Happy Monday and welcome to Overnight Defense. I’m Rebecca Kheel, and here’s your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. CLICK HERE to subscribe to the newsletter.
THE TOPLINE: Secretary of State Mike PompeoMichael (Mike) Richard PompeoPompeo predicts Russia will be election threat for decades Pompeo defends US support for Saudis in Yemen as ‘in America’s best interest’ Pompeo says Maduro’s inner circle looking for exit strategy in Venezuela MORE engaged in a wide-ranging discussion on global hotspots at an event Monday hosted by The Hill.
Coming on the heels of his one-year anniversary as America’s top diplomat, Pompeo was asked about everything from Russian election interference to negotiations with North Korea to the crisis in Venezuela.
Here are some of the highlights:
On Russia: Pompeo said he expects Russia will try to interfere in U.S. elections for decades to come, describing Moscow as having long presented a threat to American elections — not just in 2016.
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Pompeo told The Hill’s editor-in-chief Bob Cusack that “of course” the Russians continue to represent a threat to U.S. elections. But he dismissed the notion that the threat is somehow new or more severe following Moscow’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election as detailed in special counsel Robert MuellerRobert (Bob) Swan MuellerSasse: US should applaud choice of Mueller to lead Russia probe MORE‘s report.
“It goes without saying they were a threat to our elections in 1974, they interfered in our elections in the ’80s,” Pompeo said.
“The fact that this town seemed shocked by the fact the Russians don’t care for us — in that case the Soviet Union — I find stunning,” Pompeo said, adding that books have recounted the Russian threat “over an extended period of time.”
“We should expect in 2050 the Russians will still be at it still,” Pompeo said at the event.
On Yemen: Pompeo defended U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen’s civil war as the Senate prepares to take a vote on President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump hits Biden as he hits 2020 trail Trump blasts union chiefs after Biden gets key endorsement Grassley to Trump: Lift tariffs or new NAFTA deal is ‘dead’ MORE‘s veto of a resolution to end that support.
“Airplanes flying through King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh are at risk, and the United States has an obligation to protect our citizens,” Pompeo said, referencing rebel missile attacks that have hit the airport.
“So the support we’re providing to the Saudis as they attempt to engage these dangerous missiles systems is in America’s best interest.”
Pompeo placed blame solely on Iran, saying the war is “Iranian led” and that Tehran has “chosen to direct” the Houthis not to withdraw from the port of Hodeidah as agreed to last year.
Iran is known to provide weapons to the Houthis, but experts debate the extent of control it has over the rebels.
“The people who were happiest when that resolution passed were Qasem Soleimani and the ayatollah,” Pompeo said, referring to the commander of Iran’s Quds Force. “There’s no doubt about that. When they see the United States shrink away from this challenge that puts United States citizens at risk, they think they’ve achieved a victory.”
On Venezuela: Pompeo said Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s inner circle is looking for an exit strategy, a sign that the embattled regime’s days may be numbered.
“We see leaders inside of Maduro’s inner circle now trying to figure out what the golden ticket looks like. ‘What does it look like if I leave?'” Pompeo said. “When they start asking those questions, surely some of them will decide there are better times ahead not supporting that thug.”
Pompeo said he hoped China would follow suit in recognizing Guaidó. He also had a warning for Maduro’s other allies, like Cuba, Iran and Russia.
“You’ve seen the efforts we’ve made to try and convince the Cubans, who have hundreds of intelligence officers, thousands of people working with the Maduro regime, to convince them that’s not the right foreign policy, that Maduro is going to leave. And when [he] leaves, they’re going to be in a far better place if they choose a better path,” Pompeo said.
On North Korea: Pompeo reiterated the administration’s talking point that progress was made in Hanoi because the United States and North Korea now have a “deeper understanding” of each other’s positions.
But he said he didn’t know whether there would be another meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong UnKim Jong UnBolton: Multi-party talks with North Korea not ‘our preference’ Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s dutiful son, restores Russia’s role as defender The Hill’s 12:30 Report: Biden denies treating Anita Hill ‘badly’ MORE by this summer when asked about comments earlier this month that he was “confident” there will be a third summit.
Pompeo also denied — as have Trump and national security adviser John BoltonJohn Robert BoltonBolton: Multi-party talks with North Korea not ‘our preference’ Bolton: US ‘absolutely’ did not pay for Warmbier’s release Ending oil waivers hurts Iranians, and won’t budge their government MORE — that the United States paid North Korea $2 million in medical bills for Otto Warmbier, the American student who died after being returned from detention in North Korea in a comatose state. On Sunday, Bolton confirmed the United States signed an agreement to pay, as first reported by The Washington Post, but said the bill was never paid.
“I think President Trump made clear at no time in his administration have we paid for any hostage to be released, and we have no intention of doing so,” Pompeo said.
On Iran: Pompeo brushed off concerns about roiling the global oil market by ending sanctions waivers for countries buying Iranian oil, citing Friday’s dip in price for global benchmark Brent crude.
He vowed the United States would make sure markets are “adequately supplied” and said he was “confident” China losing its waiver wouldn’t affect trade negotiations with Beijing.
REPORT SAYS MATTIS IGNORED TRUMP ORDERS: Former Defense Secretary James MattisJames Norman MattisOvernight Defense: Watchdog clears defense chief in ethics probe | Pentagon to handle security background checks | Senate to take up Trump’s Yemen veto next week Pentagon watchdog clears acting Defense chief in ethics probe New 2020 candidate Moulton on hypothetical Mars invasion: ‘I would not build a wall’ MORE declined to carry out orders from President Trump or otherwise limited his options in various attempts to prevent tensions with North Korea, Iran and Syria from escalating, The New Yorker reported Monday, the latest report of Trump’s own officials trying to check his worst instincts.
“The president thinks out loud. Do you treat it like an order? Or do you treat it as part of a longer conversation? We treated it as part of a longer conversation,” a former senior national security official told The New Yorker. “We prevented a lot of bad things from happening.”
Examples: In 2017, following a series of North Korean ballistic-missile tests, Trump ordered the Pentagon to begin removing the spouses and children of military personnel from South Korea, where the U.S. military has a base. An administration official told the magazine that “Mattis just ignored” the order.
In another instance in the fall 2017, as White House officials were planning a private meeting at Camp David to develop military options for a possible conflict with North Korea, Mattis allegedly stopped the gathering from happening. He ignored a request from then-national security adviser H.R. McMaster to send officers and planners, according to a former senior administration official.
The accounts, included in a profile of national security adviser John Bolton, reveal that the former Marine Corps general routinely sought to downplay any potential conflicts across the globe.
Don’t forget: Mattis resigned from his Pentagon position last December, one day after Trump announced that he would withdraw troops from Syria, a decision that Mattis opposed.
BAGHDADI’S BACK: It’s been nearly five years since the public has seen his face, but now, a month after ISIS’ territorial defeat, the terrorist group released a new video of its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
The video was released by ISIS media outlet al-Furqan and shows al-Baghdadi in good health speaking with three men whose faces are blurred, according to multiple reports.
In the video, al-Baghdadi acknowledges the end of the battle of Baghouz, Syria, which marked ISIS’s territorial defeat, and vows the fight is not over.
Sri Lanka attacks: ISIS took credit for the Sri Lanka church bombings on Easter Sunday that killed at least 253 people.
In an audio-only portion of the video, al-Baghdadi refers to the Sri Lanka bombings and says they were revenge for Baghouz, according to SITE Intelligence Group director Rita Katz.
Background: The last time al-Baghdadi had been seen was his 2014 speech at the Great Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul, Iraq, in which he announced the formation of a self-styled caliphate.
ISIS has released audio recording of him since then, most recently in August. But rumors of al-Baghdadi’s death have emerged periodically.
For example, in June 2017, Russia claimed to have killed al-Baghdadi in airstrikes on a meeting of ISIS leaders outside Raqqa, Syria. The claim was met with much skepticism at the time but led to widespread speculation about his whereabouts.
A STRATEGIC GAME OF CHICKEN: The U.S. spat with Turkey over its plan to purchase a Russian defense system has been threatening to boil over for a few weeks now.
Over the weekend, The Hill’s Ellen Mitchell took a look at the dispute:
Turkey is insisting on plans to go forward with the purchase, even as the Trump administration threatens to cut off sales of the American-made F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to Ankara if it does so.
The administration has also threatened to impose sanctions on its NATO ally if it goes through with the Moscow deal. Washington wants Ankara to instead buy the U.S.-developed Patriot air and missile defense system, but talks have yet to yield a concrete agreement.
It’s not clear which side will blink first in a fight that has enormous diplomatic stakes for all three countries, to say nothing of the millions of dollars in potential sales for U.S. defense contractors. Turkey plans to eventually buy at least 100 of the Lockheed Martin-made F-35 Lightning II fighters.
In Congress: Several congressional staffers told The Hill they expect more than one amendment to be offered during debate over the fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
“There is widespread and bipartisan understanding that the F-35 and S-400 cannot coexist,” House Foreign Affairs Committee member Adam KinzingerAdam Daniel KinzingerUS, Turkey play chicken over Russia Tensions between the United States and Russia over Venezuela increase Booker, Gabbard to make appearances with Colbert MORE (R-Ill.), told The Hill.
“I don’t really think there is any room for debate or maneuver, and this shouldn’t be a surprise to the Turks,” he said. “I think most see buying an air defense from our main adversary as a red line for our newest and best fighter.”
Trump, Erdogan call: On Monday, Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke about the issue over the phone, according to statements from both presidents’ offices.
The Turkish statement said Erdogan “brought forward the proposal to form a working group concerning the procurement of the S-400 defense systems from the Russian Federation.”
Turkish officials have proposed a working group to Trump administration officials before but they dismissed the offer.
The White House statement on the call said the two discussed the S-400 issue but did not mention the working group proposal.
Trump and Erdogan also discussed Syria and trade, and Erdogan offered condolences for the attack on a synagogue in San Diego County this weekend, according to both statements.
ON TAP FOR TOMORROW
The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a confirmation hearing for Adm. Bill Moran to be chief of naval operations and Gen. David Berger to be Marine Corps commandant at 9:30 a.m. at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, room G-50. https://bit.ly/2GOYbCB
The House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on justice for Kosovo’s wartime victims at 10 a.m. at the Rayburn House Office Building, room 2172. https://bit.ly/2J4G3qa
Marine Commandant Gen. Robert Neller, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson and Navy Secretary Richard Spencer will testify before the House Appropriations Committee defense subpanel at 11 a.m. at the House, room 140. https://bit.ly/2UNTlJu
A House Foreign Affairs subcommittee will hold a hearing on the global terrorism landscape at 1:30 p.m. at Rayburn 2172. https://bit.ly/2VxRsVP
Another Foreign Affairs subcommittee will hold a hearing on U.N. peacekeeping operations in Africa at 2 p.m. at Rayburn 2200. https://bit.ly/2IP4w3e
A House Armed Services Committee subpanel will hold a hearing on the “Feres Doctrine” at 2 p.m. at Rayburn 2118. https://bit.ly/2XNQCSm
U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Mark GreenMark GreenAfrica’s women can change a continent: Will Ivanka give them her full support? Republicans call for ex-Trump lawyer Cohen to be referred to DOJ Finally united, House Republicans refer ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen for perjury prosecution MORE will testify before the Senate Appropriations Committee subpanel on foreign operations at 2:30 p.m. at Dirksen 138. https://bit.ly/2GRZfpy
Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie will testify before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Veterans Affairs at 2:30 p.m. at Dirksen 124. https://bit.ly/2GRZfpy
ICYMI
— The Hill: Tammy DuckworthLadda (Tammy) Tammy DuckworthK Street support to test Buttigieg Dem senators launch Environmental Justice Caucus Warren, Gillibrand ask Defense whether border deployments hurt troop readiness MORE visits Iraq for first time since being shot down in 2004
— The Hill: Navy sails two warships through Taiwan Strait
— The Hill: Guantánamo Bay prison commander fired after investigation
— The Hill: Opinion: Ankara’s realignment with Russia will cost Turkey more than it thinks
— Defense News: Rep. Adam Kinzinger says he’s open to Air Force secretary job
— Wired: The Battle of Winterfell: A Tactical Analysis
— Associated Press: Afghan leader holds council to set agenda for Taliban talks