‘POLITICS PLAYED NO ROLE’: Responding to the ire of Alabama lawmakers over President Joe Biden’s decision to ignore the Air Force recommendation to establish the permanent headquarters of the U.S. Space Command in Huntsville, the Pentagon said the deciding factor was the time it would take to build a new facility and move everything from Colorado.
“I will tell you politics played no role in this decision,” said spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder at a Pentagon briefing. “It was a very thorough, deliberate process that was backed up by data and analysis and in compliance with federal law and DOD policy.”
The practical effect of Biden’s decision is that the U.S. Space Command will be fully operational years before it would have had the move to Alabama gone forward as was recommended three years ago.
“U.S. Space Command will be fully operational capability this month,” Ryder said. “Keeping the headquarters in Colorado Springs minimizes impact on operations and on the personnel transitions during a period in our country’s history that’s critical when it comes to space and the capabilities that are provided to our country and our national security from space.”
NOT ABOUT TUBERVILLE: Ahead of the decision, several reports suggested the Biden administration was also reluctant to move servicemembers and their families to a state with restrictive abortion laws, in particular since Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) is waging an unrelenting battle to stop the Pentagon from funding military travel for women to obtain abortions out of state.
The White House continues to deny abortion politics was a factor.
“It had nothing to do with Senator Tuberville’s holds, had nothing to do with partisan politics,” said NSC spokesman John Kirby in a conference call with reporters. “[It] had everything to do with making sure that Space Command could, in an undisrupted way, continue to operate at peak readiness levels in what is one of the most critical domains across the spectrum of military domains, and that’s space.
It was about operational readiness, “pure and simple,” Kirby insisted. “Nothing more.”
BEHIND THE SCENES: According to insider accounts by the Associated Press and Politico, after Biden took office, he ordered a review of former President Donald Trump’s decision to move the headquarters from its temporary location in Colorado Springs.
Both news organizations reported that Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall came down in favor of moving to Huntsville, but Gen. James Dickinson, the current commander of SPACECOM, argued the change would significantly delay reaching full operational capability at a time the U.S. is in a race against China in the space domain.
Kendall had been told the decision was his to make, according to Politico, but given the split between Kendall and Dickinson, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin took both options to Biden, who was, in effect, “the tiebreaker.”
“The disagreement between Dickinson and Kendall had put Austin in an awkward position. The defense secretary had previously backed the original decision to move the command to Alabama,” Politico reported, noting it was the second time in recent weeks that Biden had “intervened in affairs normally in the Pentagon’s purview.”
“Last month, Biden named Adm. Lisa Franchetti to be the Navy’s top officer and first female member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, against Austin’s advice,” the report said.
WHITE HOUSE DENIES POLITICS PLAYED ROLE IN DECISION TO KEEP SPACE COMMAND IN COLORADO
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HAPPENING TODAY: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has an unusual interview set for this afternoon when he sits down with actor Morgan Freeman to discuss a forthcoming History Channel documentary about the 761st Tank Battalion, the first black tank unit to serve in combat during World War II.
Freeman is the executive producer of the documentary, and his 1 p.m. “fireside chat” with Austin will be followed by a panel discussion with a U.S. Army historian and others who worked on the project. The event will be livestreamed on Defense.gov.
“761st Tank Battalion: The Original Black Panthers” airs on August 20 on the History Channel.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT TUBERVILLE’S INTRANSIGENCE: The Senate left town without any resolution to the logjam of nominations being blocked by Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s stubborn refusal to lift his hold on the confirmation of almost 300 senior military officers.
By the time the Senate gets back, not just the Marine Corps, but also the Army and Navy will be without confirmed four-star leaders.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has ruled out one possible way around Tuberville, bringing up individual nominations for a floor vote, a laborious process that, if done for each promotion, would consume weeks, if not months, of floor time.
Schumer has said it’s up to Republican leaders to convince the truculent Tuberville to relent, but others, including former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, suggest Schumer should use individual votes to ensure that, at the very least, seats on the Joint Chiefs of Staff are not filled by acting officers.
“I think Sen. Schumer needs to not play politics with the issue either and bring up votes for at least the Joint Chiefs of Staff because, again, you’re going to have several of them coming up,” Esper told the Washington Examiner’s Mike Brest. “They should get votes. There’s no reason why there can’t be votes in the Senate now on people who are pending, and so I would argue that while the bigger issue of the larger number of held-up nominees is worked through, we at least get confirmed these very important members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.”
Asked about whether Austin has reached out to Senate Democrats about the possibility of floor votes to fill critical positions, spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said only that “the Secretary and the department, specifically our Legislative Affairs Department, does continue to actively engage with the Hill to express our concern.”
FORMER TRUMP DEFENSE SECRETARY URGES SCHUMER TO CIRCUMVENT TUBERVILLE HOLD ON JOINT CHIEFS
NO SIGN OF COMPROMISE: Tuberville is not giving an inch in his fight with the Pentagon over its abortion travel policy and, in fact, said he is gaining support, citing a letter signed by 5,000 military veterans, including some members of Congress and state lawmakers.
“As current and former service members of the United States Military, and organizations which support and advocate for the safety and well-being of our service members, we firmly support Senator Tuberville’s position of holding civilian, general, and flag officers from confirmation by unanimous consent until the DoD rescinds its recently instituted policy of subsidizing abortion,” the letter states.
“While some claim that Sen. Tuberville’s position is negatively impacting military readiness, the Department of Defense has failed to present any evidence that substantiates this claim,” it continues. “There is no truth more profound than the fact that all human life is sacred. The mission of the United States Military is to defend and protect all American lives – not subsidize the practice of destroying innocent and vulnerable American children via abortion with taxpayer dollars. By pledging to hold these nominations to the Department of Defense until administration officials reverse course, Senator Tuberville is doing a great service for the American people – including its service members.”
Asked to respond, Ryder said, “The mission of the United States military is to fight and win our wars. 100% agree on that. It’s also our responsibility to ensure that our service members have access to healthcare, no matter which state you’re stationed in.”
“We’re talking about reproductive healthcare,” Ryder said. “Servicemembers don’t have the right to choose which state they get deployed to or stationed in, and so this policy is intended to ensure that there is equitable treatment of all service members.”
DESANTIS BACKS TUBERVILLE’S MILITARY PROMOTION BLOCKADE: ‘THE RIGHT THING TO DO’
NO WAGNER THREAT TO POLAND: Poland has dispatched roughly 1,000 troops to its eastern border with Belarus after roughly 100 fighters from the Russian Wagner Group were spotted in a small town near the border, and Belarus reportedly flew a low-level incursion into Polish airspace.
“The situation is getting increasingly dangerous,” Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said over the weekend, suggesting the Wagner troops might be disguised as Belarusian border guards or might be trying to destabilize Poland by sneaking in “pretending to be illegal migrants.”
The White House played down the threat, noting Poland is a NATO ally and it’s unlikely to be attacked by Belarus or its proxies.
“I’ve seen all the press reports about them moving up towards the border and all that kind of thing. But we’re not aware of any specific threat posed by Wagner to Poland or to any of our NATO allies,” said John Kirby in yesterday’s teleconference with reporters. “We’re watching that, obviously, closely. But, look, of course we’re committed to Article 5, and as the president said, to defending every inch of NATO territory. But, again, no indication that Wagner poses such a threat to the alliance.”
POLAND ACCUSES BELARUS OF VIOLATING AIRSPACE AS LUKASHENKO FLOATS MERCENARY ATTACK ON US FORCES
The Rundown
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Washington Examiner: Donald Trump indictment: READ IN FULL: Trump faces four new charges related to 2020 election
Washington Examiner: Donald Trump indicted: Initial court appearance set for former president
Washington Examiner: Mike check: The damning notes that loom large in Trump indictment
Washington Examiner: House GOP leaders defend former president amid Capitol riot charges
Washington Examiner: Kari Lake calls for 2024 rivals to drop out and endorse Trump
Washington Examiner: Poland accuses Belarus of violating airspace as Lukashenko floats mercenary attack on US forces
Washington Examiner: Former Trump defense secretary urges Schumer to circumvent Tuberville hold on Joint Chiefs
Washington Examiner: White House denies politics played role in decision to keep Space Command in Colorado
Washington Examiner: DeSantis backs Tuberville’s military promotion blockade: ‘The right thing to do’
Washington Examiner: Opinion: China should thank Tammy Baldwin for her Navy shipbuilding amendment
AP: The Pentagon Is Pulling 1,100 Troops from the US-Mexico Border Mission
Washington Post: U.S. says Kyiv’s counteroffensive moving ahead
AP: Drone attacks in Moscow’s glittering business district leave residents on edge
AP: The Crimean Peninsula is both a playground and a battleground, coveted by Ukraine and Russia
Forbes: NATO Planes Watched As Three Civilian Ships Ran Russia’s Naval Blockade Of Ukraine
Financial Times: Joe Biden To Ask Congress To Fund Taiwan Arms Via Ukraine Budget
Bloomberg: Lockheed Is Reaping $2.3 Billion So Far Restocking the Pentagon
Defense News: How Taiwan Plans to Counter Drones by Mid-2024
Washington Post: U.S. Suspends Security Cooperation With Niger As Europeans Evacuate
Wall Street Journal: Tensions Between Russian, Western Allies Grow Over Niger Coup
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Pentagon Seeks ‘Escalation Management’ With China, Top Policy Official Says
Defense News: Pentagon’s Strategy Planner Wants China Crisis Channels
Bloomberg: Taiwan Investigates Suspected Leak Of Security Secrets To China
Defense One: Pentagon: US Must Fix Two Things If AUKUS Is to Transform Partner Militaries
Politico: Biden Served as Tie-Breaker in Space Command Decision
AP: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard runs drill on disputed islands as US military presence in region grows
Defense One: Tuberville’s Protest Is Putting Stress On Units, Pentagon Says
Military.com: Public’s Confidence in the Military Drops Again
ABC News: North Korea Says It’s Investigating Travis King In 1st Response To United Nations Messages
New York Times: An International Force May Be Headed To Troubled Haiti, Again
DefenseScoop: Pentagon, Telecom Industry’s Battle Over Spectrum Symptomatic of a Troubled System
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Cropsey Wants to Keep Things Simple: ‘Complexity … Is Going to Kill Us‘
Air & Space Forces Magazine: First E-7 Wedgetail Can’t Come Any Sooner. But Maybe USAF Can Complete Its Fleet Faster
19fortyfive.com: ‘Total Annihilation: Ukraine War Footage Shows Putin’s Air Defense Missiles Destroyed
Breaking Defense: Agile Basing Gets Real World Test in Pacific Northern Edge: Replace F-15 Engine on Small Island
19fortyfive.com: Opinion: If Ukraine is Any Barometer of Expenditure Rates in Modern War, America Is Gonna Lose Taiwan
19fortyfive.com: Opinion: Russia’s ‘Ugly’ Strategic Leader Problem in Ukraine
19fortyfive.com: Opinion: Joe Biden’s Next Big Mistake: Selling Out America to Saudi Arabia?
The Cipher Brief: What’s At Stake in Biden’s Push Toward Saudi-Israeli Normalization?
The Cipher Brief: The Elusive Silver Bullet of Democracy
Calendar
WEDNESDAY | AUGUST 2
11 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute discussion: “Securing American Competitiveness: The Importance of Critical Supply Chains in Strategic Rivalry with China,” with Robert O’Brien, chairman of American Global Strategies LLC; and Miles Yu, director of Hudson’s China Center https://www.hudson.org/events/securing-american-competitiveness
11 a.m. — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association virtual discussion: “Utilizing Data Literacy in the Military,” with Capt. Derrick Kozlowski, chief data officer at the U.S. Army Signal School; Sgt. Brian Picerno, senior career manager at the U.S. Army Cyber School; Diego Laje, senior reporter at SIGNAL Media; and Kimberly Underwood, director of digital news media at SIGNAL Magazine https://www.workcast.com/register
THURSDAY | AUGUST 3
8:30 a.m. — Air and Space Forces Association virtual discussion: “How the Expeditionary Center Is Shaping ACE and the Future Fight,” with Air Force Maj. Gen. John Klein, commander of U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center https://www.afa.org/events/air-space-warfighters-action-maj-gen-john-klein
5:30 p.m. 7920 Jones Branch Dr., McLean, Virginia — Intelligence and National Security Alliance discussion: “AI and emerging tech, intelligence community data strategy, the future of Open Source and collaboration with industry partners,” with Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Stacey Dixon https://www.insaonline.org/detail-pages/event
FRIDAY | AUGUST 4
9:30 a.m Summerall Field, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia — Relinquishment of Responsibility ceremony for outgoing Army chief of staff Gen. James McConville and Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston https://home.army.mil/jbmhh/index.php
10 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies Smart Women, Smart Power and Aerospace Security Project virtual conversation: “Looking South: Security Challenges in Latin America,” with Army Gen. Laura Richardson, commander, U.S. Southern Command; Kathleen McInnis, director, CSIS Smart Women, Smart Power Initiative; and Kari Bingen, director, CSIS Aerospace Security Project https://www.csis.org/events/looking-south-conversation
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Today, an indictment was unsealed charging Donald J. Trump with conspiring to defraud the United States, conspiring to disenfranchise voters, and conspiring and attempting to obstruct an official proceeding … January 6, 2021, was an unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy …It was fueled by lies. Lies by the defendant targeted at obstructing a bedrock function of the U.S. government, the nation’s process of collecting, counting, and certifying the results of the presidential election … I must emphasize that the indictment is only an allegation and that the defendant must be presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
Special counsel Jack Smith in a statement on the indictment unsealed Tuesday.
