White House meeting and PACOM hearing: Washington pivots to Asia today

At yesterday’s White House briefing, press secretary Sean Spicer was careful to say this is a Senate-led discussion headed by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. “[T]he secretary of state and others are going to talk about our posture and the activities that we’re undergoing. And Chairman Dunford will lay out some of the military actions and the way that they see the lay of the land. They’re going to answer questions, as they routinely do on a situation like this.”

WILL TRUMP SHOW UP? The White House said President Trump isn’t confirmed to attend the meeting, and a White House official said if he does show up, it’ll be a “brief drop-by,” CNN reported. That same report said Democrats are calling the whole event a photo-op, and they expect little substance at a meeting that would have been more easily conducted at the Senate. “I, frankly, don’t understand why it’s not easier to bring four people here than it is to take 100 there,” Sen. Angus King said.

PACIFIC CHIEF SPEAKS: Lawmakers will also get a chance to hear from the top military official in the Pacific region, Adm. Harry Harris, today at 10. The head of U.S. Pacific Command appears before the House Armed Services Committee to discuss “security challenges in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.” He’ll then head to a House Appropriations Committee hearing for a closed session at 1:30, then will appear again tomorrow morning, this time before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Expect pointed questions not only on the military’s plan for North Korea and China, but also on the Navy’s botched messaging and subsequent missteps by administration officials on the location and timing of the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson’s deployment to the Korean peninsula.

HOW’S THIS FOR TIMING? South Korean officials announced on Wednesday that key parts of the Terminal High Altitude Air Defense system were being set up in that country, just one day after North Korea’s major live-fire exercise. The move, months in the making with help from the U.S., has angered not only Pyongyang but Beijing as well, and will be just another log on the fire as all sides step up their posture.

“About 8,000 police officers were mobilized, and the main road leading up to the site in the country’s southeast was blocked earlier Wednesday, Yonhap reported. About 200 residents and protesters rallied against THAAD in front of a local community center, some hurling plastic water bottles,” the AP reported.

MEANWHILE AT SEA: The U.S. Navy announced yesterday that it’s conducting simultaneous at-sea exercises with ships of the South Korean and Japanese navies in the area. “Both exercises demonstrate a shared commitment to security and stability in Northeast Asia as well as the U.S. Navy’s inherent flexibility to combine with allied naval forces in response to a broad range of situations,” the Navy said in a brief statement.

The U.S. destroyer Wayne E. Meyer (part of the Vinson strike group) and Korean destroyer Wang Geon are conduct their exercises west of the Korean peninsula, while the U.S. destroyer Fitzgerald will operate with the Japanese destroyer JS Chokai west of Japan.

U.S. and South Korean forces are also holding live-fire exercises on land. You can see video of that here, along with the protests that occurred when parts of the THAAD system began arriving.

THIS IS ONLY A TEST, BUT YOU KNOW HOW IT’LL LOOK: The Air Force will be putting one of America’s most fearsome weapons on display today when it test fires a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile from California. These days, any display of U.S. military muscle is likely to be interpreted as a message to adversaries overseas, in this case North Korea. The so-called Hermit Kingdom just happens to be rapidly developing its own nuclear missile program. Despite recent progress, its missiles still pale in comparison to the Minuteman ICBMs, which the U.S. first developed in the 1950s and can be launched across the world at a moment’s notice from domestic silos.

However, the Air Force told the Washington Examiner on Tuesday not to make too much of the test launch from Vandenberg Air Force base. It had been planned years in advance as part of routine demonstrations of nuclear capabilities, the most recent of which was in February, Air Force Global Strike Command said.

Good Wednesday 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 add you to our list. And be sure to follow us on Twitter @dailyondefense.

CHINA DETERRENCE INITIATIVE: Sen. John McCain may have previewed what he plans to say to Harris on Thursday during a hearing yesterday, when he called on the Trump administration to create a new European-style military reassurance initiative in the Pacific, not aimed at Kim Jong Un’s regime, but instead to push back against China. He said Beijing has enabled North Korea over the years and remains a root cause of tensions in the region. Meanwhile, U.S. policy has failed to adapt despite an early attempt at a military Pacific pivot. “That failure has called into question the credibility of America’s security commitments in the region,” said McCain, who used his Armed Services Committee chairmanship to convene a panel of experts Tuesday who agreed with his assessment.

The U.S. began its European Reassurance Initiative in 2014 to reassure allies of its military commitment there and recently deployed F-35s as part of the program, which is increasingly focused on Russian aggression. McCain, who has often been a foil to the president on military issues, said the Trump administration could open a new chapter in the Pacific with a similar effort of realigning U.S. forces in the region, increasing combat power, improving bases and conducting more exercises with allies.

MORE AMMO FOR THAT IDEA: China today launched its first domestically built aircraft carrier, a notable leap in capability for a country that had to purchase its last carrier from Russia.

“The 50,000-ton carrier was towed from its dockyard just after 9 a.m. Wednesday following a ceremony in the northern port city of Dalian, where its predecessor, the Soviet-built Liaoning, also underwent extensive refurbishing before being commissioned in 2012, the Ministry of National Defense said,” the AP reported. “Development of the new carrier began in 2013 and construction in late 2015. It’s expected to be formally commissioned sometime before 2020, after sea trials and the arrival of its full air complement.”

TURKISH BOMBINGS: In the Middle East, Turkish fighters have bombed U.S.-backed forces in Iraq and Syria in the course of an operation targeting militants engaged in a decades-long struggle against the NATO ally, complicating an already complex situation.

“[T]errorist targets have been struck with success,” the Turkish military said Tuesday. But the attack also killed Kurdish fighters who are working with the United States in the fight against ISIS. The killing of U.S.-backed forces by a NATO ally is the latest complication in American efforts to lead an effective fighting force to destroy ISIS as a land-holding terrorist entity. “This is very serious,” a U.S. defense official told Fox.

The State Department came out swinging yesterday, saying the actions undermine U.S. efforts to defeat ISIS in those two countries. “These kinds of actions, frankly, harm the coalition’s efforts to go after ISIS and, frankly, harm our partners on the ground who are conducting that fight,” State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner said Tuesday.

Turkey didn’t warn the United States of the impending strikes, which targeted Kurdish fighters in Syria and northern Iraq. The Kurds, an ethnic minority in all three countries, are a critical part of the ground forces helping to recapture land from ISIS. But Turkey makes little distinction between the Iraqi and Syrian Kurds and the PKK, a designated terrorist organization in Turkey that has been fighting a separatist insurgency against the NATO ally for decades.

WHAT’S NEXT: The U.S. still relies on Turkey for use of its Incirlik Air Base as a key staging area for the fight against ISIS. And Ankara is still angling for a seat at the table when it comes to the upcoming fight to oust ISIS from their self-proclaimed capital in Raqqa, Syria. Washington still says it’s listening, but Pentagon types aren’t keen to work with Turkey when the Kurds have proven to be such effective fighting partners so far.

THE WALL IS OUT: The quest to avert a partial government shutdown Friday may have just gotten easier. The latest GOP proposal to fund the government excludes money for a border wall or a “deportation force,” according to legislative aides familiar with the deal, Susan Ferrechio writes. According to a senior Democratic aide, the latest offer from the GOP “doesn’t include any money for a wall.”

The offer follows signals from the Trump administration on Monday that it would not insist the spending bill include money to pay for the wall on the southern border, even though it was the signature campaign promise by Trump. Democrats were staunchly opposed to including wall funding and were threatening to block the spending bill, which must pass by an April 28 deadline in order to keep the government fully funded and operating.

EXPECT A MINI-DEAL FIRST: Congress will likely have to pass a multi-day spending bill to avert a partial government shutdown as Democrats and Republicans close in on a $1 trillion, five-month government funding deal, lawmakers said Tuesday. The stopgap deal would last just a few days, lawmakers said.

“I hope it’s no longer,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski said as she left the weekly GOP Senate luncheon.

SMALLER SUPPLEMENTAL: The future of Trump’s requested defense supplemental this year is “bright,” but any new funding is likely to be less than the $30 billion the president wants, Sen. Lindsey Graham said Tuesday. Graham, who dined with Trump Monday night, said he doubts whether the Defense Department could spend an additional $30 billion before the end of the fiscal year.

“We can use a lot of money for readiness, but probably not $30 billion,” he said.

LOCKHEED EARNINGS ‘MIXED’: Defense giant Lockheed Martin released its first-quarter earnings report Tuesday. CEO Marillyn Hewson attempted to put a good spin on 2017 results so far, but CFO Bruce Tanner said they have had “mixed results” and are “not giving up on overcoming early setbacks.” Those setback included losses on an integrated air-missile defense system for an international customer and a “non-cash asset impairment charge” that cut net earnings by $114 million. Workforce reductions in Lockheed’s aeronautics business also decreased its net earnings by $49 million. Overall, Lockheed reported first quarter 2017 net sales of $11.1 billion compared to $10.4 billion during the first quarter last year. Net earnings were $763 million compared to $806 million last year.

HAPPENING TODAY: MORE 1st QUARTER EARNINGS: Following Lockheed Tuesday, the rest of the big five U.S. defense contractors will release their earnings today and tomorrow. General Dynamics webcasts its first quarter 2017 financial results conference at 9 a.m., following by Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg at 10:30 a.m., and Northrop Grumman has a conference call scheduled for noon. Raytheon conducts its conference call 9 a.m. Thursday.

DID FLYNN BREAK THE LAW? The chairman and ranking member of the House Oversight Committee said Tuesday they are not getting cooperation from the White House regarding documentation on former national security adviser Mike Flynn. Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz and ranking Democrat Elijah Cummings said during a joint press conference they have yet to see any supporting documentation to show that Flynn reported payments he accepted from television station Russia Today in a 2015 trip.

“The White House has refused to provide the committee with a single piece of paper in response to our bipartisan request, and that’s simply unacceptable,” Cummings said. The two men also said they also could not find any evidence that Flynn sought permission to obtain funds from a foreign source, as he would have been required to do as a retired Army general.

WHITE HOUSE DEFENDS: Responding to aggressive questioning during the daily press briefing, Spicer attempted to absolve Trump of responsibility for hiring Flynn, who he has since fired, without a more thorough vetting that might have discovered the foreign payments. Spicer painted the congressional investigation into the matter as an issue unrelated to the administration.

Spicer, responding to Chaffetz and Cummings, essentially said that Flynn’s personnel documents weren’t the purview of the West Wing in the first place, even though he was among Trump’s top White House aides. “To ask the White House to produce documents that were not in the possession of the White House is ridiculous,” Spicer said.

A HEARING TO WATCH: Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates will testify in front of Congress next month as a part of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s investigation into Russian interference in the presidential election. Yates, who was fired by Trump when she refused to defend his immigration travel ban in court, is set to testify in front of the committee’s Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism on May 8. According to a hearing notice, former DNI James Clapper will also testify.

Yates was scheduled to testify in front of the House Intelligence Committee on Russia’s influence campaign in the presidential election, but the hearing was canceled. The Washington Post reported the White House blocked Yates from testifying, but administration officials denied that was the case. Yates has now been invited to testify in front of the House Intelligence Committee in an open hearing on May 2.

F-35s CLOSE TO RUSSIA: U.S. Air Force F-35 joint strike fighters arrived in Estonia on Tuesday, putting the latest in U.S. military jet technology close to Russia at a time of escalating tensions between Washington and Moscow. The fifth-generation Lockheed Martin jets arrived at the Amari air base on Tuesday and were greeted by Estonian Defense Minister Margus Tsahkna. “You are always welcome here,” he said. The air base is about 140 miles away from the Russian border with Estonia.

Estonian site ERR reported the jets will stay in Estonia for several weeks and will be a part of training flights with U.S. and other NATO air forces. The United States wants to have F-35s permanently stationed in Europe by 2020. You can see video of the jets arriving here.

MOSCOW RAPS MATTIS: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday accused Mattis of being “unprofessional,” after the Pentagon chief suggested Russia is funneling weapons to the Taliban in Afghanistan. “These are unprofessional declarations based on nothing,” Lavrov told Russian state-run media. “No matter what negativity might be hurled at Russia now, not a single piece of evidence to these assertions has been offered.”

Army Gen. John Nicholson, the top U.S. commander in the theater, pointedly declined to reject reports that Russian weapons are proliferating in Helmand province and other regions of Afghanistan that have seen the heaviest fighting throughout the war. And Mattis, speaking to reporters alongside Nicholson in Kabul on Monday, criticized Russian support for the Taliban during his latest trip to the country, emphasizing that funneling weapons to militants is a violation of international law. “The Russians seem to be choosing to be strategic competitors in a number of areas,” Mattis said. “We’re going to have to confront Russia where what they’re doing is contrary to international law or denying the sovereignty of other countries.

TROUBLE IN THE GULF: An Iranian ship came within 1,000 yards of a Navy destroyer in the Persian Gulf on Monday, making it the second time this year that Iran has tested the waters with the U.S. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard “fast attack craft” approached the guided missile destroyer USS Mahan with its weapons manned, according to a Fox News report published Tuesday evening.

Mahan turned on the danger signal, fired flares, manned its weapons and changed course to avoid colliding with the Iranian ship. No warning shots were fired by either party.

ARMY NOMINEE FIRES BACK: Trump’s nominee for Army secretary has been hammered by liberal advocacy groups and most recently reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner for his comments about transgender rights, gay marriage and Islam. Jenner claimed Monday that Tennessee state Sen. Mark Green has made “some of the most anti-LGBT statements ever.” But Green finally responded Tuesday after shunning media interviews for weeks in the lead-up to his Senate confirmation hearings. In a Facebook post, the former Army special operations flight surgeon wrote that “the liberal left has cut and spliced my words about terrorism and ISIS, blatantly falsifying what I’ve said.” Green, the son of a southern Baptist pastor, has never made a secret of his deep Christian faith and suggested it is the reason for the attacks.

Green has been recorded at various times during his five years as a state senator. Now, Jenner, three LGBT rights groups and the Council on American-Islamic Relations have found past comments they say should disqualify Green, including claims that most psychiatrists see transgenderism as a disease and Tennessee should stop issuing gay marriage licenses. “When you start teaching [students] the pillars of Islam and you start teaching how to pray as a Muslim, that is over the top and we will not tolerate that in this state,” he told a Tea Party group last year.

RETIRED MARINE TO RUN SECRET SERVICE: Trump named a new Secret Service director Tuesday, just weeks after an intruder scaled the fence around the White House grounds and brought the agency’s security challenges back into the spotlight. Trump selected retired Marine Maj. Gen. Randolph D. “Tex” Alles as the next director of the Secret Service, the White House announced on Tuesday.

Alles presently serves as the acting deputy commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He had previously led its Air and Marine Operations, and is a 35-year veteran of the Marine Corps, the White House noted. The Senate is not required to confirm the Secret Service director.

FOUR MORE NOMINEES HEAD TO THE SENATE: The White House on Tuesday announced it had forwarded four nominees for Defense Department positions to the Senate. Karin Bingen would be a principal deputy undersecretary, replacing Marcel Lettre. Robert Daigle would be director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation. Robert Story Karem would be assistant secretary of defense, replacing Derek Chollet. And Kenneth Rapuano would be assistant secretary of defense, replacing Eric Rosenbach.

THE RUNDOWN

Defense News: Cost of U.S. Marine Corps CH-53K helicopter program grows to $27.7B

War on the Rocks: It’s much bigger than Afghanistan: U.S. strategy for a transformed region

Defense Tech: Will the F-35 Be the Next Thunderbirds Jet?

Roll Call: Analysis: U.S. military options in North Korea — from bad to worse

Military.com: Hampton Roads ship-repair industry is bracing for 1,000 new layoffs

USA Today: Authorities: Veteran tied service dog to tree, shot it 5 times

Navy Times: Blue Angels, Thunderbirds meet for rare joint training

Wall Street Journal: EU hopes to increase dialogue with Moscow but obstacles remain

Task and Purpose: 72 years ago, the U.S. Army blew up a giant swastika in Nazi Germany

USA Today: Duterte’s bloody drug war draws potent foe: Catholic church

Washington Post: Mattis and Trump: The odd couple that works

Wall Street Journal: White House Intervened to Toughen Letter on Iran Nuclear Deal

Calendar

WEDNESDAY | APRIL 26

10 a.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE. 100 down, 265 days to go on Trump’s first year. heritage.org

10 a.m. Rayburn 2118. Adm. Harry Harris, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, gives his military assessment of the security challenges in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. armedservices.house.gov

10 a.m. Dirksen 106. Nomination of Courtney Simmons Elwood to be general counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency. intelligence.senate.gov

10:30 a.m. Dirksen 192. Gen. Joseph Lengyel, chief of the National Guard Bureau; Lt. Gen. Charles Luckey, chief of the Army Reserve; and Lt. Gen. Maryanne Miller, chief of the Air Force Reserve, testify on the readiness of their forces. appropriations.senate.gov

1:30 p.m. House 140. Adm. Harry Harris, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, testifies in a closed session. appropriations.house.gov

2 p.m. Rayburn 2118. Former defense officials testify on information technology management and acquisition in a rapidly changing landscape. armedservices.house.gov

2:30 p.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Ready or not: A strategy for an effective U.S. military with Sen. John Cornyn. wilsoncenter.org

3 p.m. 1800 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Rebalance, reassurance, and resolve in the U.S.-China strategic relationship. brookings.edu

THURSDAY | APRIL 27

8 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW. A discussion with Adm. John Richardson, chief of naval operations, on how to maintain a ready fleet. brookings.edu

9 a.m. Capitol Visitor Center 217. All-day conference on a fundamental change in nuclear weapons policy. sgi-usa-washingtondc.org

9:30 a.m. Dirksen G50. Adm. Harry Harris, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, testifies on the Pacific region and U.S. Forces Korea. armed-services.senate.gov

10 a.m. Rayburn 2172. Policy options in Syria after the missile strikes. foreignaffairs.house.gov

10 a.m. Rayburn 2154. Strengthening national security with a border wall. oversight.house.gov

10 a.m. Rayburn 2118. Lawmakers speak on various defense issues for member day. armedservices.house.gov

10:30 a.m. Dirksen 124. Veterans Health Administration officials testify about preventing suicide. appropriations.senate.gov

12:30 p.m. 1777 F St. NW. U.S. entry into World War I and the lessons 100 years later. cfr.org

2 p.m. Rayburn 2118. Defense health officials testify on post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury treatments. armedservices.house.gov

2 p.m. Rayburn 2172. Afghanistan’s terrorist resurgence: Al-Qaeda, ISIS and beyond. foreignaffairs.house.gov

2 p.m. Hart 219. Closed intelligence hearing. intelligence.senate.gov

2 p.m. House Visitor Center 210. The Transportation Security Administration’s Innovation Task Force demonstrate new and innovative airport security technologies. homeland.house.gov

2:30 p.m. Russell 222. Experts discuss cyber-enabled information operations. armed-services.senate.gov

FRIDAY | APRIL 28

10 a.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Key Congressional staff members examine the big questions in U.S.-Asia policy. heritage.org

SATURDAY | APRIL 29

2:30 p.m. 1777 F St. NW. Discussion of the world’s hotspots for the Trump administration with Elliott Abrams, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and other experts. cfr.org

MONDAY | MAY 1

10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Three former Japan defense ministers discuss the country’s strategy toward the Trump administration. csis.org

12 p.m. 1030 15th St. NW. Trump’s first 100 days and what is next. atlanticcouncil.org

TUESDAY | MAY 2

8 a.m. 300 First St. SE. A discussion with Vice Adm. Charles Richard, vice commander of U.S. Strategic Command, about nuclear deterrence.

8:30 a.m. 1401 Pennsylvania Ave. Sasakawa USA’s fourth annual security forum with former Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and Itsunori Onodera, former Japan minister of defense. spfusa.org

11 a.m. Rayburn building foyer. Missile Defense Day exhibit. ndia.org

11 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. The future of U.S. seapower with Rep. Rob Wittman and Rep. Joe Courtney. csis.org

2 p.m. Rayburn 2212. Gen. Lori Robinson, commander of U.S. Northern Command, and others testify on fiscal year 2018 priorities and posture of missile-defeat programs. armedservices.house.gov

3:30 p.m. Rayburn. 2118. Overview of the annual report on sexual harassment and violence at the military service academies from superintendents. armedservices.house.gov

WEDNESDAY | MAY 3

8:30 a.m. 1201 M St. SE. Systems engineering division meeting. ndia.org

9:30 a.m. 1307 L St. NW. Nicholas Rasmussen, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, and others discuss new terrorism threats and counterterrorism strategies. cnas.org

11 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. On America’s Arctic frontline: A conversation with Adm. Paul Zukunft, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. csis.org

3:30 p.m. Rayburn 2118. Rear Adm. John P. Neagley, program executive officer for Navy littoral combat ships, and Rear Adm. Ronald Boxxall, director of Navy surface warfare, testify about littoral combat ships and the transition to frigate class. armedservices.house.gov