OUT LIKE FLYNN: And just like that, a mere seven hours after White House counselor Kellyanne Conway professed that National Security Adviser Mike Flynn enjoyed the full confidence of the president, Flynn resigned. Apparently Flynn, one of President Trump’s earliest and most loyal supporters, had the president’s full backing, right up until he didn’t.
In his resignation letter, released late last night, Flynn admitted he wasn’t fully forthcoming when questioned about his pre-inaugural discussions with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, specifically whether the subject of sanctions relief came up. “Unfortunately, because of the fast pace of events, I inadvertently briefed the vice president-elect and others with incomplete information regarding my phone calls with the Russian ambassador,” Flynn wrote. “I have sincerely apologized to the president and the vice president, and they have accepted my apology.”
WHAT DID THE PRESIDENT KNOW? And when did he know it? That’s the famous Watergate-era formulation of the big question hanging over Flynn’s ignominious departure after a record-setting truncated tenure of just 24 days. The Washington Post was quickly joined by multiple other news organization last night in reporting that then-Acting Attorney General Sally Yates, (later fired by Trump for failing to fight for the travel ban in court) informed the White House last month that intercepted phone calls showed Flynn had discussed sanctions with the Russians, and he was therefore subject to possible blackmail. “Flynn’s departure does not end questions over his contacts with the Russians,” tweeted Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff, ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee last night. “Moreover the Trump Administration has yet to be forthcoming about who was aware of Flynn’s conversations with the Ambassador and whether he was acting on instructions of the president or any other official or with their knowledge.”
KING DAVID’S RESURRECTION? The White House named retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg as acting head of the National Security Council, but the speculation is already running high over who else is in the running to replace Flynn permanently. One name already getting a lot of buzz is former CIA director and celebrated military commander, retired Gen. David Petraeus, who himself was forced to resign five years ago over mishandling classified information, and not being fully truthful with the FBI. Petraeus reportedly met with the president this week. Other names being tossed around include retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward, a former Navy SEAL who now works at Lockheed Martin, and was deputy to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis when Mattis led U.S. Central Command; and President George W. Bush’s former National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley.
SIGN OF WHAT WAS TO COME: Flynn was tentatively scheduled to deliver the keynote address last night at NDIA’s Special Operations – Low Intensity Conflict symposium, but pulled out over the weekend. Both the White House and NDIA told us that the speaking engagement was never confirmed and Flynn was still listed as “invited” on the agenda.
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 Jacqueline Klimas (@jacqklimas) 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.
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STRATEGY NEEDED, ASAP: One the first problems to confront whoever becomes the president’s national security adviser is what to do about North Korea’s unbridled nuclear ambitions that are becoming more credible and worrisome by the day. “Obviously North Korea is a big, big problem and we will deal with that very strongly,” Trump said at his joint news conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau yesterday.
At the Pentagon, spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis described the threat more starkly. “North Korea openly states that its missiles are intended to deliver nuclear weapons to strike cities in the United States, the Republic of Korea and Japan,” Davis said, calling Kim Jong Un’s “unlawful weapons programs” a “clear, grave threat to our national security.” The Pentagon statement came in response to North Korea’s latest test of an intermediate range missile, which appears to be a land-based version of a KN-11 missile the North test-fired from a submarine last year. Davis said the U.S. was ready, willing and able to shoot down the missile if it threatened the U.S. or its allies instead of falling harmlessly into the Sea of Japan.
The Pentagon wouldn’t say if the missile, which traveled just over 300 miles from the North Korean east coast, was a success, but it did say it represented progress in that it was fired from a mobile launcher and used solid fuel. North Korea conveniently provided a video of the launch that showed not only the missile but the TEL [Transporter Erector Launcher], which also showed advances in North Korean technology. “It’s a motorized system that can erect a launcher and launch it with very little notice,” Davis said. “This is one of the concerns we’ve had. As they have developed the capability in the missile they have, they have also given them a road-mobile capability, which allows it to hide and evade detection.”
CHINA REMAINS THE KEY: The consensus in Washington is that pressuring China to exert its influence on North Korea is the the most viable option, since military action risks all-out war on the Korean Peninsula. “The real answer to curtailing North Korea is China,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer over the weekend. “Like on so many other areas, China has been woefully inadequate. And they could squeeze North Korea economically,” said Schumer on CBS. “Ninety percent of the imports and exports go through China. And I think we have to tell the Chinese that they have to put the wood to North Korea in a much more serious way than they have done so far.”
IT WASN’T AN ‘OPEN-AIR SIT ROOM’ White House press secretary Sean Spicer denied reports yesterday that Trump and his top aides were informed of North Korea’s ballistic missile test while in the presence of guests at a dinner with the Japanese prime minister. On Saturday night, a dinner attendee at the Mar-a-Lago resort posted photos on Facebook and said they showed Trump, White House staff and Japanese leader Shinzo Abe learning about the missile launch and planning how to respond. The group was engulfed in looking over computers, planning for what — Spicer said the onlooker wrongly assumed — was in reference to North Korea. The photos went viral, and the Washington Post described it as an “open-air situation room.” In a statement released last night, Spicer insisted Trump was “briefed in a classified room prior to the dinner.” The photo instead showed “all the US and Japanese staff — no one in the photo was not part of the delegations — and they were reviewing logistics for the press conference” that was held later in the evening, he said. Trump, Spicer said, was later briefed again about the North Korean incident.
PUT DOWN THE PHONE, MR. PRESIDENT: Two top Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee are worried that Trump’s smartphone use is a risk to national security, Nicole Duran writes. “Public reports originally indicated that President Trump began using a ‘secure, encrypted device approved by the U.S. Secret Service’ prior to taking office. Subsequent reports, however, suggest that President Trump may still be using his personal smartphone, an ‘old, unsecured Android phone,’ ” Sens. Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Tom Carper of Delaware wrote Mattis in a letter made public Monday.
“The national security risks of compromising a smartphone used by a senior government official, such as the President of the United States, are considerable,” they continued, echoing experts. “In addition to these security risks, media reports suggest that President Trump often uses his personal Android phone to communicate via his personal Twitter account.
MATTIS TO NATO: Mattis departs from Joint Base Andrews today for Brussels, Belgium, where he will confer with America’s NATO allies over the fight against ISIS, as well as stepping up aid for Afghanistan as it struggles to regain the momentum against a resurgent Taliban. The U.S. commander there, Gen. John “Mick” Nicholson, wants more international trainers, although it’s likely that some number of the additional several thousand troops will have to come from the U.S.
ANOTHER BLOW TO THE TRAVEL BAN: In a ruling that applies only to Virginia, a federal judge has found that Trump’s executive order barring entry to the U.S. for foreign nationals from seven majority-Muslim countries is unconstitutional. The judge concluded the order includes an inherent religious bias and therefore is in violation of First Amendment prohibitions on favoring one religion over another. In her 22-page ruling, Leonie Brinkema writes that Trump’s promises during the campaign to implement what came to be known as a “Muslim ban” provide evidence that the current executive order unconstitutionally targets Muslims, according to the AP.
Meanwhile, Trump’s Justice Department has asked a federal judge in Washington State to “postpone any further proceedings” in his court, while the 9th Court of Appeals considers whether to rehear the case.
WARM WELCOME FOR NETANYAHU: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives today in Washington ahead of his first meeting with Trump at the White House tomorrow. Netanyahu is expected to get a warm welcome from the president, who once indicated he saw eye-to-eye with the Israeli leader on just about everything, but has more recently taken a more nuanced position on the questions, such as the wisdom of Israeli settlements on the west bank, and movement of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
TRUMP’S CHINA ETHICS QUESTION: The Associated Press also reports that Trump could soon claw back control of more than 220 Trump-related trademark rights held by others in China, for an array of things including Trump toilets, condoms, pacemakers and even a “Trump International Hotel.” “Ethics lawyers from across the political spectrum say the trademarks present conflicts of interest for Trump and may violate the emoluments clause of the U.S. Constitution, which bars public servants from accepting anything of value from foreign governments unless explicitly approved by Congress,” says the AP.
THE RUNDOWN
Defense News: Stackley gets lead role in transforming defense acquisition
Defense One: President Trump, Viewed through NATO’s Guide to Russian Information Warfare
Wall Street Journal: Beijing Watches for How Trump Handles North Korea
Defense News: US Air Force: Removal of F-35 pilot weight restrictions eyed for April
UPI: Israeli companies cash in on F-35 contract work
Bloomberg: Pentagon Holds Back Funds From Sikorsky Over Business Systems
Military.com: Air Force May Select First Enlisted Drone Pilots This Month
Defense News: Aerospace industry sets $146B export record in 2016
USNI News: Document: Report to Congress on Overseas Contingency Operations
New York Times: Case of Captive in Yemen Could Test Trump’s Guantánamo Pledge
Los Angeles Times: Social media is freaking out about a photo of the man who holds the nuclear football. The Pentagon is not.
Calendar
TUESDAY | FEBRUARY 14
8:15 a.m. Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. Army Gen. Raymond Thomas, commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, provides keynote remarks at the 28th annual Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict Symposium and Exhibition. Army Lt. Gen. Michael Nagata, director of strategic operational planning at the National Counterterrorism Center, speaks at 1:15 p.m.
9:30 a.m. Senate Visitors Center 217. Bob Work, the deputy defense secretary, testifies at a closed Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on long-term defense challenges. armed-services.senate.gov
10 a.m. Rayburn 2118. A panel of experts testifies at the House Armed Services Committee about the evolving threat of terrorism and strategies to counter it. armedservices.house.gov
2 p.m. Rayburn 2172. Think tank experts testify on the path forward to defeat terrorism in Syria. foreignaffairs.house.gov
2:30 p.m. Hart 219. The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence holds a closed briefing. intelligence.senate.gov
2:30 p.m. Russell 222. The top enlisted service members in all four branches testify about family readiness programs at a hearing in the Senate Armed Services personnel subcommittee. armed-services.senate.gov
WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 15
9 a.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. A panel of analysts talks about challenges and opportunities in the U.S.-Iraq relationship. wilsoncenter.org
12 p.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Eliot Cohen, a professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, discusses his new book on the limits of soft power. heritage.org
5:30 p.m. 1401 Pennsylvania Ave. Robert Kaplan, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, speaks at a launch event for his new book about how geography shapes America’s role in the world. cnas.org
THURSDAY | FEBRUARY 16
9 a.m. Rayburn 2212. Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan provides the House Armed Services Committee an update on the F-35 program. armedservices.house.gov
9:30 a.m. A panel of experts testifies about reshaping the U.S. military. armed-services.senate.gov
10 a.m. Rayburn 2172. Think tank analysts testify about Iran and it being put “on notice” by the administration. foreignaffairs.house.gov
2 p.m. Hart 219. The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence holds a closed briefing. intelligence.senate.gov
4:30 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. The Center for Strategic and International Studies hosts a debate on European missile defense for NATO. csis.org
TUESDAY | FEBRUARY 21
10 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW. A panel of experts discusses defense priorities in the Trump administration. brookings.edu
12 p.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE. A panel talks about the future prospects for the Iran nuclear deal. heritage.org
2 p.m. 1152 15th St. NW. Center for a New American Security CEO Michele Flournoy sits on a panel to discuss the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and how it should be modified. cnas.org
