent and growing distrust among the people it’s supposed to represent,” Haley said at the Council on Foreign Relations. “The fact is, a wave is building throughout the world. It’s a wave of populism that is challenging institutions like the United Nations and shaking them to their foundations.”

Haley, the former South Carolina governor, invoked the populist movements that drove so much of international politics in 2016 as a set-up for a new policy priority at the United Nations. She plans to demand, as president of the U.N. Security Council in 2017, that the panel hold sessions devoted to human rights — a topic that could lead to sharper clashes with Russia and China, two nations the U.S. regards as human rights abusers that hold veto power on the council.

IRAN’S STRAIT THREAT: In his appearance before a House committee yesterday, Votel said Iran, through its proxy forces in Yemen, is turning a vital international waterway into a militarized chokepoint that threatens freedom of navigation. Votel testified Iran has moved advanced weaponry into Yemen, which threatens ship traffic through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, effectively turning it into another Strait of Hormuz.

“With the support of Iran, we have seen the migration of capabilities that we previously observed in the Straits of Hormuz,” Votel said, including a layered defense, consisting of “coastal defense missiles and radar systems, mines, and explosive boats.” Votel accused Iran of “a range of malign activities,” which he said were perpetrated by Iran and its allies in the region. “It is my view that Iran poses the greatest long-term threat to stability in this part of the world,” Votel said.

COMEY MUZZLED: Obama administration officials blocked FBI Director James Comey from going public last summer with details about Russian efforts to interfere with the 2016 election, according to a report Wednesday. Comey was considering writing an op-ed about it, an unnamed source told Newsweek. “He had a draft of it or an outline. He held up a piece of paper in a meeting and said, ‘I want to go forward, what do people think of this?’ ” said the source, who reportedly had knowledge of Comey’s meeting with Secretary of State John Kerry, Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and National Security Advisor Susan Rice. The source said national security officials shot down the idea and added that White House officials preferred a coordinated message by multiple agencies.

SPYING CHARGES: A veteran State Department employee took payments to spy for China over a five-year period, according to Justice Department officials. Two Chinese intelligence officers handled the employee, who had a top secret clearance, the department said. The staffer, Candace Claiborne, allegedly acknowledged that the officers were “spies,” but collaborated with them in exchange for money and tried to hide her connections with them.

“Claiborne used her position and her access to sensitive diplomatic data for personal profit,” acting Assistant Attorney General Mary McCord said Wednesday. “Pursuing those who imperil our national security for personal gain will remain a key priority of the National Security Division.”

NON-COMBAT DEATH: The Pentagon announced yesterday the death of an airman who was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve in northern Syria. The brief news release said Staff Sgt. Austin Bieren, 25, died March 28 “in a non-combat-related incident while deployed in support of combat operations.” Bieren was assigned to the 21st Space Wing at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.

MCCAIN’S “FAT” ZINGER: Republican Sen. John McCain upset North Korea so much when he called the country’s supreme leader a “crazy fat kid” during an interview that the country has threatened war. In a March 22 interview, McCain said the “crazy fat kid that’s running North Korea” is worse than the worst dictators throughout history, according to the Daily Caller. “He is not rational,” he added. “We’re not dealing even with someone like Joseph Stalin, who had a certain rationality to his barbarity.” After the regime took umbrage, McCain tweeted: “What, did they want me to call him a crazy skinny kid?”

THE RUNDOWN

Washington Post: Afghan generals face charges in crackdown on military corruption

Bloomberg: Trump Drops Human Rights Demand in Bid to Sell Bahrain F-16 Jets

Miliary.com: Pentagon Picks National Security Lawyer to Run Guantanamo War Court

Military Times: Group wants lawmakers to cap military housing stipends to curb costs

BuzzFeed: The death of a U.S. contractor has exposed America’s failures in Syria.

CNN: McCain threatens a government shutdown if a continuing resolution is on the table.

Defense News: CENTCOM chief: Vital U.S. interests at stake in Yemen.

Defense News: Next-gen combat vehicle prototype efforts emerge.

Defense One: DHS cyber strategy delayed for Trump team review.

Foreign Policy: U.S. generals warn of more civilian casualties, as ISIS wages desperate fight in Mosul.

UPI Security News: U.S. Army picks AM General for Humvee sale to Iraq.

USA Today: See the latest in military tech from the SOFINS fair

Calendar

THURSDAY | MARCH 30

9 a.m. Rayburn 2118. Gen. Darren McDew, head of U.S. Transportation Command, testifies on the current state of his command. armedservices.house.gov

9:30 a.m. Dirksen G50. The Senate Armed Services Committee considers the nomination of former Rep. Heather Wilson to be Air Force secretary. armed-services.senate.gov

10 a.m. Dirksen 106. Experts discuss Russian influence campaigns in an open hearing, and will hold a second hearing at 2 p.m. intelligence.senate.gov

10:30. Rayburn 2172. Three former officials discuss Russia’s violation of the INF Treaty. armedservices.house.gov

10:30. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. N.W. Sen. Ron Johnson speaks at the launch for a report, “Recalibrating U.S. Strategy toward Russia: A New Time for Choosing.” csis.org

11 a.m. Pentagon Briefing Room. Army Col. Joseph Scrocca, spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, briefs the media live from Baghdad on counter-ISIS operations.

FRIDAY | MARCH 31

9 a.m. 1000 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. Gen. John Hyten, head of U.S. Strategic Command, speaks at the Military Reporters & Editors Conference. militaryreporters.org

MONDAY | APRIL 3

8:45 a.m. Gaylord National Convention Center. The Navy League’s three-day Sea-Air-Space Exposition gets underway. Seaairspace.org

TUESDAY | APRIL 4

9:30 a.m. Dirksen G50. Gen. John Hyten, head of U.S. Strategic Command, testifies about the programs under his command. armed-services.senate.gov

9 a.m. 1030 15th St. N.W. A forum on the progress, opportunities and challenges in Ukraine. atlanticcouncil.org

10 a.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. N.E. Experts gather to discuss the many issues surrounding U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. heritage.org

10 a.m. Capitol Visitors Center room 210. A hearing on how to degrade and dismantle drug cartels that are threatening the United States. homeland.house.gov

12:15 p.m. 1211 Connecticut Ave. N.W. Ambassador Richard Olson examines the U.S. strategy and policy options in Afghanistan. stimson.org

6:30 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. N.W. A conversation with Rep. Martha McSally about border security, threats and the global war against terrorism. csis.org

WEDNESDAY | APRIL 5

9 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. N.W. An in-depth discussion about foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria and the threats they pose. csis.org

10:30 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. N.W. The launch of a report and a discussion on the prospects for defense acquisition in the Trump administration. csis.org

Noon. Willard Intercontinental Hotel. A panel discussion with Michèle Flournoy about women in national security. cnas.org

1 p.m. 1211 Connecticut Ave. N.W. Experts gather to discuss the policy options for dealing with the imminent threat of North Korea. stimson.org

2 p.m. 2154 Rayburn. A hearing to assess the Iran nuclear deal. Oversight.house.gov

THURSDAY | APRIL 6

9:30. Dirksen G50. Adm. Kurt Tidd of U.S. Southern Command and Gen. Lori Robinson of U.S. Northern Command testify about the status of their responsibilities. armed-services.senate.gov

Noon. 1030 15th St. N.W. Vice Adm. Andreas Krause, chief of the German navy, and Rear Adm. Ulrich Reineke, chief of the German navy’s planning division, discuss the future of that nation’s fleet in a new European security environment. atlanticcouncil.org