| | | | | |  | | By Bryan Bender | Presented by Northrop Grumman | With 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 from Thurs. Dec. 24-Friday Jan. 1. We'll be back on our normal schedule on Monday Jan. 4. | | | — Deal reached to fund government and disburse more coronavirus relief funds, including a full-year Pentagon budget. — Talk among President Donald Trump's supporters of using the military to overturn the election sets off new alarms. — The Pentagon and President-elect Joe Biden's transition team trade accusations after defense officials cancel meetings. IT'S MONDAY AND WELCOME TO MORNING DEFENSE, where 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 revolutionized long range strike with the B-2. Now, we're Defining Possible again with B-21 Raider. Drawing on decades of stealth expertise, we've created a platform ready to dominate the battlefields of tomorrow. Learn more about how B-21 Raider is Defining Possible | | | | | | CONGRESS STRIKES SPENDING AND STIMULUS DEAL: Congressional leaders on Sunday clinched a deal for a new $900 billion round of coronavirus stimulus, which will be included in a year-end spending package, POLITICO's Burgess Everett, Andrew Desiderio, Melanie Zanona and Heather Caygle report. "But with legislative text still yet to be released, a House vote on final passage has slipped to Monday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer informed House Democrats on a private conference call. The Senate is expected to take up the bill quickly afterward, though [Senate Majority Leader Mitch] McConnell declined to offer a timeline." Shutdown averted (again): Lawmakers still need more time to pass the legislation to fully fund the government and provide relief to Americans affected by the pandemic. The House and Senate cleared a one-day continuing resolution to keep the government funded through midnight. And the House will consider another weeklong spending patch today to buy time for the Senate to pass the omnibus and for the bill to be formally finalized for Trump's signature. What's in the omnibus and stimulus (and what's not): The $1.4 trillion spending package, which will include full-year Pentagon funding, doesn't include a waiver for retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin to serve as defense secretary in the Biden administration, according to Senate Majority Whip John Thune. Some Senate Democrats last week pushed for the omnibus to include a waiver to the federal law requiring military officers to be out of uniform for at least seven years to lead the Pentagon, as did some top House Democrats, including Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, POLITICO's Sarah Ferris, Andrew Desiderio and Connor O'Brien reported. But the nomination of the second retired general to the top Pentagon post in four years has Republicans and Democrats on edge about the implications for civilian control of the military. And House Armed Services Chair Adam Smith has made clear that he wants Austin to testify as part of the waiver process. The relief and spending package also continues a paid leave program that allows contractors to keep employees on the payroll if federal facilities close due to the pandemic. Further reading: Breaking down the $900B stimulus package and $1.4T omnibus bill, via POLITICO's Caitlin Emma and Marianne LeVine Related: Intel bill to be included in massive appropriations, coronavirus spending deal, via POLITICO's Martin Matishak. VETO WATCH: The clock is ticking on an expected veto of annual defense policy legislation. The National Defense Authorization Act is still sitting on Trump's desk waiting for his approval or rejection. The president, who has threatened to veto the bill for weeks, has until Wednesday to act or allow the bill to become law without his signature. If Trump rejects the NDAA as promised, lawmakers will likely vote to override him the week after Christmas. The House is targeting a vote during the week of Dec. 28. If successful, then the Senate would likely hold its override vote on Jan. 3, just before the new Congress is sworn in. Cyber overhaul at risk: An NDAA veto would also threaten one of the most consequential pieces of cybersecurity legislation in years, just as the U.S. is grappling with a massive digital intrusion that appears to be Russia's handiwork, POLITICO's Connor O'Brien and Martin Matishak report. The revelation that hackers have compromised several federal agencies adds a new dimension to the months-long battle of wills between Trump and lawmakers of both parties about the defense bill's fate. Top Republicans have seized on the hack while pleading with Trump to sign the bill, which passed with blowout votes in the House and Senate. But many are still wary of crossing Trump, and will be tested by a vote to override his threatened veto. Related: Trump downplays cyberattack on U.S., breaks with Pompeo on Russia's role, via POLITICO's Evan Semones. And: Democrats cry alarm over proposal to split up NSA, Cyber Command amid hacking crisis, via POLITICO's Martin Matishak. | | | |   | | | | | | The Hudson Institute hosts an online discussion titled "After the Taliban: Implications for India-Afghanistan Relations" featuring Adela Raz, Afghanistan's ambassador to the United Nations, at noon. | | | 'AN INCLUSIVE SPACE': Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller on Friday issued a series of actions to improve racial and ethnic diversity in the military after receiving the findings of the DoD Board on Diversity and Inclusion that was established by then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper in July. "To promote an inclusive space throughout the military, diversity and inclusion training must occur at all levels of leadership and be embedded throughout the military life cycle," the memo states. The board recommends recruiting a more diverse population and developing "diverse pools of qualified candidates" at all levels. Miller also declared the Pentagon must weed out extremists in the ranks. His memo says the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness has been directed to "review current policy, laws, and regulations concerning active participation by service members in extremist or hate group activity and develop a report, with recommendations, concerning initiatives to more effectively prohibit extremist or hate group activity." Related: Lynchburg resident and former Tuskegee Airman prepares to celebrate 100th birthday, via The News & Advance. | | | | TUNE IN TO NEW EPISODE OF GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS: Our Global Translations podcast, presented by Citi, examines the long-term costs of the short-term thinking that drives many political and business decisions. The world has long been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, and these issues have exploded over the past year amid a global pandemic. This podcast helps to identify and understand the impediments to smart policymaking. Subscribe for Season Two, available now. | | | | | | | | MEET THE GUARDIANS: The Space Force has finally settled on what to call its members, our colleague Jacqueline Feldscher reports. "...Henceforth the men and women of the United States Space Force will be known as guardians," Vice President Mike Pence told an audience Friday, on the eve of the new branch's first birthday. "After a yearlong process that produced hundreds of submissions and research involving space professionals and members of the general public," the Space Force also tweeted, "we can finally share with you the name by which we will be known: Guardians." Some noted space enthusiasts gave it a semi-thumbs up but also suggested the Pentagon could have done better. Some partisans, of course, made light and used the announcement to attack the president. Generally, the level of discourse on social media was the opposite of elevated. But no such thing as bad press, right? This take, though, was pretty funny. Related: Space Force poised to see major growth, new uniforms in 2021, via Military.com. 'DIAL BACK ON THE CHEST-THUMPING': On a serious note, the moniker space guardian — denoting a protector, defender, or custodian — could help tone down some of the Trump administration's provocative rhetoric about the Space Force. And that's something the incoming Biden administration could end up doing, as Feldscher also reports. "What the Trump administration did is crossed a rubicon that every prior administration has hesitated to do, and that is to advocate overtly for development of space weapons," said Joan Johnson-Freese, a professor at the Naval War College who specializes in space policy. "I think with the Biden administration, you keep going with research and development, and you certainly try to stay ahead, but you don't have to do it in a provocative way, which I think is what the Trump administration did." Johnson-Freese said she expects the Biden team to "dial back on the chest-thumping rhetoric." Related: Spend funds on space dominance, not moving Space Command's headquarters, by Rep. Doug Lamborn, via Defense News. | | | | A message from Northrop Grumman: Just over 30 years ago, we revolutionized long range strike with the launch of the B-2, the world's first stealth bomber. Now, we're Defining Possible again with the B-21 Raider. Intended as the premier bomber for the US Air Force in the 21st century, the B-21 Raider is no ordinary aircraft with no ordinary mission. Drawing on decades of stealth and strike experience, we've created a powerful, flexible platform ready to win today and dominate the battlefields of tomorrow. Learn more about how the B-21 Raid | | | | | | 'IT'S TIME FOR THIS TO BE SHUT DOWN': Some of Trump''s leading allies are calling on the president to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 and deploy the military to prevent President-elect Joe Biden from taking office next month, clinging to conspiracy theories that the election was rigged to ensure Trump lost, POLITICO's Tina Nguyen reports. "...Two prominent pro-Trump attorneys [are] leading efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and even one North Carolina state lawmaker," she writes. "Others like Michael Flynn, Trump's first national security adviser who was recently pardoned for lying to the FBI, have made adjacent calls for Trump to impose martial law." The ideas have been circulating in pro-Trump outlets among protesters who descended on state capitols and the Supreme Court this weekend. "The central theme here is that there supposedly exists a network of nefarious actors trying to undermine Trump and destroy the United States, and that this is a tool that Trump could use to save the day," said Jared Holt, a research fellow at the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensics Research Lab, who focuses on far-right extremism. At least some notable Republicans in Congress see it for what it is. "No. The military will not be 'deployed' to re-run an election," Rep. Adam Kinzinger tweeted on Friday. "It's time for this to be shut down, and now. Gen. Flynn has lost his moral authority to be taken seriously, and the GOP needs to stand up to it. " Flynn responded to the tweet with the kind of simplistic rallying cry that has come to define the staunchest supporters of Trump's unfounded claims who can't defend their position with facts, so resort to meaningless platitudes. "Study your history and the constitution," Flynn admonished Kinzinger. (Flynn's post was liked more than 60,000 times as of Sunday.) Concerns were fueled by an Oval Office meeting on Friday, The New York Times reported , in which Trump and several confidantes discussed appointing a special counsel to investigate claims of election fraud. Also part of the discussion was Flynn, POLITICO's Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein report. Rep. Adam Schiff, the chair of the Intelligence Committee, accused Trump and Flynn of plotting a military coup. 'POCKETS OF RECALCITRANCE': "The tension between the Trump administration and President-elect Joe Biden's team spilled out into the open on Friday, as officials traded accusations over the status of a series of Defense Department transition meetings that a Biden spokesperson called 'invaluable' for national security," our colleague Lara Seligman reports. Biden transition executive director Yohannes Abraham contradicted Miller's claims that the two teams "mutually agreed" to pause the interviews until after the holiday, calling for the process to resume "immediately." "That our agency review teams will be able to have access to the sort of information that is invaluable for keeping the homeland safe," he said. But the Pentagon "will continue to provide all required support to the Agency Review Team to keep our nation and her citizens safe," Miller said in a statement after Axios reported he had abruptly ordered a department-wide halt. He noted the Pentagon has already supported 139 interview sessions with more than 200 DoD personnel and disclosed thousands of pages of documents. "Again, I remain committed to a full and transparent transition — this is what our nation expects and the DoD will deliver AS IT ALWAYS HAS," the acting Pentagon chief said. Still, Abraham asserted the Pentagon has been among the least cooperative agencies. "There have been many agencies and departments that have facilitated the exchange of info and meetings over the past few weeks," Abraham said. "There have been pockets of recalcitrance and DoD is one of them." | | | | A NEW YEAR, A NEW HUDDLE: Huddle, our daily must-read in congressional offices, will have a new author in 2021! Olivia Beavers will take the reins on Jan. 4, and she has some big plans in store. Don't miss out, subscribe to our Huddle newsletter, the essential guide to all things Capitol Hill. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | | LOCKHEED MAKES PLAY FOR AEROJET: Lockheed Martin announced late Sunday it is acquiring Aerojet Rocketdyne in a $4.6 billion proposed deal. James Taiclet, Lockheed Martin president and CEO, said acquiring the rocket and missile engine maker "will preserve and strengthen an essential component of the domestic defense industrial base and reduce costs for our customers and the American taxpayer." "This transaction enhances Lockheed Martin's support of critical U.S. and allied security missions and retains national leadership in space and hypersonic technology," he said in a statement. "We look forward to welcoming their talented team and expanding Lockheed Martin's position as the leading provider of 21st century warfare solutions." | | | — No more generals atop the Pentagon, by Rep. Mike Gallagher: The Wall Street Journal — Kushner defines 'America's Interests' at the expense of human rights: The American Prospect — Pro-Trump shakeups continue at VOA's parent agency: The Associated Press — Lockheed Martin to help Japan build stealth fighter: Reuters — Air Force opened a criminal probe after a Lockheed F-35 grounding: Bloomberg — Mapping the Turkish military's expanding footprint: Bloomberg — Air Force acquisition chief says risks of digital design are worth it: POLITICO Pro — U.S. puts Chinese dronemaker, semiconductor giant on trade blacklist: POLITICO Pro — U.S. forces to begin withdrawing from Somalia on Trump's orders: Bloomberg — Iran builds at underground nuclear facility amid U.S tensions: The Associated Press — Biden faces big decisions on nuclear arms control — here's what he should do, by Jon Kyl and Tim Morrison: Fox News — They died in the French and Indian War. Their remains await burial: The New York Times
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