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IVANKA OUT, DINA IN: President Trump says he has “many names” from which to choose to replace Nikki Haley, who stunned Washington yesterday with her announcement that she will be stepping down from her post as ambassador to the U.N. after two years on the job. And yesterday on the south lawn, Trump was happy to play the name game with reporters, seemingly ruling some candidates in and others out. Dina Powell: “It’s certainly a person I would consider. And she is under consideration,” Trump said of his former deputy national security adviser. “We have, actually, many names. Dina, certainly. And there are others. I’ve heard a lot of names.” Ivanka Trump: Trump is a big fan of his daughter, who he said would be “dynamite” and “incredible” but then quickly added it “doesn’t mean I’d pick her,” indicating he realizes the optics would be problematic. “I’d then be accused of nepotism, if you can believe it. Right?” Trump said. “Even though I’m not sure there’s anybody more competent in the world. But that’s OK.” Meanwhile, Ivanka took herself out of the running. “It is an honor to serve in the White House alongside so many great colleagues and I know that the President will nominate a formidable replacement for Ambassador Haley,” she tweeted yesterday. “That replacement will not be me.” Sen. Lindsey Graham: The South Carolina senator who once was one of Trump’s sharpest critics has seen his stock rise with Trump following his vigorous defense of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and fierce attacks on Democrats. “Lindsey really stepped up over the last two or three weeks. I thought it was fantastic,” Trump said when asked if Graham might replace Haley. “Lindsey is a terrific guy. I think he wants to stay right where he is. Certainly, I would. I think he’s very happy where he is. He’s having a good time.” Sen. Bob Corker: Another sometime Trump critic whose name is nevertheless getting some buzz is the retiring chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “We’ve had no conversations about it and conjecture’s really bad for your health,” the Tennessee Republican told reporters when asked if the job held any interest for him. “I don’t respond to conjecture.” AND THE LIST GOES ON: Here’s a rundown of potential contenders assembled by our staff, which includes former CIA director retired Gen. David Petraeus and current U.S. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman. IF YOU SAW WHAT I SEE: At his rally last night in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Trump alluded to classified intelligence about threats to the nation and the world that give him the willies. “This is a sick world, in many ways,” he told the crowd. “I mean, I see things as president that you don’t want to know about. … We have to be on guard for some really treacherous people.” But Trump also insisted the U.S. is ready to meet the threat. “We are so prepared you have no idea,” he said. “When you have the strongest military ever in the history of this world, nobody’s going to mess with you. … I don’t want to use our military. But this is a very dangerous world.” HOW HE DEALS: At rallies, Trump enjoys boasting about how his businessman’s perspective has allowed him to make deals that fly in the face of conventional Pentagon thinking. In Trump’s telling, he’s saved the taxpayers billions by demanding deep discounts. “Like Air Force One,” Trump recounted last night. “We gave out the contract. They were going to give it out for $1.6 billion more than I gave it out for. … I said to Boeing, ‘I’m not going to pay that price.’ And I said, ‘I’m not paying it. Cancel the contract. I’m not paying it.’ And I held a line. I said, ‘you got to take off $1.8 billion.’” Trump said that was all it took. “They called back a day later. ‘Supposing we took off $1.6 billion?’ I said ‘you have a deal, OK.’ I actually did that. I actually said cut it in half, OK?” In reality, the final contract for two previously sold Boeing 747s went for $3.9 billion, just below the original budgeted price of $4 billion. We’re still waiting for an accounting from the Air Force of the supposed $1.6 billion in savings. AND THEN THERE’S THAAD: Trump was just warming up, telling the crowd he had at least 30 more stories of his negotiating prowess. “So my first week in office, I get there, and I notice there’s this incredible THAAD system, THAAD system to knock down rockets. Shoots down rockets, shoots down missiles, most incredible thing you’ve ever seen,” he said referring the U.S. deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system to South Korea last year. “I said, so let me get this — we have a system that’s very expensive. And we shoot down rockets that are shot from North Korea to South Korea to shoot down — OK, so we’re protecting South Korea, right? Why aren’t they paying?” Trump says he was told by “a certain general” who is a “good guy” but “not into business” that the U.S. was paying because we are allies with South Korea. “Then I said, all right, give me the bad news. Raytheon. Give me the bad news. How much is it going to cost? ‘Sir, $1 billion.’ I said, ‘whoa, whoa!’ So we’re putting in a system that we pay for and it’s going to cost $1 billion in order to protect an immensely wealthy country that makes all of your television sets, right?’” The crowd roared with laughter. But Trump didn’t finish the story. Now, more than a year later South Korea has not yet agreed to reimburse the U.S. for the cost of the system, but it does, as part of the original agreement, bear all the costs of preparing and maintaining the site where the missile batteries are deployed. Lockheed Martin manufactures the system, and Raytheon makes its radar. Good Wednesday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre), National Security Writer Travis J. Tritten (@travis_tritten) 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 add you to our list. And be sure to follow us on Twitter @dailyondefense. |
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HAPPENING TODAY: FINAL DAY OF AUSA: The Association of the U.S. Army’s annual meeting and exposition wraps up today at the Washington Convention Center. The schedule includes a presentation by Deputy Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan at 9 a.m. and a noon keynote by Army Secretary Mark Esper. Other speakers:
ALSO TODAY: Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson and Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein testify before Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support on Air Force readiness. FIX THOSE PLANES: Yesterday we learned Defense Secretary Jim Mattis sent a memo to the Departments of the Air Force and Navy directing them to raise the availability rate for front-line combat aircraft to 80 percent in just over a year. In a memo issued last month, Mattis directs the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness to work with the services to develop a plan no later than Oct. 15 to increase the mission-capable rate of the inventory of F-35, F-22, F-16 and F/A-18 aircraft. “In order to preserve the most lethal military in the world … our air assets must prove dominant over the battlefields of both today and tomorrow,” Mattis wrote in the Sept. 17 memo, obtained by the Washington Examiner. The memo was first reported by Defense News. BUDGET FIGHT AHEAD: On Oct. 1, Pentagon budgeteers heaved a sigh of relief after years of late funding and stopgap budget measures that caused havoc for military planning. Congress had handed the military its first on-time budget in a decade. But the respite from years of budget dysfunction on Capitol Hill is already receding. The same thorny budget issues that have snarled on-time funding and hobbled the services for years are set to come roaring back, complicated by the November midterm elections and a ballooning deficit. “I think it’s going to be a long, hard, drawn-out fight over the next year,” said Todd Harrison, the director of defense budget analysis at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. In this week’s Washington Examiner magazine, we take a look at the coming budget fight and how it could yet again delay Pentagon funding. At the Pentagon yesterday, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis seemed confident that the support the military has received from Congress will continue. “I think defense, defense spending, defense policy have been an area of overwhelming bipartisan support,” he told reporters outside the Pentagon as he awaited the arrival of the Greek defense minister. “It’s somewhere upward of 83 to 85 percent of the House and Senate voting for our bill this year.” He noted that 93 senators voted for the fiscal 2019 defense appropriations measure. “I believe as long as we make a strong statement, a strong argument and we are transparent with the Congress about what we need, I’m confident we’ll be well taken care of.” BLOCKING SALES? Sen. Rand Paul said yesterday that he would attempt to force a vote to reject arms sales to Saudi Arabia following mounting evidence that Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in the kingdom’s consulate after criticizing the royal family. Paul said in an interview on Louisville radio station WHAS, “Believe you me, I will be forcing votes on them.” “It is a point of difference with the president,” he said, adding, “but who knows, the president may come around on this if there is any evidence they killed this journalist.” At the State Department, spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the U.S. is working behind to scenes to get answers. “We don’t want to make any judgments about what happened, and we call for a thorough and transparent investigation,” she told reporters at yesterday’s briefing. “Sometimes we decide to conduct our conversations and to conduct our diplomacy more privately than publicly because we feel that that could have the best outcome, and I’ll leave it at that.” SLOW DEFENSE AGAINST CYBER ATTACK: A new Government Accountability Office report has found the Pentagon has not been paying enough attention to the vulnerability of high-tech weapons to cyber attack. The GAO says in recent cybersecurity tests of major weapon systems under development “testers playing the role of adversary were able to take control of systems relatively easily and operate largely undetected.” “DOD’s weapons are more computerized and networked than ever before, so it’s no surprise that there are more opportunities for attacks,” the GAO said. “Yet until relatively recently, DOD did not make weapon cybersecurity a priority.” The vulnerabilities are due to three factors, according to the GAO: “the computerized nature of weapon systems, DOD’s late start in prioritizing weapon systems cybersecurity, and DOD’s nascent understanding of how to develop more secure weapon systems.” GOOGLE OUT: Google says it won’t compete for a $10 billion Pentagon cloud-computing contract to help the military better use artificial intelligence capabilities because the project might conflict with corporate limits on the use of its technologies. The Joint Enterprise Defense Initiative’s cloud-computing program is a part of the drive by Mattis to maintain the military’s competitive edge as artificial intelligence and machine-learning capabilities change the nature of battle. PATH TO DENUKING: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo insisted yesterday he’s making “real progress” after his latest meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, and said he believes the two countries are back on a path toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. “I returned late last night from North Korea from a trip where we made real progress,” Pompeo told reporters at the White House. “And while there’s still a long way to go and much work to do, we can now see a path to where we’ll achieve the ultimate goal, which is the full and final verified denuclearization of North Korea.” DHS TIES: The Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon are working more closely together on how to neutralize border security threats such as weaponized drones, improvised explosive devices, and malware, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced Tuesday afternoon. “Partnerships used to be a ‘nice to have.’ But now, they are a lifeline for America’s survival. That is why DHS is deepening its ties across the military,” Nielsen said during a speech at AUSA. A WEIGHTY CONCERN: Today at AUSA a group of retired generals and admirals will release a new report titled “Unhealthy and Unprepared,” which argues that childhood obesity is perpetuating our military’s recruitment crisis. The Army announced last month that it will miss its 2018 recruitment goal by 6,500 soldiers, and the Pentagon says obesity is one of the leading reasons 71 percent of young people between the ages of 17 and 24 do not qualify for military service. “This ineligibility rate is a major reason why the Army, the military’s largest branch, was not on track to meet its annual recruitment goal,” say the authors of the report. The report was prepared by “Mission: Readiness,” a bipartisan organization of 750 retired generals and admirals that advocates for strengthening national security “by ensuring kids stay in school, stay fit, and stay out of trouble.” THE RUNDOWN Breaking Defense: US Arms Sales Overseas Skyrocketed 33% in 2018 Army Times: Army aviation taking major steps in 2019 to improve fleet Military Times: Last man standing: With Haley’s departure, will Mattis stick around? DoD Buzz: Pentagon’s Lethality Task Force Needs More Funding: Mattis Aide Bloomberg: BAE’s Armored Vehicle Capacity Questioned in Trump Defense Study Defense News: Boeing: Apache helicopter fix could take until past 2020 to complete Reuters: Japan’s women sailors serve on frontline of gender equality USNI News: Foggo: U.S., NATO Naval Forces Pushing Back Against Russian Harassment Task and Purpose: The Army Is Looking For Recruits In Cities That May Not Like The Military |
CalendarWEDNESDAY | OCT. 10 7 a.m. 14750 Conference Dr. NDIA TRIAD Meeting. ndia.org 7 a.m. 801 Mt Vernon Pl. NW. 2018 AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition with Deputy Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan and others. ausameetings.org 8 a.m. 2401 M St. NW. Defense Writers Group Breakfast with Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller. 8:30 a.m. Dirksen 342. Full Committee Hearing on Threats to the Homeland. Hsgac.senate.gov 8:30 a.m. 4750 Conference Dr., Chantilly, Virginia. Shannon Jackson, acting director, DOD Office of Small Business Programs, speaks at the National Defense Industrial Association TRIAD conference. Streamed live on the CSIS website. 9:30 a.m. Russell 222. Subcommittee Hearing on United States Air Force Readiness with Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson; Gen. Stephen Wilson, Air Force Vice Chief of Staff; and John Pendleton, Director of Force Structure and Readiness Issues at the Government Accountability Office. Armed-services.senate.gov 10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. Audrey Schaffer, director, space strategy and plans, Office of the Secretary of Defense, participates in a panel on the U.S. role in space situational awareness at a Center for Strategic & International Studies aerospace security project event. 1 p.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Identifying – and Isolating – Jihadi-Salafists through their Ideology, Practices, and Methodology. heritage.org 2:30 p.m. 1740 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Defense Innovation Board Public Meeting. sais-jhu.edu 7 p.m. 1000 H St. NW. Jewish Institute for National Security of America Presentation of Henry “Scoop” Jackson Distinguished Service Award to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo with Sens. Tom Cotton and Lindsey Graham. THURSDAY | OCT. 11 1 p.m. 929 Long Bridge Dr. U.S.-ROK Defense Industry Consultative Committee (DICC). ndia.org FRIDAY | OCT. 12 8 a.m. 300 1st St. SE. Space Threats to the US: A Discussion with Jeff Gossel, Senior Intelligence Engineer with the Space and Missiles Analysis Group at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center. mitchellaerospacepower.org 12 noon. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE. The Perfect Weapon: War, Sabotage, and Fear in the Cyber Age with David Sanger. heritage.org TUESDAY | OCT. 16 7 a.m. 100 Westgate Circle. 23rd Annual Expeditionary Warfare Conference. ndia.org 8 a.m. 1400 14th St. N. Procurement Division Meeting. ndia.org 9:30 a.m. Dirksen G-50. Hearing on Nominations of Thomas McCaffery to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, and William Bookless to be Principal Deputy Administrator at the National Nuclear Security Administration. armed-services.senate.gov WEDNESDAY | OCT. 17 9 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW. The Evolving Iranian Strategy in Syria: A Looming Conflict with Israel. atlanticcouncil.org 12 noon. 1000 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Book Discussion of The Hell of Good Intentions: America’s Foreign Policy Elite and the Decline of U.S. Primacy with Author Stephen Walt. cato.org 3 p.m. Russell 222. Subcommittee Hearing on the Implications of China’s Presence and Investment in Africa. armed-services.senate.gov 5:30 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Free Speech and National Security. csis.org |
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