Obama, Netanyahu meet at the White House Presented by Northrop Grumman

With Louis Nelson, Austin Wright and Leigh Munsil

DRIVING THE DAY — OBAMA, NETANYAHU MEET AT THE WHITE HOUSE: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is back at the White House today for another high-profile meeting between the leaders with a tense relationship, to put it nicely. The New York Times’ Peter Baker and Jodi Rudoren set the scene: “For President Obama, it was a day of celebration. He had just signed the most important domestic measure of his presidency, his health care program. So when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel arrived at the White House for a hastily arranged visit, it was likely not the main thing on his mind.


“To White House officials, it was a show of respect to make time for Mr. Netanyahu on that day back in March 2010. But Mr. Netanyahu did not see it that way. ... ‘That wasn’t a good way to treat me,’ he complained to an American afterward. The tortured relationship between Barack and Bibi, as they call each other, has been a story of crossed signals, misunderstandings, slights perceived and real. Burdened by mistrust, divided by ideology, the leaders of the United States and Israel talked past each other for years until the rupture over Mr. Obama’s push for a nuclear agreement with Iran led to the spectacle of Mr. Netanyahu denouncing the president’s efforts before a joint meeting of Congress.”

ABOUT THE WEEKEND — DEFENSE WORLD GATHERS IN SIMI VALLEY: Defense Secretary Ash Carter, four-star generals and admirals, committee chairmen and defense CEOs all shared their insights on the state of the military and defense industry this weekend at the Reagan National Defense Forum. The conference at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library had hundreds of attendees, too, from defense companies big and small — and a vocal contingent of students from Marquette University. We’ll have plenty in the coming days from our time in California, but here are some of our initial takeaways:

— DEFENSE WORLD HOPES BUDGET WOES ARE FADING, from our story on the state of the industry post-budget deal: “The two-year budget deal has injected a new sense of optimism into the defense world that the worst of sequestration is over, but it hasn’t fully eradicated nagging concerns the agreement failed to solve the fundamental problems that prompted the defense downturn. The newfound hopefulness was apparent here over the weekend at the annual Reagan National Defense Forum. … ‘I think we’ve turned the corner in the sense the slide has been stemmed,’ House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) said in an interview.

“Still, some in the industry warn the celebration may be premature. The fundamental federal budget dilemma — Democrats want to curb the deficit with tax increases opposed by Republicans, and Republicans want to do it through entitlement savings opposed by Democrats — has not been resolved ... ‘The reality was those two philosophical positions were irreconcilable and that’s why we ended up having sequestration,’ said former Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.). ‘That’s got to be confronted at some point.’”

— CARTER WARNS OF THREATS FROM RUSSIA, CHINA, via our story on the defense secretary’s keynote address: “Carter compared the Pentagon’s effort to modernize today to the one Reagan faced as president in the 1980s with Moscow in the Cold War, calling it a ‘generational challenge, like it was in Reagan’s time.’ Russia poses current threats at sea, in the air and cyberspace, in addition to Moscow’s 'nuclear saber-rattling,’ Carter said. But he added the U.S. military is responding, from modernizing the U.S. nuclear arsenal to developing new technologies like the Long-Range Strike Bomber and electromagnetic railgun to trying to blunt Russia’s propaganda campaigns.

“‘We do not seek a cold, let alone a hot, war with Russia,’ Carter said. ‘We do not seek to make Russia an enemy. But make no mistake: The United States will defend our interests and our allies, the principled international order, and the positive future it affords us all.’”

— EVEN AT A DEFENSE CONFERENCE, IMMIGRATION ISSUES RUN HOT: One of the most contentious moments Saturday came at the end of a panel with Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.), Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy, where they got heated questions from the audience on immigration. The crowd statements focused on refugees becoming terrorists, from Syria or otherwise, which prompted McCain to quip: “Not to worry because we’re gonna build a wall and the Mexicans are gonna pay for it.” When moderator Barbara Starr of CNN asked McCain about Donald Trump’s commander-in-chief qualifications, McCain focused on Trump’s immigration comments instead.

HAPPY MONDAY AND WELCOME TO MORNING DEFENSE, where we're still recovering from our weekend in Simi Valley but enjoyed seeing many of you out there. Let us know what you think about our new method of embedding links into Morning D at [email protected], or on Twitter @ jeremyherb, @ morningdefense and @ politicopro.

What Works Event — Live From Brussels: Tune in as POLITICO Magazine continues an international series of conversations about the future of cities with an exchange of lessons learned in Countering Violent Extremism in the US and Europe between speakers: Mashuq Ally, Assistant Director, Birmingham City Council, United Kingdom; Mayor Hans Bonte, Vilvoorde, Belgium;· Jan Jambon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Security and the Interior with responsibility for the Large Cities and Buildings Agency, Belgium; Tibor Navracsics, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport; Adbi Warsame, Minneapolis City Council Member. Watch Live November 10, 12pm EST: POLITICO.com/live .

** A message from UnitedHealth Group: At UnitedHealth Group, one reason we are optimistic about the future of health care is connectivity: Exchanging information seamlessly among people, providers, and places. http://bit.ly/1WFgdFc **

PRO SCOOP — F-35 CYBERSECURITY TESTS DELAYED OVER VULNERABILITY CONCERNS, our colleague Austin Wright has the story: “Military officials have delayed key cybersecurity testing of the F-35 fighter jet out of concern the drills could damage the sophisticated software that serves as the backbone for the next-generation aircraft's operations, irking the Pentagon's own weapons testers and members of Congress. The delays, which have not previously been reported and were confirmed by the F-35 Joint Program Office, are the latest in a string of controversies surrounding the military's most costly weapon system, which is years behind schedule and over cost.

“Those who are pushing for the drills to be conducted as planned say there’s irony in the program office’s concerns that cyber tests could damage the fighter program and disrupt real-world F-35 operations. Such concerns, they say, are exactly why the tests are necessary for the Lockheed Martin-built plane that’s often described as a flying computer and is intended to ensure the Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps can maintain air dominance for decades to come.”

U.S. INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES SET TO POINT TO BOMB DESTROYING RUSSIAN PLANE, via our colleague Leigh Munsil: “The U.S. intelligence community is nearly ready to conclude the Islamic State or an affiliate is behind the downing of the Russian passenger jet over Egypt, two top members of the House Intelligence Committee said Sunday. ‘Until it’s final, we can’t say,’ Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) said on ABC’s ‘This Week.’ ‘But, right now, all the evidence points in that direction, yes.’

“And an airline or airport worker likely placed a bomb on the plane, added Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the committee's ranking Democrat. ‘There’s a growing body of intelligence and evidence that this was a bomb,’ Schiff said on ABC. ‘I also think that ISIS might have concluded that the best way to defeat airport defenses is not to go through them — but to go around them with the help of somebody on the inside.’”

2016 WATCH — BEN CARSON CLAIMED WEST POINT SCHOLARSHIP BUT NEVER APPLIED, POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney has the story that generated plenty of controversy over the weekend on both sides of the debate: “Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson on Friday conceded that he never applied nor was granted admission to West Point and attempted to recast his previous claims of a full scholarship to the military academy — despite numerous public and written statements to the contrary over the last few decades.

“West Point has occupied a central place in Carson’s personal story for years. According to a tale told in his book, ‘Gifted Hands,’ the then-17 year old was introduced in 1969 to Gen. William Westmoreland, who had just ended his command of U.S. forces in Vietnam, and the two dined together. That meeting, according to Carson’s telling, was followed by the offer of a ‘full scholarship’ to the military academy. West Point, however, has no record of Carson applying, much less being extended admission.”

— CARSON: ‘IT’S REALLY TIME TO MOVE ON,’ via POLITICO’s Munsil: “Ben Carson says he's under more scrutiny than any previous presidential candidate, suggesting the excessive vetting was a response to the threat he poses to progressivism and Democrat Hillary Clinton's campaign. ‘I have always said that I expect to be vetted, but being vetted and what is going on with me — 'You said this 30 years ago, you said this 20 years ago, this didn’t exist,' ... I have not seen that with anyone else,’ the Republican presidential hopeful said in an interview aired Sunday on NBC's ‘Meet the Press.’"

INDUSTRY INTEL — BOEING, LOCKHEED PROTEST BOMBER DECISION: Boeing and Lockheed Martin are protesting the Air Force's decision to award the Long Range Strike Bomber contract to Northrop Grumman, the companies announced Friday. The protest, to the Government Accountability Office, is a sign the losing team doesn't believe the selection process was fair — and marks the beginning of a new round of political wrangling over the high profile project. The Air Force's next-generation bomber is expected to be worth as much as $111 billion over the coming decades and has been one of the hardest-fought weapons competitions in recent Pentagon history.

SPEED READ

— A breakaway faction of the Taliban says it’s ready to negotiate with the Afghan government and support the rights of women to work and seek education: The Washington Post

— The defense secretary says more U.S. troops are possible in Syria to fight against the Islamic State: ABC News

— Arab allies are vanishing from the campaign against the Islamic State as the U.S. ramps up airstrikes: The New York Times

— Former prisoners of the Islamic State describe their captivity before a raid freed them in Iraq when a U.S. soldier was killed: The Washington Post

— Venezuela says a Coast Guard intelligence plane violated its airspace: Reuters

— Federal prosecutors are investigating pharmacies for fraudulent claims in the military health insurance program: The Wall Street Journal

— Canada’s naval industry eyes an influx of cash following the nation’s pullout from the F-35 fighter program: Defense News

— A safety system designed to quickly ground the big Army surveillance blimp likely failed when it untethered and flew away from Maryland to Pennsylvania: Inside Defense

— A mysterious flash of light streaking across the Southern California sky Saturday was a Trident missile fired in a test by the Navy: San Diego Union-Tribune

WORK SMARTER NOT HARDER: LEGISLATIVE COMPASS — POLITICO Pro, POLITICO’s premium subscription service, arms policy professionals with the ability to do more than just track bills. With Legislative Compass, Pros can quickly compare bill language, get whip counts, understand where bills originate and track who supports specific legislation in Congress. Become a Pro and empower yourself to make smarter decisions. Schedule your demo today.

** A message from UnitedHealth Group: At UnitedHealth Group, connectivity means we can reinvent the house call with the latest mobile technology; empower patients with access to doctors online; and equip care providers with comprehensive medical records and real-time results, enabling the best treatment decisions. Let’s get to a better future, faster. http://bit.ly/1WFgdFc **

Follow us on Twitter Dave Brown @dave_brown24



Bryan Bender @bryandbender



Connor O'Brien @connorobriennh



Jacqueline Feldscher @jacqklimas



Lara Seligman @laraseligman