Dueling narratives on Kushner, troop deployments and Mosul bombing

THE KUSHNER TRIP: Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner was invited by Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford to tag along on his visit to Baghdad yesterday for meetings with Iraqi President Haider al-Abadi and other Iraqi officials, but on CNN you would have thought it was the other way around. CNN’s Ben Wedeman reported that because the 36-year-old son-in-law of the president “has no diplomatic or military experience” he was being accompanied by Dunford. Ben Rhodes, former Obama foreign policy adviser and speechwriter, tweeted: “Kushner in Iraq before the National Security Advisor or Secretary of State. Totally normal.” Others portrayed the inclusion of Kushner on the Dunford trip as an attempt by the U.S. military to suck up to Trump. Politico called it “the latest example of a conscious outreach campaign by the Pentagon to President Donald Trump.”

But Reuters Phil Stewart, who is one of the reporters traveling with Dunford and Kushner had a more innocuous explanation straight from Dunford’s mouth. Dunford told reporters on the plane that he invited Kushner and Tom Bossert, White House homeland security adviser, to hear “first-hand and unfiltered” about how things are going and to interact with U.S. forces. “I said, ‘Hey, next time I go to Iraq, if you’re interested, come and it’d be good,” Dunford told reporters. “The more appreciation you could have for what’s actually happening on the ground, the more informed you are when you start talking about the strategic issues.” Dunford said he extended the invitation weeks ago. Kushner did not speak to reporters on the plane.

SECRET TROOP DEPLOYMENTS: Last week, the Los Angeles Times reported that, under the Trump administration, the Pentagon has “stopped disclosing significant information about the size and nature of the U.S. commitment, including the number of U.S. troops deployed in either country.” It quoted Ned Price, National Security Council spokesman under Obama, as saying “That move deprives the public of information it has a right to know about the wars in which the U.S. is engaging.”

Yesterday at the Pentagon, spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis had a different take. He said while the base number of U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria would always be made public, new deployments are not being announced to preserve the element of surprise. The idea, he said, is to keep the enemy in the dark, not the American public. “We want to keep them informed,” Davis said “but we want to inform them after the fact. If we inform them before the fact, we inform the enemy.”

THE MOSUL BOMBING: Pentagon officials have quietly, and sometimes not so quietly, fumed about how quick the U.S. media has been to blame the deaths of more than 100 civilians in Mosul last month on a U.S. airstrike. The U.S. has acknowledged that a strike near the building where the civilians died likely played a role, but insisted the munition employed (likely a Hellfire missile) was not powerful enough to bring down a building.

The U.S. investigation continues, but from Iraq today, we are hearing a version of events that was hinted at from the beginning, that a massive ISIS truck bomb parked next to the building was what actually caused the massive loss of life. Iraqi military spokesman Saeed al-Jayashi said an examination of the site shows that the building was not hit by a coalition airstrike, according to a report by Jim Garamone, a U.S. government journalist traveling with Dunford. “There was no hole in the building,” Jayashi told the media accompanying Dunford.

“The Iraqi spokesman said that Iraqi forces were coming under strong fire from a building and they properly identified the source of the fire and called for an airstrike. Next to it was another house and between them was a vehicle,” Garamone reports. “The strike came in and hit the target, but it also set off the bomb-laden vehicle. The ISIS bomb was packed with explosives and took out the whole block.”

Good Tuesday 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:  U.S. Strategic Commander Air Force Gen. John Hyten, who commands America’s nuclear arsenal, testifies at 9:30 a.m. before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Expect to hear another full-throated defense of the need upgrade and maintain all three legs of the nuclear triad: bombers, submarines and land-based missiles.  

HAPPENING TOMORROW: Jordan’s King Abdullah II meets with President Trump at the White House on Wednesday. And while Jordan’s unwavering support for the U.S.-led effort to wipe out ISIS will be high on the agenda, so will the vexing problem of Mideast peace. Abdullah is expected to relay to the president the consensus at a recent Arab summit hosted by Jordan, in which Arabs again offered full recognition of Israel in exchange for Palestinian statehood.

IT’S ALL GOOD: Once effectively banned from the White House over human rights concerns, a smiling Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi was warmly welcomed by Trump yesterday. “I just want to let everybody know in case there was any doubt that we are very much behind President El-Sissi. He’s done a fantastic job in a very difficult situation,” Trump said with el-Sissi sitting at his side. “We are very much behind Egypt and the people of Egypt, and the United States has, believe me, backing, and we have strong backing.”

El-Sissi, who took power in a military coup in 2014, was clearly pleased to be the first Egyptian leader invited to the White House since 2009. He thanked Trump, and praised him effusively. “I’ve had a deep appreciation and admiration of your unique personality, especially as you are standing very strong in the counter-terrorism field,” he said through a translator.

There was no talk of human rights, and underscoring the obvious, White House press secretary  Sean Spicer said, “This is a new day in the relationship between Egypt and the United States.”

RAINING HELLFIRE: The U.S. continues its air campaign in Yemen against the terrorist group Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The Pentagon says the total number of airstrikes against AQAP in Yemen since February 28 is now 70, after 20 more were conducted over the past week. Most U.S. strikes in Yemen are carried out by drones, firing Hellfire missiles. “We continue to target AQAP in Yemen, and this is done in the interest of disrupting a terror organization that presents a very significant threat to the United States,” Davis said.

RUSSIA SUBWAY TERROR: Russian officials have raised the death toll in yesterday’s subway bombing in St. Petersburg from 11 to 14 and said 49 people were still hospitalized. Trump condemned the attack as a “Terrible. Terrible thing. Happening all over the world. Absolutely a terrible thing.” A suspect behind the bombing is a Kyrgyz-born Russian national it identified as Akbarzhon Dzhalilov, according to the AP.

HOUSE VOTE ON NORTH KOREA: House lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to label North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism, calling for new sanctions as the rogue regime continues to develop its nuclear weapons program. “It is not a matter of if, but when Kim Jong Un will be brazen enough to attack one of our allies, or even the United States,” House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Monday. “Only by calling our adversaries what they are so they know that America will be steadfast in its defense of freedom and liberty can we have a realistic hope of maintaining peace.”

The legislation, which passed 394-1, expresses the House’s sense that North Korea meets the criteria for inclusion on the list of state sponsors of terrorism. It would require Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to review the regime’s recent behavior and adopt or reject Congress’ view within 90 days of the bill becoming law. The legislation, which could lead to the imposition of unilateral U.S. sanctions on North Korea, is advancing just as Trump prepares to host Chinese President Xi Jinping for a summit designed to induce China’s cooperation in curbing the regime.

NO DEAL FROM CHAFFETZ: Former national security adviser Mike Flynn should not receive immunity to testify in front of Congress or speak to the FBI, Rep. Jason Chaffetz said Monday. Chaffetz, the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said on CNN that Flynn might have a story to tell, but if he’s the subject of an investigation he shouldn’t be given immunity to talk. “I don’t think he should get immunity. Immunity for what, first of all,” he said. “If there’s an open and active investigation from the FBI, they shouldn’t do that.”

Chaffetz also said the Oversight Committee is prepared to take action against Flynn this week if he fails to prove that he sought and received the proper approvals for payments he received from Russia and Turkey. “We’re prepared then, later this week maybe as early as Tuesday, to send a letter of final determination to the [Government Accountability Office],” Chaffetz said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “It’s not a criminal referral, but a referral to the GAO. And then, the penalty, most likely at least based on precedent, would be he’d have to repay all of that money that he did take.”

RICE ENTERS THE RUSSIA STORY: Susan Rice, former national security adviser under President Obama, requested on numerous occasions the “unmasking” of the identities of Trump campaign officials listed in raw intelligence reports, according to a new report. Bloomberg reported: “The pattern of Rice’s requests was discovered in a National Security Council review of the government’s policy on ‘unmasking’ the identities of individuals in the U.S.” who were not the original targets of the foreign surveillance. The report also claims that a U.S. official with knowledge of the matter said that the conversations that were reviewed by Rice contained, “valuable political information on the Trump transition,” such as transition plans and the foreign policy views of some members of the Trump team.

What does “unmasking” mean? Read here. Six questions raised by the report Susan Rice unmasked names of Trump advisers: Read here.

TRUMP SUPPORT DROPS NEAR BASES: Support for Trump among those living near military bases has dropped in the last few weeks, although his support in rural areas continues to grow. The Wall Street Journal reported that Gallup poll data show Trump’s support in counties with military posts has dropped eight points in the last month. In the poll, 50.1 percent of voters in those areas supported Trump in February, and that number felt to 41.4 percent in March. According to the report, Trump won 56 percent of counties with military posts in the 2016 election.

TODAY AT SEA-AIR-SPACE: The Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space Exposition continues today at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center, National Harbor, Maryland. Here are the highlights:

9 a.m. Vice Adm. Jan Tighe, deputy chief of naval operations for information warfare, Vice Adm. Tim White, commander, U.S. Cyber National Mission Force, Vice Adm. Michael Gilday, commander, U.S. Fleet Cyber Command and commander, U.S. 10th Fleet, and Maj. Gen. Lori Reynolds, commander, Marine Forces Cyber Command, participate in a panel on cyber operations in sea services

10:45 a.m. Marine Lt. Gen. Ronald Bailey, deputy commandant for Plans, Policies and Operations, participates in a panel on maritime access challenges in the Pacific.

10:45 a.m. Vice Adm. Robert Burke, chief of naval personnel, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Steven Giordano, Vice Adm. Luke McCollum, chief of Navy Reserve, Rear Adm. Jeffrey Hughes, commander, Navy Recruiting Command, Rear Adm. John Nowell, director, Military Personnel Plans and Policy, Rear Adm. Michael White, commander, Naval Education and Training Command, and Rear Adm. Richard Brown, commander, Navy Personnel Command, and deputy chief of naval personnel, participate in a panel on preparing sailors for today, tomorrow and beyond

12:15 p.m. Air Force Gen. Darren McDew, commander, U.S. Transportation Command provides the luncheon keynote address www.defense.gov/live

2 p.m. Vice Adm. David Johnson, principal military deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, and Vice Adm. Charles Richard, deputy commander, U.S. Strategic Command, participate in a panel on the future of nuclear deterrence.

2 pm. Rear Adm. Timothy Gallaudet, oceanographer of the Navy, participates in a panel on security challenges in the Arctic.

3:30 p.m. McDew and Rear Adm. Dee Mewbourne, commander, Military Sealift Command, participate in a panel on sealift logistics.

THE RUNDOWN

Washington Post: Blackwater founder held secret Seychelles meeting to establish Trump-Putin back channel

BuzzFeed: A Former Trump Adviser Met With A Russian Spy

Washington Post: ‘We got left behind’: The Coast Guard’s top officer laments being excluded from Trump’s military funding

War on the Rocks: Trump’s Middle East policies are boorish and belligerent, but surprisingly normal

Fox News: Trump will allow immigrants to obtain citizenship through military service

CNBC: Report suggests US offers Lockheed ‘multi-year’ deal for F-35 joint strike fighter

USNI News: Carrier Gerald R. Ford set to start sea trials this week

Reuters: Chinese wary about U.S. missile system because capabilities unknown: experts

NBC News: North Korean Defector Tells Lester Holt ‘World Should Be Ready’

Reuters: Tillerson to chair U.N. meeting on North Korea nuclear program

Defense News: Total cost of CH-53K is $131 million per helicopter: Here’s the breakdown

Bloomberg: Pentagon Weapons Costs Curbed by Obama-Era Reforms, GAO Finds

Military.com: Follow the money: The Taliban’s growing criminal empire

Defense News: European chiefs: NATO cooperation remains vital for maritime security

The Daily Beast: Trump’s new airstrike rules targeting Islamic radicals could backfire

Associated Press: News of Iraq trip with Kushner mid-air poses security risks

Calendar

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., 12th Floor. A forum on the progress, opportunities and challenges in Ukraine. Speakers include Sens. Rob Portman and Amy Klobuchar. atlanticcouncil.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

10 a.m. Rayburn 2118. Michele Flournoy, chief executive officer at the Center for a New American Security, as well as John J. Hamre, CEO and president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Dov Zakheim, a senior CSIS adviser, testify about reforming the Defense Department. armedservices.house.gov

10:15 a.m. Dirksen 419. David O’Sullivan, head of delegation for the European Union mission to the U.S., testifies about the EU as an ally against Russian aggression. foreign.senate.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 a.m. Rayburn 2118. Military service chiefs Air Force Gen. David Goldfein, Army Gen. Mark Milley, Marine Gen. Robert Neller and Adm. John Richardson testify about the potential damage of a continuing budget resolution. armedservices.house.gov

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. Rayburn 2212. Deputy Marine commandants Lt. Gen. Ronald Bailey, Lt. Gen. Michael Dana, Lt. Gen. Jon Davis testify on the current state of the Marine Corps. armedservices.house.gov

2 p.m. Rayburn 2172. A hearing on challenges to democracy in Turkey. foreignaffairs.house.gov

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

THURSDAY | APRIL 6

9 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. N.W. Sen. Chris Coons discusses whether we are headed for a crisis with Russia. brookings.edu

9 a.m. Rayburn 2212. An evaluation of the defense contract auditing process by Anita Bales, director of the Defense Contract Audit Agency, David Berteau, president and CEO of the Professional Services Council, John Panetta, national secretary of Financial Executives International, and James Thomas, assistant vice president for the National Defense Industrial Association. armedservices.house.gov

9:15 a.m. 1777 F St. N.W. Sen. Ben Cardin discusses anti-corruption in U.S. foreign policy under the Trump administration. cfr.org

9:30 a.m. 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

Noon. 1777 F St. NW. A conversation with Sen. John McCain. cfr.org

1:15 p.m. 1777 F St. N.W. A panel on fighting corruption through U.S. foreign policy, what has worked and what has not. cfr.org