| | | | | |  | | By Bryan Bender and Sarah Cammarata | Presented by |  | | | 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. | | | — Tehran is resuming enriching bomb-grade uranium after President Donald Trump ordered an aircraft carrier to stay put in the region. — Legislation authorizing low-interest loans for Eastern European allies seeking U.S. weapons awaits Trump's signature. — The Pentagon is giving contractors more access to "special-access programs" to help spur innovation. HAPPY TUESDAY AND WELCOME TO MORNING DEFENSE, where we're thrilled to welcome our colleague Sarah Cammarata as new co-anchor. Sarah is steeped in Krav Maga, a self-defense technique developed for the Israel Defense Forces that combines boxing, wrestling, judo and karate (we are not kidding). She spends a lot of time biking around D.C., where she lives with her cat Binks , and went on her second camping trip during quarantine. Her new year's resolution is to spend as much time outside as possible. We promise to do our best to help. We're always on the lookout for tips, pitches and feedback. Email us at bbender@politico.com and scammarata@politico.com. And follow on Twitter @bryandbender, @sarahjcamm, @morningdefense and @politicopro. | | | GRANGER TESTS POSITIVE: We wish Rep. Kay Granger, the top Republican on the House Appropriations Committee and its defense panel, a speedy and full recovery after she tested positive for the coronavirus on Sunday. "When she arrived in D.C. for the beginning of the 117th Congress, Congresswoman Kay Granger was tested for coronavirus in accordance with the Attending Physician's guidance for Members when traveling from their home state," said Sarah Flaim, the communications director for Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee. "She was later notified that she tested positive and immediately quarantined. Having received the vaccine in December, she is asymptomatic and feeling great! She will remain under the care of her doctor." CHEAP LOANS FOR NATO ALLIES: The Senate over the weekend approved by unanimous consent a bill that would provide low-cost loans to Eastern European allies in NATO that still rely on Russian military gear so they can more easily purchase U.S. weapons and equipment. The Eastern European Security Act, sponsored by Rep. Michael McCaul , the top Republican on the Foreign Affairs Committee, would authorize the president "to make direct loans" to nations that joined the alliance after March 1, 1999, "for the purchase of U.S. defense articles." "The President may make such loans with lower interest rates than required by statute," according to a summary. "Some NATO member countries who were formerly part of the Soviet Bloc face financial hurdles to divest from Soviet-era and Russian military equipment, undermining NATO's core mission to deter the Putin regime's aggression," McCaul said in a statement. "This legislation will help our allies invest in American defense innovation instead of Russian or Chinese hardware." The bill awaits Trump's signature, "which we are very hopeful will happen," Leslie Shedd , the panel's communications director, tells us. For Pros: Meet the new members of the 117th Congress. | | | | 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. | | | | | | The Center for Strategic and International Studies hosts a webcast with FCC Chair Ajit Pai on 5G and national security at 3 p.m. The Institute for Policy Studies holds a discussion on "Dignity, Not Domination: The Need to Transform the U.S.' Relationship with Iran" at 5:30 p.m. | | | | GET THE BIG PRE-INAUGURATION SCOOPS IN TRANSITION PLAYBOOK: Inauguration Day is quickly approaching. Is the Biden administration ready? Transition Playbook brings you inside the transition and newly forming administration, tracking the latest from Biden world and the transition of power. Written for political insiders, this scoop-filled newsletter breaks big news and analyzes the appointments, people and emerging power centers of the new administration. Track the transition and the first 100 days of the incoming Biden administration. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | | IRAN RESUMES ENRICHMENT: "Iran announced Monday that it had resumed enrichment of uranium at its underground fuel processing site — a breach of the 2015 nuclear agreement that Tehran insisted was justified by the U.S. withdrawal from the accord, but one that is potentially reversible," POLITICO's David Herszenhorn reports from Brussels. The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that Tehran had resumed enrichment of uranium-235 to 20 percent, which is suitable for a nuclear bomb. That is a level not seen since the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was reached among the U.S., Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia and the U.K. The State Department criticized Iran's move as a "clear attempt to increase its campaign of nuclear extortion," The Associated Press reported. "The United States and the rest of the international community will assess Iran's actions. We have confidence that the IAEA will monitor and report on any new Iranian nuclear activities." The development puts added pressure on President-elect Joe Biden, who has pledged to re-engage with Iran after Trump withdrew from the pact in 2018. "Our measures are fully reversible upon FULL compliance by ALL," Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted on Monday. Related: The Iranian dictatorship and a U.N. expert's double standard, via National Review. And: Why Biden would be wrong to re-enter the Iran deal, via Joseph Lieberman and Mark Wallace in NBC News. TRUMP BEHIND NIMITZ REVERSAL: Trump was responsible for ordering the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz to remain on station in the Middle East on Sunday following public threats from Iranian leaders over the weekend — the latest in a string of reversals that sent mixed signals to Iran and befuddled observers, our colleague Lara Seligman reports. The Pentagon has shored up its forces in the Middle East in recent weeks, alarmed by increased Iranian activity ahead of the one-year anniversary of the death of Iranian leader Qasem Soleimani. On Thursday, to the surprise of many observers, acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller ordered the carrier strike group to return home in an effort to deescalate the situation. But Trump abruptly ordered Miller to turn the carrier around after a top Iranian official seemed to implicitly threaten the president on Friday, according to two U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Zarif also cited "new intelligence" from Iraq on Saturday indicating that "Israeli agent-provocateurs" are plotting attacks against Americans, which was seen as a potential effort to deflect upcoming Iranian attacks. Related: Iran Guards seize South Korean tanker amid U.S. tensions, via Agence France-Presse. And: A year ago the U.S. assassinated a national leader, via Responsible Statecraft. | | | |   | | | | | | D.C. GUARD ACTIVATED: More than 300 members of the D.C. National Guard have been activated to support local police when pro-Trump protests are expected to take place ahead of Congress' certification the presidential election results on Wednesday, our colleague Jacqueline Feldscher reports. "We will not allow people to incite violence, intimidate our residents or cause destruction in our city," Mayor Muriel Bowser said on Monday. Related: Washington D.C. bans guns at pro-Trump election protests scheduled for this week, via Newsweek. Also: Congress gets security instructions on Electoral College session, via Bloomberg. | | | ACCESS TO MORE SECRETS: "The Pentagon has formally created a group of defense companies that can get broader access to classified initiatives known as special-access programs, hoping that more insight will make contractors more efficient and cost-conscious," Air Force Magazine reports. Pentagon acquisition chief Ellen Lord established the DoD SAP Corporate Portfolio Program in a Dec. 15 memo to "better posture" the defense industrial base. The extra insight is intended to encourage corporations "to conduct informed independent research and development and propose innovative solutions to capability gaps, better integrate products with existing capabilities, and better align DIB planning with DoD," she wrote. Participation in the program is voluntary. | | | SINE OF THE TIMES: Another casualty of the pandemic, we are bummed to report, is the beloved Sine Irish Pub on Pentagon Row, where defense journalists and many of their sources have gathered for countless milestones over the years, from promotions and retirements to book launches. It's being forced to shutter its swinging doors, as Arlington Now reported on Monday . We agree the watering hole's central place in national security cannot be overstated. "There wouldn't be a Space Force without the Pentagon's Unofficial Officer's Club, Sine Irish Pub!" tweeted space policy consultant Ryan Faith. But a last-ditch effort is underway to try to save it. Faith has circulated a petition urging the property owners to show mercy for the saloon "where the military-industrial complex goes to let its hair (buzzcut?) down." Kathleen McInnis, a specialist in international security at the Congressional Research Service and author of "The Heart of War: Misadventures in the Pentagon," once described the joint perfectly: "I spent a lot of hours and killed a lot of brain cells at Sine's Irish Pub when I worked in the Pentagon. My buddies and I would yammer about life, the universe, & how dorked up DOD can be." | | | | A NEW YEAR MEANS A NEW HUDDLE IS HERE: Huddle, our daily congressional must-read, has a new author! Olivia Beavers took the reins this week, and she has the latest news and whispers from the Speakers' Lobby. Don't miss out, subscribe to our Huddle newsletter, the essential guide to all things Capitol Hill. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | | The new "PLUM book" is out. The guide from the Government Publishing Office outlines thousands of federal policy jobs and supporting positions and comes out at the close of every presidential term. The Defense Department section starts on Page 30. | | | Kamal Patel, former deputy chief of staff for former Rep. Mac Thornberry, is now a director at Ferox Strategies. | | | | 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 DefiningPossible 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 the B-21 Raider. | | | | | | — Trump and the military: What an erratic commander in chief leaves behind: NPR — Covid vaccination starts at more bases but not everyone wants the jab: Stars and Stripes — Israel's defense minister favors buying one more F-35 squadron for now: Reuters — Qatar ruler gets invite to attend summit that may ease Gulf rift: Bloomberg — Trump's call leaves allies fearful for American democracy: The New York Times — What's on aerospace and defense industry's mind for 2021? Aviation Week — When we were senators there was respect across the aisle. Let's get it back: The New York Times — Biden should finish the Afghanistan troop withdrawal Trump started: The Virginian-Pilot — Inside the U.S. Army's warehouse full of Nazi art: The New Yorker — 'Completely lacking in soldierly qualities': Why the Army booted Jerry Garcia 60 years ago: Stars and Stripes | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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