“My people think it could have been a violation, as you know. I view it differently,” Trump said later at a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe. “I view it as a man — perhaps he wants to get attention and perhaps not. Who knows? It doesn’t matter.”

Abe, who said he’s planning his own one-on-one meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, later called the May 9 launch a violation of “great regret” while praising what he called Trump’s “certain new approach.”

Trump argues that Kim will give up his nuclear program in exchange for economic development. “I talk to him a lot about it, Trump said. “He knows that with nuclear that’s never going to happen. Only bad can happen. He understands that. He is a very smart man. He gets it well. So I think that he is — he is going to try, at some point. I’m in no rush at all. The sanctions remain.”

IRAN: Trump makes a similar argument about Iran, which he says has pulled back from confrontation with the United States “because they’re got serious economic problems” as a result of tough sanctions.

“The oil is essentially dried up, and I’m not looking to hurt Iran at all,” Trump said, citing what he called Iran’s tremendous economic potential. “I look forward to letting them get back to the stage where they can show that,” he said. “I know so many people from Iran. These are great people. It has a chance to be a great country, with the same leadership. We’re not looking for regime change. I just want to make that clear. We’re looking for no nuclear weapons.”

CHINA: “As far as China is concerned, they want to make a deal. I think they probably wish they made the deal that they had on the table before they tried to renegotiate it,” Trump said, referring to faltering trade talks with Beijing. “They would like to make a deal. We’re not ready to make a deal. And we’re taking in tens of billions of dollars of tariffs, and that number could go up very, very substantially very easily,” Trump said. “But I think, sometime in the future, China and the United States will absolutely have a great trade deal. And we look forward to that.”

CONGRESS: Trump’s declaration last week that he would not deal with Democrats in Congress while they continue to pursue investigations of him sparked concern that the bipartisan budget deal needed to raise spending caps and fully fund the Pentagon could be in jeopardy.

But in Japan, Trump softened his stand and indicated he will sign legislation if it’s in America’s interest. “I think that we will work with them,” he said. “Certainly, as things get approved I would love to sign them. It’s only good for our country. I’m only interested in what’s good for our country.”

Trump cited the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement as one example. “It’s a great deal. I would imagine that Nancy Pelosi will approve that. I would think it would be very hard not to, but we’ll see.”

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 Kelly Jane Torrance (@kjtorrance). 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.

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HAPPENING TODAY: Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan is on travel to Hawaii, Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea, and Japan. In Singapore, he attends the Shangri-La Dialogue and announces the Defense Department’s new strategy for the Indo-Asia Pacific.

FROM 120K TO 900: It began with reports the Pentagon was preparing options to deploy as many as 120,000 troops to the Persian Gulf region amid increased threats from Iran. Next we heard from Pentagon sources that the actual plan would involve as many as 10,000 additional forces or maybe closer to 5,000.

On Friday, the Pentagon said the number of troops to be sent to bolster U.S. defenses would be 1,500. But then in a briefing for reporters, Vice Adm. Michael Gilday, director of the Joint Staff, admitted the actual number would be about 900.

“Just to clarify the nature of the 1,500 people,” he said, “Almost 600 of those, as I mentioned, is a Patriot battalion that’s going to end up being extended. So the number of deploying personnel is really less than a thousand.”

IRAN DEFIANT: On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was in Iraq sounding a note of defiance. “We will defend against any war efforts against Iran, whether it be an economic war or a military one, and we will face these efforts with strength,” Zarif, speaking in Baghdad alongside Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Hakim, said that Iran would not back down should tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate.

And Hakim condemned the U.S. pressure campaign against Iran, referring to it as an “economic blockade.” “We are saying very clearly and honestly that we oppose the unilateral actions taken by the United States. We stand with the Islamic Republic of Iran in its position,” he said.

STILL STEAMED: President Trump can’t get over the fact that the Navy has replaced the good old-fashioned steam catapults on its next generation of aircraft carriers, and the president renewed his threat to order the Navy to scrap its problem-plagued Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, known as EMALS.

In off-the-cuff remarks to sailors and Marines on the USS Wasp, Trump returned to one of his favorite riffs, how “electric” catapults can’t hold a candle to steam. “We’re spending all that money on electric and nobody knows what it’s going to be like in bad conditions,” he told the cheering troops. “So I think I’m going to put an order when we build a new aircraft carrier carrier, we’re going to use steam.”

“Steam only worked for about 65 years, perfectly,” said Trump, warming to his subject. “They have a $900 million cost overrun on this crazy electric catapult.”

Then he led the troops in a voice vote. “Steam? Or electric?” Steam got an enthusiastic response, while a lone voice sounded out for electric. “He works for the enemy,” Trump joked.

It’s not the first time Trump has said he’ll order a return to steam, but he has never followed up. When you ask the Navy about it, officials just shrug their shoulders and hope he’s not serious.

SOMALIA STRIKES: After a bit of a lull, the United States has picked up the pace of airstrikes, mostly by drones, targeting al Shabab fighters in Somalia. U.S. Africa Command said in a press release yesterday that it conducted its sixth airstrike in the month of May.

According to a tally by the Washington Examiner, the United States claims to have killed 28 al Shabab militants this month, compared with 7 in April, 16 in March, 79 in February, and 103 in January. So far in 2019, America has conducted 35 separate airstrikes and claimed to have killed 233 militants in a campaign designed to support the Somali government’s fight against terrorism.

“Airstrikes create additional time and space for continued incremental progress in Somalia,” said Air Force Brig. Gen. Robert Huston, deputy director of operations, U.S. Africa Command. “The last few days presented opportunities to successfully reduce terrorist influence and activity.”

COATS SAYS SOURCES WILL BE PROTECTED: In a statement Friday, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said the intelligence community will cooperate with the Justice Department after President Trump granted Attorney General William Barr “full and complete authority” to declassify government secrets as he looks into the beginnings of the Russia investigation.

“I am confident that the Attorney General will work with the IC in accordance with the long-established standards to protect highly-sensitive classified information that, if publicly released, would put our national security at risk,” Coats said in his statement. “Much like we have with other investigations and reviews, the Intelligence Community (IC) will provide the Department of Justice all of the appropriate information for its review of intelligence activities related to Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.”

SCHIFF SAYS COATS COULD RESIGN: House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff says if Trump tries to politicize the declassification process, Coats and CIA Director Gina Haspel should consider following the example of former defense secretary Jim Mattis and resign.

“If it gets to a point they are asked to do things that are unlawful or jeopardize the men and women that work within the IC, they should speak out,” the California Democrat told the New York Times, “and, if necessary, follow the example of Secretary Mattis.”

CONFIRMED: The Senate last Friday confirmed Gen. James McConville to be the Army’s new chief of staff, Adm. Bill Moran to be the Navy’s new chief of naval operations, and Vice Adm. Robert Burke as the next vice chief of naval operations.

The Rundown

The Diplomat: 2019 Shangri-La Dialogue: U.S.-China Competition Looms Over Asia Security Summit

Washington Examiner: Dianne Feinstein dined with Iranian foreign minister as US feud with Tehran escalated

Breaking Defense: Defense Spending Will Bust BCA Caps: Mark Cancian

USNI News: Two of Four Defense Committees Pass FY 2020 Bills; Differences In Topline Amounts

AP: California congressman says he’s taken photo with dead enemy

Air Force Magazine: Senate Confirms Series of Key USAF Leadership Posts

Washington Examiner: Wreaths Across America offers $200K to keep Rolling Thunder riding in 2020

AP: Judge blocks Trump from building sections of border wall

New York Times: U.S. Army’s Tweet Prompts Stories of Harmful Effects of Military Service

Washington Examiner: North Korea: John Bolton is a ‘defective human product’

Washington Post: Duplications, misspellings, and miscounts found in new study of the Vietnam wall

New York Times: ‘Wow, What Is That?’ Navy Pilots Report Unexplained Flying Objects

Calendar

TUESDAY | MAY 28

10:30 a.m. 1667 K Street N.W. Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) discussion on a new report, “Tightening the Chain: Implementing a Strategy of Maritime Pressure in the Western Pacific.” Speakers: Thomas Mahnken, president of CSBA; Travis Sharp, research fellow at CSBA; Billy Fabian, research fellow at CSBA; and Peter Kouretsos, analyst at CSBA. csbaonline.org

WEDNESDAY | MAY 29

8:45 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W. Hudson Institute discussion with Defense Intelligence Agency director Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley and Rebeccah Heinrichs, Hudson senior fellow, on Russian and Chinese nuclear weapons, followed by a panel of senior government officials who will discuss the global landscape for arms control, including James Anderson, assistant secretary of defense for strategy, plans, and capabilities; Tim Morrison, senior director for weapons of mass destruction and biodefense, National Security Council; and Thomas DiNanno, deputy assistant secretary of state for defense policy, emerging threats, and outreach, bureau of arms control, verification, and compliance. www.hudson.org

10:30 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Avenue N.W. Brookings Institution conversation with Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford. Moderated by Michael O’Hanlon, senior fellow, Brookings. This is an in-person event only. www.brookings.edu/events

THURSDAY | MAY 30

11:45 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W. Hudson Institute discussion on how the Pentagon can best implement cloud and artificial intelligence capabilities to gain the tactical edge in future warfare. Speakers include: Alexander Kott, the chief scientist of the Army Research Laboratory, Lindsey Sheppard, associate fellow at CSIS, and William Schneider, senior fellow at Hudson. www.hudson.org

12:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m. MDT) Falcon Stadium. President Trump delivers commencement address at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. www.usafa.edu

1:30 p.m. 1152 15th Street N.W. Center for a New American Security “Fireside Chat” on the FY 2020 defense budget with David Norquist, performing the duties of the deputy secretary of defense. Moderated by Susanna Blume, senior fellow and deputy director, CNAS’s Defense Program. www.cnas.org/events

2 p.m. 1030 15th Street N.W. Atlantic Council event: “Russia’s Resurgence in the Middle East: How Does US Policy Meet the Challenge?” Keynote address by Kathryn Wheelbarger, acting assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs. www.atlanticcouncil.org

TUESDAY | JUNE 4

11 a.m. 2118 Rayburn. House Armed Services Intelligence and Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee markup of HR 2500, the “National Defense Authorization Act for FY2020.” armedservices.house.gov/hearings

Noon. 2212 Rayburn. House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee markup of H R 2500, the “National Defense Authorization Act for FY2020.” armedservices.house.gov/hearings

1 p.m. 2118 Rayburn. House Armed Services Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee markup of HR 2500, the “National Defense Authorization Act for FY2020.” armedservices.house.gov/hearings

2:30 p.m. 2212 Rayburn. House Armed Services Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee markup of HR 2500, the “National Defense Authorization Act for FY2020.” armedservices.house.gov/hearings

3:30 p.m. 2118 Rayburn. House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee markup of HR 2500, the “National Defense Authorization Act for FY2020.” armedservices.house.gov/hearings