Happy Thursday and welcome to Overnight Defense. I’m Ellen Mitchell, and here’s your nighttime guide to the latest developments in the Pentagon, Capitol Hill and beyond. CLICK HERE to subscribe to the newsletter.
THE TOPLINE: Expanding NATO Forces in Iraq
NATO will expansion of its security training mission in Iraq by thousands of troops after one deadly missile attack on a military air base earlier this week.
The 30-member alliance will increase Iraq’s workforce from 500 to about 4,000, a step to prevent the war-torn country from becoming a breeding ground for terrorists, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced Thursday.
“ISIS is still active in Iraq and we must ensure that they cannot return,” Stoltenberg told reporters at the end of a two-day virtual meeting of NATO defense ministers.
What the increase means: He said NATO’s efforts will now include more Iraqi security institutions and areas outside Baghdad, although their presence is “conditionally based and the increase in troops will increase”.
He added that the Iraqi government has requested the expanded mission, which will begin in the coming months.
The forces that are already there: NATO has been in Iraq since 2004 to train Iraqi security forces. The current training mission, which began in 2018, is designed to help Iraqi forces prevent ISIS from rising again.
The increase in NATO troops could potentially ease the pressure on US forces in Iraq, where approximately 2,500 troops are stationed for a mission unrelated to the alliance.
Will the US Increase Too ?: A senior Defense official told reporters earlier this week that the Pentagon “welcomes NATO’s increased focus on Iraq,” but does not say whether the US would add more troops to the training mission.
Response to attack: Plans for a larger NATO footprint follow Monday’s missile attack at Erbil International Airport, a military air base in Northern Iraq, which killed a civilian contractor and injured nine people, including a US soldier.
Shia militant group Saraya Awliya al-Dam took credit for the attack, although the Biden government has not publicly confirmed who is responsible for the attack.
The State Department vowed on Wednesday “consequences for every group responsible for this attack.”
The suspended head of the Army War College is facing an investigation into sexual misconduct
The Chief of Army War College is suspended is being investigated for allegations of sexual misconduct, numerous outlets reported Thursday.
Major General Stephen Maranian “was suspended on a charge of inappropriate touching unrelated to his current position,” Army spokeswoman Cynthia Smith Military.com said in a statement
Special agents from Army Criminal Investigation Command are investigating the charges, Smith added.
Further details: Task and goal reported that Maranian is being investigated for alleged abuse of sexual contact with a civilian of the military, and that a military protection order was issued against him on February 9, the day he was suspended
“No further information will be released at this time to protect the integrity of the investigation process,” said Smith. “These are allegations at this point, and MG Maranian is believed to be innocent until and if proven otherwise.”
A long-standing problem: The military has struggled for years to contain sexual harassment and assault within the ranks, an effort stepped up after an independent evaluation at Fort Hood, Texas. who discovered shortcomings in leadership uncontrolled and widespread sexual assault and violence allowed.
New commitments: Army secretary John Whitley, the service’s top civilian leader, last week called on troops to combat “biting behavior”, including discrimination, extremist views and sexual harassment.
And Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin
Lloyd Austin Overnight: One-Third of Service Employees Refuse Coronavirus Vaccine | Biden to take executive action in response to Solar Winds hack | US and Japan reach agreement on cost-sharing Biden speaks with Netanyahu for the first time since taking office Female generals’ promotions have been withheld over fear of Trump’s response: MORE report During his nomination hearing he pledged to “fight hard to eradicate sexual violence”.
Biden is shifting the approach to Saudi leaders
President Biden
Joe BidenFeds Investigates Cuomo’s Approach to Nursing Home Outbreaks Overnight Defense: One Third of Service Employees Refuse Coronavirus Vaccine | Biden to take executive action in response to Solar Winds hack | US And Japan Reach Agreement To Share Costs On The Money: Biden Faces Left Backlash On Student Loans | Where things stand on the COVID-19 relief measure | Retail sales are recovering MORE is shift from the US approach to Saudi Arabia by turning away from the diplomatic access privileged to certain Saudi officials during the Trump administration, giving the kingdom a prominent role in US Middle East policy.
Biden is expected to speak to King Salman of Saudi Arabia at some point, signaling a cut in relations with the kingdom’s day-to-day ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, an outsized figure on the world stage.
Relationship ‘recalibrate’: The emphatic emphasis that Biden will communicate with the Saudi king, a move described by the White House press secretary Jen Psaki
Jen Psaki On The Money: Biden Faces Backlash From The Left On Student Loans | Where things stand on the COVID-19 relief measure | Retail Sales Restore Overnight Health Care: Biden Officials Announce Funding to Detect Virus Variants | Senate Dems announces public option proposal | White House: Teachers Vaccinations Not Required For School Reopening Harris Says Teachers Should Prioritize COVID-19 Vaccine MORE as an attempt to “recalibrate” the relationship between Washington and Riyadh, it indicates that the president is taking steps towards his commitment to more vigorously confront Riyadh about its human rights violations, while still working together towards shared goals .
How Trump Handled It: The Crown Prince played a prominent role in the Trump administration’s approach to the Middle East and reportedly exchanged WhatsApp messages with the former White House senior adviser and Trump’s son-in-law. Jared Kushner
Jared Corey Kushner LIVE COVERAGE: Democrats focus on Trump’s comments before the attack on Capitol Kushner, Ivanka Trump reported up to 0 million in external revenue during the White House years Can Palestine Matter Again? LAKE, paving the way for the Abraham Accords, opening relations between Israel and the Gulf and African nations.
But the Crown Prince also alienated Washington over his alleged role in ordering the murder and breakup of the US-based Saudi journalist. Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in October 2018.
Trump notably downplayed the Crown Prince’s role in Khashoggi’s assassination in an effort to maintain strong bilateral ties, writing in an extraordinary statement that “he may and may not” knew about the plot against the journalist who wrote for The Washington Post.
Roll back: Biden’s Director of National Intelligence, April Haines
Avril Haines Opportunity From Biden’s Wexton Cabinet, Speier Calls for Overhaul of Approval Process to Screen for Extremist Views Hillicon Valley: Senators Express Concern Over Response to Russian Hack | Huawei makes a legal move | Twitter is seeing more user growth, has pledged to release the US intelligence report on Khashoggi’s death, which allegedly concluded that Crown Prince Mohammed had personally ordered the murder.
Biden government officials have welcomed the Trump-era Abraham Accords as a positive development, but have already taken steps to reverse US support for Saudi actions considered contributing to human rights atrocities.
Read the rest here
ON TAP FOR TOMORROW
The National Security Subcommittee of the House of Trustees will hold a hearing on “A Road to Peace in Afghanistan: Investigating the Findings and Recommendations of the Afghan Study Group,” with former senator. Kelly Ayotte
Kelly Ann AyotteOvernight: new START extended for five years | Austin orders ‘resign’ to tackle extremism | Panel recommends Biden to delay withdrawal from Afghanistan Study group recommends Biden to delay withdrawal from Afghanistan. Night Defense: Pentagon Chief Expels Hundreds from Advisory Panels | Defense choice discusses Trump transition hurdles | Aircraft carrier returns home after 10 months of deployment MORE (RN.H.), and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford, at 10:30 a.m.
US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron
Emmanuel Jean-Michel MacronZaid Jilani Responds to NYT Report on Leftist Ideas Causing Unrest in France Getting Help from Europe for China Macron’s ‘Strategic Autonomy’ Won’t Happen Anytime Soon MORE will participate in a virtual event at 11:15 am on the Munich Security Conference on “A New Transatlantic Agenda”
The Hudson Institute will conduct a virtual discussion on “The Future of US Seapower: A View from Congress,” with Rep. Joe Courtney
Joseph (Joe) D. Courtney Republican South Carolina tests positive for coronavirus hours after addressing House Floor Rep. Rick Allen tests positive for COVID-19 Connecticut Democrat diagnosed with COVID-19 MORE (D-Conn.), Chairman of the Navy and Projection Forces Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee; and Rep. Robert Wittman (R-Va.), Ranking member of the subpanel, at 12 noon
ICYMI
– The Hill: Justice Dept. charges naval contractor employees with allegedly dumping polluted water in Japan
– The Hill: USA, allies warn Iran against blocking nuclear inspections
– The Hill: Capitol Police recommend gate around capitol until September: report
– The Hill: American journalist in Syria released by Al Qaeda-affiliated group: reports
– The Hill: Senate Intelligence panel to hold hearing on violation of SolarWinds next week
– The Hill: opinion: Biden’s six-step strategy re-join the nuclear deal with Iran
– The Hill: Opinion: Defeating Domestic Terror requires confrontation with white supremacy over the world
– The Hill: opinion: A worried world wonders if America’s days are over
– The Washington Post: Pentagon has awarded Virginia a major contract company a US senator called ‘fraudulent’
– Military times: Concerns about COVID-19 vaccines reaching deployed troops