NO MONEY FOR PENTAGON: Most of us won’t know for sure how the new tax overhaul will affect our finances until a year from now when we start doing our taxes for 2018, but the Pentagon knows that it won’t be getting any holiday infusion of cash until late next month at the earliest, four months into fiscal 2018.
A plan by pro-defense members of the House Armed Services Committee that included a full year of funding for the Pentagon ($658 billion) has gone down in flames, and now House Republicans are scrambling to get the votes for another continuing resolution that would keep the government funded until Jan. 19 at last year’s spending levels. The plan is for the House to take up the measure today to avoid a costly government shutdown tomorrow. Complicating things is the concern by some members of states hard hit by hurricanes that an $81 billion disaster aid bill could get lost in the shuffle.
Republicans met in the Capitol basement shortly after returning from a celebratory meeting at the White House, where they cheered passage of a major tax overhaul. They emerged from the meeting a little less cheerful, with no certain path forward on a bill to avoid a partial government shutdown after Friday. A clash of lawmaker coalitions with different priorities has left GOP leaders struggling to find a way to pass the measures in both the House and the Senate.
"There is no specific direction right now," Rep. Pete Sessions, who chairs the House Rules Committee, told the Washington Examiner.
VEHICULAR ATTACK: We awake this morning to news of another incident in which pedestrians are mowed down by a vehicle deliberately driven into a crowd on a busy street. The latest carnage happened in Melbourne, Australia. Local police are not labeling the attack an act of terrorism, but say it was definitely “a deliberate act,” not an accident. Two men have been arrested, and 14 people were injured, including a child. Four of the victims are said to be in critical condition, but at this point there are no deaths reported.
“At this time, we don’t have any evidence or intelligence to indicate a connection with terrorism,” said acting chief Commissioner Shane Patton, who added that the driver suffered mental health issues, according to Reuters.
THE WAR AGAINST AQAP/ISIS IN YEMEN: U.S. Central Command has released a year end report on the shadowy U.S. war against terrorists in Yemen, acknowledging that U.S. forces have conducted “multiple ground operations” and more than 120 strikes this year. The effort has targeted key al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and Islamic State-Yemen leaders. Both groups are said to be ungoverned spaces in Yemen as a hub for terrorist recruiting, training, and base of operations to export terror worldwide, Central Command says.
The report notes that last month the U.S. conducted 10 strikes, including one that killed AQAP leader Mujahid al-Adani. It also notes a series of strikes on Oct. 16 against two ISIS terror training camps in Bayda killed more than 50 ISIS-Yemen combatants, disrupting the organization’s attempts to recruit and train new fighters. “U.S. forces have enabled regional counterterrorism partners to regain territory from these terrorists — forcing them to spend more time on survival,” said Army Lt. Col. Earl Brown, a CENTCOM spokesman, in a press release. “The removal of key facilitators in this region will interrupt al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s freedom of movement and likely force the group into a reactionary posture,” Brown said.
AVERTING HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN YEMEN: In a statement yesterday Sen. Lindsey Graham welcomed word that Saudi Arabia will allow food and fuel shipments into Yemen. “I’m very pleased to hear the Saudi-led coalition is going to open up ports in Yemen and increase humanitarian assistance to the Yemeni people who are under siege,” Graham said. “It also appears the coalition will be providing economic assistance to the World Food Program and will coordinate with the United Nations on how to best deal with the growing humanitarian disaster in Yemen.”
“It’s clear to me the Iranian-backed Houthis represent the biggest obstacle to regional stability and have engaged in very provocative behavior by firing Iranian-provided missiles into Saudi Arabia,” Graham said
Good Thursday 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.
SEE YOU NEXT YEAR: With today’s issue of Daily on Defense, we take a hiatus for the holidays. Look for our next issue on Jan. 2, when we catch you up on all the national security news you missed while you were spending time with family and friends. Until then Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
HAPPENING TODAY, SHOWDOWN AT THE U.N.: At the United Nations today, its the U.S. against the world as a non-binding resolution condemning President Trump’s official recognition of Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel is expected to pass handily, despite a threat from U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley that she’ll be “taking names,” and a not-so-veiled threat from Trump to cut off foreign aid to countries who oppose his declaration.
“They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars, and then they vote against us,” Trump said before yesterday’s Cabinet meeting. “Well, we're watching those votes. Let them vote against us, we’ll save a lot. We don't care.”
The U.S. vetoed a similar Security Council resolution this week after Haley called it an “an insult” to America’s right to decide for itself where to locate its embassy in other countries. Haley said she was acting on instructions from Trump to report back on countries “who voted against us.”
“This isn’t like it used to be where they could vote against you, and then you pay them hundreds of millions of dollars and nobody knows what they're doing,” Trump said. “So, Nikki, that was the right message that you and I agreed to be sent yesterday.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused the U.S. of intimidation, telling reporters before flying to New York to attend the General Assembly meeting that he believes U.N. member countries will ignore “pressure” from Haley and Trump, according to the AP.
‘BIG BOY DIPLOMACY’: Trump’s threat drew a sharp criticism from former State Department spokesman retired Rear Adm.
“The foreign aid and assistance that we give — if that's indeed what he's talking about cutting — actually goes to help security and stability issues in places where they need that help and assistance, and where we can maybe prevent conflict and prevent threats that could challenge the homeland. I mean there is a purpose for aid and assistance. It's not charity,” Kirby said.
RIFLES TO UKRAINE: With the backing of Congress and top national security officials, the Trump administration has authorized the first U.S. commercial sale of lethal defensive weapons to Ukraine. The State Department approved a commercial license that would permit items such as Model M107A1 Sniper Systems, ammunition, and associated parts and accessories to be exported to Ukraine, administration officials told the Washington Post. The sale is valued at $41.5 million and the weapons will assist the Ukrainian military address areas of weakness as they battle a Russian-backed separatist movement in two provinces.
NOT NEARLY ENOUGH: Sen. John McCain says the move is welcome, long-overdue, and comes at a pivotal moment, as Ukraine is now engaged in some of the worst
McCain said in addition to sniper rifles, the president should authorize the sale of heavier weapons, such as anti-tank missiles. “I also urge the President and congressional leadership to ensure that any budget deal fully supports the $350 million in security assistance for Ukraine authorized by the National Defense Authorization Act signed into law this month.”
POLAND TO BUY F-16 SUPPORT: The Defense Security Cooperation Agency has notified Congress that Poland has been approved for a potential sale of $200 million in “follow-on support and sustainment services” for its F-16 fleet. The request from Poland is for engine support, spare and repair parts, and test equipment to overhaul and upgrade its F-16s.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to improve the security of a NATO ally,” said DSCA in a press release. “Poland continues to be an important force for political stability and economic progress in Central Europe.”
DOD CONFIRMATIONS: The Senate confirmed a batch of five Pentagon nominees on Wednesday as it angles toward a holiday break. The chamber also teed up a vote Jan. 3 on John Rood, who Trump has picked to be undersecretary of defense for policy, that will occur shortly after senators return to Washington. The confirmations on Wednesday included:
Randall Shriver, assistant defense secretary
Bruce Jette, assistant Army secretary
Thomas Harker, assistant Navy secretary
James McPherson, Army general counsel
John Roth, assistant Air Force secretary
TRANSGENDER RECRUIT GUIDELINES: The Justice Department is waging a last-minute legal battle to allow Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to delay a federal court-ordered Jan. 1 deadline to begin accepting transgender recruits. It has argued in multiple court filings that the military will not be ready and could be harmed by the rush. But a newly released document shows the Pentagon has already prepared guidance for its personnel. A seven-page memo to its recruiting commands dated Dec. 8 lays out how to process transgender recruits, including guidelines for medical exams, gender pronouns, underwear, pregnancy tests and other issues. “All projections and processing actions will be based on the preferred gender of the applicant,” according to the guidance issued by Capt. David Kemp, the head of U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command. "Transgender applicants will be addressed by their preferred gender name and pronoun.”
Plaintiffs in D.C. and Washington state lawsuits against Trump and his announced ban on transgender military service filed copies of the guidance in federal court. Paul Wolfson, an attorney in the D.C. suit, said the guidance contradicts the Trump administration legal argument that the Jan. 1 deadline could harm military readiness. But the Justice Department quickly disputed the claim. Instead, the DOD guidance memo “demonstrates that the military is scrambling to comply” with the order to begin recruiting, DOJ attorney Catherine Dorsey wrote in a court response just hours later. Federal district courts in D.C., Maryland
HEZBOLLAH CLAIMS: A Republican member of the House Oversight Committee said he and other top lawmakers will investigate the Obama administration’s efforts to derail the Drug Enforcement Administration campaign targeting the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah.
The Obama administration
Rep. Ron DeSantis told the Washington Free Beacon on Wednesday he and other lawmakers are looking at evidence that could implicate top Obama officials.
PARTING SHOT: Retired Air Force Col. Dean Winslow, a former flight surgeon, and current professor of medicine at Stanford University, has withdrawn his name from consideration to be assistant secretary of defense for health affairs. His nomination was on indefinite hold after he made some impolitic remarks during his Senate confirmation hearing, in which he volunteered how “insane it is that in the United States of America a civilian can go out and buy a semiautomatic weapon like an AR-15.” The heartfelt aside came one day after the mass shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, in which 26 people were shot and killed at a church.
In an op-ed in yesterday’s Washington Post, Winslow says he has no regrets even though the comment killed his chances of confirmation. “Having semiautomatic weapons makes no sense. It is a public-health issue that, as a doctor, I felt compelled to bring to the Senate’s attention,” he writes. “As a citizen, I am saddened that our government has become so dominated by pro-gun lobbyists that an appointment such as mine — which has no responsibility for gun control — can be sidelined by a single sentence of informed, personal opinion. And that really is insane.”
Winslow, who did four tours in Iraq and two in Afghanistan, and is rated as an expert marksman, says he understands the appeal of the AR-15, but argues a pump-action 12-gauge shotgun “with its excellent stopping power” would be a much better choice as a defensive weapon.
“During one of my tours in Iraq, I spent hours with my Special Operations forces colleagues who were training Iraqi teams on our base, firing an array of military weapons. Using a powerful gun at a firing range is a real blast, and I support civilians experiencing that thrill at licensed ranges,” Winslow wrote. “However, as commander of an Air Force hospital in Baghdad during the surge, I have seen what these weapons do to human beings. The injuries are devastating. In addition, because of their high muzzle velocities, assault weapons are challenging for untrained civilians to control and are not optimal for home defense.”
THE RUNDOWN
Politico: Will the tax cuts sink Trump's military buildup?
Bloomberg: Lockheed Late Delivering Its F-35s for Fourth Consecutive Year
Forbes: F-35 Ascending: The Pentagon's Biggest Program Had Its Best Year Ever In 2017
Washington Post: Army struggles with 30-year-old rape allegations against retired general
Reuters: Shots fired at DMZ as North Korean soldier defects to South
USA Today: Will Olympics lessen tensions between North and South Korea or put them on road to war?
Reuters: Trump administration sides with Boeing in Bombardier dispute
New York Times: Ukraine War Flares Again After a Lull
Military.com: Marines Want to 'Pull Back' From Middle East as Russia, Pacific Loom
Foreign Policy: A Crisis of Leadership at the Military Intelligence Agency’s Watchdog Office
Daily Beast: British Spies Were Spooked by Trump’s Torture Rhetoric
Wall Street Journal: U.S. Seeks U.N. Ban on Ships Helping North Korea Dodge Sanctions
USNI News: DDG-51 Flight III Design Efforts Nearly Complete; Radar, Power Systems Testing in 2018
Marine Times: OP-ED: Building a force of foreign-born Marines is key to the Corps' future
Calendar
No upcoming events. Happy Holidays!
