What’s in the 2020 defense policy bill

AIRCRAFT

• An additional $1 billion for 12 additional Lockheed Martin F-35A jet fighters for the Air Force, along with 10 F-35B and 20 F-35C aircraft for the Marine Corp and Navy
• 24 Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets to help address Navy strike fighter shortfalls
• 8 Boeing F-15EX aircraft to begin replacing aging F-15C model aircraft
• Full funding for development of the Northrop Grumman B-21 long-range bomber

SHIPS

• $8.4 billion for the Virginia-class submarine program, which supports the nine boat, multi-year contract that the Navy and General Dynamics Electric Boat signed earlier this month
• $2.25 billion to fully support the Columbia-class (Ohio-class Replacement) Program, including an additional $123 million to support submarine industrial base expansion

SPACE FORCE

• Establishes U.S. Space Force as the sixth branch of the armed forces
• Creates a uniformed Chief of Space Operations who reports directly to the Air Force Secretary and is a member of the joint chiefs of staff
• Also adds two civilian posts: an assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration, and an assistant secretary of defense for space policy

ARMS TREATIES

• Requires congressional notification and a 120-day waiting period before the provision of notice of any intent to withdraw from the New START and Open Skies treaties
• Bars prohibits the procurement and deployment of new ground launched missiles that were covered by the INF Treaty, which the U.S. withdrew from
• Requires an independent study on whether the U.S. should adopt a policy of no-first-use of nuclear weapons

ARMY

• Authorizes an additional $249.2 million for the Stryker combat vehicle medium caliber weapon system, made by General Dynamics Land Systems

AFGHANISTAN

• Provides $4.5 billion to continue building the Afghan security forces
• Authorizes 4,000 Special Immigrant Visas for Afghan wartime partners

MILITARY HOUSING REFORM:

• Requires the services to establish a Tenant Bill of Rights that sets minimum acceptable livability standards
• Establishes a formal dispute resolution process
• Bans use of non-disclosure agreements as a condition of moving out of military housing
• Enhances protections against reprisal

GUANTANAMO

• Prohibits the transfer of detainees to the U.S., or to certain other countries, constructing or modifying new detention centers in the United States, or closing or relinquishing control of the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

Good Wednesday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Susan Katz Keating (@SKatzKeating). Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. 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: Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley testify before the House Armed Services Committee at 10 a.m. Expect some pointed questions on Pentagon planning to send reinforcements to the Persian Gulf region to counter Iran, after Esper has specifically denied the number of additional troops under consideration is either 14,000 or 7,000.

SAUDIS GROUNDED: Also expect Esper and Milley to be asked about a memo issued yesterday by Deputy Defense Secretary David Norquist, which suspends flight and other operational training for all Saudi Arabian students in U.S. military programs, and orders a broad review of vetting procedures for all international students.

The grounding was part of a “safety stand-down” issued after 21-year-old Mohammed Alshamrani, a second lieutenant in the Royal Saudi Air Force, killed three sailors and wounded eight more at the Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida on Friday.

“I don’t have any evidence to suggest that there is a larger ring or larger conspiracy,” a senior defense official told Pentagon reporters yesterday, according to Reuters. The official said the stand-down is intended to allow for a broader review of security procedures that would eventually apply to all of some 5,000 international military students in the United States.

CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF: Lockheed Martin’s F-35 program should be ready to take a big step by this time next year. “We expect the full-rate production decision in the fall of 2020,” Ellen Lord, the Pentagon’s undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment said at a briefing for reporters yesterday.

Asked about a “supply chain issue” involving a “co-mingling of different fasteners,” Lord expressed confidence it would not adversely affect the program. “Lockheed had found instances of co-mingling of Titanium and Inconel Fasteners,” Lord said. “I have full faith and confidence in Lockheed’s ability to deal with quality issues such as these. I have no indication of a systemic problem.”

The final version of the NDAA requires the Pentagon to press Lockheed Martin to recoup fees paid for F-35 parts that weren’t ready to use in the planes after delivery to the military, according to a Bloomberg report.

“Consistent with the findings and recommendations” of the Pentagon inspector general in a June report, the Pentagon “shall seek relief” for delivery of “non-compliant ready-for-issue spare parts pursuant to a contract under the F–35 aircraft program,” lawmakers said.

AMAZON VS MICROSOFT: A day after Amazon argued in a court filing that “improper pressure” from President Trump unfairly tilted the scales in favor of Microsoft in the awarding of the Pentagon’s $10 billion Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure “JEDI” contract, Lord brushed aside the legal challenge.

“We will deal with Amazon’s legal actions, and I can’t comment on those right now,” Lord told reporters. “But I will tell you we are moving right now, forward with the JEDI contract. We actually have a kickoff event with Microsoft [Wednesday] morning, so we are moving forward.”

Amazon argues in a lawsuit unsealed Monday in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims that the decision should be revisited because of “substantial and pervasive errors” and Trump’s interference, reports the AP.

N. KOREA ENGINE: It appears that North Korea’s announcement of “a very weighty test” which it claimed “will have an important effect on changing the strategic position in the near future,” was a ground test of a “large, solid-fuel rocket motor designed for a notional intercontinental ballistic missile,” according to the North Korea monitoring site 38 North.

The test “could set a 2020 timeline for a North Korean ICBM test, validating new capabilities for increased reliability to strike the United States of America with a nuclear weapon,” writes Riki Ellison, of the independent Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance.

“North Korea putting the American population at nuclear risk during a presidential election year, with a President running for re-election, is madness,” argues Ellison. Test launching an ICBM “would be a disastrous decision that even China or Russia could not help North Korea recover from.”

THE DRONE RACES: Lockheed Martin and The Drone Racing League, the global, professional drone racing circuit, have announced the winning AlphaPilot team of the 2019 Artificial Intelligence Robotic Racing Circuit, the premier autonomous drone racing series that accelerates AI innovation through futuristic sports competition.

During Friday night’s AIRR Championship, Team MAVLab, the drone research lab of the Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands, won a $1 million cash prize, sponsored by Lockheed Martin, after their drone autonomously zipped through the track at a top finishing-time of 12 seconds – 25% faster than the second-place drone.

You can see a demonstration video of the competition here.

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: General Dynamics has announced that Gary Whited will be retiring as president of General Dynamics Land Systems next April, and will be succeeded by Danny Deep, the company’s current chief operating officer.

TRUMP TO ATTEND THE BIG GAME: President Trump is scheduled to make his third appearance at the traditional Army-Navy football game this Saturday in Philadelphia. He has attended twice as president and once as president-elect.

Last year Trump used the occasion to announce he had settled on Army Gen. Mark Milley to replace Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford as joint chiefs chairman, nine months before Dunford retired.

The Navy Midshipmen (9-2) are favored by 10 points over the Army Black Knights (5-7) in the 120th edition of the classic matchup at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, but Army has won the last three years.

Trump is not expected to take sides, sitting on the Army side of the field for one half and the Navy side for the other.

The Rundown

Washington Post: In response to Afghanistan Papers, former president Karzai blames U.S. funding for fueling corruption

Washington Examiner: Rumsfeld asked why military didn’t blast napalm into Afghanistan caves, documents show

Washington Post: Federal judge blocks Trump plan to spend $3.6 billion in military funds on border wall

Defense News: Full Speed Ahead: First Phase Of JEDI Rollout Expected In February

AP: Taiwan may help if Hong Kong violence expands

The Hill: Bolton rips Trump administration’s move to block UN meeting on North Korea

New York Times: Turkey Says It May Jump Into Libyan Fray to Counter Russia

Military.com: The Pentagon Isn’t Sure What to Do with Turkey’s Undelivered F-35s

Wall Street Journal: Pompeo Meets With Russia’s Foreign Minister at State Department

CNN: Saudi Behind Navy Base Rampage Appeared To Live A Double Life On Social Media. Why Were Red Flags Missed?

NBC: After Pensacola Shooting, Navy Looking At Making It Harder For Foreign Trainees To Buy Guns

Defense News: Nuclear Deterrent Still The U.S. Navy’s Top Priority, No Matter The Consequences, Top Officer Says

Wall Street Journal: Mattis Says His Decision to Quit Says Enough

Washington Post: Missions and mythmaking from a former Navy SEAL

Calendar

WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 11

9:15 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. — Hudson Institute discussion on “Iran’s Deadly Repression and the U.S. Response,” with Tony Badran, research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies; Mariam Memarsadeghi, co-director of Tavaana; Blaise Misztal, fellow at Hudson; and Michael Doran, senior fellow at Hudson. http://www.hudson.org

10 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Committee hearing: “U.S. Policy in Syria and the Broader Region,” with Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley. https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings

12:30 p.m. 1777 F St. N.W. — Council on Foreign Relations discussion with Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., on the future of U.S. foreign policy, as part of the Election 2020 Series. Livestream at https://www.cfr.org/event

4 p.m. 1030 15th St. N.W. — Atlantic Council discussion on a new report, “Aviation Cybersecurity: Scoping the Challenges,” with Assistant Air Force Secretary for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Will Roper; Alan Pellegrini, CEO of Thales North America; Harley Geiger, director of public policy at Rapid7; Sidd Gejji, supervisory information technology specialist in the FAA’s Office of the Chief Information Security Officer; Andreas Meyer, cybersecurity officer for aviation security policy at the International Civil Aviation Organization; Olivia Stella, senior analyst for aviation cybersecurity and the Internet of Things at American Airlines; Matthew Kroenig, deputy director for strategy in the Atlantic Council’s Center for Strategy and Security; and Peter Cooper, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event

THURSDAY | DECEMBER 12

8 a.m. 1700 Richmond Hwy. — Armed Force Communications and Electronics Association Air Force Information Technology Day, with Defense Department CIO Dana Deasy; Air Force Chief Data Officer Eileen Vidrine; Defense Information Systems Agency Military Deputy Maj. Gen. Garret Yee; and Assistant Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Cyber Effects Operations Maj. Gen. Kevin Kennedy. https://nova.afceachapters.org/event

9 a.m. 1030 15th St. N.W. — The Atlantic Council discussion “One Year into the United States’ Maximum Pressure Campaign on Iran,” with Knut Dethlefsen, representative to the United States and Canada at Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung; David Jalilvand, CEO of Orient Matters; Azadeh Zamirirad, deputy head of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs’ Middle East and Africa Division; Narges Bajoghli, assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies; Barbara Slavin, director of the Atlantic Council’s Future of Iran Initiative; and former U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Stuart Eizenstat, board director at the Atlantic Council. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org

2 p.m. 529 14th St. N.W. — Turkish Heritage Organization hosts Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor Joseph Nye for a discussion “U.S. Foreign Policy Strategy and Challenges,” at the National Press Club. https://www.turkheritage.org/en/events

3 p.m. — Defense One and Nextgov webcast “Securing the Digital Landscape,” with Frank Konieczny, chief information technology officer in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force; Michael Sorrento, director of the Defense Department’s Defense Manpower Data Center; Jordan Kasper, digital service expert at the Defense Digital Service; and Patrick Turner, technology editor at Defense One. https://www.govexec.com

FRIDAY | DECEMBER 13

9 a.m. 1301 K St. N.W. — Washington Post Live conversation with former Defense Secretary retired Gen. Jim Mattis with Washington Post columnist David Ignatius. https://www.washingtonpost.com/post-live