SASC MARKS UP NDAA: The Senate Armed Services Committee begins the process of taking President Joe Biden’s proposed $715 billion Pentagon budget and turning it into legislation that will shape how the U.S. military will be funded for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.
Beginning at 5:30 p.m., two subcommittees, Strategic Forces and Cybersecurity, will be marking up the National Defense Authorization Act for 2022, known as the NDAA, behind closed doors. The annual defense policy bill is “must pass” legislation, so members work hard to get their amendments into the final version of the legislation because that is the surest way to get proposals enacted into law.
“Enacting the National Defense Authorization Act is critical to our national security, and the markup is a crucial part of a multistep process,” said Chairman Sen. Jack Reed in announcing the markup schedule for this week. “I am committed to upholding our tradition of robust, careful deliberation and strong, bipartisan support to ensure we have needed policies and reforms in place.
INHOFE: BIDEN GOT ‘BAD ADVICE’: Republicans in both the House and Senate have sharply criticized Biden’s budget, which, while an increase over this year’s defense spending, does not keep pace with inflation.
Democrats argue that the $715 billion topline is in keeping with what former President Donald Trump would have proposed if he had been reelected, and the Republicans are speaking out more forcefully because a Democrat is now in the White House.
Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe, the ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee, took to the Senate floor last week to argue his objections to the funding levels are not political.
“Now, I happen to think President Trump wanted to spend even more on the troops, but I think he got some bad advice from some advisers,” Inhofe said July 14. “I think the same is true of President Biden. I think he wants a strong military when he’s up against our adversaries.”
“I went to the White House with [Defense] Secretary [Jim] Mattis to tell President Trump that we couldn’t cut defense when the threats are growing. And he listened, and we adjusted the defense budget,” Inhofe said.
THE BATTLE IS JUST BEGINNING: As the saying goes, “The president proposes, Congress disposes.” The budget submitted to Capitol Hill by the executive branch is essentially a wish list. It is in Congress where the actual budget is fashioned, and once it’s sent to the White House, the president has little choice but to accept the priorities lawmakers have enshrined in the law.
The debate this year centers largely around how quickly the U.S. military has to modernize, and how much money should be spent buying current technology as opposed to investing in future systems such as hypersonic missiles and robot ships and planes.
“This budget puts shipbuilding on a starvation diet. The Navy tells us we need at least 355 ships, probably more than 400. Right now, we’re under 300 ships, and the trend is down — not up,” Inhofe said last week.
“This budget also fails to make any progress on growing or modernizing the Air Force. Instead, in the Biden budget, procurement actually decreases by almost 15% across the entire military. In the Air Force, it’s 20%,” he said. “Perhaps the greatest casualty of the Biden budget is the Army. Instead of investing, it deeply cuts the Army across the board: modernization, procurement, force structure, readiness.”
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HAPPENING TODAY: President Joe Biden will welcome King Abdullah II of Jordan and his wife Queen Rania to the White House at a time when the king’s hold on power appears more tenuous than any time in his 22-year rule.
Last week, two former Jordanian officials were sentenced to 15-year prison terms over an alleged coup plot that involved Abdullah’s half-brother.
“Their Majesties’ visit will highlight the enduring and strategic partnership between the United States and Jordan, a key security partner and ally of the United States,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. “It’ll be an opportunity to discuss many challenges facing the Middle East and showcase Jordan’s leadership role in promoting peace and stability in the region.”
Abdullah’s visit will also be greeted by protests this morning outside the White House by Jordanian political activists, who accuse the king of wielding “absolute power” and of “disabling and stripping all democratic institutions from their constitutional powers, such as the parliament.”
STILL NO MONEY FOR GUARD: The National Guard is still waiting for Congress to act on an emergency appropriation to reimburse it for the cost of deployment to guard the U.S. Capitol in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 attack by violent protesters seeking to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election results.
“If we’re not able to resolve this in a timely manner,” said Guard Chief Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, there will be a “significant impact on National Guard readiness.”
“The National Guard used fiscal year 2021 funding to pay for the operational Capitol response from January to May. By cash flowing the money, it ensured the soldiers and airmen who volunteered for the mission were paid,” the Guard said in a statement Friday. “The nearly $521 million cost of that mission is still a deficit against our budget. Without the reimbursement funding, the National Guard may need to curtail or reduce its drill weekends, annual training, and operations and maintenance for the months of August and September.”
DOD VACCINATIONS AT 70%: In a tweet on Friday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the vaccination rate for the U.S. military is approaching herd immunity levels, with 7-in-10 having received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine.
“I’m pleased to report that as of today, 70% of active duty service members have received their first COVID-19 vaccination, and 62% of active duty are fully vaccinated,” Austin said, adding the hashtag “#WeCanDoThis.”
In a video message to the force, Austin called the vaccines “safe and effective,” and said, “You are not just protecting yourselves, you’re also protecting your teammates, your families, your communities, and your country.”
“I got my shots, and I hope you will too.”
MULLEN: MILLEY ‘DID THE RIGHT THING’: Former Joint Chiefs Chairman retired Adm. Mike Mullen says current chairman, Army Gen. Mark Milley, “did the right thing,” when he prepared to resist what he feared might be unconstitutional orders from President Donald Trump.
“Milley really stood up, did the right thing, and I think made the case that he was the right officer to have in the right job at the right time, in a very, very difficult, stunning, and unprecedented situation,” Mullen said yesterday on CBS’s Face the Nation.
“Once the president makes a decision, you know, we carry it out. There’s no discussion with respect to that,” Mullen said, but added, “Had President Trump decided to use the military against the American people and somehow create an opportunity for the president to stay in place … it’s contrary to the Constitution, which is what the military serves, as opposed to the president.”
In that case, military officers, who are charged with being totally apolitical, have an obligation to resist orders that are “illegal, immoral, or unethical,” Mullen said. “In which case, Gen. Milley and the rest of the military leadership, the other four stars, in my view, would be required to either resist, or if they’re unable to resist, resign.”
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The Rundown
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AP: Man faces 1st sentencing for felony in riot at US Capitol
AP: South Korea to bring home sailors aboard virus-hit destroyer
Military Times: Citing ‘Crisis’ In Military Child Care Facilities And Barracks, Lawmakers Want Extra $15 Billion
Vanity Fair: “The Only Thing I Knew How To Do Was Kill People”: Inside the rash of unexplained deaths at Fort Hood
Military.com: The Marine Corps Just Beat The Air Force And Navy In The Latest Jet Capability Race
Defense News: The Number Of Major F-35 Flaws Is Shrinking, But The Pentagon Is Keeping Details Of The Problems Under Wraps
USNI News: GAO: Marines Need More Training; Clearer SOPs, Oversight Needed to Stem Fatal Vehicle Mishaps
South China Morning Post: China’s Third Aircraft Carrier Could Launch This Year – But Still Needs The Right Jets
South China Morning Post: South China Sea Code Of Conduct Talks ‘May End In Stalemate’ As Tensions Rise
New York Times: Guantánamo Prosecutors Ask to Strike Information Gained From Torture
Wall Street Journal: Iran’s Nuclear Advances Complicate Bid to Revive 2015 Deal
USNI News: Two Iranian Warships Spotted Near English Channel
19fortyfive.com: A North Korea Collapse Means One Thing: Find the Nuclear Weapons, Fast.
19fortyfive.com: Why Russia Is So Freaked Out Over NATO’s Recent Military Drills
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CNN: Navy Christens USNS John Lewis On Anniversary Of Civil Rights Icon’s Death
Task & Purpose: The Marine Corps Is Now The Only Service Not Allowing Women To Wear Ponytails In Uniform
Calendar
MONDAY | JULY 19
10:30 a.m. — Woodrow Wilson Center Asia Program virtual discussion: “Beyond Afghanistan: U.S. Perspectives on the Future of U.S.-Pakistan Relations,” with ormer U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan David Hale; former U.S. Agency for International Development Pakistan Desk Officer Nadia Naviwala; Tamanna Salikuddin, director of South Asia programs at the U.S. Institute of Peace; James Schwemlein, senior director at the Albright Stonebridge Group; and Michael Kugelman, senior associate for South Asia at WWC. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/beyond-afghanistan
1 p.m. — Women’s Foreign Policy Group virtual discussion: “Responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI): What Does It Mean for National Security?” with Jose-Marie Griffiths, member of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence; Haniyeh Mahmoudian, leader of the DataRobot Applied Ethics Team; Jacqueline Sarah Tame, vice president for innovation at Landus; and Andrea Thompson, vice president for international programs at Northrop Grumman. https://wfpg.memberclicks.net/2021-07-19-responsible-ai#/
5:30 p.m. 232A Russell — Senate Armed Services Subcommittees begin markups of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022, beginning with closed hearings by the subcommittee on strategic forces and cybersecurity. https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings
TUESDAY | JULY 20
9 a.m. — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association virtual discussion with Steve Mapes, chief of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency’s Office of Small Business Programs. https://afceanova.swoogo.com/July2021SmallBuisnessBreakfast
9 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Cross-Strait Relations After the 20th Party Congress,” with Kathrin Hille, Greater China correspondent at the Financial Times; Ryan Hass, chair in the Brookings Institution’s Foreign Policy Program; Jude Blanchett, chair in China studies at CSIS; and Bonny Lin, director of the CSIS China Power Project, https://www.csis.org/events/cross-strait-relations-after-20th-party-congress
9 a.m. — Henry L. Stimson Center virtual discussion: “Voices from Japan: U.S.-Japan Defense Cooperation in the Maritime Domain,” with former Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff Adm. Tomohisa Takei; and former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson. https://www.stimson.org/event/voices-from-japan
9:30 p.m. 106 Russell — Senate Armed Services Subcommittees continue markups of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022, with open hearings by the subcommittees on readiness and management support, and at 11 a.m. on personnel; followed by closed hearings by the subcommittees on airland, emerging threats and capabilities, and seapower. https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings
10 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Committee hearing: “Non-Governmental Views on the Fiscal Year 2022 Department of Defense Budget,” with Stacie Pettyjohn, senior fellow and director, Defense Program, Center for a New American Security; Mandy Smithberger, director of the Center for Defense Information, Project on Government Oversight; Roger Zakheim, director, Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings
10 a.m. — National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations virtual discussion on a new report, “Iran and U.S. strategy: Looking Beyond the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,” author Anthony Cordesman, chair in strategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; David Des Roches, associate professor at the National Defense University; and John Duke Anthony, founding president of NCUSAR. https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event
10:15 a.m. — Atlantic Council virtual discussion: “The Future of Belarus,” with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, leader of the Belarus democratic opposition; U.S. Ambassador to Belarus Julie Fisher; Amna Nawaz, chief correspondent at PBS NewsHour, and Melinda Haring, deputy director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/the-future-of-belarus
12 p.m. — Atlantic Council virtual discussion on “lessons for U.S. foreign policy,” with former White House Deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes, author of “After the Fall: Being American in the World We’ve Made.” https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event
1:30 p.m. — Air Force Association’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies releases new policy paper, “Speed is Life: Accelerating the Air Force’s Ability to Adapt and Win,” with Tim Grayson, director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Strategic Technology Office. https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register
2 p.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel hearing: “The Findings and Recommendations of the Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military,” with Kathleen Hicks, deputy secretary of defense; Lynn Rosenthal, chair, Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military; Meghan Tokash, member, Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military; retired Maj. Gen. James Johnson, member, Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military; and Kyleanne Hunter, member, Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military. https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings
2 p.m. — U.S. Navy Memorial “SITREP series” virtual discussion with Adm. Robert Burke, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe/U.S. Naval Forces Africa, and commander of Allied Joint Forces Command Naples. https://www.navymemorial.org/new-events
7 p.m. — Institute for Corean American Studies virtual Summer Symposium Veritas on “The Korean Peninsula Issues and the ROK-U.S. Alliance,” with Byung Joo Kim, former deputy commander of ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/icas-summer-symposium
WEDNESDAY | JULY 21
9 a.m. — American Institute for Contemporary German Studies virtual discussion: “Communiques and Capabilities: Making the Aspirations of NATO and U.S.-Europe Summits a Reality,” with Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary for European and NATO Policy Spencer Boyer; Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevicius; Cathryn Cluver Ashbrook, director and CEO of the German Council on Foreign Affairs; former NATO Deputy Secretary-General Alexander Vershbow, fellow at the Atlantic Council; and Jeff Rathke, president of AICGS. https://www.aicgs.org/events/2021/07/communiques-and-capabilities
12 p.m. — McCain Institute virtual book discussion: “Homegrown; ISIS in America,” author Seamus Hughes, deputy director of the George Washington University Program on Extremism; and Brette Steele, senior director of preventing targeted violence at the McCain Institute. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/authors-insights
12 p.m. — Hudson Institute virtual discussion: “The Future of Industrial Cybersecurity,” with Joshua Steinman, former deputy assistant to the president for national security affairs and senior director for cyber security and Ezra Cohen, Hudson Institute adjunct fellow and former acting Defense undersecretary for intelligence and security. https://www.hudson.org/events/1988-virtual-event
3 p.m. 2118 Rayburn — Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations hearing: “Review of the Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Request for U.S. Special Operations Forces and Command,” with Joseph McMenamin, PTDO assistant secretary of defense for special operations/low-intensity conflict; and Gen Richard Clarke, commander, U.S. Special Operations Command.https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings
3:30 p.m. — Atlantic Council virtual discussion: “Modern Mobilization: Defense-Industrial Preparedness for Great-Power Conflict,” Brennan Grignon, supply chain lead at the Defense Department’s Office of Industrial Policy; Mark Cancian, senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ International Security Program; James Hasik, nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Center for Strategy and Security; and Steven Grundman, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Center for Strategy and Security. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event
8.p.m. Cincinnati, Ohio — President Joe Biden takes part in a town hall event moderated by CNN anchor Don Lemon. Live on CNN and CNN.com
THURSDAY | JULY 22
9:30 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion on U.S.-Korean relations, with former Acting Deputy Defense Secretary Christine Fox, assistant director for policy and analysis at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory https://www.csis.org/events/korea-chair-capital-cable-30-christine-fox
10:30 a.m. — Heritage Foundation virtual discussion: “Enhancing Deterrence in the Indo-Pacific,” with Patty-Jane Geller, policy analyst for nuclear deterrence and missile defense at Heritage; and Brent Sadler, senior fellow for naval warfare and advanced technology at Heritage. https://www.heritage.org/defense/event
12 p.m. — McCain Institute virtual conversation with former U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper and former British Prime Minister Theresa May. https://asu.zoom.us
12 p.m. — Institute for Defense and Government Advancement virtual discussion: “Laser Weapons Today and Tomorrow,” with Evan Hunt, director of high energy lasers and counter-unmanned aerial systems at Raytheon Intelligence and Space; Michael Jirjis, directed energy experimentation lead at the Air Force Research Laboratory; and Craig Robin, director of the Army’s Directed Energy Project Office. https://www.defenceiq.com/army-land-forces/webinars
1 p.m. — Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments webinar on it new report: “Implementing Deterrence by Detection: Innovative Capabilities, Processes, and Organizations for Situational Awareness in the Indo-Pacific Region,” with authors Thomas Mahnken, Travis Sharp, Christopher Bassler, Bryan Durkee; and CSBA Council member Chris Brose. https://csbaonline.org/about/events
FRIDAY | JULY 23
11 a.m. — Heritage Foundation virtual discussion: “How Congress Can help America Get More Out of Our Defense Dollars,” with Philip Candreva, senior lecturer of budgeting and public policy at the Naval Postgraduate School; Eric Lofgren, senior fellow at George Mason University’s Center for Government Contracting; and Frederico Bartels, senior policy analyst for defense budgeting at Heritage. https://www.heritage.org/defense/event
12 p.m. — Hudson Institute virtual discussion: “Transforming Defense for a Competitive Era.” with Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass.; Jay Dryer, director of the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Strategic Capabilities Office; former Defense Undersecretary for Policy Michele Flournoy, co-founder and managing partner at WestExec Advisers; and Dan Patt, adjunct fellow at the Hudson Center for Defense Concepts and Technology. https://www.hudson.org/events/1991-virtual-event
3 p.m. — Woodrow Wilson Center Kissinger Institute on China and the United States virtual discussion: “The Selling of a Centennial, 2021: What the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) Propaganda Reveals About the CCP,” Anne-Marie Brady, professor at the University of Canterbury; Aynne Kokas, associate professor of media studies at the University of Virginia; Maria Repnikova, assistant professor of global communications at Georgia State University; and Robert Daly, director of the WWC Kissinger Institute. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/selling-centennial-2021
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Milley really stood up, did the right thing, and I think made the case that he was the right officer to have in the right job at the right time, in a very, very difficult, stunning, and unprecedented situation.”
Former Joint Chiefs Chairman retired Adm. Mike Mullen, on CBS, voicing support for current chairman, Army. Gen. Mark Milley, who was preparing to resist what he feared might be unconstitutional orders from President Donald Trump.
