North Korea claims to test-fire new weapon

With Jacqueline Klimas and Bryan Bender

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— North Korea says it test-fired a new “tactical guided weapon” and demands the U.S. remove Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from nuclear talks.

— The top U.S. military commander in the Pacific asks lawmakers for more money for programs to counter China, reflecting concerns the Pentagon’s fiscal 2020 budget request doesn’t adequately address the threat China poses.

— The U.S. has undertaken at least 36 military operations across Africa in recent years, from counterterrorism to psychological operations.

HAPPY THURSDAY AND WELCOME TO MORNING DEFENSE. We’re filling in this week for Morning D correspondent Dave Brown, who’s taking a few days off, and are always on the lookout for tips, pitches and feedback. Email us at [email protected], and follow on Twitter @connorobriennh, @morningdefense and @politicopro.

NORTH KOREA CLAIMS IT TEST-FIRED NEW WEAPON, via The Associated Press: “North Korea said Thursday that it had test-fired a new type of “tactical guided weapon,” its first such test in nearly half a year, and demanded that Washington remove Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from nuclear negotiations.”

“The test, which didn’t appear to be of a banned mid- or long-range ballistic missile that could scuttle negotiations, allows Pyongyang to show its people it is pushing ahead with weapons development while also reassuring domestic military officials worried that diplomacy with Washington signals weakness.”

“In a separate statement, Pyongyang’s Foreign Ministry accused Pompeo of playing down the significance of comments by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who said last week that Washington has until the end of the year to offer mutually acceptable terms for an agreement to salvage the high-stakes nuclear diplomacy. Both the demand for Pompeo’s removal from the talks and the weapon test point to Pyongyang’s displeasure with the deadlocked negotiations.”

PACIFIC COMMANDER NEEDS MORE MONEY TO COUNTER CHINA: “The commander in charge of U.S. military operations in the Pacific wants Congress to give the command more money for defense programs to counter China, reflecting his concerns that the Pentagon’s budget isn’t realigning quickly enough to address the threat from Beijing,” reports The Wall Street Journal.

“Adm. Phil Davidson, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, believes the Defense Department’s fiscal 2020 budget doesn’t include enough funding to provide ‘immediate and necessary resources’ for the region he oversees, according to a letter he wrote late last month to members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The letter was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.”

“Adm. Davidson pointed to what he said were funding shortfalls for an army task force in Asia, units meant to conduct air, missile and coastal defense missions, as well as a military construction budget to assist allies in the region. In the letter, he also sought funds to modernize Navy guided-missile destroyers built with the Aegis combat system and funds for a “permanent and persistent” land-based integrated air- and missile-defense system to defend the island of Guam.”

HOW PAT SHANAHAN GOT HIS GROOVE BACK: “Since he took the reins of the U.S. Defense Department from James Mattis on Jan. 1, Patrick Shanahan has been, at best, stuck in limbo. Shanahan found both his competence and his ethics questioned on Capitol Hill, amid grumbling over his management style at the Pentagon,” writes Foreign Policy.

“Yet after a bruising 106 days as acting defense secretary, Shanahan is not only still standing, but he is also making a real imprint on Trump administration policy. Sources close to him say he is driving a tougher posture on Turkey and heightening a focus on competing with China on 5G telephony, among other changes. And while Shanahan drew fire during congressional hearings, he avoided any major foreign-policy gaffes, even as he dove right into thorny global affairs issues to address questions about his policy chops.”

“There are new signs President Donald Trump will ultimately tap Shanahan as permanent secretary of defense. Shanahan has won the critical support of Sen. James Inhofe, the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who previously compared him unfavorably to Mattis.”

AIR FORCE EYES NEW TECH HONCHO: “The Air Force wants to establish a chief technology officer to help focus the service’s research efforts on advanced technologies such as hypersonics and artificial intelligence, according to its latest Science and Technology Strategy,” reports our colleague Jacqueline Klimas.

“The new strategy also recommends more attention be given ‘leap-ahead capabilities’ called vanguard projects, which Wilson said will make up about 20 percent of the service’s research efforts ‘to get back to more rapid innovation connected to the warfighter.’ Some of the other research areas highlighted include small satellites and low-cost space launch, as well as alternative navigation methods.”

36 CODE-NAMED OPERATIONS IN AFRICA REVEALED: “Between 2013 and 2017, U.S. special operations forces saw combat in at least 13 African countries, according to retired Army Brig. Gen. Don Bolduc, who served at U.S. Africa Command from 2013 to 2015 and then headed Special Operations Command Africa until 2017,” reports Yahoo News.

“Those countries, according to Bolduc, are Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Somalia, South Sudan and Tunisia. He added that U.S. troops have been killed or wounded in action in at least six of them: Kenya, Libya, Niger, Somalia, South Sudan and Tunisia.”

“Yahoo News has put together a list of three dozen such operations across the continent. The code-named operations cover a variety of different military missions, ranging from psychological operations to counterterrorism. Eight of the named activities, including Obsidian Nomad, are so-called 127e programs, named for the budgetary authority that allows U.S. special operations forces to use certain host-nation military units as surrogates in counterterrorism missions.”

BUDGET CAPS TALKS RE-OPEN DOOR FOR REFORM: “Senate Budget Chairman Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) will kick off a series of hearings next month on improving the budget process, according to his office, amid growing bipartisan appetite to rehabilitate how Congress crafts a funding plan,” writes POLITICO’s Caitlin Emma. “Lawmakers could include changes in a broader package later this year that would avoid billions in sequester cuts, another government shutdown or a devastating default on the nation’s debt.”

MEDAL OF HONOR REVIEW SOUGHT FOR MINORITY WWI SOLDIERS: “Congress is preparing to order the Pentagon to review the records of scores of decorated soldiers who served in World War I to determine if they were denied the nation’s highest battlefield honor because of their race or religion,” reports our colleague Bryan Bender.

“The new legislation, shared in advance with POLITICO, calls for the review of cases involving African, Asian, Hispanic, Native and Jewish Americans. The measure is expected to be included later this year in the National Defense Authorization Act.”

LAWMAKERS VISIT BRAZIL: A congressional delegation led by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has visited Brazil as part of its tour of South America. The 10-member delegation discussed economic cooperation between the two countries and security challenges facing Brazil during the two-day visit, his office said.

Among the delegation are House Armed Services ranking Republican Mac Thornberry of Texas, Homeland Security ranking Republican Mike Rogers of Alabama and Budget Committee ranking Republican Steve Womack of Arkansas.

TEXTRON REPORTS Q1 REVENUE DROP: “Textron today reported $3.1 billion in total revenue in the first quarter of 2019, down 5.7 percent over the same time period last year,” Jacqueline reports.

“Revenue for three of the company’s business segments — Bell, Industrial and Textron Systems — decreased over the beginning of 2019. Textron Aviation, however, saw a 12.3 percent increase to $1.1 billion, primarily driven by higher sales of jets and commercial turboprop planes. The company also reported 76 cents earnings per share, up 5.6 percent from 72 cents in the first quarter of 2018.”

Victoria Nuland has rejoined the Albright Stonebridge Group. Most recently, she was CEO of the Center for a New American Security and had been assistant secretary of State for European and Eurasian affairs in the Obama administration.

Jamie Geller has joined the staff of Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). She had worked for Rep. Joaquín Castro (D-Texas) and the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

— Afghan peace talks stall after the Taliban objects to a list of 250 attendees crafted by the Afghan government: WSJ

— Attorney General William Barr’s plan to roll out the Mueller report a news conference this morning has Democrats accusing him of spinning the report’s contents: POLITICO

— Japan’s F-35s made seven precautionary landings before one crashed in the Pacific last week: Stars and Stripes

— More than 2,000 suspected foreign ISIS fighters are being detained by U.S.-backed forces in Syria: CNN

— Trump’s long-delayed pick to be the top diplomat overseeing the Middle East is set to advance in the Senate: Al-Monitor

— Under Trump, DHS has transformed from an agency focused on counterterrorism to a department defined by immigration enforcement: The Washington Post