Shanahan faces Hill grilling on Space Force bloat, border barrier billions, and ISIS rebuilding

IN THE HOT SEAT: Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan heads to Capitol Hill this morning to face off with Democrats on a host of contentious issues, from the structure of President Trump’s Space Force to the Pentagon’s plan to use $1 billion from counter-narcotics funds for new border fencing. Shanahan will appear with his wingman Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford before the House Armed Services Committee at 10 a.m.

SPACE FORCE SHOT DOWN: Committee chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., indicated last night that Shanahan’s Space Force plan, as currently crafted, is dead on the launch pad.

“I hoped that President Trump and DoD would exercise careful consideration and develop a realistic path forward,” Smith said in a statement. “However, the details of the Space Force proposal sent to Congress by the President are highly problematic.”

Smith cited three areas of concern:

• a top-heavy bureaucracy with two new four-star generals and a new under secretary of the Air Force overseeing a force of only about 16,000 people
• an unlimited seven-year personnel and funding transfer authority that would sidestep a wide range of existing laws
• a provision that would give the Space Force broad authority to skirt civil service protections for pay rates and merit-based hiring, which he says amounts to an “attack on the rights of DoD civilian employees.”

Shanahan said last week he had not had a chance to walk Smith through the nuances of his plan and that he shares congressional concerns about creating needless overhead. “The feedback I’ve received is worry about adding or building bigger government,” he said at a forum on space sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “We want a lean and a very thoughtful use of resources.”

Smith, noting that his committee has been in bipartisan agreement on the need for an increased focus on space for years, including the failed effort to create a Space Corps in the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, said he will “look at other potential legislative options.”

JUST CALL IT ‘SPACE FORCE’: The pushback from Smith contrasts with the assessment at that same forum by Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., one of the backers of a 2017 proposal for a smaller Space Corps. “I think the prospects could hardly be brighter,” Cooper said, calling the Shanahan plan “about as close to our original House proposal as you can get.”

Cooper said he doesn’t think President Trump is caught up in the details of how many generals or under secretaries are created, so long as he can claim credit for creating a sixth branch of the Armed Forces. “My guess is from the administration standpoint, they may only care that we call it a Space Force, whatever we’re doing. Okay, we can do that,” Cooper said.

AND THEN THERE’S THE WALL: Shanahan’s testimony comes a day after the Pentagon unveiled its first plan to spend money from DoD’s 2019 budget on border security projects. Shanahan notified Congress that he has approved $1 billion from counter-drug funds for various improvements, under his existing authority to spend the money in support of counter-narcotic activities of federal law enforcement agencies.

“These funds will be used to support DHS’s request to build 57 miles of 18-foot-high pedestrian fencing, constructing and improving roads, and installing lighting within the Yuma and El Paso Sectors of the border in support of the February 15 national emergency declaration on the southern border of the United States,” said a Pentagon statement last night.

DEMS CRY FOUL: Meanwhile, Senate Democrats from the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies lined up against the plan in a letter to Shanahan in which they complained DoD was putting “political interference and pet projects” ahead of critical readiness issues facing the military.

“We strongly object to both the substance of the funding transfer, and to the Department implementing the transfer without seeking the approval of the congressional defense committees and in violation of provisions in the defense appropriation itself,” said the letter signed by Democrats Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, and Dianne Feinstein of California, among others.

MORE TO COME: Congress is still in the dark about which military construction projects could be affected by President Trump’s desire to tap into $3.6 billion of military construction funds for more miles of border wall.

Smith in a snarky statement last week already set the tone for the showdown. “We look forward to hearing how he intends to pilfer the military construction accounts, circumvent the intended nature of the law, while simultaneously abusing the trust of the American people,” he said. “This manufactured crisis serves no purpose other than to further the President’s misguided focus on anti-immigrant rhetoric, instead of what is in the best interest of national security.”

Good Tuesday 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 Kelly Jane Torrance (@kjtorrance). 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.

ISIS IS ALREADY RECONSTITUTING: The warning that ISIS, having lost its hold on territory, will morph into a deadly insurgency force is already proving prescient, especially in Iraq, where ISIS has been “defeated” much longer.

“They’re reconstituting as small groups, operating in the shadows as a low-level insurgency. They’re not holding terrain, they’re not controlling populations,” said James Jeffrey, special envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, at the State Department yesterday.

ISIS is stronger in Iraq, he said, because it has had more time to rebuild, while in Syria the fight is fresh “and ISIS elements are in shock from having lost this terrain.”

Jeffrey noted that ISIS still has significant financial assets, “certainly in the millions,” and an unknown number of fighters that could be as high as 20,000. “I’ll throw out figures and they’re not worth the paper they’re printed on or the air, the breath, we used to say. We’ve heard 15 to 20, between Syria and Iraq.”

SALVO TEST A HIT AND A HIT: The Missile Defense Agency tested its Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system yesterday, which is designed to shoot down a nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missile launched by a country such as North Korea.

The test employed two missile defense interceptors against a mock warhead, in what’s known as a “salvo test,” the idea being if the first missed the second would have another shot at the incoming warhead. In a release yesterday, the MDA said it worked as intended.

One of the interceptors was labeled GBI-Lead, which successfully took down the unarmed reentry vehicle, and the second was labeled the GBI-Trail, which targeted the next “most lethal object” after it failed to identify any other reentry vehicles.

“This was the first GBI salvo intercept of a complex, threat-representative ICBM target, and it was a critical milestone,” said MDA director Air Force Lt. Gen. Samuel A. Greaves. “The system worked exactly as it was designed to do, and the results of this test provide evidence of the practicable use of the salvo doctrine within missile defense.”

CRITICS REMAIN CRITICAL: Longtime critics of missile defense remain unimpressed, continuing to argue the rudimentary system can be easily overwhelmed by multiple incoming missiles or fooled by cheap, easy-to-deploy decoys.

“About half of the previous intercept tests have failed, despite being conducted under very structured, optimistic test conditions and the record has not been improving over time,” says Laura Grego, a senior scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Global Security Program.

“Moreover, the defense system can be fooled by the attacking missile releasing multiple decoys and other countermeasures, which could keep the interceptor from knowing which object to hit,” she argues. “That fundamental problem is not solved by adding a second interceptor, which could also be fooled.”

ANOTHER VIEW FROM THE COCKPIT: Paula Coughlin, former Navy helicopter pilot and victim of military sexual assault, has an op-ed in Military Times taking issue with Sen. Martha McSally’s, R-Ariz., call to keep military commanders in charge of handling sexual assault complaints. “We cannot command change from the outside alone,” McSally has said. “It must be deployed from within.”

Coughlin, whose complaint of sexual assault at the infamous 1991 Tailhook Convention effectively ended her naval career, says McSally is right that military sexual assault is a threat to national security but wrong in her insistence that commanders remain at the center of the solution. Coughlin argues, “Empowering military prosecutors to lead the process and decide whether to prosecute cases, or if necessary, turn over cases to the relevant civilian justice systems, is the answer.”

“After years of painful silence, McSally bravely has taken steps to fix a broken justice system by disclosing her horrible rape and revictimization by her command,” Coughlin writes. “What if there had been no fear of retribution and her command had forwarded her complaint to trained investigators, prosecutors and victim advocate lawyers without bias or command influence? This is the next step to make our armed services mission ready: Reform the Uniform Code of Military Justice and reverse the trends of a rape culture that is destroying our military.”

GRAHAM TOLD McCAIN TO DO IT: Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told reporters yesterday he urged the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to give the FBI the dossier put together by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele on potential connections between the Trump campaign and the Russian government.

While golfing with the president at his Mar-a-Lago club, Graham said he also told President Trump that his old friend “deserves better.”

“There were some McCain people who took a piece of garbage and tried to go after Trump after the election. But I told the president it was not John McCain. I know because John McCain showed me the dossier,” said Graham.

“And I told him the only thing I know to do with it, it could be a bunch of garbage, it could be true, who knows, turn it over to somebody whose job it is to find out. And John McCain acted appropriately.”

The Rundown

Washington Examiner: Pompeo: U.S. ‘will not stand idly by’ as Russia sends troops and military cargo to Venezuela

Foreign Policy: China’s Scare Tactics Prompt U.S. Fears Of A Clash Over Taiwan

Al-Monitor: Pentagon sustains budget for arming local anti-IS forces amid US pullout

Wall Street Journal: With End of Islamic State Caliphate, U.S. Shifts to Long New Fight Ahead

Talk Media News: Shanahan faces critical moment in bid regarding job status

New York Times: Military Bases Brace for Cuts That Would Fund Border Wall

Air Force Magazine: Additional F-35As, KC-46s Wanted in New Unfunded Priorities List

USNI News: Navy’s $3.2B Unfunded List Includes Asks For Attack Boat Repair Money, ‘Ambulance’ Vessel

Military.com: Navy OKs New Slacks, Skirts, Shoes and Other Uniform Items for Female Sailors

Military.com: Sailors Will No Longer Need 12 Years of Good Conduct to Sport Gold Stripes

Calendar

TUESDAY | MARCH 26

8 a.m. Von Braun Center, Huntsville Alabama. Three-day 2019 AUSA ILW Global Force Symposium & Exposition. Speakers include Ryan McCarthy, undersecretary of the Army; Gen. John Murray, U.S. Army Futures Commander; and Gen. Robert Brown, U.S. Army Pacific Commander. Full agenda at ausameetings.org

8:30 a.m. 2301 Constitution Avenue N.W. “Overcoming War Legacies: The Road to Reconciliation and Future Cooperation Between the United States and Vietnam.” www.usip.org

9:30 a.m. SD-G50, Dirksen. Army Secretary Mark Esper and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley provide testimony on the fiscal 2020 Army budget and future years defense program the Senate Armed Services Committee. https://www.armed-services.senate.gov

10 a.m. 2118 Rayburn. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford testify before the House Armed Services Committee on the Fiscal 2020 DoD budget. armedservices.house.gov/hearings

11 a.m. H-140 Capitol. House Appropriation Subcommittee on Defense Reserve Components. Witnesses: Maj. Gen. Bradley James, commander, Marine Forces Reserve; Gen. Joseph Lengyel, chief, National Guard Bureau; Lt. Gen. Charles Luckey, chief, Army Reserve; Vice Adm. Luke McCollum, chief, Navy Reserve; and Lt. Gen. Richard Scobee, chief, Air Force Reserve. Live-stream at https://youtu.be/Wsx3JrbOaU4

2 p.m. 2212 Rayburn House Armed Services Committee Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces Hearing: Department of the Navy Fiscal Year 2020 budget request. Witnesses: James Guerts, assistant secretary of the Navy for research development and acquisition; Vice Adm. William Merz, deputy chief of naval operations; and Lt. Gen. David Berger, deputy commandant for combat development and integration. armedservices.house.gov/hearings

2 p.m. 2359 Rayburn. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies, budget hearing on military installations and Base Realignment and Closure overview. Witnesses: Robert McMahon, assistant secretary of defense for sustainment; Air Force Brig. Gen. John Allen, deputy chief of staff for logistics, engineering & force protection; Army Lt. Gen. Gwen Bingham, assistant chief of staff for installations management; Vice Adm. Dixon Smith, deputy chief of naval operations for fleet readiness and logistics; and Maj. Gen. Vincent Coglianese, commander, Marine Corps Installations Command. appropriations.house.gov

WEDNESDAY | MARCH 27

9:30 a.m. SD-G50 Dirksen. Mark Esper, secretary of the Army, and Gen. Mark Milley, chief of staff of the Army, testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee. www.armed-services.senate.gov

10 a.m. 2118 Rayburn. House Armed Services Committee hearing on “National Security Challenges and U.S. Military Activities in the Indo-Pacific.” Witnesses: U.S. Indo-Pacific Commander Adm. Philip Davidson; U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Robert Abrams; Randall Schriver, assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs. armedservices.house.gov/hearings

10 a.m. SR-232A Russell. James Geurts, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development, and acquisition; Vice Adm. William Merz, deputy chief of naval operations for warfare systems; Lt. Gen. David Berger, commanding general, Marine Corps Combat Development Command testify before the Senate Armed Services seapower subcommittee. www.armed-services.senate.gov

10 a.m. 214 Massachusetts Avenue N.E. “A Budget Conversation with the Secretary of the Air Force,” at the Heritage Foundation. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson, and JV Venable, senior research fellow for defense policy. Live streamed at www.heritage.org

2:30 p.m. SR-222 Russell. Kenneth Rapuano, assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and global security; Gen. John Raymond, commander, Air Force Space Command; Lt. Gen. John Thompson, commander, Space And Missile Systems Center, Air Force Space Command; and Cristina Chaplain, director, Acquisition And Sourcing Management, Government Accountability Office, testify before the Senate Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee. www.armed-services.senate.gov

4 p.m. 2118 Rayburn. House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee hearing on “Reserve Component Duty Status Reform.” Witnesses: Jeri Bucsh, director, DoD’s Military Compensation Policy Department, Maj. Gen. Mike Taheri, National Guard Bureau director of staff; Patrick Barrett, deputy chief, Navy Reserve; Lt. Gen. Richard Scobee, chief, Air Force Reserve, and Maj. Gen. Bradley James, chief, Marine Corps Reserve. armedservices.house.gov/hearings

THURSDAY | MARCH 28

8 a.m. 1250 S Hayes St. Defense One and Nextgov “Genius Machines Summit” to showcasing government leaders, tech experts, researchers and thought leaders who are shaping the future of artificial intelligence at the Ritz-Carlton – Pentagon City. Among the experts: Lt Gen John “Jack” Shanahan, director, Joint Artificial Intelligence Center at 10:40 a.m. The Ritz-Carlton – Pentagon City. Register here.

10 a.m. 2212 Rayburn. House Armed Services Intelligence and Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee hearing on Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Request for Department of Defense Science and Technology Programs. Witnesses: Michael Griffin, under secretary of defense for research and engineering; Bruce Jette, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology; James Geurts, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development, and acquisition; and William Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology, and logistics. armedservices.house.gov/hearings

10 a.m. 2118 Rayburn. House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee hearing on Fiscal Year 2020 priorities for DoD nuclear activities. Witnesses: David Trachtenberg, deputy under secretary of defense for policy; U.S. Strategic Commander Gen. John Hyten; Vice Adm. Johnny Wolfe, director, Strategic Systems Programs; and Lt. Gen. Richard Clark, deputy chief of staff, strategic deterrence and nuclear integration. armedservices.house.gov/hearings

FRIDAY | MARCH 29

11:30 a.m. 2301 Constitution Avenue N.W. U.S. Institute of Peace, “A New Parliament in Iraq,” a discussion with Iraq’s new speaker of the Council of Representatives, Mohammed al-Halbousi. www.usip.org

TUESDAY | APRIL 2

11:45 a.m. 201 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Hudson Institute “Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Technology: Implications for U.S. National Security,” with Hudson Senior Fellow Arthur Herman, Aaron VanDevender, Founders Fund; Elsa Kania,Center for New American Security; and Hudson Senior Fellow Sorin Ducaru, a former senior NATO official for emerging security challenges. Register here.

3 p.m. First Base Gate on Potomac Avenue SE. Washington Nationals Military Appreciation Day. Nats vs. Phillies. 7:05 First Pitch. Two complimentary tickets to all active duty, dependents, veterans, retirees, and reservists with military ID or proof of service. Please visit the windows next to the First Base Gate beginning at 3 p.m. to pick up your tickets while supplies last. www.mlb.com/nationals

THURSDAY | APRIL 4

10 a.m. 667 K Street N.W. Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments Book Talk. “The End of Strategic Stability? Nuclear Weapons and the Challenge of Regional Rivalries.” Amb. Eric Edelman, CSBA, and Rebecca Hersman, CSIS, discuss this new volume with the editors, Lawrence Rubin and Adam Stulberg. Register here.