MILITARY TO INCREASE ‘LOGISTICAL’ SUPPORT: As President Trump indicated when he met with all his top military leaders two nights ago, he wants active-duty troops, not just the National Guard, to help with border security in the face of what he calls an “onslaught of illegal immigration.” Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who sat at Trump’s righthand side Tuesday night, is expected to sign the orders to dispatch another 800 troops to join the 2,100 Guard forces already in the region, in response to a “caravan” of Central American migrants walking through Mexico to the U.S. border.

HAPPENING TODAY — MRE CONFERENCE: Military Reporters and Editors holds its annual conference today with guest appearances at 9 a.m. by Deputy Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan; 10:30 by Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz; and at 1 p.m. by Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The event at Navy League Headquarters near the Court House metro stop in Arlington runs until around 4 p.m.

RALLYING AROUND TRUMP ON INF: Although Trump’s abrupt announcement that he was withdrawing from the landmark Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty took many people by surprise, Republicans in Congress are supporting the decision as long overdue. “After repeated calls from Congressional leaders, repeated votes to hold Russia accountable, at least four hearings on Treaty violations over four years, and warning from senior military commanders and national security experts, Russia refused to return to compliance with the treaty,” said a statement issued by Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee yesterday. “As threats from Russia and China mount, President Trump has little choice but to withdraw from a treaty only the United States is adhering to.”

And a commentary by Center for Strategic and International Studies concludes, “Leaving the INF Treaty Now Is the Right Call,” arguing it makes little sense for the United States to remain in a bilateral treaty that has only one compliant party.

“Much has changed since President Reagan and Premier Gorbachev concluded the agreement more than 30 years ago, and the United States is more than justified in its choice to walk away from it today,” writes Ian Williams. “And while the abruptness of the administration’s announcement carries with it some undesirable short-term consequences, U.S. security will benefit in the long run.”

400-SHIP NAVY? Defense News has early word of a new Heritage Foundation study calling for a 400-ship Navy, 40 percent larger than the current fleet and 12 percent bigger the Navy’s already ambitious 30-year shipbuilding plan. The study estimates it would cost another $4 billion to $6 billion annually to get to 400 ships by 2039.

“The study, conducted and written by Thomas Callender, a retired submarine officer and analyst at Heritage, acknowledges the difficulty of achieving a 400-ship fleet under budget constraints and with a limited industrial capacity in the U.S. But, Callender said, the study was based solely on current demands on the fleet, as well as the National Security Strategy and what Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has laid out in the National Defense Strategy,” Defense News reports.

KNIVES OUT FOR MATTIS? National security adviser John Bolton is reportedly attempting to undermine Mattis by spreading rumors that he is on his way out of the Trump administration. In what is the latest episode of reported drama in Trump’s inner orbit, a source told Foreign Policy that Bolton and his deputy Mira Ricardel have the “knives out” for Mattis, with whom they have a dissenting outlook on matters that include the Iran deal, North Korea, and Pentagon appointees.

SMILEY MOVED TO WALTER REED: The U.S. general wounded last week during an attack in Afghanistan claimed by the Taliban is now being treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, a military spokesman said. Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Smiley was reportedly shot at the Kandahar governor’s compound when a gunman opened fire and killed two senior Afghan officials. The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Scott Miller, was also present.

Lt. Cmdr. Grant Neeley, a spokesman for the NATO Resolute Support mission, confirmed the one-star general is at the Maryland military hospital but did not immediately provide any other details. The general had first been treated in Kandahar and then at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. His move to Walter Reed was first reported by Task and Purpose.

BOON FOR F-35: Belgium has decided to purchase nearly three dozen F-35 fighter jets, edging out the Eurofighter Typhoon and creating another customer for the multinational program.

“The United States welcomes the decision by the government of Belgium to purchase thirty-four new F-35 fighter aircraft,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Thursday. “Belgium is now poised to fly the F-35 alongside its closest NATO allies and longtime partners.”

BANE FOR F-35: More F-35s have been grounded for a round of inspections after new worries about their fuel systems surfaced this week, the Pentagon’s Joint Program Office said on Thursday. Two weeks ago, concerns over a fuel tube following a crash led to a global grounding of F-35s. Now, an assessment by a government and industry team has found two more engine fuel tubes need to be inspected in aircraft with higher flight hours, JPO spokesman Joe DellaVedova said in a statement.

“The solution is to remove-and-replace the fuel tube part. The work can be completed on the flightline by line maintainers. When a part is available, we anticipate replacements can be completed in less than 48 hours,” DellaVedova said. The JPO would not say exactly how many F-35s are affected. The Marine Corps Times, which broke the news, reported that Marine F-35Bs are being grounded.

“Parts are in the supply line and Pratt & Whitney is working to expeditiously further ramp up supply. The exact number of engines that may require replacement fuel tubes speaks to operational security and readiness status of the fleet, and will not be released by the JPO,” DellaVedova said.

TYNDALL WILL BE REBUILT: Vice President Mike Pence toured the hurricane-ravaged Tyndall Air Force Base in the Florida panhandle yesterday and pledged the base will be rebuilt better than ever. “President Trump and I are committed to provide the resources necessary to rebuild Tyndall Air Force Base so that it can continue to be a vital and critical part of our national defense,” Pence said.

Pence was accompanied by Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson who said the Air Force has already earmarked $100 million for the effort. Pence said that what’s known as the Schoolhouse Air Operations “will return in very short order.” For now, the F-22s that were based at Tyndall will fly out of Eglin Air Force Base, but Pence said the simulators used for training will be back online at Tyndall soon.

INCHING TOWARD THE TRUTH: Jamal Khashoggi’s death is being now investigated as a premeditated crime, according to prosecutors in Saudi Arabia who are looking into the murder of the dissident and Washington Post columnist. Saudi Attorney General Saud al-Mojeb received information from Turkish officials that he said on Thursday helped him reach that conclusion, according to a statement put out in the state-run Saudi Press Agency.

Meanwhile, CIA Director Gina Haspel has briefed Trump about her trip to Turkey, where she reportedly heard an audio of the killing of Khashoggi.

U.S. DISMISSES RUSSIAN ACCUSATION: The Pentagon is scoffing at the latest accusation from a top Russian diplomat that U.S. forces attacked a Russian military base in Syria in January.

Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin claimed that the United States used a swarm of unmanned aerial vehicles to target an airbase in the Latakia region of eastern Syria. The facility is a key launchpad for Russian military operations in the country over the last three years.

“Any suggestion that U.S. or coalition forces played a role in an attack on a Russian base is without any basis in fact and is utterly irresponsible,” a Pentagon spokesman said after the attack

THE RUNDOWN

Washington Examiner: Anti-Democrat mail bomber faces more than 100 years in prison

Daily Beast: Saudi Spy Met With Team Trump About Taking Down Iran

Politico: Bolton achieving ‘life’s work’ by axing international deals

Defense One: The US Needs a Cybersecurity Civilian Corps

New York Times: Taliban Deputy Is Released Amid Push for Afghan Peace Talks

AP: Putin: Russia’s New Weapons Will Be Unrivaled Everywhere

Defense News: Textron buys ground robot manufacturer Howe & Howe

USNI News: Raytheon Expects Flat Budgets in 2020 But Plenty of DoD Spending From Existing Multiyear Contracts

Navy Times: Defense Contractor Will Pay $3.5 Million To Settle Allegations Of Substandard Work On Navy Warships

CNN: NATO Back On The Hunt For Russian Submarines In The Arctic