Negotiations set to begin for NDAA conference Presented by Northrop Grumman

With Zach Montellaro and Connor O’Brien

WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING — MORE CHAOS ERUPTS IN THE HOUSE AS DEMS PRESS ‘SIT-IN’ OVER GUN CONTROL: Democrats are continuing their “sit-in” on the House floor this morning after House Republican leaders moved to recess through the July 4 holiday. Our weary congressional team reports Speaker Paul Ryan called votes at 2:30 a.m., including on the conference report for military construction-Veterans Affairs appropriations and Zika virus funding, before wrapping up for the week early —without the gun vote Democrats are demanding. It’s unclear how long Democrats will keep the protest going with the House adjourned, but the move is likely to have an impact on legislation through the rest the year.


LET THE NEGOTIATIONS BEGIN — ARMED SERVICES LEADERS SCHEDULED TO MEET TODAY ON NDAA: Assuming the House members remain in town, the leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees plan to meet today to begin the process of reconciling the differences in their versions of the National Defense Authorization Act. "We're going to meet tomorrow morning and start laying out the whole agenda," Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain said on Wednesday.

The initial meeting of the so-called "Big Four" — the chairmen and ranking Democrats of the two Armed Services panels — is a substantial step in kicking off the negotiations on the must-pass legislation. But a formal House-Senate conference can't begin until the two chambers appoint their conferees. McCain wouldn't say if lawmakers had a specific timetable to produce a final bill, adding only that both Armed Services Committees recognize the constraints on their time as Congress faces a lengthy summer recess beginning in mid-July. "It's going to be tough because there are so few days. You really look at it. Out...all of August," the Arizona Republican said. "It's tough, but we're going to move as fast as we can."

— THE END-STRENGTH DEBATE — DoD OFFICIAL SAYS MORE TROOPS WOULD COST $30B: Congressional increases in military forces would cost roughly $30 billion across the Pentagon's five-year budget plan, a senior official said today. "The force-structure delta that we're talking about with the House bills is about a $30 billion bill over... the five-year plan," John Conger, the principal deputy undersecretary in the Pentagon comptroller's office, said at the Association of Defense Communities summit. The House defense authorization and appropriations bills boost troop strengths over this year by 5,000 for the active-duty Army, 8,000 for the Army National Guard, 7,000 for the Army Reserve and 1,000 for the active-duty Marine Corps. The Senate bill does not have those increases.

IN OR OUT — BRITAIN DECIDES TODAY WHETHER TO ‘BREXIT’: British voters are heading to the polls today to decide whether to “remain” or “leave” the European Union. The public opinion polls before the vote were in a dead heat, and whichever way the vote goes, it will have global implications. The Wall Street Journal looks at U.S. fears here, including concerns about losing European sanctions against Russia and intelligence sharing. Follow the action all day with our POLITICO Europe live blog here.

— THE U.S. ARMY IS HAVING ITS OWN ‘IN-OR-OUT’ DEBATE: It may not be as consequential as Brexit, but the Army debate over “in or out” is raging, too. Over camo, that is. “Camo in, or camo out? This is the conundrum Army leaders face before making a final decision to allow rolling sleeves of the Army Combat Uniform. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley is expected to rule by Monday,” Military Times writes.

“Some favor ‘the Marine way’ of rolling sleeves, which produces a roll with the camo pattern facing in. But plenty others have lobbied for a return to the ‘camo out’ style, which is how soldiers rolled the sleeves of the Army's old Battle Dress Uniform.” Military Times is currently running a survey and says the results will be shared with Milley ahead of the decision.

HAPPY THURSDAY AND WELCOME TO MORNING DEFENSE, where we’re always happy when C-SPAN makes compelling viewing after midnight, no matter the reason. Keep the tips, pitches and feedback coming at [email protected], and follow on Twitter @jeremyherb, @morningdefense and @politicopro.

HAPPENING TODAY — MILLEY TALKS ARMY PRIORITIES AT CSIS: Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley speaks this morning at an event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. We suspect he’ll get questions about Army troop levels, the Pentagon’s proposed drawdown, the war against the Islamic State and yes, maybe even uniforms.

ALSO TODAY — DIRECTED ENERGY SUMMIT: Missile Defense Agency Director Vice Adm. James Syring and Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Bill Moran are among the speakers at the Directed Energy Summit 2016 hosted by Booz Allen and the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. The daylong schedule is here.

THE NORTH KOREAN CONUNDRUM — HOW CONCERNING IS APPARENT PROGRESS ON MISSILE TESTS? The Associated Press reports on the reaction to the latest missile tests from Pyongyang Wednesday: “North Korea took a significant step Wednesday in the development of a powerful ballistic missile intended to reach U.S. bases in the Pacific, launching one of the weapons about 620 miles high after five failed attempts in recent months.

“The North's suspected Musudan tests worry Washington and its allies, Tokyo and Seoul, because the missile's potential 2,180-mile range puts much of Asia and the Pacific, including U.S. military bases there, within reach. Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said the most recent launch demonstrated a ‘certain level of capability,’ and could lead to a further strengthening of North Korea's ballistic missile capabilities that can cover Japanese territory.”

THE ISIL WAR — ARE GAINS AGAINST THE ISLAMIC STATE EFFECTIVE? There’s a concern among some U.S. officials that the recent gains could backfire, reports Reuters: “President Barack Obama and some administration officials have hailed recent military gains against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, but other U.S. officials and outside experts warn that the U.S.-backed air and ground campaign is far from eradicating the radical Islamic group, and could even backfire.

“While Islamic State’s defeats in Iraq and Syria have erased its image of invincibility, they threaten to give it greater legitimacy in the eyes of disaffected Sunni Muslims because Shi'ite and Kurdish fighters are a major part of the campaign, some U.S. intelligence officials argue. A second danger, some U.S. officials said, is that as the group loses ground in the Iraqi city of Fallujah and elsewhere, it will turn increasingly to less conventional military tactics and to directing and inspiring more attacks against ‘soft’ targets in Europe, the United States and elsewhere.”

— CARTER SAYS PENTAGON WON’T DISCLOSE BATTLEFIELD INJURIES, via Stars and Stripes’ Tara Copp: “The Pentagon will not disclose the details of U.S. forces wounded in a battle against the Islamic State group, a stand that Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said was consistent with Defense Department policy in previous conflicts. “We made no change in policy with respect to disclosing information about wounded service members, none whatsoever,” Carter said Wednesday. This week, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said he would not provide details on whether four service members were injured in Syria earlier this month because it would aid the Islamic State group.”

2016 WATCH — SCOWCROFT ANOTHER GOP NATSEC OFFICIAL TO ENDORSE CLINTON, via our colleague Nick Gass: “Brent Scowcroft, national security adviser under Republican Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush, endorsed Hillary Clinton for president on Wednesday. ‘Secretary Clinton shares my belief that America must remain the world’s indispensable leader,’ Scowcroft said in a statement, touting her experience as secretary of state.”

— RUMSFELD SAYS HE’S ‘CLEARLY’ VOTING FOR TRUMP, via POLITICO’s Kristen East: “Donald Rumsfeld, George W. Bush’s first defense secretary, said he “can’t imagine” not voting for Donald Trump in November. Rumsfeld, speaking to Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren on Wednesday night, said he is ‘clearly’ going to vote for Trump before going on to list reasons for which he couldn’t vote for Hillary Clinton.”

— RUBIO TO RUN FOR REELECTION TO THE SENATE, though his habit this year of not attending Foreign Relations Committee hearings hasn’t changed so far, our colleague Burgess Everett reports. Burgess also writes that Rubio’s decision to stay could leave the Senate with the awkward problem of having yet another Republican next year with presidential ambitions.

McCAIN-BACKED PUSH TO EXPAND FBI SURVEILLANCE POWERS STALLS IN SENATE, via POLITICO’s Alex Byers: “The Senate failed to advance a GOP proposal Wednesday that would broaden the FBI’s ability to obtain internet records from technology companies, dealing a blow to Republicans who want to expand the government's intelligence capabilities after the Orlando, Fla., nightclub shooting this month. The measure, attached as an amendment to a Justice Department spending bill, received a vote of 58-38, falling two votes short of the 60-vote threshold needed to move forward.”

POLITICO PRO Q&A — REP. ADAM SMITH, our interview, with Connor O’Brien: “Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, has long criticized his colleagues for failing to make hard choices in the Pentagon’s budget. The 10-term congressman from Washington state voted against the National Defense Authorization Act in May, hitting Republicans for shortchanging the Pentagon’s war account to pay for other programs, as well as for rejecting potential savings in the military health system and by retiring older weapons platforms. And he's taken plenty of positions that a majority of his colleagues oppose, from actively supporting a new round of base closures to his recent opposition to building a new Long-Range Standoff Weapon.” POLITICO sat down with Smith on Capitol Hill to discuss the defense budget, his goals for upcoming House-Senate conference negotiations and his habit of making movie analogies, in particular Austin Power references. The full Q&A is here, for Pros.

SPEED READ

— A tour of Fallujah reveals grim remnants of life under the Islamic State: The New York Times

— Clashes and an explosion in Libya leave more than 60 dead in one day: The Associated Press

— The Islamic State is launching counterattacks in Syria, Iraq and Libya: AP

— The U.S. is struggling to replace Afghanistan’s Russian-made helicopters due to sanctions: WSJ

— U.S.-backed groups in Syria are now fighting amongst each other: Reuters

— The U.S. releases a Yemeni captive to Montenegro after 14 years at the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, leaving 79 remaining detainees: Miami Herald

— Japan examines a suspected nose cone of a North Korean rocket that washed ashore: Reuters

— German Chancellor Angela Merkel calls for strengthening NATO’s eastern flank: Reuters

— The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is beginning to explore virtual reality: NextGov

— The Pope will visit a memorial to victims of the Armenian genocide: WSJ

— Fireworks and live bands are banned at U.S. military bases in Japan for July 4th: Stars and Stripes

— Why the GOP is trying to stop the Pentagon's climate plan: POLTICO Agenda

Follow us on Twitter Dave Brown @dave_brown24



Bryan Bender @bryandbender



Connor O'Brien @connorobriennh



Jacqueline Feldscher @jacqklimas



Lara Seligman @laraseligman