BROKEN CHAIN: For at least three days last week, maybe five, the second link in the U.S. military chain of command, the man the president would call to order military action in a crisis, was missing in action with no explanation. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in what appears to be an effort to keep his personal medical concerns private, entered the hospital the Friday before Christmas for what was described as an “elective medical procedure.” Austin apparently believed he could have minor surgery and be out the next day and no one would be the wiser. But then it got complicated. As in complications from the procedure, which forced Austin back to the hospital on Monday, Jan. 1, and the Pentagon to fess up late on Friday.
At first, it seemed only the press and the public had been kept in the dark, which provoked howls of protest from two organizations representing defense reporters, the Pentagon Press Association and Military Reporters and Editors. But over the weekend, the slow drip of information revealed a breathtaking level of deception. No one had been informed of Austin’s stay in the intensive care unit at Walter Reed hospital, not the president, not the national security adviser, not the secretary of state, not even Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks, who had to assume some of Austin’s responsibilities while vacationing in Puerto Rico.
To say the reaction was disbelief and outrage would be to risk understatement. “The secretary of defense is a key part of the chain of command when it comes to national security, not only dealing with all of these crises in the world but also dealing with, you know, the nuclear trigger,” former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on CNN. “I think the most disturbing thing I heard is that neither President Biden or members of the National Security Council were informed. … That’s not acceptable.”
AUSTIN REMAINS HOSPITALIZED NEARLY WEEK AFTER WALTER REED ADMITTANCE
MEA CULPA: On Saturday, before the Pentagon acknowledged that Austin had to be rushed to the hospital and admitted to the ICU after suffering “severe pain,” Austin issued an apology of sorts.
“I also understand the media concerns about transparency and I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed. I commit to doing better,” Austin said in a statement in which he thanked the “amazing doctors and nursing staff at Walter Reed for the exceptional care.”
But Austin indicated he had no intention of providing a further explanation. “This is important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure.”
The Pentagon’s Principles of Information is designed to promote maximum disclosure with minimum delay, but it does include an exception for information that would “violate the privacy” of U.S. citizens. And while federal law prohibits the release of “sensitive patient health information” without consent, that should not have prevented the disclosure that Austin was undergoing surgery and the subsequent complications at the time they happened, according to a former high-level public affairs officer.
“Austin’s statement is noble but meaningless,” the veteran former spokesman told Daily on Defense. “Even if he told his staff ‘say nothing,’ his staff’s responsibility was to push back, hard.” Last night, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told the New York Times and other reporters that Austin’s chief of staff, Kelly Magsamen, was ill and unable to make notifications until Thursday.
REPUBLICANS RAIL OVER DEFENSE SECRETARY LLOYD AUSTIN NOT DISCLOSING HOSPITAL STAY
BLOWBACK: The blowback was swift, with Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, one of the first to weigh in Saturday night. “We are learning more every hour about the department’s shocking defiance of the law. When one of the country’s two national command authorities is unable to perform their duties, military families, members of Congress, and the American public deserve to know the full extent of the circumstances,” he said. “This episode further erodes trust in the Biden administration, which has repeatedly failed to inform the public in a timely fashion about critical events such as the Chinese spy balloon and the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Members must be briefed on a full accounting of the facts immediately.”
“Transparency is vitally important. Secretary Austin must provide these additional details on his health and the decision-making process that occurred in the past week as soon as possible,” said Reps. Mike Rogers (R-AL) and Adam Smith (D-WA), the leaders of the House Armed Services Committee, in a statement Sunday. “While we wish Sec. Austin a speedy recovery, we are concerned with how the disclosure of the Secretary’s condition was handled. Several questions remain unanswered including what the medical procedure and resulting complications were, what the Secretary’s current health status is, how and when the delegation of the Secretary’s responsibilities were made, and the reason for the delay in notification to the President and Congress.”
Good Monday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Conrad Hoyt. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email and we’ll add you to our list. And be sure to follow me on Threads and/or on X @jamiejmcintyre
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HAPPENING TODAY: The Senate returns to work this afternoon on the heels of a bipartisan deal announced yesterday to set federal spending for the current fiscal year, which began last Oct. 1 at $1.59 trillion. The so-called top line still leaves the bottom line to be worked out.
In a statement yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) framed the agreement as a win for the Democrats and bipartisanship: “The bipartisan topline appropriations agreement clears the way for Congress to act over the next few weeks in order to maintain important funding priorities for the American people and avoid a government shutdown.”
“Now the Appropriations Committees, led by Chair Patty Murray and Vice Chair Susan Collins in the Senate and Chairwoman Kay Granger and Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro in the House, can prepare full-year appropriations bills, free of poison pill policy changes,” Schumer said. “We have made clear to Speaker Mike Johnson that Democrats will not support including poison pill policy changes in any of the twelve appropriations bills put before the Congress.”
Johnson had a different take in his letter to colleagues announcing the agreement. While Schumer said the deal would provide $772.7 billion for nondefense discretionary funding, Johnson said the number was $704 billion. Johnson also said the agreement would nix the $14 billion the Senate had added above the spending levels agreed to in last year’s debt ceiling agreement, which was codified in law.
This would result in “an overall $30 billion total reduction from the Senate’s spending plans,” Johnson wrote.
Both sides agree that defense spending will be set at $886 billion.
HOUSE AND SENATE LEADERSHIP AGREE TO TOP-LINE SPENDING LEVELS FOR APPROPRIATIONS BILLS
BORDER SECURITY AND UKRAINE AID NOT INCLUDED: The bipartisan top-line deal, which could prevent a partial government shutdown in two weeks, is separate from the wrangling over changes to border security demanded by Republicans in exchange for restarting aid to Ukraine, which has run out.
“We’re hoping to get text by later on this week,” Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), lead negotiator, said on Fox News Sunday. “Everybody will have time to be able to read it and go through it. No one’s going to be jammed in this process.”
But some House Republicans, including Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), chairman of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus, already are feeling jammed by the budget deal announced yesterday and are in no mood to compromise on demands that asylum law be brought in line with the provisions of H.R. 2, a tough border security law passed by the House last year.
“Republicans agreeing to spending levels $69 billion higher than last summer’s debt ceiling ‘deal,’ with no significant policy wins is nothing but another loss for America,” Good posted on X. “At some point, having the House majority has to matter. Stop funding this spending with an open border!”
Lankford held out hope that a middle ground can be reached. “But to make law, we’ve got to have a Democrat Senate, a Democrat White House, and a Republican House to be able to go through this,” he said on Fox News. “So this agreement has to work. Everyone’s counting on this actually working. But it’s going to have to be agreement that a White House, that it’s a Democrat White House and a Democrat Senate can also line up with Republican House.”
US WARSHIP DOWNS ANOTHER HOUTHI DRONE: The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Laboon shot down a Houthi-launched drone over the Red Sea Saturday morning, according to the U.S. Central Command.
There were no casualties, and it was unclear what the drone was targeting, but CENTCOM said the drone was downed in “self-defense.”
“These attacks by the Houthis are hurting people around the world — most of all, the poorest and most vulnerable populations, including in Yemen, including in Gaza. That’s why the United States launched ‘Operation Prosperity Guardian’ together with more than 20 countries to defend the safety and security of commercial shipping across the Red Sea,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a news conference in Qatar on Sunday. “It’s also why over a dozen countries have made clear that the Houthis will be held accountable for future attacks. We’ll continue to defend maritime security in the region as part of our overall effort to deter and prevent further regional conflict, to ensure the free flow of commerce that’s been so vital to people around the world.”
US ‘MUST APPLY VIOLENCE THAT TEHRAN UNDERSTANDS,’ FORMER CENTCOM COMMANDER SAYS
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: Austin remains hospitalized nearly week after Walter Reed admittance
Washington Examiner: Republicans rail over Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin not disclosing hospital stay
Washington Examiner: Opinion: Lloyd Austin must go
Washington Examiner: House and Senate leadership agree to top-line spending levels for appropriations bills
Washington Examiner: US ‘must apply violence that Tehran understands,’ former CENTCOM commander says
Washington Examiner: Israel hits Hamas command centers, weapons depots as it focuses on southern Gaza
Washington Examiner: Iraq’s prime minister weighs anti-US sentiment against Iran’s financial interests
Washington Examiner: White House cheers Mexico’s ‘swift action against migrants.’ Experts say it’s purely visual
Washington Examiner: Mayorkas deflects question about resigning from DHS if impeached
Washington Examiner: Russia curbs UN nuclear inspections of occupied Ukrainian plant near front lines
Reuters: China-U.S. Cooperation ‘No Longer An Option … But An Imperative’ – Wang Yi
CNN: Xi’s Latest Purge Targets The Military. Why Did Powerful Generals Fall Out Of Favor?
Reuters: Ignoring Taiwan’s Complaints, More Chinese Balloons Spotted Over Strait
AP: Top White House Budget Official Warns Of ‘Dire’ Situation On Ukraine Aid
Wall Street Journal: Kyiv Relies On Explosive Drones To Hold Russia Back
Politico: Turkey Must Stop Blocking Ukraine Minehunters, Ex-NATO Supreme Commander Warns
AP: The US sees a drop in illegal border crossings after Mexico increases enforcement
AP: Trump downplays Jan. 6 on the anniversary of the Capitol siege and calls jailed rioters ‘hostages’
Washington Post: Border dispute could force partial government shutdown
Breaking Defense: Boeing Aims for Annual Output of 6 E-7 Wedgetails to Fill Global Early Warning ‘Gap’
Defense One: ULA Is Ready to Launch Its New Rocket. But Will It Be Able to Challenge SpaceX?
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Why Congress Told USAF to Spell Out its Force Design for 2050
Air & Space Forces Magazine: How the Space Force’s New Units Are Key to Its Counterspace Capabilities
SpaceNews: Space Force on the Verge of Finalizing Long-Awaited Commercial Space Strategy
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Getting Ready for the New Test Surge
DefenseScoop: Cyber Command’s Premier Force Gets New Commander
Defense News: Pakistan to Buy Chinese FC-31 Fighter Jets, Says Air Chief
Stars and Stripes: Air Force Announces Requirements for Pet Owners to Receive PCS Travel Reimbursement
THE CALENDAR:
MONDAY | JANUARY 8
11 a.m. 1000 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Cato Institute virtual forum: “Old Right, New Right? What History Suggests About the Future of GOP Foreign Policy,” with Victoria Coates, vice president of the Heritage Foundation’s Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy and former senior adviser to former Energy Secretary Brouillette; Brandan Buck, doctoral candidate at George Mason University; and Justin Logan, director of defense and foreign policy studies at Cato https://www.cato.org/events/old-right-new-right
TUESDAY | JANUARY 9
9:30 a.m. 333 Constitution Ave. NW — U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit holds oral arguments for United States of America v. Donald J. Trump. Audio livestream at https://www.youtube.com/USCourtsCADC
9 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Japan Institute of International Affairs virtual 2024 U.S.-Japan Security Seminar,” with Japanese Foreign Affairs Minister Kamikawa Yoko (via video); former Assistant Secretary Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs David Shear, CSIS senior associate non-resident Japan chairman; Kazuyoshi Umemoto, president of the Japan Foundation; J. Thomas Schieffer, founder and president of Envoy International; Sheila Smith, senior fellow for Asia-Pacific studies at the Council on Foreign Relations; and Christopher Johnstone, CSIS senior adviser and Japan chairman https://www.csis.org/events/2024-us-japan-security-seminar
11:30 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies Wadhwani Center for AI and Advanced Technologies virtual discussion: “The State of DOD AI and Autonomy Policy,” with Michael Horowitz, deputy assistant secretary of defense for force development and emerging capabilities https://www.csis.org/events/state-dod-ai-and-autonomy-policy
12 p.m. 2799 Richmond Hwy., Arlington, Virginia — Surface Navy Association 36th National Symposium, with Vice Adm. Brendan McLane, commander naval surface forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet; and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti delivers keynote address https://navysnaevents.org/national-symposium
6:30 p.m. — House of Representatives returns
WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 10
9 a.m. 2799 Richmond Hwy., Arlington, Virginia — Surface Navy Association 36th National Symposium, with Sen. Angus King (I-ME); Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro; and Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan https://navysnaevents.org/national-symposium/
10 a.m. — Politico virtual discussion: “Turning Point for Taiwan: A Presidential Election Preview,” with Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL); Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL); Yun Fan, legislator of the Taiwanese Democratic Progressive Party; and Jason Hsu, fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School https://2024politicotaiwan.splashthat.com/Invite
2:30 p.m. 1030 15th St. NW — Atlantic Council’s Transatlantic Security Initiative and the Europe Center discussion with Bulgarian Defense Minister Todor Tagarev https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/a-conversation-with-the-minister-of-defense-of-bulgaria
4 p.m. — Common Good virtual discussion: “Palestine and Israel: Charting the Path to a Long Term Solution,” with former Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad; Nathan Brown, Palestinian and Arab politics expert; and Richard Wolfe, author and journalist for The Guardian https://www.thecommongoodus.org/upcoming-events/palestine-and-israel
9 p.m. Des Moines, Iowa — Former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC) and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) take part in a Republican presidential primary debate at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, hosted by CNN and moderated by anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash https://www.cnn.com
THURSDAY | JANUARY 11
8:30 a.m. 2799 Richmond Hwy., Arlington, Virginia — Surface Navy Association 36th National Symposium, with Jay Stefany, performing the duties of the assistant Navy secretary https://navysnaevents.org/national-symposium
10 a.m. — Counter Extremism Project invites webinar: “Spying, Extorting and Filtering – How The Houthis Control Telecommunications In Yemen,” with Yemen specialist Ari Heistein, author of the CEP report series; Edmund Fitton-Brown, CEP senior adviser; and Hans-Jakob Schindler, CEP senior director https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register
10:30 a.m. — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin welcomes Bulgarian Defense Minister Todor Tagarev to the Pentagon
11:30 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion: “Navigating Security Challenges in the Black Sea Region,” with Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Elizabeth Allen; Lisa Aronsson, research fellow at the National Defense University; Max Bergmann, director of the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program and Stuart Center; and Jeffrey Mankoff, senior associate for the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program https://www.csis.org/events/navigating-security-challenges-black-sea-region
12 p.m. — New America virtual discussion: “Guantanamo at Twenty-Two,” with Fionnuala Ni Aolain, university regents professor at University of Minnesota Law and former U.N. special rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms While Countering Terrorism; Mohamedou Ould Slahi, former detainee at Guantanamo Bay and author of “Guantanamo Diary”; Andy Worthington, co-founder of Close Guantanamo and author of “The Guantanamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America’s Illegal Prison”; and Peter Bergen, vice president of New America, co-director of the Arizona State University Future Security Initiative and ASU professor of practice https://www.newamerica.org/future-security/events/guantanamo-at-twenty-two
5 p.m. 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in-person and virtual book discussion: Our Enemies Will Vanish: The Russian Invasion and Ukraine’s War of Independence, with author Yaroslav Trofimov, chief foreign affairs correspondent at the Wall Street Journal; and Susan Glasser, staff writer at the New Yorker https://carnegieendowment.org/2024/01/11/our-enemies-will-vanish
FRIDAY | JANUARY 12
8 a.m. 7500 GEOINT Dr., Springfield Va. — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association Navy Information Warfare Industry Day conference, with session on “Joint Warfighting Concept: Navy’s Contribution to the Joint Force” https://www.afcea.org/events/navy-information-warfare-industry-day
10 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group virtual discussion: “Security in the Western Pacific: Building Future Capabilities in the Time of AUKUS,” with retired Marine Col. Mark Cancian, senior adviser, CSIS International Security Program; Charles Edel, CSIS senior adviser and Australia Chair; Becca Wasser, Senior fellow, Defense Program and lead of The Gaming Lab at the Center for a New American Security; and retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, senior director, Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation and senior fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies https://www.csis.org/events/security-western-pacific
SATURDAY | JANUARY 13
Taiwan’s 2024 presidential election, a three-way race between Vice President William Lai of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih of the Kuomintang or Nationalist Party, and former Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je of the Taiwan People’s Party
TUESDAY | JANUARY 16
11 a.m. — Defense Priorities virtual discussion: “Keeping the U.S. out of war in the Middle East,” with Andrew Bacevich, chair, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft; Barbara Slavin, distinguished fellow, Stimson Center; Benjamin Friedman, policy director, Defense Priorities; and Daniel DePetris, fellow, Defense Priorities https://keepingusoutofwarinmiddleeast.splashthat.com
FRIDAY | JANUARY 19
9 a.m. — Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress book discussion: “The Arms of the Future, with author Jack Watling, senior research fellow at RUSI in London https://www.addevent.com/event
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “They ought to release the J6 hostages. They’ve suffered enough. They ought to release them. I call them hostages. Some people call them prisoners. I call them hostages. Release the J-6 hostages, Joe. Release them, Joe. You can do it real easy, Joe.” Former President Donald Trump, campaigning in Iowa Saturday, marking the third anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol.