CHOOSING SINGAPORE: Just about everything regarding the June 12 summit between President Trump and Kim Jong Un is up in the air, from the length of the meeting to the true meaning of denuclearization to the possible concessions Trump may give to Kim. But one aspect has already won rave reviews: the location.

NIGER PROBE FINDINGS: The 2017 Niger ambush that killed four U.S. soldiers was the result of “individual, organizational and institutional failures,” according to a new report from the Pentagon.

The eight-page summary released by the Department of Defense on Thursday detailed the findings leading up to and during the ambush and made recommendations to improve guidance for the planning and approval of military operations. Those recommendations included a full review of equipment requirements and improving coordination with forces from U.S. allies.

BLAMING THE TROOPS: Some are taking issue with the report’s findings that partially fault the troops involved, rather than the higher-ups and their web of confusing guidance and overlapping jurisdiction.

“[M]ost shockingly, amid the deadliest combat incident for American soldiers in Africa since ‘Black Hawk Down,’ most of the blame in Africom’s report is attached to the dead, who cannot speak in their own defense,” writes Task and Purpose.

A NEW TYPE OF DESTROYER: Huntington Ingalls has begun work on the Navy’s first Flight III destroyer, still a member of the Arleigh Burke class, but a major upgrade to the venerable group of ships, Defense News writes.

A B-1 GUNSHIP? Boeing has been awarded a patent to install a belly gun on its B-1B Lancer bomber, Steve Trimble of Flight Global noted.

LASER ROUNDS: Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $23.2 million contract to provide 7,500 laser-guided training rounds, UPI reports.

TRUMP CELEBRATES ISIS CAPTURES: Trump on Thursday celebrated the capturing of five leaders within the Islamic State terrorist group as the result of a three-month Iraqi-U.S. military operation in Syria and Turkey.

“Five Most Wanted leaders of ISIS just captured!” Trump tweeted Thursday morning.

Col. Ryan Dillon, spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, credited the Iraqi military with the grab. “#Iraq captures 5 key Daesh leaders during #OperationRoundup. The arrest is a significant blow to Daesh & demonstrates close coordination between #ISF & #SDF in their fight to #defeatDaesh. @CJTFOIR is committed to lasting defeat of Daesh & setting conditions for stabilization,” he tweeted.

HALT HOSTILITIES: U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is urging an immediate halt to “all hostile acts” to avoid “a new conflagration” in the Middle East after Israeli forces bombed Iranian targets inside Syria, the AP reported.

CALLING OUT IRAN: The White House’s Shah told reporters yesterday that the U.S. “supports Israel’s right to defend itself.”

“And this action kind of goes to show that Iran is not a trustworthy actor,” he continued. “They have been destabilizing the region prior to the [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action]. They’ve destabilized the region during the JCPOA’s time. And then since the president’s announcement [that the U.S. will leave the Iran nuclear deal], this latest provocative action is another example for why the president made the right decision to pull the United States out of the JCPOA.”

WAR POWERS CASE: A federal appeals court is asking attorneys in a prominent war-powers case to file briefs on whether the passage of time has mooted a former Army captain’s lawsuit claiming the war against the Islamic State group is illegal.

A three-judge panel heard oral arguments in the case in October, but has waited more than six months to rule, allowing time for military operations in Syria and Iraq to wind down and for the litigant, former Army Capt. Nathan Michael Smith, to leave the military.

PENTAGON AGAINST INTERIOR’S PLAN: The Pentagon said Thursday that offshore drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico would pose problems for military exercises it conducts there.

That part of the Gulf is an “irreplaceable national asset” used by the Department of Defense “to develop and maintain the readiness of our combat forces, and is critical to achieving the objectives contained in the National Defense Strategy,” said Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Michael Griffin in a report sent to Congress.

If oil and natural gas development were to extend east of the military training zone, without sufficient restrictions on drilling, “military flexibility in the region would be lost and test and training activities would be severely affected,” it stated.

CHENEY: GET ENHANCED INTERROGATION READY: Former Vice President Dick Cheney said he favors keeping enhanced interrogation techniques around as an option, a day after Trump’s nominee to lead the CIA said she would not use those methods, which many describe as torture.

“If it were my call, I would not discontinue those programs. I’d have them active and ready to go,” Cheney told Fox Business in an interview that aired Thursday morning. “And I’d go back and study them and learn.”

A NEW LOW: Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney on Thursday referred to Sen. John McCain as “Songbird John” and said torture worked on the former POW.

McInerney, during an interview on Fox Business Network, was slamming McCain’s refusal to support CIA director nominee Gina Haspel over her past work at the agency involving enhanced interrogation techniques that are considered torture.

“The fact is, is John McCain — it worked on John. That’s why they call him ‘Songbird John,'” McInerney said.

“The fact is those methods can work, and they are effective, as former Vice President Cheney said. And if we have to use them to save a million American lives, we will do whatever we have to,” he continued.

WILD FOOTAGE: Check out this video shot from a Hawaii Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk showing lava damage from the Kilauea volcano. And see more here.

AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY: The Washington Post’s Carol Morello has a fascinating account of what it was like being one of the two journalists invited to accompany Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on his secretive trip to North Korea this week.

“We were called in last Friday afternoon and told to get a new passport with a special permission stamped on one page authorizing a one-time-only visit to a geographically restricted country, a description that fits only North Korea, where the State Department has a travel ban for U.S. citizens. We were instructed to pack a small bag and be ready to depart on a moment’s notice, whenever it might come. And we were ordered to tell no one about it in advance.

“‘Are we going where I think we’re going?’ I asked two officials in a room with the door closed.

“They nodded, silently.”

THE RUNDOWN

Fox News: Trump vows US ‘will not be walked into an Iran deal’ at next month’s North Korea summit

CNN: The world is nervously watching as the gloves come off between Iran and Israel

USNI News: USS Fitzgerald Combat Team Unaware of Approaching Merchant Ship Until Seconds Before Fatal Collision

Daily Beast: With Trump’s Green Light, Israel Hits Back Hard at Iran’s Forces in Syria

Defense News: Meet the new data challenges. Same as the old data challenges.

Breaking Defense: Marines Want Armored Recon Prototypes By 2023: F-35 On Wheels Or FCS Redux?