| | | | | |  | | By Bryan Bender | Presented by Northrop Grumman | With Sarah Cammarata and Connor O'Brien Editor's Note: Morning Defense is a free version of POLITICO Pro Defense's morning newsletter, which is delivered to our subscribers each morning at 6 a.m. The POLITICO Pro platform combines the news you need with tools you can use to take action on the day's biggest stories. Act on the news with POLITICO Pro. PROGRAMMING NOTE: Morning Defense will not publish on Thursday, Nov. 26 and Friday, Nov. 27. We'll be back on our normal schedule on Monday, Nov. 30. | | | — A White House offer for a deal over Confederate base names gets a chilly reception on Capitol Hill. — A top Pentagon official tests positive for the coronavirus after meeting with the Lithuanian defense minister. — The president-elect pledges to fully fund the National Guards' coronavirus deployments. IT'S FRIDAY AND YOU'RE READING MORNING DEFENSE, where we congratulate Robina Asti, 99, one of this year's Out100, the "most impactful and influential LGBTQ+ people." Asti, a transgender woman, is a retired Navy lieutenant commander who flew combat missions in the Pacific during World War II as a man. She's believed to be the world's oldest pilot and flight instructor, and she last gave a lesson in July at Riverside Municipal Airport in California. "Every time I take off — throttle pull in, power full on — I'm listening to that engine because it's whispering to me sweet little lullabies," she told NPR in August. Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance and 2020 is on pace to be one of the deadliest years on record for the gender-nonconforming community. We're always on the lookout for tips, pitches and feedback. Email us at bbender@politico.com, and follow on Twitter @bryandbender, @morningdefense and @politicopro. | | | | A message from Northrop Grumman: We provide powerful, scalable networks and integrated capabilities that ensure warfighters and the systems they depend on can act as one joint force across every domain, service and mission. Learn more | | | | | | WHITE HOUSE PITCHES BASE NAME TRADE: White House chief of staff Mark Meadows has hinted that President Donald Trump could drop his opposition to provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act that would strip the names of Confederate leaders from military bases, in exchange for repealing a legal shield for social media companies known as Section 230, the New York Times reports. Such a trade isn't being seriously entertained, a House aide familiar with NDAA talks told POLITICO. Lawmakers nonetheless must navigate Trump's threat to veto a bill that would force the military to rename bases, language for which was included in both the House and Senate versions. | 
President Donald Trump speaks in the Rose Garden at the White House on November 13, 2020. | Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images | House Armed Services Chair Adam Smith (D-Wash.) doubled down on the House provision Thursday, arguing "there's no reason it shouldn't be in the bill." But he also predicted Senate Republicans won't agree to a bill Trump won't sign. "The president is not going to veto the defense bill and I can say that with almost absolute certainty," Smith said during a webinar hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations. "And the reason is because Mitch McConnell and Jim Inhofe are not going to send him a bill that he says he's going to veto." Spending gavel watch: DeLauro battles Wasserman Schultz over Appropriations chair, via POLITICO's Caitlin Emma. | | | |   | | | | | | AFGHAN HEARING: The House Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on the war in Afghanistan with Ryan Crocker, former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, and Kuwait; Stephen Biddle, a professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University who has advised U.S. commanders; and Seth Jones, director of the Transnational Threats Project at the Center for Strategic & International Studies, at 9 a.m. The testimony comes amid bipartisan backlash over Trump's order this week to reduce the number of U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to 2,500 each by Jan. 15. Related: Afghanistan braces for worst as U.S. troop withdrawal accelerates, via The Wall Street Journal. And: U.S. general says ISIS in Iraq and Syria still long-term threat, via The Associated Press. HALIFAX SECURITY FORUM: The three-day Halifax Security Forum, North America's leading defense and foreign policy conference, kicks off today. The virtual sessions feature a who's-who of U.S. and allied defense and diplomatic officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Navy Secretary Kenneth Braithwaite; Chief of Space Operations Gen. John Raymond; Jim Chilton, Boeing's senior vice president for space and launch; and former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. Check out the full agenda. | | | NEW COVID INFECTIONS AT PENTAGON: A senior civilian Pentagon official has tested positive for Covid-19 after meeting with the Lithuanian defense minister, who also tested positive for the virus, the Pentagon announced Thursday, our colleague Lara Seligman reports. Anthony Tata, who is performing the duties of Pentagon policy chief, will isolate at home for 14 days. Lithuanian Defense Minister Raimundas Karoblis visited the Pentagon on Nov. 13 and met with multiple senior leaders, including acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller and the secretaries of the Army and Air Force. Karoblis also met with the Navy secretary on Monday. All of the U.S. officials were tested after the Lithuanian Embassy notified the Pentagon on Thursday that Karoblis had tested positive, according to chief Pentagon spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman. Tata tested positive on two successive tests. None of the other officials are quarantining. Hoffman said the Pentagon is continuing to conduct further contract tracing. Miller and the service secretaries are not quarantining "based on testing and mitigation measures that were in place during the Lithuanian delegation's visit and CDC guidelines," Hoffman said. "We will continue to evaluate conditions, take appropriate preventative measures, and undertake additional necessary testing," he said. Related: Nearly one out of four sailors aboard destroyer infected with coronavirus, via NBC News. IN MY BACKYARD: "The Air Force on Thursday selected bases in New Mexico, Florida, Nebraska, Alabama, Texas and Colorado as finalists to host the headquarters of the new U.S. Space Command," our colleague Jacqueline Feldscher reports. The decision marks the latest chapter in the lobbying campaign by dozens of states to secure the economic benefits from hosting the mission and its 1,400 personnel. The six finalists are: Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico; Patrick AFB in Florida; Offutt AFB in Nebraska; Redstone Arsenal in Alabama; Joint Base San Antonio in Texas; and Peterson AFB in Colorado. "Self-nominated communities from across twenty-four states were evaluated as potential locations for hosting the headquarters," the Air Force said in a statement Thursday. A final decision will be made early next year but Peterson will continue to serve as the temporary headquarters until 2026. "With our infrastructure, innovation, work force, and commitment to the space mission, there is no better permanent home for U.S. Space Command than Colorado," Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) said in a statement. "I look forward to the final selection in the near future." Related: Pentagon seeking input from industry on future of space launch, via National Defense. | | | | A message from Northrop Grumman: In modern missions, communication and coordination is always a challenge – and getting it right can mean the difference between mission success and failure. At Northrop Grumman, we've been taking on this challenge for decades and the result is a scalable, adaptable suite of joint all-domain command and control networks and capabilities. Our products ensure the entire joint force, from troops to weapons systems can act as one across every mission and military service. Because tomorrow's mission success depends on acting as one. Learn more about how we're enabling the joint force. | | | | | | 'I DON'T SEE THE THREAT INCREASING': The Air Force is neither concerned nor surprised about Russia's military buildup and deployment of submarines in the Arctic, top officials said at a virtual Alaska World Affairs Council panel Thursday. "We shouldn't be surprised that the Russians are in the Arctic, obviously, as an Arctic nation," said Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting, first commander of the Space Operations Command. "America has made [the Arctic] an equal priority that we need to safeguard our interests," added Lt. Gen. David Krumm, commander of Alaskan Command. "I don't see the threat increasing. I think the need for us to be there and work together [is] increasing." The Air Force released a new Arctic strategy in July in conjunction with the Space Force. | | | | TRACK THE TRANSITION, SUBSCRIBE TO TRANSITION PLAYBOOK: As states certify their election results, President-elect Biden is building an administration. The staffing decisions made in the coming days, weeks, and months will send clear-cut signals about his administration's agenda and priorities. Transition Playbook is the definitive guide to what could be one of the most consequential transfers of power in American history. Written for political insiders, it tracks the appointments, people, and the emerging power centers of the new administration. Stay in the know, subscribe today. | | | | | | | | WE GOT YOU COVERED: "President-elect Joe Biden pledged Thursday to fully fund the National Guard's coronavirus relief work once he's sworn in, and criticized the Trump administration for making most states pick up 25 percent of the cost of having soldiers and airmen run testing sites, staff hospitals, conduct contact tracing and do other work amid the pandemic," POLITICO's Alice Miranda Ollstein reports. "It costs a lot of money and governors need that paid for," Biden said after a video call with a bipartisan group of governors. "The fact is that this is a national emergency — that's what FEMA is supposed to deal with. Our view is that should be done. When it comes to deploying the National Guard for Covid relief, that should be paid for." The Trump administration's current authorization for the deployment of 20,000 Guard members expires on Dec. 31, but more than 20 states have already requested an extension, given the likelihood that a vaccine won't be widely available until well into 2021. The Trump White House hasn't committed, but could still approve an extension in the coming weeks. State officials and lawmakers told POLITICO that they fear a gap in funding between the end of the year and when Biden is sworn in if Trump lets funding lapse. "The inauguration isn't until late January, so does all of this have to come to a crashing halt?" said Maj. Gen. Matt Quinn, the head of the National Guard in Montana and the president of the Adjutants General Association. "It will have a significant negative impact on the states." DON'T TELL THE BOSS: "President Donald Trump's refusal to concede to President-elect Joe Biden has resulted in an unusual national security predicament: how to navigate a presidential transition when the vice president-elect is privy to classified information that she cannot discuss with the future commander-in-chief," POLITICO's Natasha Bertrand reports. As a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris has access to regular classified briefings and documents up to the top-secret level, and can request intelligence briefings on specific topics, said David Priess, a former CIA officer and daily intelligence briefer under the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush administrations. But Biden will not be allowed access to classified information or any members of the intelligence community until the General Services Administration officially "ascertains" that he is president-elect — a formality that has traditionally taken place within 24 hours of Election Day but is being held up by Trump as he continues to challenge the election results. "Until Biden is inaugurated, he has no constitutional right to classified information and none of his conversations with Harris can venture into classified issues until they both finally start receiving classified briefings as part of the transition," said national security lawyer Brad Moss. "There has never been an Espionage Act case against a sitting member of Congress but no one wants to poke the 400-pound bear on this one and risk it either." | | | — U.K. to boost defense budget by $21.9 billion. Here's who benefits — and loses out: Defense News — Boris Johnson woos Joe Biden with defense plan: POLITICO Europe — New report on U.S. military reliability is downright miserable: The Drive — The disastrous idea that won't go away: The Atlantic | | | | 2020 HALIFAX INTERNATIONAL SECURITY FORUM: Tune in as international security leaders from democracies around the world discuss key challenges at the 12th annual Halifax International Security Forum . As an official media partner, POLITICO will livestream conversation beginning at 11:30 a.m. on November 20. | | | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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