Putin boasts new nukes are decades ahead of rivals Presented by Northrop Grumman

With Eleanor Mueller and Connor O’Brien

PUTIN BOASTS NEW NUKES LEAVE RIVALS IN THE DUST, via The Associated Press: “Russian President Vladimir Putin boasted about his country’s prospective nuclear weapons Thursday, saying they are years and even decades ahead of foreign designs.


“Speaking before the graduates of Russian military academies, Putin said the new weapons represent a quantum leap in the nation’s military capability.

“‘A number of our weapons systems are years, and, perhaps, decades ahead of foreign analogues,’ Putin told young military officers who gathered in an ornate Kremlin hall. ‘Modern weapons contribute to a multifold increase in the Russian military potential.’”

Ahead of the just-announced summit with Putin July 16 in Helsinki, President Donald Trump plays coy about Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, writes POLITICO’s Matthew Nussbaum.

“Russia continues to say they had nothing to do with Meddling in our Election!” the president tweeted Thursday morning.

Also Thursday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Trump must address election interference with Putin. “When Putin says Russia did not interfere in our election, he is lying,” Graham said. “When he says they won’t do it in the future, he is lying.”

Meanwhile, NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg says Trump’s planned summit with is Putin is “a sign of strength,” via POLITICO’s James Randerson.

Nonetheless, nervous U.S. allies and Russia skeptics will be looking on, writes Reuters.

HAPPY FRIDAY 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 @greg_hellman, @morningdefense and @politicopro.

MD TRIVIA: Today’s trivia question comes from last week’s winner, David Morriss: The Navy recently accepted its newest DDG-51 destroyer, the USS Thomas Hudner. The Navy named the destroyer for a Medal of Honor recipient who purposely crashed his aircraft while trying to provide support and a distraction as enemy troops were closing in on a fellow aviator who had been shot down.

Who was the downed aviator Hudner was attempting to help and what was his trailblazing distinction?

The first person to email the correct answer to Morning D ([email protected]) wins a mention in Monday’s edition.

FOR YOUR RADAR — POMPEO TO VISIT NORTH KOREA, reports the Financial Times: “U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit Pyongyang next week to press forward with the Trump administration’s efforts to force North Korea to denuclearize, according to four people familiar with his plans.

“The visit will be the first senior level face-to-face contact since U.S. President Donald Trump met leader Kim Jong Un in a landmark summit in Singapore this month. Their joint declaration was widely derided for lacking concrete detail, but US officials have been trying to take the next steps.”

In South Korea, President Moon Jae-in says his country’s alliance with the U.S. is the key to recent steps to denuclearize peninsula, via Reuters.

And the commander of U.S. military forces there says South Korea paid for 90 percent of biggest overseas base, also via Reuters.

— MEANWHILE, MATTIS SEEKS TO REASSURE JAPAN, writes The Washington Post: “The United States will uphold its commitment to Japan’s security while it seeks to implement President Trump’s nuclear deal with North Korea, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Friday.

“‘We’re in the midst of very unprecedented negotiations right now with North Korea, but in this dynamic time, the long-standing alliance between Japan and the United States stands firm,’ Mattis told reporters at Japan’s Defense Ministry in Tokyo.

“‘We are not going to take our alliance with another democratic and free nation into account in this separate negotiation, so it stands firm,’ he said.”

And Japan is set to pick a U.S.-made advanced radar for its multibillion-dollar missile defense system, adds Reuters.

HOUSE HANDILY PASSES $675B DEFENSE SPENDING BILL, reports our colleague Connor O’Brien and your Morning D correspondent: “The House easily passed $675 billion in defense spending Thursday after lawmakers tacked on provisions to bar the Pentagon from doing business with the Chinese telecom firms ZTE and Huawei and to pave the way for a dual purchase of aircraft carriers by the Navy.

“The vote was 359-49, with 137 Democrats joining all but three Republicans to pass the fiscal 2019 defense appropriations bill.

“The legislation would continue Republican-led efforts to build up the military. Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas), who chairs the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, called the legislation the ‘next critical step’ in boosting U.S. military might.”

Granger added she's “not afraid” of combining the just-passed defense spending bill with other funding bills, though she didn’t endorse the approach, adds Greg: “The Texas Republican also defended the inclusion in the House bill of 93 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, 16 more than requested by the Pentagon, as a way to drive down production costs and boost foreign sales.

“Granger’s Fort Worth congressional district is home to the Lockheed Martin plant that builds the next-generation fighters. But companies based in 46 states contribute to the plane’s production, Granger noted, and 97 members of Congress requested the additional funding.

“‘We will sell them, and we are selling them all over the world,’ she said. ‘The faster you ramp up, the lower they’ll cost, so that’s important.’”

— IN THE SENATE, APPROPRIATORS ADVANCE THEIR DEFENSE BILL, reports your Morning D correspondent: “The Senate Appropriations Committee [Thursday] advanced its $675 billion defense spending bill, 30-1, including an amendment requiring a report on a planned low-yield, submarine-launched nuclear warhead.

“Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), the lone dissenter, didn't explain his vote during the markup.

“The committee adopted an amendment from Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) barring funding for a proposed low-yield, submarine-launched nuclear weapon until the Defense Department reports to the committee, as well as manager’s package of other proposals, both by unanimous consent.”

The Senate Appropriations Committee’s bill is here. The accompanying committee report is here. And the manager’s amendment to the bill is here.

MENENDEZ THROWS WRENCH IN SAUDI ARMS SALE, reports Reuters: “A top U.S. Senate Democrat said on Thursday he cannot support for now a Trump administration plan to sell high-tech munitions to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates over concerns about the war in Yemen, a decision that could derail the sale.

“Senator Bob Menendez, ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, said the administration had not satisfied his concerns about the sale to members of a Saudi-led coalition of thousands of precision-guided munitions, or PGMs, which could be used to kill Yemeni civilians.

“His position could sink the deal for Raytheon Co., the largest maker of the PGMs in the United States.”

Additionally, discounted U.S. weapons sales to Arab Gulf countries are under scrutiny by key lawmakers, writes Bloomberg.

THE PENTAGON GRUDGINGLY BEGINS PARADE PLANNING, writes NBC News: “Four months after President Donald Trump directed the Defense Department to organize a military parade, planning is just beginning but no budget has been assigned yet.

“Pentagon officials told NBC News that they will be able to pull off the extravaganza, but the lack of momentum is notable — and possibly indicative of low enthusiasm for the event outside the Oval Office.

“‘There is only one person who wants this parade,’ a senior U.S. official said, referring to Trump.”

INDUSTRY INTEL — BAE WINS $26 BILLION ANTI-SUB DEAL FROM AUSTRALIA, reports The Wall Street Journal: “BAE Systems has won a $26 billion contest to build nine anti-submarine frigates for Australia’s navy, as the U.S. ally seeks to bolster its navy against an Asian arms race and more assertive China.

“Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will announce Friday that a variation of the British arms maker’s Type 26 frigate has been chosen over competitors from Italy’s Fincantieri and Spain’s Navantia SA. The frigates will be built in Australia by local state-owned ASC Shipbuilding, which will become a BAE subsidiary for the duration. They will begin entering service in the late 2020s.”

— AND BOEING GETS A $1.5 BILLION CONTRACT FOR 28 KUWAIT SUPER HORNETS, via USNI NEWS: “Boeing was awarded a $1.5 billion contract to build 28 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets for the Kuwait Air Force, according to a Wednesday Pentagon contract announcement.

“Kuwait is buying 22 of the single-seat 'E' variant and six of the two-seat 'F' variant Super Hornet. The deal has been in the works since late 2016 when U.S. State Department notified Congress about Kuwait’s intent to purchase Super Hornets. On March 30, Boeing was awarded a $1.16 billion contract to research, development and testing for the Kuwait deal.”

AIR FORCE HALTS LIGHT ATTACK DEMO AFTER FATAL A-29 CRASH, reports Military.com: “The U.S. Air Force's light attack demo remains in a holding pattern following the A-29 Super Tucano crash at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, last week which killed a Navy pilot, a top general said Thursday.

“Air Combat Command commander Gen. Mike ‘Mobile’ Holmes told reporters that in the wake of the fatal mishap, the flights for the OA-X test have been suspended amid the ongoing accident investigation, and will remain on hold until officials can decide if more testing is even needed.”

MAKING MOVES — SENATE CONFIRMS NEW AFGHANISTAN WAR COMMANDER: Before leaving town for the Fourth of July recess, the Senate confirmed Lt. Gen. Austin “Scott” Miller to take over as commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

Miller, who will receive a fourth star, is now chief of the Joint Special Operations Command. He replaces Army Gen. John Nicholson, who has commanded the U.S. and NATO missions in Afghanistan for more than two years.

Meanwhile, insurgent attacks in Afghanistan Thursday killed 29 people, including a bomb that targeted a meeting between the Taliban and village elders urging them to enter peace talks, reports the AP.

And the Taliban reportedly gun down a police commander in Kabul as he picnicked with his family, adds the AP.

— HARRIS CONFIRMED AS AMBASSADOR TO SOUTH KOREA: The Senate Thursday also confirmed retired Adm. Harry Harris to be ambassador to South Korea, filling a key diplomatic post vacant since the start of the Trump administration.

Harris, who had commanded U.S. forces in the Pacific, was originally nominated by the president to be ambassador to Australia, but was later tapped to be the top diplomat on the Korean Peninsula as the administration stepped up its outreach to the North Korean regime.

SPEED READ

— Trump is expected to seek Putin’s help to curb Iran’s military in Syria: WSJ

— Russia pulls military personnel and warplanes out of Syria, Putin says: Haaretz

— A cease-fire in southwestern Syria nears collapse as the U.S. and Russia trade blame: The Washington Post

— Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr says he’ll scale back his militia: Reuters

— The Defense secretary's last stand is on Iran: Foreign Policy

— Trump’s effort to drive Iranian oil exports down to “zero” is boosting the fortunes of Saudi Arabia: WSJ

— A British parliamentary report finds Britain knew the U.S. mistreated suspected militants after the 9/11 attacks: WSJ

— The Army chooses Leonardo DRS to supply an interim solution for its interim short-range air defense system: Defense News

— The Army eyes a contract to FLIR to develop surveillance nano-drones: DroneDJ

— Like hot sauce in your face, the Army’s newest non-lethal weapon is spicy!: Army Times

— What’s in Lockheed’s latest Aegis contract: Defense News

— Former Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.), who recently resigned in scandal, won’t rejoin the Navy: The Washington Post

— Why the Marine Corps ditched the best offense in history: WSJ

— The U.S. says another American suffers illness at its Cuba embassy: Reuters

— Meet one of the thousands of veterans pulled into debt by a VA mistake: Stars and Stripes

— From foxholes to high-rises, a look at the U.S. military’s long history in South Korea: Stars and Stripes

Follow us on Twitter Dave Brown @dave_brown24



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