NO PLANNING FOR SAFE ZONES: Despite the fact the topic came up in his discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Trump has not ordered any Pentagon planning for the imposition of safe or de-confliction zones in Syria, Pentagon officials tell us. “We’re not involved,” said one official, who pointed out that the Russian proposal involved mostly areas in the west where the civil war between the Bashar Assad regime and opposition rebels has been raging for more than six years. The U.S. has no troops in that area, and no plans to send any, said another official. “I am not aware of any plan that would put more U.S. boots on the ground,” the official said.
A very small number of U.S. troops are already serving in a sort of quasi-peacekeeping role, patrolling areas in Syria where rival factions might otherwise be fighting among themselves, but sources say there has been no planning for any expanded presence to implement or enforce safe areas. The Russian proposal is expected to be among the ideas discussed in Russian-backed peace this week in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana.
Speaking on CNN Tuesday, Retired Gen. Michael Hayden, former CIA and NSA director and now a CNN analyst, suggested the talk of “safe zones” may be more about Russia beginning to wind down the conflict, while keeping Assad in power. “That might be our coded language for telling the Russians to settle Assad down, make sure he doesn’t use those weapons of mass destruction again, and maybe even stop his incessant attacks against the Syrian opposition.” Meanwhile, the U.S. remains focused solely on defeating ISIS in the east. “Secretary [Jim] Mattis went out of his way three or four times in a press op in the Pentagon to point out job one for us is ISIS, not the Assad regime,” Hayden said.
ABOUT THAT TRUMP/PUTIN PHONE CALL: Democratic Rep. Adam Smith, ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, is griping about the sketchy readout provided by the White House of Tuesday’s phone call been presidents Trump and Putin. As we noted yesterday, the Kremlin provided details of a possible meeting between the two leaders in Germany in July, and the White House did not. “It is outrageous that we have to resort to reports from the Kremlin to get full and accurate information about the substantive points of a diplomatic call,” Smith ranted in a statement. “We have a president who limits access to the press, records of White House visitors, withholds releasable information about diplomatic calls, and praises leaders who are the polar opposite of transparent.”
DIALING UP THE THE PRESSURE: Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told department employees yesterday that the tougher sanctions against North Korea can be dialed up to increase pressure on Kim Jong Un to abandon his nuclear ambitions. “It’s a pressure campaign that has a knob on it,” Tillerson said. “I’d say we’re at about dial setting 5 or 6 right now, with a strong call of countries all over the world to fully implement the UN Security Council resolutions regarding sanctions, because no one has ever fully implemented those.”
Tillerson’s remarks came in his second address to State Department staff aimed in part to ease worries the professional diplomatic corps might have about Trump’s policies. He said the U.S. will “lean into” other countries to fully implement sanctions. “We’ve told them we’re watching what you’re doing. When we see you not implementing, we see companies or we see individuals that are violating these sanctions, we’re going to contact you and we’re going to ask you to take care of it. If you can’t take care of it or you simply don’t want to take care of it for your own internal political reasons, we will.”
We have to ask, if the knob is at 5 or 6 right now, does it go to 11?
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 add you to our list. And be sure to follow us on Twitter @dailyondefense.
HOUSE PASSES SPENDING BILL: More than 100 House Republicans broke from their leadership on Wednesday and voted against a $1.2 trillion spending bill to keep the government open through September, which passed thanks to Democrats’ near-unanimous support.
The bill passed 309-118, in a vote that saw 103 Republican oppose the measure. Most Republicans did vote for the measure, but the caucus was split significantly, 132-103. Democrats in much more in favor of the bill, as 178 voted for it, and just 15 voted against it. Nonetheless, it now heads to the Senate, where it is expected to be cleared for Trump’s signature before the May 5 deadline.
HAPPENING TODAY: Trump will drop in on his hometown of New York City today, but he won’t be spending the night. The president is scheduled to deliver a speech marking the 75th anniversary of the World War II Battle of the Coral Sea aboard the USS Intrepid, a decommissioned aircraft carrier that is now a floating museum. Trump also is set to meet with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, the first meeting of the two leaders since their awkward phone call in February.
Trump told Fox News last week that he’s been avoiding his old stomping ground because his trips are “too expensive” for the country. Trump said he feels “guilty” when he returns to Trump Tower because authorities close surrounding streets and “I hate to see the New Yorkers with streets closed.” The president will spend the weekend at his golf club an hour away in Bedminster, New Jersey, according to the White House.
END THE SEQUESTER: As the House wrapped up a vote on an omnibus spending bill to keep the military and federal government funded through September, a solid majority of Republicans sent a message to leadership about the coming 2018 budget: Repeal the sequester caps for defense spending. The 140 lawmakers, headed by Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio and including members of the House Freedom Caucus, want the biggest hurdle to Trump’s $603 billion proposed defense budget — $54 billion above the 2018 spending limit — to be swept away. Turner, who convinced Freedom Caucus chairman Rep. Mark Meadows and other members of fiscally conservative voting bloc to sign on, said the letter shows defense and fiscal hawks are part of an overwhelming agreement.
But the Democratic leadership on the House Armed Services Committee did not immediately respond to the proposal. Despite declarations this week by House Speaker Paul Ryan that the era of dollar-for-dollar budget negotiating is over, the Democrats are likely push back against any plan that hikes defense while capping all other funding and instead want increases for non-defense items. The tug-of-war will begin when Trump’s first full-year budget proposal is released later this month.
PARTISAN DIVIDE OVER GREEN: The top Senate Democrat jumped into the fray over Trump’s pick for Army secretary on Wednesday just as his nomination appeared in jeopardy. Tennessee state Sen. Mark Green has “intolerant, extreme and deeply disturbing views,” according to Sen. Chuck Schumer. The minority leader said Green sponsored state legislation that discriminated against LGBT people, opposed gay marriage and made “troubling” comments about Muslims. It was a one-two punch from Democratic leadership on Capitol Hill. On Monday, Rep. Steny Hoyer, the House minority whip, called Green’s past statements “disgusting.”
Meanwhile, 11 House Republicans sprang to Green’s defense amid reports the former Army flight surgeon could withdraw this week. Rep. Duncan Hunter and the Tennessee delegation wrote a letter to the Senate urging it to judge Green on his resume and not the string of controversial statements he has made during the past five years as a state legislator. “Any attempt to politicize personal statements or views that have been expressed by Mark at any point throughout his career must not be allowed to supersede his qualifications,” they wrote to Sen. John McCain, the Armed Services chairman, who also said this week he is concerned about Green.
The Washington Examiner also spoke to people who know Green, who say he’s being targeted because of his faith. “I think there is a movement to target people of faith that are being nominated,” Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally said. “They want their own, either agnostics or people who are non-Christian. They being the national Democratic Party.”
Retired Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin, an executive vice president at the Family Research Council, said Green has had the courage to stand up in a politically correct environment and state his religious views. “I don’t think there is any question that he is being targeted for his Christian faith,” he said.
NO RICE ON THE MENU: Former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice has refused an invitation to testify next week on Russian meddling in the U.S. election. In a letter obtained by CNN, Rice’s lawyer, Kathryn Ruemmler, said the decision was made because Sen. Lindsey Graham, chairman of the judiciary subcommittee on crime and terrorism that invited her to testify, didn’t have the support of the panel’s top Democrat, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse.
“Senator Whitehouse has informed us by letter that he did not agree to Chairman Graham’s invitation to Ambassador Rice, a significant departure from the bipartisan invitations extended to other witnesses,” Ruemmler wrote. “Under these circumstances, Ambassador Rice respectfully declines Senator Graham’s invitation to testify.”
In a statement, Graham said “During a press interview, [Rice] denied improperly unmasking the names of American citizens who were surveilled as part of incidental collection. Media reports suggest otherwise. At an appropriate time, I expect we will continue down this path. I hope Ms. Rice will come before the committee — and not just the press.” The top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, said yesterday she hopes Rice will reconsider her decision.
ARMED ICEBREAKERS? Trump’s team could decide to arm future Coast Guard icebreakers in order to counteract Russian cruise missiles in the Arctic, the Coast Guard’s top admiral said following a meeting with the administration, Joel Gehrke writes.
“They understand that it’s good that you have a U.S. Coast Guard that is a military service,” Adm. Paul Zukunft, the U.S. Coast Guard commandant, told the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Wednesday. “So what might an icebreaker of the 21st century need to be? You might want to reserve space, weight and power where you have an offensive and a defensive armed capability as a military service … that could be a future requirement for our icebreaking fleet.”
BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS: Trump on Wednesday declared his ambition to facilitate “the final and most important” peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians. “I would love to be a mediator, or an arbitrator, or a facilitator, and we will get this done,” Trump said at the White House during a press conference with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
“It’s about time for Israel to end its occupation of our people and of our land,” Abbas said through a translator. “We are aspiring and want to achieve our freedom, our dignity, and our right to self-determination, and we also want for Israel to recognize the Palestinian state just as the Palestinian people recognize the state of Israel.”
Trump ended the joint news conference with this closing thought: “Over the course of my lifetime, I’ve always heard that perhaps the toughest deal to make is the deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Let’s see if we can prove them wrong. OK?”
COMEY’S EXPLANATION: FBI Director James Comey on Wednesday defended his decision to tell Congress that he was reopening the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails with less than two weeks before Election Day, and said not telling Congress would have been a big mistake. Comey testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that the discovery of thousands of missing emails from the first three months of Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state held the potential to reverse the FBI’s initial conclusion that there was no criminal intent. “We may be finding the golden missing e-mails that would change this case. If I were not to speak about that, it would be a disastrous, catastrophic concealment.” In the end no evidence suggesting Clinton knew she was doing something wrong was found.
At the same, Comey admitted he was worried his decision may have affected the election. “It makes me mildly nauseous to think we might have had some impact on the election,” he said.
ICBM LAUNCH: For the second time in as many weeks, the Air Force test-launched an unarmed Minuteman III ICBM from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. It was long-scheduled and part of the routine procedures to ensure that the arsenal of Cold War era ICBMs will work as advertised in the event of nuclear war. One missile is pulled from a silo and sent to Vandenberg Air Force in California. The missile with a dummy warhead hit its target in the Pacific. See video of it here.
GOODBYE TO FELLOW POW: McCain, who spent five and a half years as a POW in the notorious Hanoi Hilton during the Vietnam War, has released this heartfelt tribute to his fellow POW, Lt. Col. Leo Thorsness, who has died:
“One of the greatest honors of my life was serving with Leo, a man whose service exemplified selfless duty and devotion to others. Leo earned the Medal of Honor for his heroism in a daring combat mission in North Vietnam in 1967 when he flew directly into hostile territory on dangerously low fuel in an attempt to rescue his comrades who had been downed in an attack. Just two weeks after that courageous mission, Leo’s aircraft was shot down and he was taken captive by North Vietnamese soldiers. Leo would spend the next six years imprisoned, including a full year in solitary confinement, and endure unspeakable pain and suffering because of his steadfast adherence to our code of conduct. But Leo never let this experience break his spirit, and inspired the rest of us with his patriotism, perseverance, and hope that we would someday be free.”
THE PAWS THAT REFRESHES: Sens. Deb Fischer and Cory Booker have legislation to help service members suffering from post-traumatic stress get service dogs. The Puppies Assisting Wounded Service members or “PAWS” Act directs the VA to implement a five-year pilot program to provide service dogs to veterans who were diagnosed with, and continue to suffer from, PTSD. Under the pilot program, the VA would connect veterans with eligible organizations that train service dogs, and provide a grant to the organizations on behalf of the veteran for a service dog pairing.
COOL TIME LAPSE: Huntington Ingalls Industries released a time-lapse video showing the translation and launching of the amphibious assault ship Tripoli from a floating dry dock. Check it out here.
THE RUNDOWN
New York Times: Iraqi Forces Open A Front In West Mosul, Trying To Squeeze ISIS
Reuters: U.S. needs to balance foreign alliances: Tillerson
Defense One: Why Putin wants a face-to-face meeting with Trump
Associated Press: U.S. company turned blind eye to wild behavior on Iraq base
UPI Security News: New funding for Eucom essential, NATO Supreme Commander tells U.S. Senate
Military Times: US forces seen operating near terrorist-designated PKK forces
DoD Buzz: Air Force secretary vote to move forward as hold is lifted
Defense News: Appropriators cut $20M from B-21 program in omnibus spending bill
Washington Post: Marine recruit needed skin grafts to treat chemical burns suffered at boot camp, documents reveal
USNI News: Navy slowing frigate procurement to allow careful requirements talks; Contract award set for FY2020
Fox News: Iran Attempted Missile Launch From Submarine, U.S. Officials Say
USA Today: Bataan Death March: 75 years ago
Task and Purpose: Watch this vintage WWII fighter jet literally tear up a runway during takeoff
New York Times: Why Trump’s budding bromance with Xi is doomed
Calendar
THURSDAY | MAY 4
9 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW. John Negroponte, former secretary of state, discusses a new strategy for U.S. engagement in Central America. atlanticcouncil.org
9:30 a.m. 901 17th St. NW. A conversation with Gen. Mark Milley, Army chief of staff. atlanticcouncil.org
9:30 a.m. Dirksen G50. Testimony by Gen. Raymond Thomas III, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, and Theresa Whelan, acting assistant secretary of defense for special operations. armed-services.senate.gov
1 p.m. House Visitors Center 304. Closed hearing on ongoing intelligence activities. intelligence.house.gov
MONDAY | MAY 8
8 a.m. 529 14th St. NW. Breakfast roundtable with Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations. press.org
1667 K St. NW. Advanced strategy program: Strategy in the Asia-Pacific region, expert instruction and classes over 11 days. csbaonline.org
9:30 a.m. Senate Visitor’s Center 212/10. Discussion with Maj. Gen. Peter Gersten, director of strategic plans for the Office of the Deputy Air Force Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Requirements, and others about space access. mitchellaerospacepower.org
9:30 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW. A strategic look at U.S. Pacific Command with Adm. Harry Harris. atlanticcouncil.org
2 p.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Isolationism versus multilateralism: 100 years on the global stage. wilsoncenter.org
4 p.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Winning the Third World in Sino-American competition during the Cold War. wilsoncenter.org
TUESDAY | MAY 9
8 a.m. 11790 Sunrise Valley Dr. Class on how Washington works and navigating the DOD. ndia.org
9:30 a.m. Dirksen G50. Testimony by Adm. Mike Rogers, commander of U.S. Cyber Command. armed-services.senate.gov
11 a.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE. The Roosevelt years and the origins of homeland security. heritage.org
2:30 p.m. Dirksen G50. Nominations for Defense Department comptroller, deputy comptroller and director of cost assessment and program evaluation. armed-services.senate.gov
3 p.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Russian and U.S. roles in the Middle East and the view from Israel. wilsoncenter.org
3 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. New Latino voices in foreign affairs. csis.org
3:30 p.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. A new history of Vietnam and its role in the Cold War. wilsoncenter.org
WEDNESDAY | MAY 10
8 a.m. 2900 K St. NW. 16th U.S.-Sweden defense industry conference. ndia.org
9:30 a.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE. The importance of the Mekong River and U.S. policy options. heritage.org
9:30 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW. The international politics of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. atlanticcouncil.org
10 a.m. Dirksen 342. An overview of cyber threats facing America. hsgac.senate.gov
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Book launch for Insider Threats: A Worst Practice Guide to Preventing Leaks, Attacks, Theft, and Sabotage. csis.org
10 a.m. Dirksen 419. Emerging external influences in the Western hemisphere. foreign.senate.gov
3 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Aegis ashore and the future of European missile defense with Romanian Ambassador George Cristian Maior. csis.org
6 p.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Woodrow Wilson awards dinner with Sen. Mitch McConnell. wilsoncenter.org
THURSDAY | MAY 11
9 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. A fifth-generation Air Force with alliance structures and networked capabilities from an Australian perspective. csis.org
4 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Annual meeting of the U.S. Naval Institute. usni.org
