ESPER RETURNS: Before embarking for home from Hanoi, Defense Secretary Mark Esper told reporters traveling with him that he rated his nine-day Asia trip a success, cementing alliances and sending a strong signal that the U.S. would be challenging China and standing up for the international rules-based order.
“A very positive trip all the way around,” he said of his stops in South Korea, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam. “Overall, the message was this is our priority theater. We’re here to stay.”
But on his first visit to Seoul as defense secretary, Esper failed to make headway on the three objectives he laid out at the start of his trip last week — to convince South Korea it needed to pay more for the security provided by U.S. troops, to get Japan and South Korea to resolve a dispute over intelligence sharing, and to jumpstart stalled nuclear talks with North Korea by cancelling planned military exercises.
‘VERY REASONABLE DISCUSSIONS’: Esper defended putting the squeeze on South Korea, even as he refused to confirm the widely reported $5 billion request that shocked Seoul and has strained the 66-year-old alliance.
“I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask countries who have the means to contribute more to their own defense and to the cost sharing of United States presence to do more,” Esper said, noting the State Department is in charge of the talks that collapsed last week when the U.S. side walked out.
“I’m not going to negotiate a number here,” he said. “I think it’s still a strong alliance … We need to keep moving forward, but these are very reasonable discussions to have with regard to cost sharing.”
RELATED: Pentagon riled over false report of US troop withdrawal from South Korea
‘DISAPPOINTING’ RESPONSE: When he left Washington, Esper hinted the U.S. was willing to scale back joint military exercises that North Korea routinely labels invasion rehearsals. After leaving Seoul he announced the next scheduled drills would be postponed as a goodwill gesture to help get diplomacy back on track.
North Korea spurned the move, and rejected further talks. “I saw the one response they made was not as positive as we would like, obviously, and that’s disappointing,” Esper said. “But I don’t regret trying to take the high road, if you will, and keep the door open for peace and diplomacy if we can move the ball forward.”
JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA STILL FEUDING: In his talks with Japanese and South Korean officials, Esper pleaded with the two U.S. allies to settle their differences over a 2016 intelligence sharing agreement that the U.S. sees as crucial to countering North Korea, and which South Korea is threatening to withdraw from in a trade dispute with Japan.
But Esper’s appeals have fallen on deaf ears. “The tension between the Japanese and the South Koreans obviously goes back many decades,” he said. “My message to them was, look, I understand the historical issues. I understand the recent items that prompted it, but we have far greater concerns, if you will, that involve Pyongyang and Beijing, and we have to move forward.”
South Korea is expected to allow the agreement to expire this week, unless Japan makes a last minute concession.
NOT GOING THERE: Esper spoke to reporters as one of his Deputy Assistant Secretaries, Laura Cooper, was testifying in the impeachment inquiry on Capitol Hill, but Esper scrupulously avoided being drawn into the political drama in Washington.
“I’m going to stand by where I’ve been on this matter. There’s a congressional inquiry underway. I’m not going to add to it at this point in time,” he said in response to questions about military assistance to Ukraine. “I’m not going to go down that path. I’ll let Laura’s testimony stand on its own.”
Asked if he would testify if subpoenaed, Esper sai, “We’ll see. Congress has the right to call whoever they want, I guess.”
Good Friday 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 Susan Katz Keating (@SKatzKeating). 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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NOTE TO READERS: Daily on Defense will not publish Thursday, Nov. 28 and Friday, Nov. 29 in observance of Thanksgiving.
HAPPENING TODAY: The folks at the American Enterprise Institute are releasing a data-driven report this morning looking at trends in where military veterans, live, work, vote, and will need health care.
The report “Mapping Veterans: Not Who You Think, Not Where You Think” by Rebecca Burgess uses a series of animated and still charts to visualize U.S. veteran demographics, and analyze how a concentration of veterans in some congressional district could affect electoral politics in the future.
Among the trends: “Unlike the general shifts in the veteran population, which sees most veterans in the South and West, high numbers of Vietnam-era veterans still live in the Northeast and Midwest, especially compared to the West.”“With the Gulf War and post–Gulf War veterans, we see higher numbers in the Southeast, but a fair amount (in the 240,000–300,000 range) live in such disparate states as Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Tennessee.”“Post-9/11 veterans are flocking to Texas, but also congregating in Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, and Washington State.”
TRUMP TRAVELS TO DOVER: President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley and national security adviser Robert O’Brien all made the trip to Dover Air Force Base, Del., last night to pay their respects to two U.S. soldiers who died when their helicopter crashed in Afghanistan Wednesday.
The Pentagon has identified the fallen as Chief Warrant Officer 2 David C. Knadle and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kirk T. Fuchigami Jr. Both soldiers were assigned to 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
Trump saluted as an Army honor guard carried flag-draped cases containing the soldier remains, in what the military calls a “dignified transfer ceremony.”
Trump led a large delegation which also included Deputy Defense Secretary David Norquist, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, and actor Jon Voight, who was awarded the National Medal of Arts by Trump at a White House ceremony earlier in the day.
The latest death brings to 19 the number of U.S. troops who have died in combat in Afghanistan this year. Since war began in Oct. 2001, more than 2,400 Americans forces have been killed in the line of duty.
TRAINING ACCIDENT TIED TO FUNDING: Two Air Force pilots in training were killed yesterday when their T-38 Talon flipped over on landing in an accident that involved another training jet at Vance Air Force base in northwestern Oklahoma.
While the crash is under investigation, Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, issued a statement saying the tragedy underscores the need for Congress to pass the Pentagon’s full FY 2020 budget, which includes more money for training and flight hours, modernization of equipment and other safety upgrades.
“Military aviation is inherently dangerous, and our pilots and pilot trainees rely on training to ensure they can do their mission,” Inhofe said. “That’s why it’s so important that Congress ensure training and readiness programs are well-funded. This is the least we can do to make sure our airmen can safely meet current and future threats and to prevent incidents like what happened at Vance today from happening again.”
TRUMP SIGNS CR: With just hours to go before the midnight deadline, President Trump last night signed an extension of the continuing resolution to fund the federal government through Dec. 20.
The stopgap measure passed the Senate yesterday by a 74-20 vote. It limits spending to last year’s levels, with two exceptions. It also includes money for 3.1 percent military pay raise in addition to funding for the U.S. census.
The dispute over funding for President Trump’s border wall upgrades remains the main stumbling block to passing the full $738 billion defense budget for the fiscal year that started Oct. 1.
ROOD ARRIVAL: John Rood, the Pentagon’s undersecretary for policy is in Bahrain for the International Institute for Strategic Studies Manama Dialogue Regional Security Summit.
“The Manama Dialogue is an important opportunity to discuss regional issues and advance U.S. priorities,” the Pentagon said in a statement “Undersecretary Rood will participate in the formal agenda of the summit, bilateral meetings, and key leader engagements.”
IN DIRE STRAITS? A new report from the Center for a New American Security examines various scenarios for a “tanker war” in the Persian Gulf, in which Iran might threaten or block oil shipments, and how that might affect the world oil markets.
The report — issued jointly by CNAS and Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University — attempts to predict what would happen if tensions between the United States and Iran continue to escalate.
“The authors conclude that the impacts on oil prices from a U.S.-Iran crisis in the Gulf are significant, but likely overestimated by experts and policymakers who view Iran’s ability to close the Strait as a major source of leverage,” says an introduction to the report, which is titled, “In Dire Straits? Implications of U.S.-Iran Tensions for the Global Oil Market.”
“The report finds that only in more extreme scenarios would a dramatic shift in oil prices be seen. The more serious consequence would be that the United States would be forced to maintain a significant air and naval presence in the Persian Gulf in perpetuity, undermining efforts to refocus American military power on great power competition with China and Russia and costing the U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars.”
The Rundown
New York Times: At Last Minute, South Korea Holds Off on Leaving Intelligence Pact With Japan
Reuters: U.S. Warships Sail In Disputed South China Sea, Angering China
New York Times: White House Won’t Say if Trump Will Sign Hong Kong Bill That Has Angered China
Defense News: Satellite Images Reveal Location Of China’s First Locally Built Aircraft Carrier
AP: On Ukraine’s bleak front line, US aid saves lives and morale
Air Force Magazine: Bunch: USAF Can Build More B-21 Bombers Faster Without Renegotiating Contract
Breaking Defense: Air Tractor Files Another Light Attack Aircraft Protest
Navy Times: Are the Navy’s admirals forcing a crisis in traditional civil-military affairs?
New York Times: As Admiral Moved to Expel a Navy SEAL, He Kept an Eye on Trump
Washington Post: Trump’s meddling in a SEAL disciplinary case risks a collision with the Navy
AP: Parents of late US hostage chasing North Korean assets
Washington Post: ISIS Claims Responsibility For Deadly Ambush That Killed 30 Soldiers In Mali
C4ISRNET: To Protect GPS Satellites, Esper Is Against Private 5G Proposal
USNI News: Royal Navy Intends HMS Queen Elizabeth to be Integrated into U.S. Carrier Operations
Calendar
FRIDAY | NOVEMBER 22
12 p.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. — Hudson Institute discussion “The Chinese Threat to Taiwanese Sovereignty,” with Christian Whiton, senior fellow at the Center for the National Interest; Rick Fisher, senior fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center; Ian Easton, research fellow at the Project 2049; Riley Walters, policy analyst for Asia economy and technology at the Heritage Foundation’s Asia Studies Center; and Seth Cropsey, senior fellow and director of the Hudson Institute’s Center for American Seapower. https://www.hudson.org/events
3 p.m. Halifax, Nova Scotia — Halifax International Security Forum with participants from more than 80 democratic countries, including U.S. national security adviser Robert O’Brien; Navy Secretary Richard Spencer; Sen. Jim Risch R-Ind., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Sen. Tim Kaine D-Va.; Indo-Pacific Commander Adm. Philip Davidson; U.S. Northern Commander Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy; and Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz. https://halifaxtheforum.org/2019-forum-agenda
TUESDAY | NOVEMBER 26
9:30 a.m. 1152 15th St. N.W. — Center for a New American Security Fireside Chat with Will Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force (acquisition, technology, and logistics) and Susanna Blume, senior fellow and director CNAS defense program. https://events.cnas.org/Events
THURSDAY | NOVEMBER 28
Thanksgiving Holiday
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I will tell you, with regard to my visit to the prison, it was a chance for me to honor our POWs who spent years there in some very tough conditions. I was not aware of how much the Vietnamese had suffered at the hands of the French for many decades before that. So it again, it helps enrich your understanding of the history of Vietnam and how they came about this all.”
Defense Secretary Mark Esper, on the infamous “Hanoi Hilton,” during his visit to Vietnam.
