THE HILL IS ALIVE: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford begin a marathon week of budget testimony with tonight’s unusual 7 p.m. House Armed Services Committee appearance, scheduled late to give committee members time to get back in town. Congress typically holds hearings Tuesdays through Thursdays to accommodate members who commute to their home districts over the weekend. But with Mattis and Dunford hitting all four defense committees this week, something had to give.
Tomorrow, Mattis and Dunford appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee at the usual 9:30 a.m. start time. On Wednesday, it’s the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense at 10:30 a.m., and the duo wraps up Thursday with the House Appropriations Subcommittee at 9 a.m. The lawmakers will no doubt have a slew of questions about the world’s hotspots, as well as pending decisions from President Trump. One pressing question is whether the president is prepared to take the advice of his commander and send more than 1,000 additional U.S. troops to plus-up NATO’s training mission in Afghanistan.
Over the weekend the Pentagon confirmed three American soldiers were killed, and a fourth wounded, in what appears to be an insider attack from one of the very Afghan troops the U.S. is training. The U.S. has suffered six combat deaths in Afghanistan so far this year. The Pentagon has also yet to unveil the new counter-Islamic State strategy that the president ordered drawn up in the first 30 days of his administration. Mattis has described a change in tactics, a so-called annihilation policy under which the remaining ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria will be surrounded and eliminated, instead of being allow to cut and run to fight another day.
But Mattis has just one message he wants to deliver to Congress: Rebuilding the U.S. military is his absolute top priority. “He will talk about the near term needs of the warfighter, so that’s the immediate what we need in the short to near term,” chief Pentagon spokesperson Dana White said on Friday. “You will also hear him talk about what the future investments needed to deal with evolving threats that we are facing, that’s terrorism, contingencies in the Pacific. Everything we need to think about and asking Congress for now so that we restore readiness.”
BUILD UP LET DOWN: No one was anticipating the ambitious Trump military build up more than America’s major weapons makers, but the initial euphoria over the prospect of a historic buildup has mostly dissipated, replaced by a more cautious optimism. Instead of expecting a return to the Reagan administration buildup of the 1980s, most defense contractors are instead adopting a much more conservative view, betting a general upward trajectory in U.S. defense spending over the past few years or so will continue, one way or another, according to analysts.
WE’RE HIRING! Meanwhile, the Pentagon insists that after a slow start, it is methodically filling key jobs at the Defense Department, including some high-levels posts that do not need Senate approval. “It’s moving. It’s definitely moving much faster than it was,” White told the Washington Examiner. “We’ve got a nice rhythm going now, we’ve got at least two-thirds of the Senate-appointed [positions] at least identified, or in-processing.” Of the 57 Senate-confirmed positions in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, 43 have been recommended for hiring.
Good Monday 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.
HAPPENING TODAY: In the Pentagon’s center courtyard today the Defense Department will hold an event recognizing LGBT Pride month, even as the “T” remains under question. Both the Army and the Marine Corps have asked for more time to implement the policy to allow transgender applicants to serve, according to a report last week. The Obama administration lifted the ban on transgender troops, and gave the services until July 1 to come up with implementing regulations. Speaking at today’s Pentagon event will be Anthony Kurta, acting undersecretary for personnel and readiness, and Air Force Maj. Gen. Patricia Rose, assistant to the deputy chief of staff for Logistics, Engineering and Force Protection. “The struggles, sacrifices and successes among the LGBT community continue to shape our history and remind us to uphold tolerance and justice for all,” Kurta wrote in a memo announcing the observance of LGBT Pride Month to recognize DoD’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender service members and civilians.
STRIKE ON SOMALIA: American forces conducted an airstrike against al-Shabaab militants in Somalia early Sunday morning for the first time since Trump increased the U.S. presence in the east African nation earlier this year. White said in a statement the airstrike took place 185 miles southwest of Mogadishu. “The U.S. conducted this operation in coordination with its regional partners as a direct response to al-Shabaab actions, including recent attacks on Somali forces,” White said. There were no details on the effects of the strike or what the target of the strike was beyond al-Shabaab in general. It’s the first strike carried out under authority Trump granted in March to increase activity against al-Shabaab in Somalia.
RUSSIA WARNS U.S. ABOUT SYRIA STRIKES: Russia’s top diplomat told his American counterpart it’s unacceptable for U.S. forces to strike pro-Syrian government forces following an airstrike on the militia last week. Reuters reported Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Saturday that the attacks are unacceptable in a call initiated by American diplomats.
On Friday, the Pentagon complimented Russia for playing a positive role in de-escalating the tension near a U.S. training base at al-Tanf, along Syria’s southern border with Iraq. The pro-regime forces backed by Iran have dug in fighting positions inside a U.S.-declared buffer zone extending 35 miles around the base, but which Russia does not recognize. “Lavrov expressed his categorical disagreement with the U.S. strikes on pro-government forces and called on him to take concrete measures to prevent similar incidents in future,” the ministry said in a statement to Reuters.
WHOSE DRONE WAS IT ANYWAY? The U.S. has bombed the Iranian backed militia three time since it arrived in mid-May. And last week a U.S. F-15 shot down a drone that dropped what turned out to be a dumb bomb on U.S.-backed troops and coalition forces. The Pentagon has refused to say the drone was operated by Iran, but it’s given so many clues, there really is little doubt. The official reticence about calling out Iran over what could have been a deadly attack on U.S. troops seems to be driven by a desire to not further inflame the situation. “We’re not looking to start a fight with anybody else, other than ISIS,” Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said Friday. “But we acted in self-defense, and if it happens again, we’ll act again.”
IS THE U.S. USING “CHEMICAL WEAPONS” AGAINST ISIS? Videos posted online have drawn complaints from human rights groups that the U.S. coalition is using white phosphorus, which can be an incendiary weapon, in densely populated areas near Mosul and Raqqa. The chemical shells create a thick white cloud, but can cause intense burns if it comes in contact with human skin. In response, the U.S. military gave us the following statement:
“In accordance with the law of armed conflict white phosphorus rounds are used for screening, obscuring, and marking in a way that fully considers the possible incidental effects on civilians and civilian structures. The Coalition takes all reasonable precautions to minimize the risk of incidental injury to non-combatants and damage to civilian structures. However, ISIS continues its blatant disregard for innocent human life by killing civilians trying to flee the fighting and the Coalition will not stand idly by and allow civilians to die needlessly if we can help protect them.”
SOF HELP IN THE PHILIPPINES: American special forces have joined the Filipino military in its attempt to rid a southern Philippines town of Islamic State militants, Reuters reported Saturday. According to the report, U.S. special forces are working as advisers at the behest of the Filipino government. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has been vehemently anti-Washington during his time in office, going so far as to call former President Obama a “son of a whore,” but he has had at least one friendly conversation with Trump.
The Islamic State and the Filipino military have been fighting for three weeks in Marawi City. The urban warfare has left at least 58 Filipino troops dead along with 20 civilians and 100 Islamic State fighters. The American special forces are acting as advisers, and a spy plane was seen flying over Marawi City on Friday.
BEIJING’S RISING INFLUENCE: Some lawmakers and leaders are increasingly worried that China is gaining influence over traditional American allies, as the rising Communist power charts a more aggressive foreign policy course. Those concerns were raised most recently by the new South Korean president Moon Jae-in’s decision to suspend deployment of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system. China fears that the system could undermine the power of its own nuclear arsenal. “It’s my fear that he thinks — I hope I’m wrong — that [Moon] thinks that South Korea has a better chance working with China to contain North Korea than working with the United States,” Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, told the Washington Examiner.
McCAIN COMPLIMENTS … OBAMA? Republican Sen. John McCain believes the global order was more stable and established under Obama than it is under Trump. McCain told The Guardian in a report published Sunday that Trump’s criticism of London Mayor Sadiq Khan following a terrorist attack in London this month showed the United States no longer wants to be the world’s leader.
“What do you think the message is? The message is that America doesn’t want to lead,” McCain said. He said of the rest of the world: “They are not sure of American leadership, whether it be in Siberia or whether it be in Antarctica.” When he was asked if the U.S. had a better standing in the eyes of the world under Obama, McCain said, “As far as American leadership is concerned, yes.”
Last week House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi returned the backhanded compliment of sorts. In an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” she questioned Trump’s mental health, and said she wished McCain, or Mitt Romney, or almost any other Republican had been elected president.
GRAHAM TO TRUMP, STFU: On CBS yesterday, South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham was once again dispensing unsolicited advice to Trump. Graham offered his assessment that Trump came out “pretty good” after former FBI Director James Comey’s testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee last week, but again said Trump is his own worst enemy. “What the president did was inappropriate,” but Graham quickly added. “What is so frustrating for Republicans like me. You may be the first president in history to go down because you can’t stop inappropriately talking about an investigation that if you just were quiet would clear you.”
B-2s ARRIVE IN UK: The U.S. sent a pair of nuclear-capable B-2 stealth bombers from their base in Missouri to England on a short-term mission in a show of support to U.S. allies overseas, U.S. European Command announced Friday. A EUCOM statement described the deployment as part of “recurring bomber assurance and deterrence operations.” The deployment marks the first time all three of America’s long-range heavy bombers, B-1s, B-2s and B-52s have been deployed to Europe at the same time.
THE RUNDOWN
AP: US-backed Syrian fighters seize parts of ISIS ‘capital’ Raqqa
USA Today: ISIS expands foothold in Southeast Asia with Philippine siege
Defense News: US aircraft in Philippines in battle against ISIS
New York Times: U.S. Cyberweapons, Used Against Iran and North Korea, Are a Disappointment Against ISIS
AP: Qatar, in regional crisis, hires former US attorney general
Politico: Senate looks to jab Russia
Defense News: How to fast-track to an improved Navy
Defense One: Is America getting sucked into more war in Syria?
New York Times: Mattis quietly keeps distance from Trump’s most divisive moves
Wall Street Journal: Iran sent food to Qatar amid Middle East rift
Daily Beast: How governments use terror to expand their own authority
Calendar
MONDAY | JUNE 12
10:30 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. A daylong forum on religion and violence in Russia. csis.org
7 p.m. Rayburn 2118. Defense Department budget request hearing with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. armedservices.house.gov
TUESDAY | JUNE 13
8 a.m. 300 1st St. SE. Nuclear modernization and cooperative paths forward with John Harvey, former principal deputy assistant to the secretary of defense for nuclear and chemical and biological defense programs. michelleaerospacepower.org
9 a.m. 1789 Massachusetts Ave. NW. A conversation about countering Putin’s Russia with Rep. Adam Smith. aei.org
9:30 a.m. Dirksen G-50. Defense Department budget with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff. armed-services.senate.gov
10 a.m. Dirksen 419. Review of the FY 2018 State Department budget request with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. foreign.senate.gov
10 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW. Preserving and building on the Iran nuclear deal. atlanticcouncil.org
1 p.m. 1211 Connecticut Ave. NW. Climate, conflict and refugees: Examining the impact of environmental change on human security. stimson.org
2:30 p.m. Dirksen 192. Budget request for the State Department with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. appropriations.senate.gov
2:30 p.m. Russell 222. Budget for Navy and Marine Corps aviation programs. armed-services.senate.gov
2:30 p.m. Dirksen 419. Recent incidents of state-sponsored cyberspace threats and U.S. policy response. foreign.senate.gov
WEDNESDAY | JUNE 14
8 a.m. 2101 Wilson Blvd. Mastering business development workshop. ndia.org
9 a.m. Rayburn 2172. The FY 2018 foreign affairs budget with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. foreignaffairs.house.gov
9 a.m. 800 17th St. NW. Manufacturing division meeting. ndia.org
9 a.m. 600 New Hampshire Ave. NW. Boeing Defense Space and Security CEO Leanne Caret talks about shaping the division for strategic growth. defenseone.com
9 a.m. 529 14th St. NW. Documentary filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick preview “The Vietnam War.” press.org
10 a.m. Dirksen 342. Understanding the tools, tactics, and techniques of violent extremism. hsgac.senate.gov
10:30 a.m. Dirksen 192. Review of the 2018 budget request for the Defense Department with with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. appropriations.senate.gov
11:30 a.m. 1 Memorial Avenue, Arlington National Cemetery. 2017 Service to the Flag award ceremony. ndia.org
12 p.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Retired Army officer Conrad C. Crane discusses the creation of the counterinsurgency field manual. heritage.org
12:30 p.m. 1777 F St. NW. The link between foreign languages and U.S. national security. cfr.org
2:30 p.m. Dirksen 138. Review of the 2018 budget request for the National Nuclear Security Administration with retired Lt Gen. Frank Klotz, under secretary for nuclear security. appropriations.senate.gov
THURSDAY | JUNE 15
8 a.m. 300 1st St. SE. The next ballistic missile defense review with retired Brig. Gen. Kenneth Todorov, former deputy director of the Missile Defense Agency. michelleaerospacepower.org
9 a.m. Rayburn 2359. Defense Department budget for 2018 with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. appropriations.house.gov
9:30 p.m. Dirksen G-50. Posture of the Navy with Adm. John Richardson, chief of naval operations, and Gen. Robert Neller, commandant of the Marine Corps. armed-services.senate.gov
10 A.M. Rayburn 2172. The process and policy of foreign military sales with Tina Kaidanow, acting assistant secretary at the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, and Vice Adm. Joseph Rixey, director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. foreignaffairs.house.gov
10 a.m. Senate Visitor Center 209-08. Study release on optimizing the potential of remotely piloted aircraft with Sen. John Boozman and retired Lt. Gen. David Deptula. mitchellaerospacepower.org
2 p.m. Rayburn 2172. Russia’s strategic objectives in the Middle East and North Africa. foreignaffairs.house.gov
FRIDAY | JUNE 16
9:30 a.m. 1211 Connecticut Ave. NW. American and Japanese perspectives on a Eurasia security strategy. stimson.org
10 a.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. New administrations and the challenges and way forward for the U.S.-South Korea alliance with Chung-in Moon, special adviser to the South Korean president for unification and national security affairs. wilsoncenter.org
MONDAY | JUNE 19
7 a.m. 2201 Cooperative Way. The climate for small businesses operating in the national security environment of a Trump presidency. ndia.org
11 a.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Discussion of the book The Forgotten Flight: Terrorism, Diplomacy and the Pursuit of Justice. wilsoncenter.org
11:30 a.m. 529 14th St. NW. Luncheon with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford. press.org
12 p.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Documentary screening of “Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria and the Rise of ISIS.” heritage.org
1 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. The promise and momentum of U.S.-India defense and security cooperation. csis.org
2 p.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Book launch for Dean Acheson and the Obligations of Power. wilsoncenter.org
