‘I WAS FRUSTRATED. I WAS … STUNNED’: The general was resolute and unflappable. He had 155 troops, riot gear in their vehicles, available for immediate dispatch to the Capitol, but he had been denied the one thing every commander needs to succeed, the discretion to change tactics and redeploy forces to adjust to a rapidly changing situation.
And now he was called before Congress to account for why in a time of most desperate need, his ready, riot-trained National Guard troops were forced to cool their heels for hours while the Pentagon worried that switching Guard troops from traffic duty to protecting the U.S. Capital would be bad optics.
In a clear and steady voice, Maj. Gen. William Walker, commander of the D.C. National Guard, was unflinching in his criticism of his micromanaging civilian superiors at the Pentagon and the draconian restrictions they put on his ability to deploy a quick reaction force only as a last resort.
“Now, a quick reaction force normally is a commander’s tool to go help either a civilian agency, but more typically to help the National Guardsmen who are out there and need assistance,” Walker said. “And just to be clear, the secretary of defense said I could use it as a last resort, but the secretary of the Army says that I could only use it after he gave me permission, and only then after a concept of operations.”
“In 19 years, I never, I never had that happen before,” Walker said. “That was a restriction that was unusual to me. I had never seen that before.” When Walker called the Pentagon to get permission to “remission” the 155 troops he had on standby, he was told to wait. “I was frustrated. I was just as stunned as everybody else on the call.”
3 HOURS 19 MINUTES: Walker’s instinct was to immediately send reinforcements to the Capitol, and soon as he got the request from Steven Sund, chief of the Capitol Police, but he was stopped dead in his tracks when he called the Pentagon.
As Walker described it: “Chief Sund, his voice cracking with emotion, indicated that there was a dire emergency at the Capitol, and he requested the immediate assistance of as many available National Guardsmen that I could muster. Immediately after that 1:49 p.m. call, I alerted the U.S. Army senior leadership of the request. The approval for Chief Sund’s request would eventually come from the acting secretary of defense and be relayed to me by Army senior leaders at 5:08 p.m., about 3 hours and 19 minutes later.”
“I would have sent them there immediately. As soon as I hung up, my next call would have been to my subordinate commanders, get every single Guardsman in this building and everybody that’s helping the Metropolitan Police, remission them to the Capitol without delay,” Walker testified. “So, I believe that number could have made a difference. We could have helped extend the perimeter and help push back the crowd.”
THE ‘OPTICS’ DEBATE: Walker identified two senior Army officers who were on the call when he asked for permission to send his 155 troops who were in reserve to relieve Guard forces on traffic duty to the Capitol, Lt. Gen. Walter Piatt, the director of the Army staff, and Lt. Gen. Charles Flynn, the Army’s deputy chief of staff for operations.
“They got back to me saying it wouldn’t be their best military advice to send uniformed Guardsmen to the Capitol because they didn’t like the optics,” Walker said. “And they had also said that they thought it could inflame. What they wanted to do was send Guardsmen to relieve police officers in the city so more policemen could get to the Capitol.”
Robert Salesses, the Pentagon official filling in as assistant secretary for homeland defense, was not on the calls, but he testified that Piatt told him that “he did not use the word ‘optics,’” but that authorizing dispatch of the troops to the Capitol was not his call.
“Gen. Piatt is not a decision-maker,” Salesses said. “The only decision-makers on the 6th of January were the secretary of defense [Chris Miller] and the secretary of the Army, Ryan McCarthy.”
Neither of them was called to testify before the joint Senate committee.
GOP LAWMAKERS QUESTION NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT AS MARCH 4 UNCERTAINTY LOOMS
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HAPPENING TODAY: The House has postponed today’s legislative session based on an intelligence alert from the U.S. Capitol Police warning of a “possible plot to breach the Capitol by an identified militia group.” Today is the day some QAnon believers think former President Donald Trump will be sworn in as the true president. There are however, still hearings going on in the Senate.
At 9:30 a.m., the Senate Armed Services Committee will take testimony from Colin Kahl, nominated to be the Pentagon’s undersecretary for policy.
ALSO TODAY: Former Joint Chiefs Chairman retired Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford will be among the speakers at a webinar on the future of the U.S. Afghanistan Strategy, sponsored by the Center for a New American Security. Also taking part in the 1 p.m. event will be former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan James Cunningham; Lisa Curtis, director of the CNAS Indo-Pacific Security Program; and Yalda Hakim, anchor and correspondent for BBC World News.
NO MORE FOREVER WARS: The White House has released what it is calling its Interim National Security Strategic Guidance, which it says is intended to convey how President Biden’s vision for how the U.S. will engage with the world.
Among the tenets is a declaration that “the United States should not, and will not, engage in ‘forever wars’ that have cost thousands of lives and trillions of dollars.”
“We will work to responsibly end America’s longest war in Afghanistan while ensuring that Afghanistan does not again become a safe haven for terrorist attacks against the United States,” it says, making reference to America’s longest war, which began in October of 2001.
THE CLOCK IS TICKING: It’s now less than two months until the May 1 deadline for the U.S. to withdraw its remaining 2,500 troops from Afghanistan under a deal negotiated with the Taliban by the Trump administration a year ago, and there’s still no word from the Biden administration about whether to go through with the withdrawal in the face of Taliban noncompliance.
“We haven’t made any decisions about the May 1st deadline,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the PBS NewsHour last night. “We’re in very close consultation with our NATO allies, with all of the countries in the region. And what we’re looking at very carefully is what further progress can and must be made on the agreements that, for example, we reached with the Taliban under the previous administration.”
The closer to the deadline it gets, the less likely it is that U.S. and NATO troops will have the time to pack up and leave.
Meanwhile, U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad is on another mission to the region, tweeting in his latest effort to revive the moribund peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government. “Just concluded a productive three days of consultations in Kabul with government officials, civil society and women leaders, and other Afghan political figures,” he said in a series of tweets.
TRYING AGAIN FOR A NEW AUMF: The recent U.S. airstrike along Syria’s border with Iraq targeting Iranian-backed militias has energized Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia, and Sen. Todd Young, Republican from Indiana, to take another stab at repealing and eventually replacing the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force against Iraq, which have been used to justify various U.S. military actions for three decades.
“Last week’s airstrikes in Syria show that the executive branch, regardless of party, will continue to stretch its war powers,” said Kaine in a statement posted on Facebook. Congress has a responsibility to not only vote to authorize new military action, but to repeal old authorizations that are no longer necessary.”
“It has been thirty years since the first Gulf War began and nineteen years since the United States went back into Iraq. In the years since, Congress has been operating on autopilot when it comes to our essential duties to authorize the use of military force,” said Young. “Congress must not shy away from this debate, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to advance this important legislation.”
‘A WILLING PARTNER’: At the Pentagon, spokesman John Kirby said the Defense Department is open to discussion of a new AUMF but insisted the U.S strike last week in Syria was consistent with the right of self-defense.
“If lawmakers want to have a discussion about the authorization for use of military force, they’ll find a willing partner in that discussion here at the Defense Department,” Kirby said. “But as we talked about last week … the strikes that were conducted in Syria were done under Article 2 and under the U.N. Charter. The president, as commander in chief, has a fundamental responsibility to act in self-defense of our troops and our assets overseas. Nothing’s going to change about that.”
US EMPLOYED ANTI-ROCKET DEFENSES: The Pentagon said no U.S. troops were hit by yesterday’s fusillade of 10 rockets that hit the al Asad air base in Iraq, but an American contractor who was in a bomb shelter suffered an apparent heart attack and died shortly afterward.
The U.S. used a defensive system called C-RAM, short for Counter Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar system, to try to shoot down the incoming fire, but it is not clear how well it worked.
“We believe approximately 10 rockets were fired. We have noticed, we have seen, 10 impact points on the base where the rockets hit,” Kirby told reporters yesterday. “The forensics are still going on … We know that C-RAM engaged. I don’t have a measure of effectiveness of that engagement right now. I suspect as time goes on, we’ll know a little bit more.”
NOBODY WANTS A ‘TIT-FOR-TAT’: For whether the U.S. will strike again at militia targets, Kirby said, “Nobody wants to see this situation escalate. That is why when we conducted this strike last week in Syria. We believed it was measured and proportionate.”
“We hoped it will have a deterrent effect. We still do. So, nobody wants to see this escalate into … a tit-for-tat. That is not in our interests, it’s not in the Iraqi people’s interest,” Kirby said. “If we determine that a response is necessary, we’ll do that, again, in a manner, a time, and a place of our choosing.”
DOD IG FINDS RONNY JACKSON WAS TOXIC LEADER: A report released yesterday by the Pentagon’s internal watchdog concludes that retired Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, former White House physician, and current congressman from Texas, was a bullying, toxic leader, who drank and took Ambien on the job and made “sexual and denigrating” comments about a female subordinate
The Department of Defense inspector general report concluded, “Jackson’s overall course of conduct toward subordinates disparaged, belittled, bullied, and humiliated them, and fostered a negative work environment by failing to treat subordinates with dignity and respect.”
“Jackson failed to conduct himself in an exemplary manner in his treatment of subordinates throughout his tenure at [the White House Medical Unit],” the report went on. “His treatment of subordinates created a negative work environment that witnesses said made an unfavorable impact on the overall command climate.”
The report also faulted Jackson for the “inappropriate” use of alcohol during two presidential trips while RDML Jackson was in charge of providing medical care and treatment to U.S. government officials.
In a statement, Jackson denied all of the allegations, insisting, “My entire professional life has been defined by duty and service … I have not and will not ever conduct myself in a way that undermines the sincerity with which I take my oath to my country or my constituents,” he said.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The Rundown
Washington Examiner: DC Guard chief points finger at Army: ‘Unusual’ restriction memo day before Capitol riot slowed response
Washington Examiner: GOP lawmakers question National Guard deployment as March 4 uncertainty looms
Washington Examiner: Biden’s early sanctions fall short of campaign promises to punish Putin and Saudi crown prince
Washington Examiner: Ronny Jackson report vindicates past concerns over Cabinet nomination, Jon Tester says
Washington Examiner: Iranian-backed militias flout deterrence and appear to strike at Americans again
Washington Examiner: Latest rocket attack in Iraq raises questions about strike on Iran-backed militias
Bloomberg: Pentagon Says U.S. To Respond To Attack On Iraq Base If Needed
New York Times: Biden Quietly Limits Drone Strikes Away From War Zones
Reuters: Biden Administration Singles Out China As ‘Biggest Geopolitical Test’ For U.S
Politico: Austin Wants To Pivot To China. But Can He Pay For It?
USNI News: McMaster: U.S. Is ‘In Catch-Up Mode’ To China In Indo-Pacific
Yonhap: N. Korea Poses ‘Most Immediate Threat’ To U.S.: Indo-Pacific Commander
Defense News: Biden National Security Guidance Calls To Increase Diplomacy, Downplay Nukes, End Afghanistan Conflict
Air Force Magazine: No One-Size-Fits-All Response to Space Attacks, Raymond Says
Military.com: Pentagon Eyes Plan to Intensify Social Media Screening in Military Background Investigations
USNI News: Navy: 45% of Sailors Have Received At least One COVID-19 Vaccine Shot
Air Force Magazine: B-21 Bomber Shelter May Reveal Size of Secret Jet
19fortyfive.com: More History Made: F-35B Now On Italy’s Aircraft Carrier
Calendar
THURSDAY | MARCH 4
9:30 a.m. 106 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing for Colin Kahl to be under secretary of defense for policy. https://www.armed-services.senate.gov
10 a.m. — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace webinar: “Unraveling the Conflict in Syria,” with Maha Yahya, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center; and Joby Warrick, reporter at the Washington Post and author of Red Line: The Unraveling of Syria and America’s Race to Destroy the Most Dangerous Arsenal in the World. https://carnegieendowment.org
11 a.m. — Back from the Brink and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons virtual forum: “Ending Nuclear Weapons Before They End Us: Opportunities Under the Biden Administration to Take Action,” with former Acting Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Thomas Countryman, chairman of the board of the Arms Control Association; Danny Hall, director of public affairs at Soka Gakkai International; Zia Mian, co-director of Princeton University’s Program on Science and Global Security; Michael Klare, professor at Hampshire College; Beatrice Fihn, executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons; and Denise Duffield, associate director of Physicians for Social Responsibility at Los Angeles. https://preventnuclearwar.org
11:30 a.m. — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies virtual Aerospace Nation event, in which retired Lt. Gen. Dave Deptula, dean, Mitchell Institute; and Doug Birkey, executive director, Mitchell Institute, discuss their new policy paper, “Aerospace Vectors for the Incoming Biden Defense Team.” https://www.mitchellaerospacepower.org/
11:30 a.m. — Atlantic Council webinar: “The Future of ISIS,” with former Jordanian Minister of Youth and Culture Mohammed Abu Rumman, expert at the Politics and Society Institute; former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iran and Iraq Andrew Peek, nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council; Borzou Daragahi, journalist and nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council; Mara Revkin, national security law fellow at the Georgetown University Law Center; and Banan Malkawi, Jordanian-American researcher and lecturer. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org
1 p.m. — Center for a New American Security webinar: “The Future of the U.S. Afghanistan Strategy,” with former Joint Chiefs Chairman Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford; former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan James Cunningham; Lisa Curtis, director of the CNAS Indo-Pacific Security Program; and Yalda Hakim, anchor and correspondent for BBC World News. https://www.cnas.org/events/special-event
2 p.m. — Brookings Institution webinar: “Strategic Nuclear Modernization in the United States,” with Tom Collina, director of policy at the Ploughshares Fund; Franklin Miller, principal at the Scowcroft Group; Amy Woolf, specialist in nuclear weapons policy at the Congressional Research Service; Madelyn Creedon, nonresident senior fellow at Brookings; and Frank Rose, co-director of the Brookings Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology. https://www.brookings.edu/events
2:30 p.m. — American Enterprise Institute webcast: “A conversation with US Indo-Pacific Command’s Adm. Philip Davidson,” with Eric Sayers, visiting fellow, AEI; and Kori Schake, director, foreign and defense policy studies, AEI. https://www.aei.org/events/a-conversation
FRIDAY | MARCH 5
10 a.m. — International Institute for Strategic Studies webinar: “Can Europe Defend Itself?” with Barry Posen, political science professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Bastian Giegerich, director of defense and military analysis at IISS; Francois Heisbourg, senior adviser for Europe at IISS; and Dana Allin, senior fellow for U.S. foreign policy and transatlantic affairs at IISS. https://www.iiss.org/events
11 a.m. — Brookings Institution webcast conversation with House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., moderated by Michael O’Hanlon, senior fellow and co-director, Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology, Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/events
12 p.m. — Hudson Institute webinar: “Competing with China Through Budget Agility,” with Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy, Integration and Requirements Lt. Gen. S. Clinton Hinote; Michael Brown, director of the Defense Department’s Defense Innovation Unit; former Defense Deputy Undersecretary for Industrial Policy Bill Greenwalt, visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute; former Defense Department Comptroller Elaine McCusker, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute; and Dan Patt, adjunct fellow at the Hudson Center for Defense Concepts and Technology. https://www.hudson.org/events
1:50 p.m. — Jackson Institute for Global Affairs at Yale University Special Operations Forces Conference: “Artificial Intelligence and Big Data and its impact on SOF, Defence, and Great Power Competition, “ with Snehal Antani, chief technology officer within the U.S. Special Operations Command; Lt. Gen. Michael Groen, director of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center; Chris Lynch, CEO of Rebellion Defense; and Charles Forte, chief information officer for the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence. https://yaleconnect.yale.edu/jacksonsofcon/home
3 p.m. — Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute virtual event: “Assessing the State of Our National Defense,” with former Secretaries of Defense Mark Esper and Leon Panetta, and former national security adviser retired Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster. https://www.reaganfoundation.org
WEDNESDAY | MARCH 10
11 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Committee hearing: “National Security Challenges and U.S. Military Activities in the Indo-Pacific,” with David Helvey, acting assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific affairs; Adm. Philip Davidson, commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command; and Gen. Robert Abrams, commander, United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, and U.S. Forces Korea.
12 p.m. — Association of the U.S. Army “Noon Report” webinar with Lt. Gen. Laura Potter, deputy chief of staff for intelligence. https://info.ausa.org/e/784783/Noon-Report
3 p.m. — Heritage Foundation virtual event: “Lessons from the West Capella Incident: Successful Naval Presence in the South China Sea,” with David Stilwell, former assistant secretary of state for east asian and pacific affairs; and Brent Sadler, Brent Sadler, senior fellow for naval warfare and advanced technology, Heritage. https://www.heritage.org/asia/event
THURSDAY | MARCH 11
11 a.m. — National Taxpayers Union and R Street Zoom webinar: “Pentagon Purse Strings Episode 3: An Interview with Lisa Hershman, former Chief Management Officer of the Pentagon,” with Jonathan Bydlak, R Street Institute; Andrew Lautz, National Taxpayers Union; Mark Cancian, senior adviser with the CSIS International Security Program. https://rstreet-org.zoom.us/webinar/register
11:30 a.m. — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies virtual Aerospace Nation event: “Nuclear Deterrence and Missile Defense Forum,” with Mark Schneider, senior analyst with the National Institute for Public Policy; and Stephen Blank, senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. https://www.mitchellaerospacepower.org
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Chief Sund, his voice cracking with emotion, indicated that there was a dire emergency at the Capitol, and he requested the immediate assistance of as many available National Guardsmen that I could muster. Immediately after that 1:49 p.m. call, I alerted the U.S. Army senior leadership of the request. The approval for Chief Sund’s request would eventually come from the acting secretary of defense and be relayed to me by Army senior leaders at 5:08 p.m., about 3 hours and 19 minutes later.”
Maj. Gen. William Walker, commanding general of the D.C. National Guard, testifying before a joint Senate committee Wednesday.
