The Pentagon's $ 3.6 billion transfer in military construction funds for border fencing exasperates congressional Democrats

CRYING FOUL: "Today, the Secretary of Defense Mark Esper M & # 39; informed that the Ministry of Defense would reprogram funds of $ 3.6 billion earmarked for military construction projects, including at the US Military Academy West Point, in order to build the wall @realDonaldTrump's misguided border, " tweeted Leader of the Senate Minority Chuck Schumer from New York. "It is a slap to the members of the Armed Forces who serve our country that @realDonaldTrump is ready to cannibalize the military funds already allocated to strengthen his own ego and for a wall he promised Mexico to pay to build it."

"Defense spending is supposed to be for national defense," said Jack Reed from Rhode Island, the most democratic member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "Obviously, this administration is trying to bypass the authority of Congress and this misguided attempt should be legally challenged and overturned by the courts. If that is the case, the future presidents will try to make the most of the defense for whatever he wants to call a "national emergency."

PERFECTLY LEGAL: Despite all the criticism of Congress, including some Republicans, the transfer is in accordance with National Emergency Act, adopted in 1976. The law provides for the Secretary of Defense, "without taking into account any other provision of the law, can undertake military construction projects "as long as they"are needed to support such use of the armed forces. "(Underline mine.)

In his memo at the congress Esper cites the law and says new fences and gates, mostly in the form of "pedestrian fences", will support the army's mission at the border.

"These projects will deter illegal entries, increase the time of disappearance of those who cross the border illegally and direct migrants to ports of entry. They will reduce the demand for staff and assets where the barriers are built and allow the redeployment of DoD staff and assets into other high-traffic areas at the border without barriers, "wrote Esper. "In short, these barriers will allow DoD to provide more effective support to DHS. In this respect, the proposed construction projects are force multipliers. "

Nobody gets hurt if you do what we say: The Trump administration has Congress on a barrel. The Pentagon has structured the reprogramming of funds so that none of the 127 projects involved will be canceled or even delayed as long as Congress restores the $ 3.6 billion budget of fiscal year 2020.

"The funds made available are associated only with deferred military construction projects whose allocation is not expected before the fiscal year 2020 or later and do not include the projects of family housing, barracks or dormitories, "said Esper, explaining that the initial $ 1.8 billion come from projects overseas. "My intention to prioritize funds in this way is to give you time to work with you to identify opportunities to reinstate funding for these important military construction projects, as well as to work with our allies and partners to improve the sharing of funds. costs related to construction projects abroad. "

Good Wednesday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre's defense daily, written and compiled by Washington Examiner Senior Editor, National Security Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Kelly Jane Torrance (@kjtorrance) Send us an email here for tips, suggestions, agenda items and anything else. If a friend has sent it to you and you want to sign up, click here. If the registration does not work, send us an email and we will add you to our list. And be sure to follow us on Twitter: @dailyondefense.

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HAPPENING TODAY: HUI: Esper is on a short European trip that will take him to Germany, France and the United Kingdom.

His first stop is in Stuttgart, where Esper will meet the commanders of the US and African forces in the United States of America before settling in London and Paris. "I will discuss a series of questions and stress the need to stay strong against Chinese and Russian influences," Esper tweeted Before his departure.

Disturbing concerns: A virtuoso of US diplomats who have worked on Afghanistan over the years is concerned that the Trump administration is "rushed to failure" in its zeal to end the war in Afghanistan. The group of nine includes James Dobbins, Robert Finn, Ronald Neumann, William Wood, John Negroponte, Earl Anthony Wayne, Ryan Crocker, James Cunningham, and Hugo Llorens.

"[W]We believe that the security and values ​​of the United States, including support for women, require that a complete withdrawal of troops only occurs after a real peace, "the group said. written in a post on the Atlantic Council website.

"First of all, it's not clear if peace is possible," they warn. "The Taliban have made no clear statement regarding the conditions that they would accept for a peaceful settlement with their Afghan compatriots, and they do not have the habit of working with anyone." other political forces. "

"Secondly, the result is much worse than the status quo, ie the return to total civil war (…), which could lead to a break in negotiations if we withdraw too much support from the Afghan state. "

THEY ARE BACK: The last analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies concludes that the Islamic State has strongly reorganized and recovered in Iraq and Syria, while continuing its operations in other countries, despite the defeat both vaunted the caliphate of ISIS in March.

"However, the US-led coalition has not totally defeated the Islamic State group in Iraq or Syria, nor has it eliminated ISIS and other forms of extremism as threats. serious. It did not bring lasting stability to Iraq nor ended the Syrian civil war, and did not eliminate the threat emanating from the Islamic State and others. extremist groups ", write CSIS analysts, led by Anthony Cordesman.

"Defeating the ISIS caliphate has treated a key symptom of terrorism and extremism but has not solved most of its major causes," writes Cordesman. "More generally, the decline in violence brought about by the Islamic State does not mean that the US-led anti-terrorist coalition has reduced the global threat of extremism or brought about the unity and unity of the United States. stability in Iraq, Syria or any of the other states. affected by ISIS and other extremist movements. "

INSULATED INJURIES: The Trump administration announced sanctions against the Iranian Space Agency, just days after the satellite images showed what appeared to be a failed rocket launch by the country.

"For the first time, the United States has sanctioned the Iranian Civil Space Agency, which is developing the same space launcher technology that is used in ballistic missiles," said the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted yesterday. "We call on our allies to join us in deterring the world's leading sponsor of terrorism from developing its ballistic missile program."

FREE UKRAINE FUNDS: A bipartisan group of five US senators, including Republicans Rob Portman from Ohio and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, shot a letter to the director of the OMB Mick Mulvaney calling for the immediate release of $ 250 million of military security assistance authorized by Congress to Ukraine. Three Democrats co-signed the letter: Jeanne Shaheen, Dick Durbin, and Richard Blumenthal.

"The funds for the Security Assistance Initiative in Ukraine are essential for the long-term viability of the Ukrainian army. It has helped Ukraine to develop the independent military capabilities and skills necessary to protect itself from the constant attacks of the Kremlin on its territory, "the senators wrote. "We strongly urge you to instruct the Ministry of Defense to obligate these funds immediately."

MATTIS: OBAMA'S RESPONSE TO THE TERROR "WOUNDED" OF THE TERROR: Former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis he says predicted years ago that Iran would intensify its provocations against the United States – and it attributes in part the Obama administration's anemic reaction to an Iranian plot to bomb a restaurant in Washington, DC

Mattis writes in his book just published, Call Chaos: learn to leadthat Washington did not even inform him when Iran had committed an "act of war" on American soil. On October 11, 2011, the duty officer at the US Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Florida, told him that the Attorney General and FBI director had held a press conference to announce the arrest of two Iranians who had planned a bomb attack on Café Milano, a journalist. Upscale restaurant in Washington that was a favorite of the rich and famous, including the ambassador of Saudi Arabia, Adel al-Jubeir.

"I saw the information: we had recorded the approval of the operation by Tehran," Mattis writes. "We treated an act of war as a violation of law enforcement, imprisoning low-level mail."

WHY SO MUM ?: Wherever he goes on his book tour, Mattis is asked to ask the same question: if he believes President Trump may be unfit to hold a position, does not he have the responsibility to express himself?

"I do not think it's the right thing to do," said Mattis yesterday at Foreign Relations Council event in New York.

"We have a president, a secretary of state and a secretary of defense who are trying to protect this great experience that you and I call America. And I will not make their job more difficult by a former defense secretary who talks about what I would call cheap seats, "he said.

"For those of you who say that I have the responsibility to speak, I have led a responsible life. I know what the responsibility is … so when the time comes – I'll know, when it's right – I can not tell you. I can not tell myself. I do not keep a secret. When the time comes to talk about politics or strategy, I will speak. "

WOMEN IN COMBAT COMPLICATED BY "SEXUALITY" AND "ATHLETICS": Mattis did a few eyebrows when he answered a question from a former police commissioner from New York City Ray Kelly, who served as colonel in the marine reserves, on the integration of women in the rifle platoons.

Mattis was known to have reservations about allowing women to serve in all combat jobs in the Marines, and he explained those concerns, saying that the military was doing something that the Olympic Committee would not do.

"We have a man and a woman [team] male and female athletics, "he said. "We must also look at young people who are coming to adulthood. It is not fair to tell the young sergeants and lieutenants: "You are doing well. You discover him. There are young people who fall in love with your unit, arrange yourself. "

Mattis said that respect for the "sexuality" of young people should be part of the decision to allow women to fight at the front with men in hand-to-hand combat. "We are scandalized these days, shocked by the level of rudeness of our society, especially towards women – young women. And I think we have to be extremely cautious when we put ourselves completely in combat, where the polish of civilization escapes you. Sometimes you fight only to not go crazy or lose your ethics and morals. And in this environment, you will place young men and women, at a time when they are very appreciative. "

"PERFECT EXCEPTIONAL VIEWS": The Palm Center, a group that defends the interests of homosexual and transgender troops, has denounced what he calls "embarrassing and obsolete views" of Mattis, especially that "young lovers" require a man and a woman. and "Society It is better to protect and limit women than to hold men to account.

"His concern for our national unity sounds hollow," said the director of the Palm Center. Aaron Belkin, which was strongly critical Secretary of Defense, Mattis has developed a policy that restricts the service of some transgender troops.

THE SAME DAY: Mattis's comments came when we learned that 1st Lieutenant Chelsey Hibsch did the story last week by becoming the first woman in the air force graduated from the exhausting Army Ranger School in Fort Benning, Georgia.

Hibsch joins a very small group of elite women in the military, who earned the right to wear the famous Ranger tab by successfully completing this emotionally and emotionally demanding two-month course. , which "is designed to train the military to tactical small units and allow them to fight leadership skills that allow members to make quick decisions in adverse situations. "

CRUZ: CONSPIRACY OF THE DEEP STATE: Republican of Texas Senator Ted Cruz claims that the so-called "deep state" is actively working against President Trump's efforts to counter Iran, in Secretly attempts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal it was scrapped as the "worst ever known".

"I am here to tell you that the deep state is alive and well and bypasses the barricades around Washington, DC. The number one goal of the state's deep state department, the Treasury Department, is to preserve the Obama Accord disaster on Iran's nuclear, "Cruz said at the Hudson Institute yesterday.

"Their main goal is to prevent this government from completely dismantling the deal with Iran because they believe that one of the Democratic presidential candidates of 2020 is going to win it" Cruz said.

The summary

The daily beast: Taliban mocks the bluffing of Trump's peace talks in Afghanistan

AP: New United States-led patrols in the Persian Gulf strengthen their participation in Iran

News from Japan: Japan plans to strengthen maritime security in the Strait of Ormuz

AP: Iranian tanker sued by US disables tracker near Syria

Washington Examiner: Pentagon seeks to cut China out of its rare earth supply chain, a crucial technology

the Wall Street newspaper: Beijing asserts its power to declare the emergency quell unrest in Hong Kong

Defense a: US peace forces use AI to predict Chinese and Russian movements

L & # 39; Atlantic: Soon on the battlefield: robots that can kill

Defense NewsRefusal of hot meals and indoor toilets, American airmen prepare for the fog of war

Stars and stripes: Navy has the largest members of the armed forces – but obesity rates are rising in all services

Forbes: Why Aircraft Carriers Are the Most Cost-Effective Way to Contain Chinese Military

Seapower Magazine: Huntington Ingalls completes the first sea trials of a sub-Delaware Virginia class

National Defense Review: Fourth generation fighters in full rebirth

Defense News: Lockheed's address to Polish industry in exchange for its agreement on the F-35

Washington Post: Women Of ISIS returns to brutal reign at camp

AP: Former Navy SEAL enters Yale as a 52-year-old freshman

Calendar

WEDNESDAY | SEPTEMBER 4

7:30 am, 1250 S. Hayes Street, Arlington. Third annual Defense News conference, featuring Matthew Donovan, interim secretary of the Air Force; Michael GriffinDeputy Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering; Ryan McCarthyActing Secretary of the Army; General James McConvilleChief of Staff of the Land Force; and full of others. conference.defensenews.com/agenda

9:50, 5th Avenue SW The US Military District Military District of Washington conducts a joint "Capital Shield 2019" training exercise focused on urban search and rescue following scenarios involving large numbers of casualties. response to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-performance explosive threat. www.mdwhome.mdw.army.mil

10 h 1957 E Street N.W. The University of Southern California and George Washington University hold a forum with Michelle GiudaAssistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs and Acting Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. communicationleadership.usc.edu/events

11:45, 201 Waterfront St., National Harbor, Maryland. The Association of Armed Forces for Communications and Electronics and the Intelligence and National Security Intelligence and National Intelligence Summit in 2019, with General Paul Nakasone, Cyber ​​Commander; Lieutenant-General Robert AshleyDirector, Defense Intelligence Agency; Jack Gumtow, CIO of the Defense Intelligence Agency; General Veralinn "Dash" JamiesonDeputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Cyber ​​Effect Operations in the Air Force; Scott Berrier, General of the Army, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army Intelligence; Back Steve Parode, director of the integration of the war to the navy; and others. website.eventpower.com/19INSS/Home

13:80 Mount Vernon Place N. W. Billington Cybersecurity 10th Annual Summit on Cybersecurity, with Lieutenant-General Jack ShanahanDirector of the Joint Center for Artificial Intelligence; Lieutenant-General Stephen Fogarty, commanding general, US Cyber ​​Command; Grant Schneider, Federal Chief of Information Security, Office of Management and Budget; and Anne Neuberger, director of cybersecurity at the National Security Agency. www.billingtoncybersecurity.com

14h 1401 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. Former retired Supreme Commander of NATO Admiral James Stavridis speaks at the annual conference of the Inter-American Dialogue, the Organization of American States and the Andean Development Corporation-Development Bank of Latin America. www.thedialogue.org/events

THURSDAY | SEPTEMBER 5

10:45 am 2425, boul. Wilson, Arlington. Association of the US Army's current affairs topic on military aviation, with Major General David FrancisCommander of the Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Rucker, among others. www.ausa.org/events

12h 1763 N Street N.W. Discussion of the Middle East Institute on "Assessing the Implications of an Agreement between the United States and the Taliban" with the Former Army Lieutenant General David Barno, visiting professor at the Center for Strategic Studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies; Javid Ahmad, principal member of the South Atlantic Center of the Atlantic Council; White Jarrettlead member of the Carnegie Endowment Fund for Global Peace Geoeconomics and Strategy Program; Laurel Miller, director of the Asia program of the International Crisis Group; and Marvin Weinbaum, Director of the MEI Afghanistan and Pakistan Program. www.mei.edu/events

12:30 pm CVC-268, Capitol. The Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies Mitchell of the Air Force Association discusses "Building the Air Force of Tomorrow" with Lieutenant-General Tim FayDeputy Chief of Staff, Strategy, Integration and Headquarters Requirements, Air Force; Dave Gerber, Senior Systems Engineer at MITER Corporation; Mark Gunzinger, Director of Future Aerospace Concepts and Capacity Assessments at the Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies; and Doug Birkey, Executive Director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event

18.30. 1777 N. W. Street Council discussion on foreign relations with co-chair General Joseph Dunford on US military and defense strategy in conflict zones around the world and the current state of cooperative efforts with US allies, with David Sanger, correspondent for national security in New York Times. www.cfr.org

FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 6

8:30 am, 300 First Street S.E. Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies from the Air Force Institute, Seminar "Space Power in Combat", "Secure Communications", with Lieutenant-General Joseph GuastellaCommander of the Central Command of the Air Force and Air Force Lt. Gen. J.T. Thompson, commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center. www.mitchellaerospacepower.org

19:30 800th Street N.W. Politics and Prose and George Washington University present a conversation with the former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis on his book Call sign Chaos. calendar.gwu.edu