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GOVT. SHUTDOWN POSSIBLE: Just before departing Washington for the G20 summit in Argentina, President Trump renewed his insistence that Congress approve a $5 billion down payment on his proposed $25 billion border wall with Mexico. While 75 percent of the federal government was funded in laws enacted in September, the rest of the government — including the Department of Homeland Security — are still operating under a stop-gap measure that expires a week from today. “A possible shutdown. If we don’t get the wall money, it’s very possible,” Trump said on the White House South Lawn before boarding his helicopter to begin the trip to Buenos Aires. “We’re in negotiation. We don’t get border security, possible shutdown.” Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., told reporters yesterday that Republicans and Democrats are still about $900 million apart on funding for border security for 2019, but Democrats who will take control of the House in January are in no mood to compromise. “If President Trump wants to throw a temper tantrum and shut down some departments and agencies over Christmas, that’s certainly within his power,” said Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on the floor of the Senate yesterday. Schumer says the president has two options: accept the $1.6 billion the Democrats have offered or freeze the budget for DHS at this year’s levels. “If there’s any shutdown, it’s on President Trump’s staff,” Schumer said earlier this week. “Left to our own devices, the Senate and House could come to an agreement.” Schumer accuses Trump of trying to manufacture a shutdown to fire up his base. “They haven’t even spent the $1.3 billion — they haven’t spent a penny of the $1.3 billion they requested in last year’s budget.” A THIRD WAY: Speaking on Fox Business Network, Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Texas, discussed the so-called nuclear option. “The difficulty is always on the Senate side with a 60-vote, a 60-vote margin that’s required,” Burgess told host Elizabeth MacDonald. “This is one of those times that I believe that the Senate majority leader should forgo the 60-vote rule and just simply pass the bill with 51 votes.” Burgess noted the Republicans changed Senate rules to get the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court confirmed by a simple majority — even though the 60-vote filibuster hurdle for legislation remains intact. “This is too important,” Burgess said, who blamed Schumer for any shutdown. “It is unconscionable that the Senate leader on the Democratic side would shut down the government because he doesn’t want to defend our southern border.” TROOPS CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE: This week amid reports the White House wants to extend the deployment of thousands of U.S. active-duty troops on the border past Christmas, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis seemed to be out of the loop. Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon Wednesday, Mattis indicated he was not aware of the plans. “Right now, we have no new requests, although we are discussing every day the situation. So, I can’t forecast what that will be,” he said. The deployment was initially been scheduled to end on Dec. 15, but NPR — which was first to report the plan — said this week that much of the active-duty troop deployment is expected to be extended into January and that part of the force may also be switched out for new troops. ODD MAN OUT: The border deployment is not the only administration policy where Mattis’s advice appears to be neither sought nor taken. According to a pool report from Air Force One yesterday, when Trump considered canceling his Saturday meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Buenos Aires, the president huddled with his inner circle. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters shortly after take-off that included Chief of Staff John Kelly and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in person, and national security adviser John Bolton by phone from Brazil. From the plane, Trump tweeted, “Based on the fact that the ships and sailors have not been returned to Ukraine from Russia, I have decided it would be best for all parties concerned to cancel my previously scheduled meeting …. in Argentina with President Vladimir Putin. I look forward to a meaningful Summit again as soon as this situation is resolved!” CHAIRMEN’S BUDGET OP-ED: The Republican chairman of Congress’ two armed services committees are pushing back hard against President Trump’s order that the Pentagon slash its upcoming defense budget. “A last-minute directive to cut $33 billion from defense would be dangerous,” Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, and Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., write in a joint Wall Street Journal op-ed. Trump wants a roughly 5 percent cut, from $733 billion to $700 billion. “Next year the president and Congress face a critical national-security decision: Will we continue to rebuild our military, or will we squander our progress?” “The Pentagon would be forced to cut in areas where the most money can be saved quickly — troops, new equipment, training and maintenance — as it did under sequestration in 2013. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will be asked to find $33 billion, for example, by planning for lower troop levels, diminishing the U.S. capability to stay ahead of China and Russia, sacrificing readiness — or all three,” Thornberry and Inhofe write. Concern over a growing deficit appears to be taking root in White House and its Office of Management and Budget, which is directed by fiscal hawk Mick Mulvaney. “But cutting defense will not close the deficit. The deficit would keep growing even if we eliminated the entire Pentagon budget. The president and Congress should not be duped into a false choice: rebuild our military or accept deep and growing deficits,” the pair argue. Good Friday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and National Security Writer Travis J. Tritten (@travis_tritten). 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. |
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HAPPENING TODAY, THE REAGAN FORUM: Defense Secretary Mattis leaves today for a stop at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. It’s then on to Simi Valley, Calif., where he will attend this year’s Reagan National Defense Forum. The Saturday forum in the arid hills north of L.A. includes a long roster of heavy-hitters in the defense and national security world. The entire event will stream live from here. Here are some highlights from the agenda listed by East Coast time:
FULL-BLOWN SPACE FORCE A GO? It may be a risky gambit on Capitol Hill, but President Trump plans to push ahead with a request to lawmakers for a brand new Space Force military branch, according to Politico, which obtained a draft of the plan. The directive comes after months of internal debate on the structure of the service and would put a civilian secretary and a four-star general or admiral in charge. But it still leaves the estimated price tag of the reorganization a question mark. “Under this proposal, the Space Force will organize, train and equip national security space forces of the United States to ensure unfettered access to and freedom to operate in space, and to provide vital capabilities … in peacetime and across the spectrum of conflict,” the directive says according to the news outlet. WHAT ABOUT THOSE OTHER OPTIONS: If the administration is now set on a separate service, it may not have always been so. The Politico scoop on the draft directive comes just a day after Defense One reported that the White House decided in late October that the Pentagon should look at other ways to organize space operations and not just a new service branch. One of those options was a space corps, which would nest inside the Department of the Air Force. An earlier Oct. 26 memo by the National Space Council and National Security Council asks the Pentagon whether it would be “best served by the establishment … of a new independent military department or whether the new Space Force would be most effectively organized as a separate service within the Department of the Air Force.” A space corps was the plan originally championed in the House last year, and one that may still prove more appealing to Hill lawmakers. PARTISAN DIVIDE ON MILITARY MIGHT: U.S. military dominance in the world is just one of a handful of foreign policy issues where Republicans and Democrats are deeply divided along party lines, according to a new survey of over 10,000 adults by the Pew Research Center. A total of 70 percent of Republicans said it should be a top priority for the U.S. to maintain its military advantage over all other countries, but when Pew asked Democrats that number was just 34 percent. ALLIES PAYING UP: The Pew survey on foreign policy priorities also found a chasm between Republicans and Democrats when it comes to who should be handling and paying for global security. “Republicans are 30 percentage points more likely to say that getting other countries to assume more of the costs of maintaining world order should be a top priority for U.S. foreign policy,” the survey found. Those attitudes appear to track with Trump’s relentless pressure on NATO countries and other allies. “Europe has to pay their fair share for Military Protection. The European Union, for many years, has taken advantage of us on Trade, and then they don’t live up to their Military commitment through NATO. Things must change fast!” Trump tweeted on Monday. WHO IS THE REAL ENEMY? The polarizing debates over the Iran nuclear deal and Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into possible Russia collusion also seem to be reflected in the survey results. It found that “52 percent of Democrats say reducing Russia’s power and influence should be a top priority, compared with 32 percent of Republicans. By contrast, 52 percent of Republicans rate limiting Iran’s power as a top goal, compared with 29 percent of Democrats.” TANKS TO MOROCCO: The State Department has cleared a $1.3 billion sale of 162 Abrams tanks to Morocco. The sale of excess military equipment includes hundreds of machine guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition. The prime contractor will be General Dynamics and refurbishment work will occur in Alabama and Ohio. HIMARS TO POLAND: The department has also greenlit the $655 million sale of 20 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, launchers to Poland, a NATO ally. NO JOKING MATTER: The commander of the 69th Bomb Squadron at Minot Air Force Base in South Dakota was fired from his position after drawings of male genitalia from a recent deployment were discovered on cockpit screens, according to a new report. Lt. Col. Paul Goossen was relieved from duty “due to a loss of trust and confidence from his failure to maintain a professional workplace environment,” according to a statement from the base that did not disclose additional details surrounding his departure. WE KNEW THIS WAS COMING: A spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry said it has made its displeasure clear to American officials over the passage of U.S. Navy warships through the Strait of Taiwan Strait this week. Geng Shuang added that Taiwan is the “most important and sensitive issue” for the U.S.-China relationship. China considers Taiwan a renegade province, not an independent nation. The U.S. has repeatedly said it will fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows. The transit through the Taiwan Strait was conducted by the destroyer USS Stockdale and the Pecos, a replenishment vessel. THE RUNDOWN Washington Examiner: China striving for air force that could defeat the US ‘without actually fighting’: Report Defense News: McCain’s staff director to lead strategy for Silicon Valley tech firm, Anduril Bloomberg: Turkey Must Chose U.S. or Russia in Weapons Dispute, Senator Says Reuters: Pentagon looks to exoskeletons to build ‘super-soldiers’ Washington Post: Armed Forces Foundation’s ex-director found guilty of fraud, tax evasion Roll Call: Granger Selected as New Top Republican on House Appropriations Breaking Defense: Not So Fast, Rep. Smith: Why We Need Modernized Nuclear Weapons CNN: Japan preparing to put US-designed stealth jets on an ‘aircraft carrier’ Palladium Magazine: A Week In Xinjiang’s Absolute Surveillance State Defense One: The Senate Takes a Step to Void America’s Blank Check to the Saudis The Drive: Declassified: US Honors Swedish Pilots For Escorting Stricken SR-71 To Safety During Cold War Washington Post: His F-16 caught fire midflight. ‘Do you think I can make it?’ |
CalendarFRIDAY | NOV. 30 9:30 a.m. 1001 16th St. NW. Saudi Arabia and UAE: Regional Adventures and U.S. Interests with Sen. Rand Paul. ff.org MONDAY | DEC. 3 8 a.m. 2101 Wilson Blvd. Robotics Division Quarterly Meeting. ndia.org 9:30 a.m. 529 14th St. NW. Press Freedom Book Talk: Lindsey Hilsum on war correspondent Marie Colvin. press.org 10 a.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Book Discussion of The Kremlin Letters: Stalin’s Wartime Correspondence with Churchill and Roosevelt with Author David Reynolds. wilsoncenter.org 1:30 p.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Belarus and Eastern Europe Security Challenges. wilsoncenter.org 5:30 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Rape as a Weapon of War: A Conversation with Former Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga. csis.org TUESDAY | DEC. 4 8 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. PONI 2018 Winter Conference. csis.org 8 a.m. 1135 16th St. NW. Book Discussion of Dawn of the Code War: America’s Battle Against Russia, China and the Rising Global Threat with Author and Former DOJ Official John Carlin. americanbar.org 8:30 a.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. The Arctic and U.S. National Security with Sen. Lisa Murkowski; Sen. Dan Sullivan; Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy, U.S. Northern Command; and Adm. Karl Schultz, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. wilsoncenter.org 9:30 a.m. Dirksen G-50. Hearing on the Nominations of Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie to be Commander of U.S. Central Command, and Lt. Gen. Richard Clarke to be Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command. armed-services.senate.gov 10 a.m. 1957 E St. NW. A Discussion With the Department of Justice’s Domestic Counterterrorism Coordinator Thomas Brzozowski. extremism.gwu.edu 10 a.m. 300 First St. SE. INF: Deterrence, Arms Control, and Great Power Competition Panel Discussion. mitchellaerospacepower.org 10 a.m. 2301 Constitution Ave. Voices of the Afghan People. usip.org 12:30 p.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Asia Transnational Threats Forum: Counterterrorism in Asia. brookings.edu 5:30 p.m. 1211 Connecticut Ave. NW. 50 Years of Propaganda – A Glimpse into North Korean Domestic Initiatives. stimson.org 6 p.m. 1425 K St. NW. NDIA Washington, D.C. Chapter Holiday Networking Social. ndia.org WEDNESDAY | DEC. 5 8 a.m. Defense Forum Washington 2018 with Thomas Modly, Under Secretary of the Navy; Veronica Daigle, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness; and Reps. Rob Wittman and Joe Courtney. usni.org 8:30 a.m. 1025 Connecticut Ave. NW. The First DOD Audit Report: Breakfast Discussion with Defense Department Comptroller David Norquist. cftni.org 9 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW. Stabilizing Syria: Toward a Human Security Framework. atlanticcouncil.org 9 a.m. 1401 Lee Hwy. Mitchell Hour Air Force Operations: Increasing Readiness and Lethality with Lt. Gen. Mark Kelly, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations. mitchellaerospacepower.org 10 a.m. Rayburn 2118. Subcommittee Hearing on Department of Defense’s Artificial Intelligence Structure, Investments, and Applications with Lisa Porter, Deputy Undersecretary of Defense For Research and Engineering, and Dana Deasy, Pentagon Chief Information Officer. armedservices.house.gov 11 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Book Launch of “Rules for Rebels: The Science of Victory in Militant History” with Author Max Abrahms. csis.org 11:30 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Technology: Implications for U.S. National Security with Rep. Mike McCaul, Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security. hudson.org Noon. 1030 15th St. NW. Stopping Kremlin Aggression in the Sea of Azov. atlanticcouncil.org 2 p.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. DMGS-Kennan Distinguished Speaker Series: A Conversation with Bellingcat’s Aric Toler on Open-Source Reporting. wilsoncenter.org 2:30 p.m. Dirksen G-50. Hearing on Navy and Marine Corps Readiness with Navy Secretary Richard Spencer; Gen. Robert Neller, Marine Corps Commandant; and Adm. Bill Moran, Vice Chief Of Naval Operations. armed-services.senate.gov 3 p.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Diverse Boots on the Ground: EU and NATO Effectiveness. wilsoncenter.org THURSDAY | DEC. 6 9:30 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Maritime Security Dialogue with Navy Secretary Richard Spencer. csis.org 10 a.m. Rayburn 2118. Full Committee Hearing on the National Defense Strategy Commission Assessment and Recommendations with Ambassador Eric Edelman and Retired Adm. Gary Roughead. armedservices.house.gov 12:30 p.m. 529 14th St. NW. NPC Headliners Luncheon with Adm. Karl Schultz, Commandant of the Coast Guard. press.org 1:30 p.m. Rayburn 2118. Subcommittee Hearing on Naval Surface Forces and the Road to Recovery with Adm. John Aquilino, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, and Adm. Christopher Grady, Commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command. armedservices.house.gov 4 p.m. 1301 K St. NW. Transformers: Defense with Gen. Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Steven Walker, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Director. washingtonpost.com FRIDAY | DEC. 7 9 a.m. 1000 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Saudi Arabia’s War in Yemen with Rep. Ro Khanna. cato.org |
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