DoD, Congress at odds over Pentagon security Presented by Northrop Grumman

With Zach Montellaro, Ellen Mitchell and Connor O’Brien

DOES THE PENTAGON NEED BETTER SECURITY AT ITS FRONT DOOR? CONGRESS AND THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT ARE AT ODDS, our colleague Austin Wright has the lowdown on the under-the-radar fight over a new Pentagon security screening facility: “The Pentagon says it worries a terrorist could slip right through its front door. But Congress isn't buying it yet. The Defense Department has quietly asked Congress this year for $12 million to build a new employee screening facility at what it calls the Pentagon's ‘most heavily used and vulnerable entrance,’ above the Washington Metro subway. Security procedures there are ‘antiquated, inadequate and substandard,’ the department says — and pose undue risk to employees and security officers from an attempted incursion.


“But Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain, long known for stymieing even relatively small military expenditures, says the Pentagon has not made a compelling case for the project, which would begin next year and be completed in 2019. And the Arizona Republican has persuaded the Senate to withhold funding for the project. It is one of the more obscure — but potentially far-reaching — disagreements between the Obama administration and Congress over the defense spending and policy bills still working their way through the Capitol. The Senate Appropriations Committee followed McCain’s panel in denying the funds.”

WAR REPORT — TURKEY VOWS TO ‘COMPLETELY CLEANSE’ ISIL FROM ITS BORDER REGION: Turkish officials are suggesting they’re preparing a major offensive against the Islamic State in response to this weekend’s bombing that killed more than 50 people. Reuters has more here: “Turkey vowed on Monday to "completely cleanse" Islamic State militants from its border region after a suicide bomber suspected of links to the group killed 54 people, including 22 children, at a Kurdish wedding.

“Saturday's attack in the southeastern city of Gaziantep is the deadliest in Turkey this year. President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday it was carried out by a suicide bomber aged between 12 and 14, adding that initial evidence pointed to Islamic State. But speaking to reporters in Ankara on Monday Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said it was too early to verify the organization responsible or whether the attack was carried out by a child.”

— TURKEY SHELLS ISIL TARGETS, via The Associated Press: “Turkish media are saying that Turkey's artillery has shelled Islamic State targets across the border in Syria. This comes after two mortar rounds, believed to have been fired by the militants, landed on Turkish territory. The Hurriyet newspaper and others say the mortar rounds, fired from IS-held Jarablus on Tuesday morning, hit the town of Karkamis, in Turkey's Gaziantep province. One of them exploded in the garden of a house, but no one was hurt. Hurriyet reported on its website that Turkey's military responded by launching 40 rounds, hitting four IS target. On Monday, Turkish artillery attacked a U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish militia as well as IS positions in Syria.”

— PENTAGON SAYS SYRIAN EXCLUSION ZONE ISN’T A ‘NO FLY ZONE,’ but is it a distinction without a difference? The AP has more on the move here: “Syria has been warned not to fly warplanes in areas where American troops are advising Kurdish and Arab forces fighting the Islamic State group, the Pentagon said on Monday. But it insisted this does not amount to a ‘no fly zone.’ Reporters pushed press secretary Peter Cook to explain the distinction.

“‘Our warning to the Syrians is the same that we've had for some time, that we're going to defend our forces and they would be advised not to fly in areas where our forces have been operating,’ Cook said. ‘It's not a 'no fly zone,'’ he added. Later, he said, ‘You can label it what you want.’”

— MARINE HELICOPTER GUNSHIPS ENTER ISIL FIGHT IN LIBYA, via The Washington Post: “After nearly a month of airstrikes against the Islamic State fighters dug in around the Libyan city of Sirte, U.S. helicopter gunships have been dispatched to help root out the extremist group from some of the denser parts of the city. A U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing operations, said Marine AH-1W SuperCobra helicopters participated in strikes against the Islamic State over the weekend. According to a U.S. Africa Command release, U.S. forces conducted nine strikes from Friday to Sunday, targeting Islamic State fighting positions and vehicles.”

HAPPY TUESDAY AND WELCOME TO MORNING DEFENSE, where we’re always on the lookout for tips, pitches and feedback. Email us at [email protected], and follow on Twitter @jeremyherb, @morningdefense and @politicopro.

NIGERIA SAYS BOKO HARAM LEADER TARGETED IN AIRSTRIKES, and may have killed him, though similar claims have previously turned out to be untrue. Reuters has more here: “Nigeria’s air force said it had killed some senior Boko Haram militants and possibly fatally wounded their overall leader in a raid on the Islamists' northeast heartland. Government planes attacked the fighters in the village of Taye inside the Sambisa forest in Borno State on Friday night, the air force said, adding it had only just confirmed details of the raid.

“‘Their leader, so called 'Abubakar Shekau', is believed to be fatally wounded on his shoulders,’ the statement by army spokesman Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman added. The military has reported Shekau's death in the past, only to have a man purporting to be him appear later, apparently unharmed, making video statements.”

BERGDAHL PRETRIAL HEARINGS CONTINUE ... BUT THE ACTUAL TRIAL MAY GET PUSHED BACK, the AP reports: “The judge overseeing Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's military trial said Monday that a top general must testify about destroying letters that he received from supporters and critics of the soldier who walked off his post in Afghanistan. The judge, Army Col. Jeffery Nance, also cast doubt on the viability of an early 2017 trial date for Bergdahl, but stopped short of changing it.”

INDUSTRY INTEL — FURTHER LAYOFFS POSSIBLE FOR NEWPORT NEWS SHIPBUILDING: The head of Huntington Ingalls Industries said the worst of the company's Newport News Shipbuilding layoffs are in the past, but would not rule out further layoffs this year. CEO and President Mike Petters told POLITICO the layoffs — about 3,000 employees within two years — was driven largely by the across-the-board budget cuts known as sequestration. "Our view is that’s kind of behind us at this point," Petters said. "There may be some puts and takes to get through the work in the next twelve months. I think, in general, most of the worst is behind us and we’ll start building back up by the end of next year."

2016 WATCH — WHY MANY VETERANS ARE STICKING BY TRUMP, The Washington Post reports on why many veterans see Donald Trump as their best choice for president — with a bonus quote from Jim Webb’s son: “Trump can seem an unlikely candidate to be embraced by veterans. He received five draft deferments during the Vietnam War. Last summer, he attacked Sen. John McCain, saying the Arizona Republican was ‘not a war hero’ because he had been captured in Vietnam. More recently, Trump attacked the parents of Capt. Humayun Khan, a U.S. soldier and Muslim who was killed in Iraq, after Khan’s father spoke at the Democratic National Convention with his wife standing by his side at the lectern.

“But among many of the people who have actually fought in this country’s wars, particularly on the front lines of Iraq and Afghanistan, Trump offers a refreshing alternative to 15 years of seemingly endless conflict marked by uncertain goals, fleeting victories and constant personal sacrifice, according to interviews with dozens of veterans who remain unfazed by the Republican candidate’s recent behavior or falling poll numbers. … ‘I think there’s a pretty sour taste in a lot of guys’ mouths about Iraq and about what happened there,’ said Jim Webb Jr., a Marine veteran, Trump supporter, son of former U.S. senator Jim Webb (D-Va.).”

DOCUMENT DRAWER — GUARD ADVOCATES IN CONGRESS LOBBY AGAINST TROOP CUTS: Members of the House National Guard and Reserve Caucus are calling on congressional defense leaders to halt the Pentagon's reduction in the size of the military as they negotiate a final National Defense Authorization Act. In a letter outlining the caucus's priorities, 43 lawmakers urged the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to adopt provisions from the House NDAA maintaining higher end strengths in both the active duty military and reserves. The letter was organized by Reps Tim Walz (D-Minn.) and Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.), who co-chair the caucus.

MAKING MOVES — McKINLEY TO STEP DOWN AS NDIA HEAD: Retired Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley is stepping down at the end of the year as the president and chief executive of the National Defense Industrial Association. McKinley, who took over the country's largest defense industry association in January 2015, said in a statement "the time is right to transfer leadership of NDIA to a new generation and shift my focus to a series of personal and philanthropic endeavors.”

McKinley will remain an adviser on "defense industry and government-related issues and will continue to serve on corporate and nonprofit boards," the association added. He’ll also work with the NDIA board to find a replacement, which will be led by executive search firm Korn Ferry.

SPEED READ

— The new top commander of the anti-ISIL campaign is skeptical of military cooperation with Russia in Syria: AP

— Japan is trying to regain its footing in manufacturing by turning to aerospace: The New York Times

— Tensions are escalating between Russia and Ukraine ahead of Moscow’s planned large military drills next month: The Washington Post

— An anti-immigration group stages a fake terrorist attack as a protest in Prague: NYT

— More than 100 American troops have been sent to Lashkar Gah to help prevent the Taliban from overturning the capital of Helmand province: The Guardian

— Taliban forces continued with a third day of attacks in an apparent push to retake Kunduz: The Washington Post

— The Islamic State struggles to retain its grip on the territory in Iraq it still controls: AP

— An analysis of Turkey’s potentially momentous shift on Assad: AP

— Britain has begun housing Islamic extremist prisoners separate from the general prison population: USA Today

— The Army is testing autonomous golf carts at Fort Bragg in North Carolina to transport injured soldiers to rehab: Automotive News

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