US ‘DISAPPOINTED IN THEM’: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has returned to the United States empty-handed after a whirlwind day in Kabul in which he met with feuding Afghan leaders in an unsuccessful attempt to resuscitate peace talks with the Taliban that are on life support.
As his plane left Doha, where he met with Taliban representatives, the State Department issued a statement sharply critical of Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, who both claim to be Afghanistan’s duly-elected president, accusing them of “irresponsible actions” and announcing the U.S. would immediately withdraw $1 billion in assistance and consider cutting another $1 billion next year.
“They still can’t see their way towards wanting to get on a team, the inclusive team,” Pompeo complained after neither man would bend to U.S. pressure to put aside their differences and form a unity government. Speaking to reporters on his plane en route to Washington, Pompeo said it’s not too late for them to change course. “We’re hopeful, frankly, they’ll get their act together and we won’t have to do it, but we are prepared to do that if they can’t.”
SCATHING STATEMENT: Pressed for details on the billion-dollar aid cut, Pompeo was reluctant to go beyond the official statement, which described in unusually blunt terms U.S. disappointment with the conduct of its Afghan partners. “Their failure has harmed U.S.-Afghan relations and, sadly, dishonors those Afghan, Americans, and Coalition partners who have sacrificed their lives and treasure,” the statement said.
“Because this leadership failure poses a direct threat to U.S. national interests, effective immediately, the U.S. government will initiate a review of the scope of our cooperation with Afghanistan,” it continued. “Among other steps, we are today announcing a responsible adjustment to our spending in Afghanistan and immediately reducing assistance by $1 billion this year.”
DEAL WITH TALIBAN UNRAVELING: The agreement the U.S. negotiated with the Taliban began to fall apart almost as soon as it was signed Feb. 29 in Doha, Qatar. It called for a reduction of violence, but only against U.S. and coalition forces, and committed the Afghan government to release up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners while fighting still raged as a precondition to peace talks.
So far, that’s not something Ghani or Abdullah are willing to do. “We’ll continue to cajole, to coach, and to incentivize them to have the negotiations where all the Afghans are sitting at the table,” Pompeo told reporters. “There’s prisoner release, there’s the intra-Afghan negotiations, there’s the violence level. There are many pieces to the ultimate solution here.”
NO ONE LEFT ALIVE: Pompeo’s failed rescue mission came just four days after a deadly Taliban attack killed up to two dozen Afghan security forces in southern Afghanistan and left no Afghan forces alive at the police and military outpost.
Nevertheless, Pompeo argued the Taliban are meeting the letter of the agreement, and therefore, the U.S. would continue to withdraw thousands of U.S. troops over the next four months. “We’re moving down that path. As long as these violence levels remain beneath the threshold, our commitment is that we’ll continue,” he told reporters.
“The reduction of violence is real. It’s not perfect, but it’s in a place that’s pretty good,” Pompeo insisted. “There haven’t been attacks on American forces since the peace agreement was signed, what, three weeks ago now, three-and-a-half weeks ago.”
NOT CUTTING AND RUNNING: Pompeo insisted the U.S. is not abandoning the Afghan forces that are battling the Taliban for control of the country. “We’re going to continue to do all we’ve been doing to secure that the Afghan National Security Forces remain capable and that we’ll – consistent with the commitment we made to the Taliban as well as to the Afghan leadership,” Pompeo said.
“I’m hopeful in the days ahead, we’ll begin this process, which will begin with the prisoner release and lead to getting an inclusive team together at the negotiating table, which is, in the end, the Afghans sitting together is the outcome we have to get to.”
“The United States is not abandoning our partnership with Afghanistan, nor our commitment to support the Afghan security forces, but reviewing the scope of our cooperation given the irresponsible actions of Afghan leaders,” the official statement said. “To illustrate America’s steadfast commitment to the Afghan people, the United States will be providing $15 million in assistance to help combat the spread of the coronavirus in Afghanistan.”
Good Tuesday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by David Sivak. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email, and we’ll add you to our list. And be sure to follow us on Twitter: @dailyondefense.
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HAPPENING TODAY: Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, and Senior Enlisted Adviser to the Chairman Ramon “CZ” Colon-Lopez will hold a virtual town hall meeting at the Pentagon to provide service members, their families, and DOD civilians an opportunity to ask questions on the department’s COVID-19 response.
There is still time to post questions on the Pentagon’s Facebook page, or post live during the event, which can be viewed on Facebook or at Defense.gov.
ALSO TODAY, TRUMP TOWN HALL ON FOX: Fox News anchors Harris Faulkner and Bill Hemmer will co-moderate a virtual town hall event from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. with President Trump and leading members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force. “Contributions will be made throughout the town hall by medical experts and FNC contributors Dr. Nicole Saphier and Dr. Marc Siegel as well as Dr. Mehmet Oz,” the network said in a press release.
LIFE UNDER HPCON CHARLIE: The Pentagon is considering temperature checks for people entering the building as it ratchets up its Health Protection Condition another notch.
“We are elevating the Pentagon reservation’s status to Health Protection Condition C, Charlie,” Esper announced yesterday. “This limits the number of access points to the Pentagon and increases the amount of personnel who will telework, among a few other things.”
The new restriction will close the Metro entrance to the building, along with the adjacent visitor screening facility. Most visitors are currently barred from entering the Pentagon. Any official visitors will be processed through the Corridor 2 entrance. The Pentagon’s library and conference center and its athletic center are also closed.
Esper said at some point anyone entering the building may have to be checked for possible fever, a key symptom of COVID-19. “We could go to medical screening in terms of temperature testing as people come in,” he said. “[It] is another action that is looked at.”
NO LIMITS ON MEDIA ACCESS: Esper said the world’s largest low-rise office building will remain open, even as roughly 60% of its 23,000-strong workforce teleworks, but he pledged there would be “no intent whatsoever” to limit the access of the press.
“We want to keep the building open, again, for certainly, for essential personnel and for the media,” he said.
But news reporters will have to walk a little farther to get to their offices on the C ring off the 9th corridor. The pedestrian bridge that goes from the press parking area to the River entrance is among the closures. Beginning this morning, reporters will have to park in C land of the north parking lot and enter the building through the Corridor 8 entrance.
WHAT’S OPEN: There are still plenty of ways to get into the building:
- Mall entrance, open 24/7
- Corridor 2 entrance, open 24/7
- Corridor 8 entrance, open 6 a.m. – 8 p.m.
- River entrance, open 5 a.m. – 8 p.m., Monday – Friday
FIELD HOSPITALS DEPLOYED: Esper said two U.S. Army field hospitals, which each provide 248 beds, will be deployed this week. The idea is to treat other patients in hard-hit areas to free up beds for COVID-19 patients.
“We are looking at deploying our field hospitals, which include the hospital, the equipment, and — and medical professionals, and my aim is to get them out this week,” Esper said.
“My view is Seattle and New York City are the places. We just need FEMA to validate that because, keep in mind, FEMA is the U.S. government’s central place for handling requests and then validating them and then prioritizing them.”
MERCY MISSION: Meanwhile, the hospital ship USNS Mercy, with roughly 1,000 hospital beds, departed San Diego yesterday and is due to arrive in Los Angeles in about a week. Why so long? “The medical treatment facility needs a few days to train for this mission and complete required certifications,” said a statement from the Pentagon.
On the East Coast, the USNS Comfort is still weeks away from arriving in New York because it was in for repairs when the pandemic struck.
CRITICAL SHORTAGE OF VENTILATORS, MASKS: State governors around the country are pressing Trump to use his powers under the Defense Production Act instead of waiting for companies to ramp up production of life-saving ventilators and protective masks voluntarily.
“We have New York manufacturers who are really stepping up to the plate and converting factories, et cetera. But, this is not the way to do it. This is ad hoc,” said Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo at his daily news conference yesterday. “I’m competing with other states, I’m bidding up other states on the prices, because you have manufacturers who sit there, and California offers them $4, and they say, well, California offered $4, I offer $5, another state calls in and offers $6, it’s — it’s not the way to do it.”
“Why are we competing?” Cuomo said. “Let the federal government put in place the federal Defense Production Act. It does not nationalize any industry. All it does is say to a factory, you must produce this quantity. That’s all it does.”
In Maryland, Republican Gov. Larry Hogan told CNN, “Nobody’s getting what they need … No state in America has enough masks or ventilators.”
“It’s not a great situation. But I can tell you, we are making some progress, but that’s going to continue to be a pinch point, where we don’t have enough to handle the surge,” Hogan said. “We can’t have all these people getting sick at the same time and crowding our hospitals.”
FORCING TRUMP’S HAND: Wisconsin Democrat Sen. Tammy Baldwin has introduced a bill that would require the president to take immediate action under the Defense Production Act to increase domestic production of critical medical supplies quickly, including personal protective equipment, for healthcare workers on the front lines of this pandemic.
“My legislation will trigger the full authority of the Defense Production Act without delay so we can massively scale up production of Made in America medical supplies that our healthcare workers need to combat this public health emergency and save lives,” Baldwin said.
The bill has 18 co-sponsors, all Democrats.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?: Confused about how the president can activate the National Guard under Title 32 without federalizing the troops? The National Guard Association of the United States has produced a one-page explainer that sorts out the difference between state duty, Title 32 duty, and Title 10 “active-duty” service.
“There are currently more than 7,300 Guardsmen serving on missions related to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, with thousands more expected to be activated in the coming days and weeks,” the association says.
HERITAGE TAKE ON NDAA AND DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS: The Heritage Foundation is out with a new report with recommendations from its experts on ways to bring the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act and the FY 2021 defense budget in line with the Pentagon’s goal of pivoting to meet the challenges of the era of great power competition.
The report has a whopping 74 recommendations from 21 Heritage contributors, including Fred Bartels, Lt. Gen. Tom Spoehr, Klon Kitchen, and Patty-Jane Geller.
CSIS ON MISSILE DEFENSE: Also, the Missile Defense Project of the Center for Strategic and International Studies has released a new brief, Inflection Point: Missile Defense and Defeat in the 2021 Budget.
This brief analyzes the FY 2021 budget submission through the lens of missile defense programs and development efforts. It finds that significant changes, including Army and Navy transitions from research and development to procurement and evolving hypersonic strike development efforts, represent an inflection point for the missile defense enterprise, one characterized by as much uncertainty about policy, posture, programs, and institutions as any time in the last decade.
NEW DNI APPOINTMENTS: Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell has announced that, effective April 3, Lora Shiao will be the next deputy director of the National Counterterrorism Center and serve as acting director pending the Senate confirmation of a permanent director. Additionally, Clare Linkins will serve as NCTC’s next executive director, performing the duties of deputy director.
INDUSTRY WATCH, BOEING SHUTS FACILITY: Two weeks after the reported death of an employee from COVID-19, Boeing is halting production as of today in the Puget Sound region of Washington state, the company announced yesterday.
“The suspension of production operations will last 14 days, during which Boeing will continue to monitor government guidance and actions on COVID-19 and its associated impacts on all company operations,” Boeing said. “During this time, we will be conducting additional deep cleaning activities at impacted sites and establishing rigorous criteria for return to work.”
The shutdown will affect roughly 70,000 Boeing employees, who will be paid, whether or not they can work. “Puget Sound area-based employees who can work from home will continue to do so. Those who cannot work remotely will receive paid leave for the initial 10 working days of the suspension — double the company policy — which will provide coverage for the 14 calendar day suspension period.”
The Rundown
Washington Examiner: Esper says coronavirus needs taking toll on military resources
Military Times: No Blanket Social Distancing Policy In The Military, SECDEF Says
Washington Examiner: GOP senators write Trump urging NSC-led rebuttal to Chinese coronavirus propaganda
Air Force Magazine: Coronavirus Outbreak Puts More than 500,000 Aerospace Jobs at Risk
USNI News: Naval Academy Midshipman Tests Positive For Coronavirus; Two More Pacific Fleet Sailors Have Virus
Marine Corps Times: Marine At Arizona Base Tested Positive For COVID-19 As Large-Scale ‘Mission-Essential’ Exercise Continues
Breaking Defense: COVID-19: Farnborough Cancellation Another Blow For Defense Biz
The National Interest: The Air Force Might Be Getting a Mach 3 SR-72 Bomber
Washington Examiner: US launches hypersonic glide body test in race to catch up with China and Russia
USNI News: USS Gerald Ford Flight Deck Now Certified; Can Conduct Carrier Qualifications
Washington Post: How Canada approved an Assad loyalist to serve the country’s terrorized Syrian refugees
Washington Post: U.S. combats martial law conspiracy theories as the National Guard assists in coronavirus response
Forbes: Why The Pentagon’s THAAD Missile Defense System Is Becoming Critical To Protection Of The U.S. Homeland
Calendar
NOTE: Most events in Washington have been canceled in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, but the Pentagon has been conducting almost-daily pop-up briefings. Check https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Today-in-DoD/ for updates to the Pentagon’s schedule.
TUESDAY | MARCH 24
10 a.m. — Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley hold a virtual town hall meeting for U.S. military and Defense Department personnel. Livestream at https://www.defense.gov/Watch/Live-Events/.
THURSDAY | MARCH 26
2 p.m. — Woodrow Wilson Center conference call briefing on “Russia’s Military Posture in the European Arctic,” with Mathieu Boulegue, research fellow in the Chatham House Russia and Eurasia Program; Katarina Kertysova, policy fellow at the European Leadership Network; Michael Sfraga, director of the WWC Polar Institute; and Matthew Rojansky, director of the WWC Kennan Institute. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event
3 p.m. — Jewish Democratic Council of America holds a conference call briefing on the international response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with Jeremy Bash, former chief of staff to the CIA director and defense secretary; and former Special Assistant to the President Ned Price. https://myaccount.maestroconference.com
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“If you have a big supply of toilet paper in your house, this is not something you have to worry about, but if you are sitting on a warehouse with masks, surgical masks, you will be hearing a knock on your door.”
Attorney General William Barr, citing Section 102 of the Defense Production Act, under which the president is authorized to prohibit the hoarding of needed resources.
