Kabul attack ‘reveals the barbaric nature of the enemy,’ US military says

A statement issued by Operation Resolute Support this morning credited Afghan Security Forces for preventing the explosive-laden vehicle from breaching the Green Zone, which houses diplomatic and government facilities, but noted the blast was so big it caused massive civilian casualties in the Zambaq Square neighborhood. “The attack demonstrates a complete disregard for civilians and reveals the barbaric nature of the enemy faced by the Afghan people,” the statement said. “It also highlights the hypocrisy of the enemy who claim that they only target Afghan Security Forces and Foreign forces, yet continue to cause death and suffering amongst innocent Afghans.”

Reuters reports the powerful bomb was hidden in a sewage tanker.

HIT TO KILL: There was a lot riding on yesterday’s successful test of the ability of ground-based interceptor missiles based in the United States to track and destroy an incoming warhead delivered by an intercontinental ballistic missile launched from the direction of North Korea. The U.S. has spent billions since 1999 trying to develop reliable technology to hit a “bullet with a bullet,” ($41 billion according to critics, $28 billion according to the Missile Defense Agency). But the test was not just about whether the U.S. taxpayers are getting enough bang for their buck. It was about sending a pointed message to North Korea and other potential adversaries, as well as reassuring America’s allies, that in a worst-case scenario, the U.S. has a decent shot of stopping an incoming nuclear warhead from taking out an American city.

This was the 10th success in 18 tries (55 percent), fifth of the last eight (62 percent) and the first test against a target that was designed to mimic an attack from a nuclear-tipped ICBM from the Asia-Pacific region. The official statement from the Missile Defense Agency was cautious in declaring that the non-explosive exo-atmospheric kill vehicle succeeded in colliding with a dummy warhead in space, saying “Initial indications are that the test met its primary objective, but program officials will continue to evaluate system performance based upon telemetry and other data obtained during the test.”

In a statement, MDA Director Vice Adm. Jim Syring was less restrained, declaring “the intercept of a complex, threat-representative ICBM target is an incredible accomplishment,” and saying the test shows the U.S. has “a capable, credible deterrent against a very real threat.” Syring is expected to provide more details this morning on the initial results of the test in a Pentagon conference call with reporters.

In the test, a target missile was launched from the Marshall Islands, the interceptor was launched afterward from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., by a Boeing and Northrop Grumman team. A statement from Northrop Grumman hailed the technological feat, pointing out data from its space-based infrared sensor was fused with data from a forward-deployed AN/TPY-2 radar and the sea-based X-band radar to help identify, track, engage and ultimately destroy the target.

CRITICS REMAIN CRITICAL: Longtime critics of missile defense issued statements immediately after the test, disputing the result. Philip Coyle, who formerly headed the Pentagon’s office of operational test and evaluation, cut the success stats a different way, citing only two hits out of the last five attempts. “That is only a 40 percent success rate since early 2010. In school, 40 percent isn’t a passing grade,” Coyle said in statement from the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. “Based on its testing record, we cannot rely upon this missile defense program to protect the United States from a North Korean long-range missile. If anything, overreliance on missile defenses could impede diplomatic efforts that could avoid a dangerous confrontation.”

It should be noted that in the world of weapons technology, (unlike baseball batting averages) the last successes count more than initial failures. “This is part of continuous learning curve,” said Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, before yesterday’s test. “We improve and learn from each test regardless of the outcome.”

KIM’S PROMISE: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told the country’s news agency KCNA that his government is preparing to send a “bigger ‘gift package’ ” to the United States after testing another short-range Scud-like ballistic missile this week. Kim oversaw the Monday test and called for the development of more powerful strategic weapons, KCNA said, as reported by Reuters. “He expressed the conviction that it would make a greater leap forward in this spirit to send a bigger ‘gift package’ to the Yankees,” Kim said.

STEALTH DEPLOYMENT? The Pentagon is denying it did anything sneaky when it sent additional launchers to South Korea as part of its deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system there last month. Davis insisted the U.S. has been been totally transparent, yet South Korea’s new president Moon Jae-in was shocked to learn of the arrival of additional launchers and is demanding an explanation for why he wasn’t informed. Reuters reported that South Korea’s Defense Ministry “intentionally dropped” mentioning that four more launchers had been deployed in a report to the president’s top aides, his office said on Wednesday.

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.

AMERICA FIRST, NOT ALONE: Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster is leading the charge in defending the president’s performance on the world stage, in particular his last stop in Europe where Trump ruffled some feathers and bruised a few egos of some of America’s closest allies, notably Germany. The national security adviser, in a joint op-ed in the Wall Street Journal with Gary Cohn, director of the National Economic Council, writes: “America will not lead from behind. This administration will restore confidence in American leadership as we serve the American people. America First does not mean America alone.”

McMaster and Cohn insisted Trump reconfirmed America’s commitment to NATO’s collective defense provision known as Article 5, something his critics specifically noted he did not do. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis argued over the weekend that Trump’s mere presence amounted to affirmation, and that no words were needed. McMaster struck a similar tone, insisting the NATO meeting was a triumph. “The president challenged our allies to share equitably the responsibility for our mutual defense. We came away with new outcomes for the first time in decades: More allies are stepping up to meet their defense commitments. By asking for more buy-in, we have deepened our relationships,” the pair wrote. “The president embarked on his first foreign trip with a clear-eyed outlook that the world is not a ‘global community,’ but an arena where nations, nongovernmental actors and businesses engage and compete for advantage. We bring to this forum unmatched military, political, economic, cultural and moral strength. Rather than deny this elemental nature of international affairs, we embrace it.”

SPICER’S SPIN: White House press secretary Sean Spicer disputed the characterization of Angela Merkel’s comments in Munich this weekend that Europe could no longer fully rely on the United States and the United Kingdom, instead calling it a reflection of Trump’s influence. Spicer insisted that reporters were taking her comments out of context, reading a fuller version of Merkel’s words. “ ‘Europe must take its fate into its own hands. This means working in friendship with the U.S., the U.K. and neighborly relations with Russia and other partners,’ ” Spicer said. “That’s great. That’s what the president called for.”

That was just hours after Trump fired off an early morning tweet attacking Germany’s trade practices. “We have a MASSIVE trade deficit with Germany, plus they pay FAR LESS than they should on NATO & military. Very bad for U.S. This will change.” Nevertheless, Spicer insisted everything is great between the two leaders. “I think the relationship that the president has had with Merkel, he would describe as fairly unbelievable,” Spicer said. “They get along very well. He has a lot of respect for her. They continue to grow the bond they had during their talks in the G7.”

Spicer also said the president’s nine-day trip was “historic” and “extraordinarily successful.” “He accomplished the return of a strong America to international affairs, rallied civilized nations of the world against terrorism, took real steps towards peace in the Middle East and renewed our alliances on the basis of both shared interests and shared burdens,” Spicer said.

FAKE ARMY BUILDUP? The White House’s new defense budget has gotten a chilly reception on Capitol Hill, but its claims about its troop numbers were called a flat-out “ruse” Tuesday by the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. “In keeping with President Trump’s habit of exaggeration, he has been telling Congress and journalists that his budget increases the size of the military by 56,000 service members,” Rep. Adam Smith said. Vice President Mike Pence had touted the increase during a speech Friday.

Defense Department documents show Trump’s budget would actually add 8,042 troops to the 2.1 million authorized this year by Congress. How does the White House get the bigger figure? Instead of comparing its plans to current troop numbers, it uses future projections made by the Obama administration. The projections assumed the Army would shed 26,000 soldiers and the other services would continue to shrink somewhat. But Congress went in the opposite direction in December, canceling the Army reductions and making other increases. The White House is using the more pessimistic Obama projections for 2018 and claiming the increases already made by Congress last year in its tally.

EXPANDING PROBE: Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, is now one of the people included in the widening congressional probe into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election. Cohen told ABC News in an email that House and Senate investigators asked him to “provide information and testimony” about any interactions he had with people tied to the Russian government, but Cohen declined their request. “I declined the invitation to participate as the request was poorly phrased, overly broad and not capable of being answered,” Cohen said in an email Tuesday.

CUMMINGS’ DEMANDS: The top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee wants the nation’s top intelligence officials to turn over documents that describe their conversations with Trump on Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election. Rep. Elijah Cummings, the committee’s ranking member, sent separate letters to Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and National Security Agency Director Adm. Mike Rogers requesting documents, recordings, memos, notes and communications related to their conversations with the president or other White House staff about the investigations into Russia’s role in the election.

FLYNN’S DEAL: Former White House national security adviser Mike Flynn has agreed to share some documents with the Senate Intelligence Committee, according to multiple reports Tuesday evening. Flynn invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination last week after the Senate panel subpoenaed him for documents related to its investigation into Russian interference in last year’s presidential election. The committee then issued two subpoenas to Flynn’s businesses, which lack the same Fifth Amendment protection granted individuals.

TRUMP TWEETS THIS MORNING: “So now it is reported that the Democrats, who have excoriated Carter Page about Russia, don’t want him to testify. He blows away their … case against him & now wants to clear his name by showing ‘the false or misleading testimony by James Comey, John Brennan…’ Witch Hunt!”

ARMS FLOW TO KURDS: The U.S. military has begun sending equipment and weapons to Kurdish members of the Syrian Democratic Forces, a sign of the assault on the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa is drawing closer.  Spokesman Eric Pahon told the AP the weapons delivery to the Syrian Kurds included small arms and ammunition. Previously, the Pentagon said the weaponry would include small arms, anti-tank weapons, and armored vehicles.

ON KUSHNER’S “BACKCHANNEL” The White House is specifically refusing to deny media reports that Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, was trying to set up backchannel communications with Moscow during a December meeting at Trump Tower with Russian banker Sergey Gorkov, a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “I’m not going to get into confirming stuff; there’s an ongoing investigation,” Spicer said, brushing aside reporters’ questions with the explanation that they presuppose facts that have not been confirmed. “What your question assumes,” Spicer told one reporter, “is a lot of facts that are not substantiated by anything but anonymous sources that are so far being leaked out.” But he still cited others in saying backchannels are OK. “Again, I would just refer to you what the comments that Secretary [John] Kelly, Gen. McMaster have said about how they can be important tool in diplomacy.”

Others weighed in, too:

— John Sununu: “You guys have made ‘backchannel’ a derogatory term. A backchannel is a positive asset”

— Kellyanne Conway: “Backchannels like this are the regular course of business. And that’s really all that we know.”

BACK AND FORTH ON RUSSIA:

— Trump: “Russian officials must be laughing at the U.S. and how a lame excuse for why the Dems lost the election has taken over the Fake News.”

— Rep. Adam Schiff: “They were certainly laughing in the Oval Office, but that had more to do with your conduct than anything else. And who can blame them?”

CALL ME, MAYBE? The Associated Press has a story out this morning about how Trump has been reportedly handing out his personal cell phone number to various world leaders, and telling them to feel free to call. Among those who’ve been given direct access to the leader of the free world: Canada’s Justin Trudeau, Mexico’s Enrique Peña Nieto, and France’s Emmanuel Macron. The AP report suggests the practice “breaks diplomatic protocol and is raising concerns about the security and secrecy of the U.S. commander in chief’s communications.”

So far, only Trudeau has called Trump on his private cell, according to the AP, which notes, “Presidents generally place calls on one of several secure phone lines, including those in the White House Situation Room, the Oval Office or the presidential limousine. Even if Trump uses his government-issued cell phone, his calls are vulnerable to eavesdropping, particularly from foreign governments, national security experts say.”

THE RUNDOWN

Reuters: Mattis to focus on North Korea at Asian forum as allies seek clear U.S. policy

New York Times: Why Noriega’s ouster still reverberates

Defense One: The Trump administration just missed its best shot at a military buildup

Military Times: A showdown is looming between the US, Syria and Iran at Tanf

USA Today: Mosul Dam risks devastating failure as Iraq government keeps stalling

AP: Allegations of abuse, mismanagement shadow gains against IS

Defense One: Pentagon wants to get started on new Air Force Two and doomsday planes

Wall Street Journal: Suspected North Korean hackers try tricky new tactic

DoD Buzz: Air Force wants more C-5s on the flightline

Stars and Stripes: US special ops general sees decades-long struggle in Africa

War on the Rocks: In over their heads: U.S. ground forces are dangerously unprepared for enemy drones

USNI News: Army set to sink ship in 2018 as PACOM operationalizes multi-domain battle concept

The Daily Beast: Ukraine just threw MAJOR shade at Russia on Twitter

Defense News: Turkish-US venture to produce armor

Calendar

WEDNESDAY | MAY 31

8 a.m. 1700 Army Navy Dr. Defense leaders forum breakfast with Lt. Gen. Joseph Anderson. ndia.org

5 p.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave NE. The Asia-Pacific and the growth of the Vietnam and U.S. comprehensive partnership with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. heritage.org

THURSDAY | JUNE 1

7:45 a.m. 901 17th St. NW. S&ET executive breakfast with Mary Miller, acting assistant secretary of defense for research and engineering. ndia.org

10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. The Navy’s maintenance challenge in resetting the fleet with Vice Adm. Thomas Moore, of Naval Sea Systems Command. csis.org

10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Assessing risk in the 21st Century. csis.org

FRIDAY | JUNE 2

8 a.m. 300 1st St. SE. Nuclear deterrence series with Vice Adm. Terry Benedict, director of the Navy’s Strategic Systems Programs. Mitchellaerospacepower.org

MONDAY | JUNE 5

9 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW. The stunning inside story of Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida in flight. brookings.edu

3:30 p.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW. All measures short of war: The contest for the 21st century and the future of American power. brookings.edu

TUESDAY | JUNE 6

8:30 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. The 6th annual symposium on the European Union’s common security and defense policy. csis.org

10 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW. The growing threat from cyber weapons and what the United States needs to do to prepare. brookings.edu

2 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. A new nuclear review for a new age. csis.org

2:30 p.m. Russell 232-A. Marine Corps ground modernization. armed-services.senate.gov

WEDNESDAY | JUNE 7

8 a.m. 300 1st St. SE. Nuclear deterrence series event on U.S. and allied nuclear and BMD initiatives. mitchellaerospacepower.org

8:30 a.m. 901 17 St. NW. The future of defense and deterrence in Europe with Gen. Philip Breedlove, former supreme allied commander of NATO, and the defense ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. atlanticcouncil.org

8:45 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW. Energy security in central and eastern Europe. atlanticcouncil.org

9 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Meeting security challenges in a disordered world. csis.org

10:30 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW. Regional perspectives on U.S. strategy in Afghanistan. atlanticcouncil.org

6 p.m. 1301 S. Joyce St. Networking Series event with Dana W. White, assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs. militaryreporters.org