Daily on Defense by Jamie McIntyre & Washington Examiner for 02 March

THE SESSIONS STORM: The question driving the day in Washington is: Did Attorney General Jeff Sessions mislead Congress last month during his confirmation hearing? “I didn't have, did not have communications with the Russians,” Sessions testified Jan. 10. Now it turns out he did meet with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, twice. In statement released last night, Sessions drew a distinction between meeting with Kislyak as a surrogate for the Trump campaign, as opposed to his role a senior senator on the Armed Services Committee. "I never met with any Russian officials to discuss issues of the campaign," the statement said. "I have no idea what this allegation is about. It is false."

Democrats immediately stepped up their calls for a special prosecutor, and for Sessions to recuse himself from an investigation into contacts between Russia and the Trump campaign. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi went further, calling for Sessions to resign for “apparent perjury.” Rep. Elijah Cummings, on CNN, said, “These kinds of allegations, if they were brought before the oversight committee with the Republicans in charge, believe me, there would be a major investigation and they would be asking for his resignation today if he were a Democrat.”

The Justice Department confirmed Sessions had contact with Kislyak, but disputed the implication that there was anything improper or deceptive in his congressional testimony. “He was asked during the hearing about communications between Russia and the Trump campaign — not about meetings he took as a senator and a member of the Armed Services Committee,” said Sarah Isgur Flores, a Justice Department spokeswoman. “There was absolutely nothing misleading about his answer.”

At a CNN Town Hall event last night, Sen. Lindsey Graham said it now seems clear that Sessions cannot investigate something he may have a personal stake in. “It is clear to me that Jeff Sessions, who is my dear friend, cannot make this decision about Trump. So there may be nothing there, but if there's something there, if the FBI believes it is criminal in nature, then, for sure, you need a special prosecutor.”

VITAL INTELLIGENCE: The Pentagon continues to push back hard against reports suggesting the January special operations raid in Yemen that took the life of Navy SEAL Ryan Owens, produced little in the way of useful intelligence. Pentagon sources say Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is particularly upset about a report from NBC news that claims “none of the intelligence gleaned from the operation so far has proven actionable or vital.” In his speech Monday night, President Trump quoted Mattis as saying, "Ryan was a part of a highly successful raid that generated large amounts of vital intelligence that will lead to many more victories in the future against our enemy."

A senior Pentagon official told us last night that the intelligence is still being exploited, but has already produced leads as to where other cells of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) are operating in Yemen, along with contacts between individuals. The intel haul includes encrypted hard drives with “terabytes” of data, said the official, who points out that AQAP is a particularly dangerous group that is behind many deadly attacks against the West, including the Charlie Hebdo office massacre in Paris in 2015. “This is a place where we have no troops on the ground,” the official said, “so this kind of intelligence can be very valuable.” The official said Mattis’ displeasure with the NBC report comes from the fact that it’s inaccurate.

NOT A PROP: The White House is also pushing back against the criticism that Owens’ widow was used as a "prop" by the president during his address to a joint session of Congress. Press secretary Sean Spicer said Carryn Owens was consulted and accepted an invitation to honor the life of her husband, Gabby Morrongiello writes. "I think she has a right to honor the sacrifice and legacy of her husband," Spicer told reporters when asked about the attendance of Carryn Owens. He said he has been in Washington for 25 years and has "never seen a sustained applause like that." Lawmakers applauded Owens for more than two minutes after Trump referenced her in his speech Tuesday evening. Spicer also said critics are missing the point by arguing that her appearance was merely a good photo opportunity for Trump.

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 Jacqueline Klimas (@jacqklimas) 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 be sure to add you to our list.

HAPPENING TODAY: Trump heads down to the Newport News Shipbuilding yard today to deliver a speech from the deck of America's newest aircraft carrier, the Gerald R. Ford, to make the case for his increase in military spending. Trump faces an uphill battle in Congress both from those who opposed his plan to take the proposed $54 billion increase for defense out of domestic spending, and those such as Sens. John McCain and Graham who think the boost in the Pentagon budget is too meager (it’s only 3 percent higher than what Obama projected for fiscal 2018).

“The bottom line is, I applaud President Trump for understanding the need to rebuild the military,” Graham said on CNN last night. “Here's what I would suggest: $603 billion is not going to cut it. John McCain has a plan for $640 billion. You need to talk to John.”

Trump also needs to find 60 votes in the Senate to raise or eliminate the spending caps mandated by the 2011 Budget Control Act, which could be a problem considering it’s not just Democrats, but also Republican “deficit hawks” who are wary about writing the Pentagon a blank check.

Wisconsin Republican Rep. Sean Duffy argued on Wednesday that the $54 billion increase is "a good start.” Speaking on Fox News, Duffy said Trump’s just keeping his promises. "We have a president who is actually talking about building out our military and taking care of our vets. We haven't seen that for eight years."

LEAVE IRAQ OUT: Part of the delay in issuing a new executive order restricting travel to the United States from countries that are breeding grounds for terrorists seems to be over whether Iraq should be dropped from the original list of seven majority Muslim countries. “I'm told that Iraq will not be one of those seven countries,” McCain said last night on CNN. “That's vital, because the Iraqis now, we have Americans fighting in Iraq against ISIS, and we need the cooperation of the Iraqi government.”

The top U.S. commander in Iraq was asked yesterday how the ban was affecting his relations with the Iraqi military, and he understandably tried to dodge the question. But what Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend did say made clear where his sympathies lie. “Iraq is our partner and ally,” Townsend said in a remote video feed from Baghdad. “They are an ally in the fight against ISIS, and this nation is fully mobilized in this war alongside of us. They've invited us into their country to help them. They are protecting us here and we're fighting this enemy that threatens all of our countries together.”

MORE U.S. TROOPS, BUT NOT THOUSANDS: In that briefing from Baghdad, Townsend also gave some hints about how he sees the battle for Raqqa shaping up in Syria. While discussions continue with NATO ally Turkey about a possible role in the coming Raqqa offensive, Townsend insisted it will be Syrian forces that liberate the city that ISIS has claimed as its capital. Given that Syrian Kurd and Arab fighters lack the heavy weaponry needed for the siege, it’s becoming increasingly clear the U.S. will have to provide some combat firepower in the form of artillery and attack helicopter support. “I don't foresee us bringing in large numbers of coalition troops, mainly because what we're doing is in fact working," Townsend said, adding "I've submitted some recommendations through my chain of command to the new administration, and the new administration is weighing those recommendations and options."

HOME ALONE: Rep. Mac Thornberry said he’s worried Mattis is fighting a solitary battle in representing the views of the Trump administration in the Pentagon because of the slow confirmation and nomination process. “I am concerned that basically you’ve got the secretary and a lot of other folks who don’t necessarily share this administration’s viewpoint,” the House Armed Services Committee chairman told reporters. He also said Mattis spent about 90 minutes with the House Armed Services Committee this week in a closed session answering questions, something the two sides have been trying to set up ever since the transition team prevented the secretary from testifying before his confirmation.

GIVING MATTIS MORE AUTHORITY: Mattis may be allowed to sign off on time-sensitive raids and drone strikes without having to first consult with Trump, according to The Daily Beast. The president reportedly wants Mattis to have a freer hand in ordering raids that, under the last administration, required presidential authority. In theory that could mean Trump would not have to sign off on raids like the one in Yemen in January. U.S. commanders already have the authority to order on raids and drone strikes in active war zones, but in places such as Somalia, Libya, Yemen and other areas outside war zones, the final decision had been made by the president.

Here’s what Pentagon officials tell us about the report: There is a belief that the process of obtaining presidential approval for important military operations under Obama was unnecessarily cumbersome and bureaucratic. Officials say what is under discussion is not so much about taking the president out of the loop, but rather streamlining the process so the president's brought in at the end, after all the details have been worked out, so he can give a quick thumbs up or down.

TOO MUCH CREDIT: Sen. Jack Reed slammed Trump on Wednesday for taking credit in his speech for creating jobs and savings on defense programs that were set in motion long before he took office. "President Trump has a serious credibility problem. He tries to take credit for jobs he didn't create and, with respect to the F-35 program, savings that were achieved before he even took office," Reed said in a statement. Aviation and budgeting experts have debunked Trump’s claim as well.

BANNING BANNON: A handful of House Democrats proposed legislation on Tuesday that would prevent White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon from participating in National Security Council meetings, Pete Kasperowicz writes. Rep. Adriano Espaillat introduced the bill over worries that Bannon last year described himself as someone who wants to destroy the government. "During an interview on August 22, 2016, Bannon referred to himself as a 'Leninist' and stated his goal was to destroy all of today's establishment," Espaillat said. That's a reference to a Daily Beast story in which Bannon was quoted as saying, "Lenin wanted to destroy the state, and that's my goal too. I want to bring everything crashing down, and destroy all of today's establishment."

RUMOR PATROL: An aide to Trump disputed reports that national security adviser Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster told aides not to say "radical Islamic terrorism" during his first meeting with his new staff last week, Kyle Feldscher writes. Reports from the meeting indicated McMaster, known to have an independent streak, said using the phrase wasn't helpful in fighting terrorism. But, deputy assistant to the president Sebastian Gorka said that report wasn't accurate. "He didn't actually say that. You shouldn't believe everything you read in the New York Times," Gorka told NPR Wednesday. "He was talking specifically about ISIS at the time. We're talking about the broader threat."

WEST POINT DRUG CHARGE: A West Point cadet set to graduate this year has been charged with five violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, involving possession and distribution of cocaine and oxycodone. A similar incident at the military academy occurred among six cadets last November. Last month, two of the six cadets were referred to a general court-martial and face charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and wrongful use, introduction and distribution of controlled substances.

REDUCED TO TEARS: For years, McCain, Graham and Sen. Joe Lieberman were known as the “three amigos” for their close friendship. Lieberman has retired from the Senate, but it was clear at CNN’s Town Hall event that McCain and Graham remain fast friends. Both ended the evening last night wiping away tears, and the two leading Republicans seemed more “mawkish” than “hawkish” as the event wrapped up. “I feel like I'm on Oprah now,” Graham joked, in praising McCain. "He is loyal to his friends. He loves his country. And if he has to stand up to his party for his country, so be it," Graham said. "He would die for his country. I love him to death."

Wall Street Journal: White House Options on North Korea Include Use of Military Force

Wall Street Journal: In Mosul, Residents Rebuild as Iraqi Forces Fight Islamic State

Task and Purpose: Army Makes History By Appointing The First Division-Level Muslim Chaplain

These are good. They can be set up as a daily email.

-------------

Want to learn more about Daily on Defense? See our introductory video here.

THE RUNDOWN

Wall Street Journal: White House Options on North Korea Include Use of Military Force

Defense News: NNSA sorting through hiring freeze, budget options

UPI: Jacobs to provide support for U.S. Marines weapons system

UPI: Northrop Grumman begins flight tests with MS-177 sensor

Daily Beast: UN Details Assad and Putin’s War Crimes in Aleppo

Reuters: Iraqi army controls main roads out of Mosul, trapping Islamic State

Wall Street Journal: In Mosul, Residents Rebuild as Iraqi Forces Fight Islamic State

Task and Purpose: Army Makes History By Appointing The First Division-Level Muslim Chaplain

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.