Kim-Putin summit all talk, no action

North Korea has made its frustration clear since the collapse of the Vietnam summit in February, in which President Trump rejected Kim’s deal for sanctions relief and walked out of the talks early.

Last week, a North Korean official criticized Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and suggested he be removed from the nuclear talks, a request Pompeo quickly brushed aside.

BOEING EARNINGS NOSEDIVE: The impact of the problems with the 737 MAX commercial airliner materialized in the first-quarter results reported by aviation giant Boeing yesterday, with earnings off 21%, the worst results in years.

Boeing reported core operating earnings of $1.98 billion, compared with $2.5 billion in the first quarter of 2018, and as it struggles to recover from the 737 MAX debacle, it delayed making any forecast about how the year will play out.

“Due to the uncertainty of the timing and conditions surrounding return to service of the 737 MAX fleet, new guidance will be issued at a future date,” Boeing said in a statement accompanying its earnings report.

“Across the company, we are focused on safety, returning the 737 MAX to service, and earning and re-earning the trust and confidence of customers, regulators and the flying public,” said Boeing Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg.

Boeing stock closed up $1.44 at $375.46 a share.

Good Thursday 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.

HAPPENING TODAY — SHOULD WOMEN BE DRAFTED?: The National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service is holding two public hearings today as it prepares to make a final recommendation next year about whether women should have to register for the draft along with men.

The advisory commission was created by Congress in 2017 and championed by the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I. The bipartisan commission’s interim report, issued in January, found that many Americans are unaware the country has a requirement for men to serve the nation if drafted.

“Further, some Americans are surprised that women are currently neither required nor permitted to register for selective service. Others question the need for the Selective Service System,” the report said. “We are carefully considering the issue and actively seeking input on this.”

Today’s hearings on the campus of Gallaudet University in Washington consist of a morning panel of witnesses opposed to drafting women and an afternoon session in which advocates of expanding the draft to women will testify.

The commission is due to deliver its final recommendations next March.

TRUMP’S BORDER TWEETS: While Pentagon reporters grumble about the lack of press briefings these days (May 31 will mark one year without a Department of Defense representative briefing on camera), one obvious explanation for the reticence of the public affairs shop is the unpredictability of the president.

Yesterday’s tweets by Trump are the perfect example. Referring to an incident that U.S. Northern Command seemed to indicate was a misunderstanding between U.S. and Mexican troops along the border, the president was spoiling for a fight.

“Mexico’s Soldiers recently pulled guns on our National Guard Soldiers, probably as a diversionary tactic for drug smugglers on the Border. Better not happen again! We are now sending ARMED SOLDIERS to the Border,” Trump tweeted, adding, “Mexico is not doing nearly enough in apprehending & returning!”

Asked to explain what Trump meant by threatening to send “armed soldiers” to the border, when the troops involved were armed and U.S. law prohibits active-duty troops from performing law enforcement, the Pentagon was at a loss to provide any guidance.

Who knows what Trump is talking about? So why have briefings if there’s nothing you can say?

TWO CARRIERS IN THE MED: It’s been three years since the United States has deployed two aircraft carriers to the Mediterranean Sea at the same time, but at the moment both the USS John C. Stennis and the USS Abraham Lincoln are operating in the Med.

“It’s a rare opportunity to train with two carrier strike groups together,” said Vice Adm. Lisa Franchetti, commander of the U.S. 6th Fleet. “Dual carrier operations here in the Mediterranean showcase the inherent flexibility and scalability maritime forces provide to the joint force, while demonstrating our ironclad commitment to the stability and security of the region.”

The two carriers are in the process of shifting their home ports. The Stennis, which deployed from Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton, is moving to Naval Station Norfolk. And the Lincoln, which was based in Norfolk, is moving to San Diego.

TECH THEFT: One of the Pentagon’s top counterintelligence officials acknowledged yesterday that foreign adversaries are ripping off U.S. technology at an alarming rate.

“We are in a very highly contested environment, with our opponents quite successfully taking our stuff,” William Stephens said at a forum at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“Are we winning in this challenge, in this competition for technological advantage?” Stephens asked rhetorically. “It’s not a very American thing to do to say that we’re not. It’s certainly not to say that we’re losing. But the challenge is clear. Our losses are quite profound.”

Stephens, the director of counterintelligence at the Pentagon’s Defense Security Service, gave his assessment at the outset of a panel discussion on how to protect the supply chains for sensitive technology — the array of companies that work with the government to develop weapons systems and other capabilities that are essential to national security.

U.S. officials haven’t come up with an effective plan to prevent those thefts, Stephens implied, even though the National Security Strategy and military plans depend on technological superiority.

NEW DoD WEBSITE: The Pentagon has launched a new public website, www.cto.mil, which is designed to help industry, academia, allied partners, and the American public stay informed on happenings in DoD research, development, engineering, and technology enterprise.

The website was launched by the office of the under secretary of defense for research and engineering Michael Griffin, known as the chief technology officer.

“Our goal is to increase awareness of our efforts, and to utilize these platforms to engage with the broader research and development community, as we endeavor to develop innovative solutions that bring new capabilities and technology to the warfighter,” said deputy under secretary of defense for research and engineering Lisa Porter.

LAB DAY: The weather should be perfect for today’s annual DoD Lab Day, which will fill the Pentagon center courtyard with more than 80 exhibits in which DoD scientists and engineers will display groundbreaking work from across the world.

Under secretary of defense for research and engineering Griffin is hosting the event, which is designed to showcase innovative work in the defense industry and begins at 10 a.m.

The exhibits highlight key innovations in areas including artificial intelligence, autonomy, robotics, directed energy, hypersonics, advanced computing, “big data” analytics, and biotechnology.

USS LBJ: The Navy will christen its newest Zumwalt-class guided missile destroyer, the future USS Lyndon B. Johnson, this Saturday at General Dynamics-Bath Iron Works shipyard in Bath, Maine.

The third ship in the Zumwalt-class, DDG 1002 is named in honor of President Lyndon B. Johnson, who served in office from 1963 to 1969, and will be the first ship to bear his name.

AF ACADEMY PROF ARRESTED: A U.S. Air Force Academy professor has been arrested on the charge of luring a child on the internet, according to police in Colorado. Capt. Paul Sikkema, who teaches philosophy at the service academy, was arrested by investigators from the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office on a felony charge.

Sikkema graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2012 before earning his master’s degree in philosophy from Georgia State University in 2014. Sikkema started teaching the philosophy department’s ethics course in September 2017, according to his faculty biography.

The charge is a class-four felony and generally involves an adult knowingly communicating with a child under 15 years old.

ANOTHER NON-COMBAT DEATH: The Pentagon says Army Spc. Michael Osorio died Tuesday in Taji, Iraq, in a “non-combat related incident.”

Osorio, 20, from Horseshoe Bend, Idaho, was assigned to the 4th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

The Rundown

Washington Examiner: As F-35 gains ground in the US, Lockheed looks to sell older F-16 abroad

AP: Putin praises Kim’s efforts to improve ties with rivals

Washington Examiner: Putin just made a move on Ukraine. Trump needs to respond

Reuters: Iran’s Zarif believes Trump does not want war, but could be lured into conflict

New York Times: Sri Lanka Suicide Bombers Included Two Sons of a Spice Tycoon

Air Force Magazine: Watchdog: US Air Campaign Against Taliban Drug Infrastructure, Financing Had Little to No Impact

The Atlantic: ISIS’s Newest Recruiting Tool: Regional Languages

CBSNews.com: NATO Trains For Russian Invasion In Norway

Reuters: Russia To Start Deliveries Of S-400 To Turkey In July: Ifax

Breaking Defense: U.S. Urges ‘Like-Minded’ Countries To Collaborate On Cyber Deterrence

USNI News: Electric Boat 97% Done with Columbia Submarine’s Detail Design, Ahead of Construction Start Next Year

Washington Examiner: US military responds to David Hogg’s accusation of American imperialism in Africa

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: What Russia thinks about North Korea’s nuclear weapons

Air Force Magazine: PACAF: Pilot Error Caused June 2018 F-15C Crash Near Kadena

Calendar

THURSDAY | APRIL 25

8:15 a.m. 1000 North Glebe Rd, Arlington. Intelligence and National Security Alliance and the National Capital Region Intelligence Studies Consortium forum on “Emerging Trends: New Tools, Threats and Thinking,” at Marymount University. Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Sue Gordon delivers keynote. www.insaonline.org/event

8:30 a.m. 1401 Lee Highway, Arlington. Strategic Deterrent Coalition Symposium. Joint Chiefs Vice Chairman Gen. Paul Selva provides the keynote address, and Lt. Gen Richard Clark, deputy chief of staff for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration, Vice Adm. Johnny Wolfe, director, Strategic Systems Programs, participate in a panel at 3:45 p.m.

9 a.m. 800 Florida Avenue N.E. National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service holds selective service hearing: Should Registration be Expanded to All Americans? – Arguments against expansion.” Witnesses: Mark Coppenger, professor of Christian Philosophy and Ethics, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; Jude Eden, U.S. Marine Corps Iraq veteran and freelance journalist; Edward Hasbrouck, editor and publisher, Resisters.info; Ashley McGuire, senior fellow, The Catholic Association; and Diane Randall, executive secretary, Friends Committee on National Legislation. www.inspire2serve.gov

10 a.m. Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion on “Civil-Military Relations.” Speakers: former defense secretary Leon Panetta; John Hamre, president and CEO of CSIS; and Alice Hunt Friend, senior fellow in the CSIS International Security Program. www.csis.org

1 p.m. 800 Florida Avenue N.E. National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service holds selective service hearing: Should Registration be Expanded to All Americans? – Arguments for expansion.” Speakers: Lt. Gen. Flora Darpino, U.S. Army, Retired, former judge advocate general; Jason Dempsey, senior adviser at the Columbia University School of Professional Studies; Jill Hasday, Professor in Law, University of Minnesota; Maj. Gen. Bengt Svensson, defense attaché, Embassy of Sweden; and Katey van Dam, U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran. www.inspire2serve.gov

1:30 p.m. 2301 Constitution Avenue N.W. United States Institute of Peace conference on “China’s Belt and Road Initiative at Year Six: Still the ‘Project of the Century’?” www.usip.org

2 p.m. 1620 L St N.W. Daniel Morgan Graduate School of National Security event, “Challenges and Opportunities for US-Japan-Korea Trilateral Security Cooperation,” featuring James Schoff, senior fellow, Asia Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Register at www.eventbrite.com.

6:30 p.m. 37th and O Streets N.W. Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs book discussion on The World As It Is. Featuring author Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser under President Barack Obama. berkleycenter.georgetown.edu

FRIDAY | APRIL 26

8:15 a.m. 1777 F Street, N.W. FBI director Christopher Wray discusses the bureau’s role in protecting the United States from today’s global threats with Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations. Live streamed at www.cfr.org/event.

8:30 a.m. 300 First Street S.E. National Defense Industrial Association, the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, the Air Force Association and the Reserve Officers Association forum on “Perspectives on Nuclear Modernization.” Speakers: retired Air Force Gen. Kevin Chilton, senior fellow at the National Defense University, and retired Air Force Gen. Robert Kehler, senior fellow at the National Defense University. www.afa.org/hbs

10 a.m. 1779 Massachusetts Avenue N.W. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace discussion on “Ukraine’s Post-Election Landscape.” Speakers: Serhii Plokhii, director of Harvard University’s Ukrainian Research Institute; Matthew Kaminski, global editor of Politico; Balazs Jarabik, non-resident scholar at CEIP; and Andrew Weiss, vice president for studies at CEIP. carnegieendowment.org

MONDAY | APRIL 29

8:30 a.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W. New America and Arizona State University’s annual Future Security Forum. Featured speakers: Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass.; Gen. Robert Neller, Marine Corps commandant; Adm. John Richardson, chief of naval operations; Kiron Skinner, director of policy planning, State Department; Lt. Gen. David Thompson, Air Force space vice commander; Heather Wilson, Air Force secretary. Register here: newamerica.cvent.com. Agenda here: www.newamerica.org.

TUESDAY | APRIL 30

2 p.m. 2218 Rayburn. House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel hearing on “Feres Doctrine – A Policy in Need of Reform?” Witnesses: Sgt. 1st Class Richard Stayskal, U.S. Army; Alexis Witt, widow of Staff Sgt. Dean Witt and advocate for Feres Reform; Rebecca Lipe, former Air Force judge advocate; Dwight Stirling, CEO of the Center for Law and Military Policy; and Paul Figley, American University Washington College of Law. armedservices.house.gov

WEDNESDAY | MAY 1

10 a.m. 2118 Rayburn. House Armed Services Committee hearing on “National Security Challenges and U.S. Military Activity in North and South America.” Witnesses: Adm. Craig Faller, commander, U.S. Southern Command, Gen. Terrance O’Shaughnessy, commander, U.S. Northern Command, and Kenneth Rapuano, assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and global security. armedservices.house.gov

2 p.m. 2118 Rayburn. House Armed Services Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces hearing on “Army Modernization Programs.” Witnesses: Bruce Jette, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics, and technology; Gen. John Murray, Army Futures Commander; Lt. Gen. James Pasquarette, deputy chief of staff, Army programs; Jon Ludwigson, acting director, contracting and national security acquisitions, GAO. armedservices.house.gov

2:30 p.m. 2212 Rayburn. House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness hearing on “Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Request for Military Construction, Energy, and Environmental Programs.” Witnesses: Robert McMahon, assistant secretary of defense for sustainment; John Henderson, assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations, environment, and energy; Alex Beehler, assistant secretary of the Army for installations, energy, and environment; Todd Mellon, performing the duties of principal deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, installations, and environment. armedservices.house.gov

THURSDAY | MAY 2

9 a.m. Rayburn. House Armed Services Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces hearing on “Department of the Air Force Acquisition and Modernization Programs.” Witnesses: Will Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition; Gen. James Holmes, air combat commander; Maj. Gen. David Nahom, Air Force director of programs; Lt. Gen. Anthony Ierardi, joint staff director; Vice Adm. Mathias Winter, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program office; Robert Daigle, director, Pentagon’s cost analysis and program evaluation office; Robert Behler, director, operational test and evaluation office; and Michael Sullivan, director, defense weapon system acquisitions, GAO. armedservices.house.gov

WEDNESDAY | MAY 8

9 a.m. 801 Wharf St. S.W. Foundation for Defense of Democracies event “Rising to the Threat: Revitalizing America’s Military and Political Power.” Speakers include retired Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, former national security adviser; Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, U.S. Central Command head; Rep. Mac Thornberry, ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee; and retired Lt. Gen. Ed Cardon, former U.S. Army Cyber Command head. Invitation only.

12 p.m. 800 M Street N.W. The Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Brookings Institution sponsor an invitation-only discussion on Operation Tidal Wave II and its role in the destruction of the Islamic State’s finances. Speakers: Retired Gen. John Allen, president of the Brookings Institution; David Asher, former State Department official and FDD senior fellow; and retired Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland, former commander of the coalition against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Moderated by Nancy Youssef, national security correspondent at the Wall Street Journal.