HOUSE NDAA REJECTS BIDEN’S ANEMIC DEFENSE TOPLINE: In the early hours of the morning, the House Armed Services Committee passed the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act by an overwhelmingly partisan vote of 57-2.
The bill, which sets policy for the Pentagon along with funding levels for the fiscal year that begins in just 28 days, now goes to the House floor, where it could face further amendments from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, which wants to cut defense spending, especially now that the U.S. war in Afghanistan has ended.
But this morning, the Democratic chairman and ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee were busy congratulating each other on how they were able to compromise on the bill, which adds $25 billion to the Biden administration’s proposed Pentagon budget.
“The Armed Services Committee has a storied history of bipartisanship and that is no accident — the work is hard, and our disagreements can run deep,” said Washington Democratic Rep. Adam Smith, the committee’s chairman, in a statement issued at 2:30 a.m. “Democracy is not always easy but having a willing counterpart in the legislative process is critical to ensuring our military has the essential resources they need to combat threats at home and abroad.”
“I am pleased that the Armed Services Committee once again passed a National Defense Authorization Act out of the committee this morning,” said Alabama Republican Rep. Mike Rogers. “We did so in a bipartisan manner, including voting together to address the shortfall in the Biden budget.”
DEFENSE SPENDING SET AT $778 BILLION: Rogers was the sponsor of the key amendment that added $25 billion to the Biden budget request of $715 billion, bringing the Pentagon’s share of the defense budget to $740 billion, and total defense spending, including the nuclear weapons programs that come under the Energy Department, to $778 billion.
Rogers’s amendment, which brought the House version of the NDAA in line with the bill approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee, passed 42-17, amounting to a bipartisan rebuke of the Biden plan.
“The Biden Administration’s inadequate 2022 defense budget request did not keep pace with inflation, even when both China and Russia are committed to increasing their militaries’ size and capability at a breakneck pace and are consistently coercing the international community,” said Fred Bartels of the conservative Heritage Foundation. “This strong bipartisan action is a necessary step to correct course from Biden’s misguided defense budget request.”
WHAT THE EXTRA $25 BILLION WILL BUY: More than $10 billion of the additional funding will go toward boosting procurement of ships, planes, and other weapons systems, including:
- $1.5 billion for an additional Arleigh Burke-class destroyer
- $1.2 billion for an additional Amphibious Assault Ship
- $567 million to expand procurement to three Virginia-class submarines per year
- $394 million for four additional KC-130J refueling jets for the Navy and Marine Corps
- $340 million for two additional P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft for the Navy
- $212 million for nine additional UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters for the Army National Guard
- $350 million for missiles and ammunition
TALIBAN: TERRORISTS OR PARTNERS? One of the 700 proposed amendments that didn’t pass was proposed by Indiana Republican Rep. Jim Banks, which would have branded the Taliban as a terrorist organization.
Citing recent statements from the administration indicating the U.S. might use financial leverage to incentivize the Taliban to both counter ISIS and help get more Afghans out of the country, Banks said his effort was aimed at preventing “any effort by this administration, future administrations, even private citizens from financially aiding the Taliban in Afghanistan.”
“You heard Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, in the last couple of days sort of hint that we might actually financially reward the Taliban. This is alarming to me and many other Republicans in the Armed Services Committee,” Banks told Fox News. “The Democrats won’t allow it to move forward because I believe … they have future plans to legitimize the Taliban government and reward them, give them money, give them supplies moving forward.”
Banks’s comments came after Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley said at a Pentagon briefing that “it’s possible” the U.S. might coordinate with the Taliban against ISIS-K in Afghanistan.
“We don’t know what the future of the Taliban is, but I can tell you from personal experience that this is a ruthless group from the past, and whether or not they change remains to be seen,” Milley told reporters. “As far as our dealings with them at that airfield or in the past year or so, in war, you do what you must in order to reduce risk to mission and force, not what you necessarily want to do.”
HOUSE PANEL BACKS PROPOSAL AIMED AT COUNTERING ‘WOKENESS’ IN THE MILITARY
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‘MAJORITY’ OF AFGHAN HELPERS LEFT BEHIND: A painful admission came yesterday in a conference call with reporters, in which a senior State Department official conceded that “the majority” of Afghan nationals who worked with the U.S. government were left behind in the hectic 18-day military evacuation mission in Kabul.
“It involved some really painful trade-offs and choices for everyone involved,” the official said, according to the Washington Examiner’s Joel Gehrke, who was on the call. “Everybody who lived it is haunted by the choices we had to make and by the people we were not able to help depart in this first phase of the operation.”
U.S. consular officials were dealing with the massive crowds outside the airport that appeared on the verge of turning violent in desperation, Gehrke reports. “Those crowds that were outside the access points were on the verge of flipping to a mob at any given moment of any given day,” the senior official said. “And the more that we and other nations went out and tried to pull individuals out of that undifferentiated crowd and bring them in, the closer to mob violence we came, every time.”
AN AFTERMATH OF RAGE: Republican lawmakers and veterans groups have been sharply critical of what they see as President Joe Biden’s artificial Aug. 31 deadline that doomed tens of thousands of at-risk Afghans and more than 100 Americans at the mercy of the Taliban’s dubious promises of safe passage out.
Parents of some of the 13 service members killed last week have blamed Biden, and in secret text messages, some U.S. military officers have been sharply critical of the decision to end the military mission based on the calendar.
“I’ve heard strong views from many sides in recent days, and that’s vital, that’s democracy, that’s America,” said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at yesterday’s briefing. “As we always do, this department will look back clearly and professionally and learn every lesson that we can. That’s our way.”
“I know that these have been difficult days for many of us, and as we look back as a nation on the war in Afghanistan, I hope that we will all do so with thoughtfulness and respect. I will always be proud of the part that we played in this war,” Austin said. “But we shouldn’t expect Afghan war veterans to agree anymore than any other group of Americans.”
TALIBAN WEAPONS PARADE: In Kandahar, Afghanistan’s second largest city, the Taliban put on a display of captured U.S. hardware, standing atop armored vehicles and even flying a Black Hawk helicopter with a white-and-black Taliban flag attached to its side.
The parade comes after Taliban fighters entered the Kabul airport to find helicopters and planes left behind, damaged beyond repair, according to an Al Jazeera reporter on the scene.
STATE DEPARTMENT URGED AGENCIES TO REMOVE ONLINE REPORTS ON MILITARY GEAR IN AFGHANISTAN
MILLEY: WE CARRIED OUT THE MISSION WE WERE GIVEN: Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley said yesterday that the U.S. military saluted and carried out the orders it was given by the commander in chief, which was to conduct a noncombatant evacuation operation “with a directed completion date of 31 August.”
“The key military tasks were to secure and defend the international airport in Kabul, evacuate all embassy personnel, evacuate all American citizens that wanted to get out, and evacuate other Afghans as designated by the Department of State and retrograde all of the U.S. military,” Milley said.
“In short, the United States military was tasked to conduct two highly complex missions simultaneously: to retrograde while in contact with the enemy and a NEO in a non-permissive environment,” he said. “We executed that mission in a highly dynamic, dangerous operating environment from a war-torn country and was conducted across nine countries and 26 intermediate staging bases and temporary safe havens.”
“In Afghanistan, our military mission has now come to an end, and we’re going to learn from this experience as a military,” Milley said. “How we got to this moment in Afghanistan will be analyzed and studied for years to come, and we in the military will approach this with humility, transparency, and candor. There are many tactical, operational, and strategic lessons to be learned.”
MARINE WHO SPOKE OUT ABOUT AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL SAYS HE EXPECTS TO BE JAILED
The Rundown
Washington Examiner: ‘Haunted by the choices we had to make’: State Department believes ‘majority’ of Afghan partners left behind
Washington Examiner: ‘We are f***ing abandoning Americans’: Text messages from military commanders reveal how angry they were at state of evacuation mission
Washington Examiner: Father of Marine killed in Kabul describes Biden ‘barking’ at him, tense stare-down: ‘Why are you arguing with me?’
Washington Examiner: White House downplays ‘leaked transcripts of phone calls’ between Biden and Ghani
Washington Examiner: Marine who spoke out about Afghanistan withdrawal says he expects to be jailed
Washington Examiner: State Department urged agencies to remove online reports on military gear in Afghanistan
Washington Examiner: Marine corporal discharged over military mask mandate
Washington Examiner: House panel backs proposal aimed at countering ‘wokeness’ in the military
Washington Examiner: US sues Guam for allegedly shorting veterans on pension benefits
Military.com: Marine Commandant Wants ‘Honest, Open Critique’ of Afghanistan Withdrawal
Marine Corps Times: 15 Marines Wounded In Afghanistan Are Being Treated At Walter Reed
CNN: Amid Turmoil And Grief, Jill Biden Travels To Visit Face-To-Face With Military Families
Stars and Stripes: Roughly 20,000 Afghans Now At Stateside Military Bases Two Days After Last Flights Left Kabul Airport Ending 20 Years Of War
Navy Times: Generous Americans ‘Clogging’ Military Mail Network With Donations For Afghan Evacuees At Al Udeid
Breaking Defense: U.S. Should Pursue ‘Deterrence By Detection,’ Says Marine Corps Commandant
AP: ‘It looked apocalyptic’: Crew describes Afghan departure
Washington Post: Oklahoma congressman threatened embassy staff as he tried to enter Afghanistan, U.S. officials say
Washington Post: Taliban moves to consolidate military and political control in Afghanistan
USNI News: Navy, Marine Corps Issue Policy, Deadlines For Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccinations For Active, Reserve Forces
Politico: China’s New U.S. Ambassador Goes Full Wolf In First Major Speech
Air Force Magazine: HASC Approves Defense Budget Increase, Space National Guard
Washington Post: Biden Backs Lasting Support For Ukraine
Air Force Magazine: Ukraine, US Sign Defense Deal Amid Russian Threat
Business Insider: Riding Aboard The Navy’s New Littoral Combat Ship
19fortyfive.com: China’s New Aircraft Carrier Might Be Full of Military Surprises
19fortyfive.com: No, the Taliban Didn’t Capture an Arsenal of Tanks
AP: ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ flies to 2022 due to coronavirus surge
Washington Examiner: Opinion: Ukraine is seeking NATO status. Biden should be clear: No
Washington Examiner: Opinion: Communist China confronts its greatest threat: Chinese free choice
19fortyfive.com: Opinion: How America Can Avoid Another Afghanistan
The Cipher Brief: Opinion: Reflections on Ending an Endless War
The Cipher Brief: Opinion: Applying What We Learned From Iraq in Afghanistan
Calendar
THURSDAY | SEPTEMBER 2
9:30 a.m. — Harvard University Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies virtual discussion: “ The Taliban Takeover and Central Asian Security: New Reality on the Ground,” with Omid Marzban, senior multimedia editor at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty; Salimjon Aioubov, director of the RFE/RL Tajik Service; Stephen Blank, senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute; Muhammad Tahir, media relations manager at RFE-RL; Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili, director of the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Governance and Markets; and Nargis Kassenova, senior fellow at the Davis Center https://daviscenter.fas.harvard.edu/events/taliban-takeover
11 a.m. — Arab Center virtual discussion: “Prospects for U.S.-Iran Relations Under Raisi,” with Vali Nasr, professor at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies; Mehran Kamrava, chair of the Arab Center’s Iranian Studies Unit; and Khalil Jahshan, executive director of the Arab Center. https://dohainstitute-org.zoom.us/webinar/register
11 a.m. — Middle East Institute virtual discussion: “Syria Today: How Assad ‘Won’ Beyond the Military,” with Rahaf Aldoughli, lecturer on Middle East and North African studies at Lancaster University; Guy Barton, visiting fellow at the London School of Economics’ Middle East Center; Eric Lob, associate professor at Florida International University; and Emma Beals, nonresident scholar at MEI https://www.mei.edu/events/syria-today-how-assad-won-beyond-military
11 a.m. 1750 Independence Avenue S.W. — Friends of the National World War II Memorial and the National Park Service ceremony to commemorate the 76th anniversary of the Allied Forces’ victory in the Pacific and the end of World War II. https://wwiimemorialfriends.networkforgood.com/events Livestream at https://www.facebook.com/WWIIMemorialFriends
12 p.m. — Hudson Institute virtual discussion: “ The Future of the Navy and Marine Corps,” with Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine; and Seth Cropsey, director of the Hudson Center for American Seapower. https://www.hudson.org/events/2005-virtual-event
2 p.m. — The Jewish Institute for National Security of America virtual event, “America’s Afghanistan Disaster,” with Amb. Eric Edelman, is former U.S. ambassador to Turkey and former undersecretary of defense for policy; retired Gen. Charles Wald, former deputy commander of U.S. European Command, and John Hannah, JINSA senior fellow. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register
4:30 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “The U.S.-ROK alliance, the North Korea situation and the Korean-American community,” with Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii https://www.csis.org/events/capital-cable-33-senator-brian-schatz
6 p.m. — Politics and Prose Bookstore book discussion on “The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War,” with author Craig Whitlock, investigative reporter at the Washington Post; and James LaPorta, investigative reporter at the Associated Press.
THURSDAY | SEPTEMBER 9
9 a.m. — Aspen Security Forum virtual event: “Two Decades On: The 20th Anniversary of 9/11,” with former Defense Secretary Robert Gates; Philip Zelikow, former executive director of the 9/11 Commission; Jane Holl Lute, former deputy secretary of Homeland Security; Jane Harman, president emerita, Wilson Center; P. Michael McKinley, former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan; Anne Patterson, former assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern and North African affairs, Ryan Crocker, former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan and Iraq; and Lawrence Wright, staff writer The New Yorker. https://aspeninst.zoom.us/webinar/register
FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 10
9:30 a.m. — Brookings virtual event: “9/11, 20 years later: Legacies and lessons.” with John Allen, president, Brookings Institution; Amb. Ryan Crocker, former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan; and Susan Glasser, staff writer, The New Yorker. https://www.brookings.edu/events
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Last night, I visited the wounded up in Walter Reed. This is tough stuff. War is hard, it’s vicious, it’s brutal, it’s unforgiving, and yes, we all have pain and anger. And when we see what has unfolded over the last 20 years and over the last 20 days, that creates pain and anger, and mine comes from 242 of my soldiers killed in action over 20 years in Iraq and Afghanistan. So yeah, I have that. But I’m a professional soldier. I’m going to contain my pain and anger and continue to execute my mission.”
Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
