Groups push Austin to downsize budget “wish lists”

With Connor O’Brien

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Quick Fix

— Rein in the military’s “unfunded requirements lists,” a left-right coalition of advocacy groups is urging Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

— Top commanders are on the Hill today to outline their needs and answer questions on the Afghanistan and Somalia pullouts.

— Fifteen senators vow to vote against restoring earmarks, labeling them “inherently wasteful spending.”

HAPPY TUESDAY AND WELCOME TO MORNING DEFENSE, where we were saddened to hear of the passing of Walter Mondale, former vice president, Democratic nominee for the president, senator and ambassador. Over the course of his long career as a leading liberal, “Fritz” had his share of crushing losses, including efforts to cut Pentagon weapons spending. “We aren’t antidefense,” he said in 1969 after a lengthy debate on a defense appropriations bill, “we’re just anti-waste, but that point began to get lost as this whole thing dragged on so long.” He was no dove, either. “If we fail to maintain sufficient well-equipped, well-trained, and well-motivated forces, we court disaster,” he said during his failed White House bid in 1984. “History has sadly proved that military weakness invites attack.” And his proposal at the time“to revitalize the government’s arms control machinery” sounds awfully familiar. We’re always on the lookout for tips, pitches and feedback. Email us at [email protected], and follow on Twitter @bryandbender, @morningdefense and @politicopro.

On the Hill

NIX THE WISH LISTS: A coalition of advocacy groups from across the political spectrum called on Austin on Monday to rein in the “unfunded requirements lists” that the military branches compile each year and are widely seen as a way for Congress to pad the defense budget.

“These lists, though currently required by statute, negatively impact prioritization efforts throughout the military and make the congressional budget process unnecessarily complex and unwieldy,” the groups wrote.“While we are working with Congress to repeal the UFR requirements currently under law, we ask you to follow the example of former Secretary Robert Gates in asking the service branches to cut down on these requests.”

“...You will no doubt encounter some resistance from Congress,” they added, “but you can also count on strong support from the undersigned organizations.”

Signatories include: the National Taxpayers Union; Project On Government Oversight; American Friends Service Committee; CODEPINK; Common Defense; Council for a Livable World; FreedomWorks; National Priorities Project; Public Citizen; R Street Institute; Taxpayers for Common Sense; Taxpayers Protection Alliance; the United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society; Win Without War; and Women’s Action for New Directions.

‘INHERENTLY WASTEFUL’: Fifteen Senate Republicans are swearing off earmarks ahead of a GOP vote this week on whether to reinstate the spending practice, POLITICO’s Melanie Zanona reports for Pros.

House and Senate Democrats have already agreed to revive earmarks as part of annual appropriations bills now that they control both chambers. But GOP senators led by conservative stalwart Mike Lee vowed in their letterto colleagues that they “will not vote to repeal” the earmark ban. “We will not participate in an inherently wasteful spending practice that is prone to serious abuse,” they wrote.

Senate Republicans will vote Wednesday on whether to reinstate earmarks, which were first banned in 2010. House Republicans had a similar internal debate, but they ultimately voted 102-84 in March to embrace earmarks as long as certain criteria are met.

POSTURE HEARINGS: House and Senate committees will hear testimony from several top military commanders today as lawmakers continue their annual budget and posture hearings:

The Senate Armed Services Committee holds a hearing with U.S. Strategic Command chief Adm. Charles Richard and U.S. Space Command chief Gen. James Dickinson at 9:30 a.m.

The House Armed Services Committee holds a hearing with U.S. Central Command chief Gen. Frank McKenzie and U.S. Africa Command chief Gen. Stephen Townsend and acting Pentagon policy chief Amanda Dory at 11 a.m.

Lawmakers will likely have pointed questions for the brass on the Pentagon’s views of Biden’s decision to remove all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the fall, as well as the future of U.S. troop presence in Iraq, Syria and other countries in the region and recent provocative actions by Iran-backed forces.

Congress is also likely to seek new insight into the Trump-era decisions to remove troops from Somalia.

Plus: The Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee hears from the surgeons general of the military services and the Pentagon’s top civilian health official at 9:30 a.m.

Happening Today

The Intelligence National Security Alliance holds a virtual discussion on “Securing Microelectronics Supply Chains” featuring Sens. Chuck Schumerand John Cornyn and Rep. Michael McCaul at noon.

And Lockheed Martin will report its first quarter earnings this morning, kicking off two weeks of financial reports from the Pentagon’s largest contractors.

Pentagon

‘NO PLANS’: Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said Monday he knows of “no plans” to move the headquarters of U.S. Africa Command from Stuttgart, Germany, to elsewhere in Europe.

Relocating the command was one of the previous administration’s plans designed to punish Germany for what former President Donald Trump called its “delinquent” payments to NATO.

Top Doc

DEBATING THE ROLE OF NUKES: The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service is out with a new primeron the newly proposed legislation to declare a “no first use” policy regarding nuclear weapons, recounting the policies of the previous administration and outlining the potential implications of a such a change.

Last week Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Adam Smith introduced legislation that would declare the sole purpose of atomic arms would be to deter a nuclear attack. President Joe Biden has previously expressed support for the change, but Congress is divided on the issue.

“Although the United States does not rule out the first use of nuclear weapons, the absence of a ‘no-first-use’ pledge is less about the perceived need to employ these weapons first in a conflict than it is about the view that the threat of nuclear escalation continues to serve as a deterrent to large-scale conventional war or the use of chemical and biological weapons,” writes Amy Woolf, a specialist in nuclear policy.

The Obama administration considered adopting such a policy in 2016, but military and civilian officials reportedly opposed it.

“Air Force officials argued that a policy of calculated ambiguity provided the President with options in a crisis,” Woolf writes. The head of U.S. Strategic Command “noted that the shift could undermine deterrence and stability in an uncertain security environment. Secretary of State [John] Kerry and Secretary of Defense [Ash] Carter also raised concerns that a ‘no-first-use’ policy could undermine the confidence and security of U.S. allies.”

Related: Zoom won’t stop a nuclear war, via Foreign Policy.

Making Moves

Jason Rossbach, most recently senior director of government affairs at DynCorp International and longtime SASC staffer, has joined defense contractor Vectrus as executive director of government relations.

Speed Read

— Biden selects first woman four-star admiral for the Coast Guard: Defense News

— DC requests more National Guard troops as the Derek Chauvin trial goes to the jury: Military.com

— Guantanamo prisoners now getting COVID-19 vaccine, says source: The Associated Press

— The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan will let Army shift focus to modernization:Forbes

— How will the DoD’s next multibillion-dollar IT contract fare after messy JEDI deal? C4ISRNet

— Progress in Iran talks but resolution still far away: The Associated Press

— EU says Russia troop move on Ukraine border is largest ever: Bloomberg

— Emboldened by Biden, Europeans harden line on Russia:The Wall Street Journal

— North Korea’s hacking army: The New Yorker

— ‘Bring the troops home’ is a dream, not a strategy, by John Bolton: Foreign Policy

— The U.S. military needs citizen-soldiers, not warriors:Foreign Policy

— The Pentagon is not taking Covid seriously enough: The Nation

— Biden made the right decision on Afghanistan: Foreign Affairs