Panel chair ‘not fully convinced’ on new nuke missile

With Connor O’Brien

Editor’s Note: Morning Defense is a free version of POLITICO Pro Defense’s morning newsletter, which is delivered to our subscribers each morning at 6 a.m. The POLITICO Pro platform combines the news you need with tools you can use to take action on the day’s biggest stories. Act on the news with POLITICO Pro.

— The chair of a subcommittee overseeing nuclear weapons says he still has more questions about the new ICBM replacement.

— House committees will scrutinize budget plans for the Air Force, Space Force and National Guard this week.

— The defense secretary says ‘we are still the best,’ but the pace of technological change threatens military deterrence.

HAPPY MONDAY AND WELCOME BACK TO MORNING DEFENSE, where we wish a successful journey to retired Army captain and Afghanistan vet Greg Washington, who set out Friday on a 1,800-mile march from his hometown in Mississippi to West Point to raise awareness about veteran suicide. Washington, who lost his two best friends to suicide, will participate in a series of rallies, fundraisers and panel discussions en route. Follow the mission here. We’re always on the lookout for tips, pitches and feedback. Email us at [email protected], and follow on Twitter @bryandbender, @morningdefense and @politicopro.

‘NOT FULLY CONVINCED’: Sen. Angus King, chair of the Armed Services Committee’s Strategic Forces Subcommittee, led a bipartisan congressional delegation over the weekend to U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska and Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota for a budget-season pitch on the nuclear modernization program.

The “most immediate question,” King told reporters Saturday, was the need for the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent to replace the 400 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles, the biggest target of arms control advocates and progressive groups.

“I would say I’m convinced but not fully convinced,” said the Maine Independent who caucuses with Democrats. He said he still wants to know more about the options for extending the life of the current missiles.

“The data that I want to see is the cost and the technological issues involved in further life extensions,” King explained. “The Minuteman III is now something like 50 years old.”

We asked him what he makes of the argument that plans for additional arms control agreements with Russia raise the possibility that fewer ICBMs will be needed, enabling the Air Force to keep the missiles longer because there will be more spare parts available. “I’m not sure that 300 obsolete missiles would be any different than 400,” King responded. “You’d still have the problem. … The issue here is credibility, right?”

Who else is he listening to? One unofficial adviser is former Defense Secretary William Perry, who has tried to convince successive administrations and Congress to forgo the GBSD and phase out the land-based leg of the nuclear triad. “I had a Zoom meeting with him about a week ago,” King offered. “He is very critical of this move. I am also reading his book. So I’m trying to really understand and dig into this issue.”

But so far the committee has turned down Perry’s offer to testify, his co-author Tom Collina, director of policy at the Ploughshares Fund, tells us. “The staff does not seem to be reflecting what the chairman of the subcommittee wants to,” Collina said. “Let’s have a fair hearing.”

A spokesperson for King responded Sunday that in public testimony last week “we made sure the hearing covered a wide range (at-times-conflicting) viewpoints.”

King was joined on the trip by Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Sens. Deb Fischer, John Hoeven and Joni Ernst, as well as Rep. Jeff Fortenberry.

Related: Sen. Angus King: Cybersecurity a major concern in U.S. nuclear command-and-control system, via Space News.

And: Mobile nuclear reactors? Scathing report slams ‘disturbing’ military program, via Army Times.

HEARING SCHEDULE: The House has several Pentagon budget and other oversight hearings this week:

Today, the House Armed Services’ Readiness Subcommittee holds a hearing on “The AAV Mishap Investigation: How to Build a Culture of Safety to Avoid Preventable Training Accidents” at 11 a.m.

On Tuesday, the HASC Special Operations and Intelligence Subcommittee holds a hearing on countering weapons of mass destruction at 11 a.m.

And the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee holds a hearing on the National Guard and Reserves’ budget at noon.

On Wednesday, The House defense appropriations panel holds a hearing with top leaders on the Army budget at noon.

And the HASC Strategic Forces Subcommittee holds a hearing on “Creating a Framework for Rules Based Order in Space” at 3 p.m.

On Thursday, the HASC Readiness Subcommittee holds a hearing on “Ship and Submarine Maintenance: Sustainment Considerations for a Changing Fleet” at 3 p.m.

On Friday, the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee holds a hearing on the Air Force and Space Force budget at noon.

The Henry L. Stimson Center holds a webinar on “Biden and Congress at 100 Days – Assessing Arms Trade Policy” at 9:30 a.m.

And the Washington Post holds a discussion with former Rep. Jane Harman about her new book, “Insanity Defense: Why Our Failure to Confront Hard National Security Problems Makes Us Less Safe,” at 1 p.m.

On Thursday, the Navy Memorial hosts a virtual discussion with Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday at 1:30 p.m.

On Friday, the Brookings Institution hosts a discussion with STRATCOM chief Adm. Charles Richard at 11:30 a.m.

And the Space Force Association holds a discussion with Space Development Agency Director Derek Tournear at 1 p.m.

For a full schedule of events check out the Pro calendar.

RENEWED HOSTILITIES? A truck bombing near Kabul on Friday that killed dozens, along with a series of other attacks blamed on the Taliban, raised fears of renewed fighting in Afghanistan as the May 1 deadline set by the Trump administration for a U.S. troop withdrawal has now passed.

Even as U.S. forces are beginning to pull out of the country, the spike in violence offers a cautionary tale for what might lie ahead if the Taliban opts to return to all-out war: On Saturday, “U.S. Forces conducted a precision strike” near Kandahar in the south after rocket attacks, a military spokesperson also announced.

‘Bad possible outcomes’: Army Gen. Mark Milley, the Joint Chiefs chair, warned in an interview over the weekend of what might be in store with the American departure. “Your question: The Afghan army, do they stay together and remain a cohesive fighting force or do they fall apart? I think there’s a range of scenarios here, a range of outcomes, a range of possibilities,” he told the Associated Press and CNN. “On the one hand you get some really dramatic, bad possible outcomes. On the other hand, you get a military that stays together and a government that stays together.”

Related: As U.S. prepared exit, Taliban protected foreign bases, but killed Afghans, via Reuters.

And: Peace chief says Afghan government must step up, via The Associated Press.

NO GUARANTEES: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in what was billed as his first major address as Pentagon chief, called for a “new vision” at the change of command ceremony for the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command at Pearl Harbor on Friday.

“We all need to drive toward a new vision of what it means to defend our nation,” he said, according to an official transcript. “In this young century, we need to understand faster, decide faster, and act faster. Our new computing power isn’t an academic exercise. This is about real-world, real-time advantages — about fully grasping a situation moving at the speed of war.”

He also maintained that “the cornerstone of America’s defense is still deterrence, ensuring that our adversaries understand the folly of outright conflict.”

“We are still the best in this business,” he added. “… But being the best today isn’t a guarantee of being the best tomorrow … not in an age when technology is changing the character of warfare itself … and not at a time when our potential adversaries are very deliberately working to blunt our edge. So our challenge is to ensure that our deterrence holds strong for the long haul, across all realms of potential conflict.”

Related: America’s military risks losing its edge, by Michèle Flournoy, via Foreign Affairs.

BREACHING THE WALL: “President Joe Biden is canceling further construction of the wall along the U.S. and Mexico border, the Department of Defense announced Friday,” POLITICO’s Nick Niedzwiadek reports for Pros.

“DoD has begun taking all necessary actions to cancel border barrier projects and to coordinate with interagency partners,” Pentagon spokesperson Jamal Brown said in a statement. “Today’s action reflects this Administration’s continued commitment to defending our nation and supporting our service members and their families.”

‘What harm has been done’: The Trump administration diverted billions from military construction projects, counter-drug accounts, weapon systems, and Guard and Reserve equipment to fund the barriers.

“I look forward to working with the Department to fully understand what harm has been done to our existing military construction projects and what can be done to mitigate that harm moving forward,” HASC Chair Adam Smith said.

“We made progress in establishing guardrails to prevent future Presidents from taking similar actions,” added HASC Readiness Chair John Garamendi, “and [Friday’s] announcement is a significant step forward to right this wrong and ensure this much-needed funding supports our service members as Congress intended.”

HARRIS TAKES THE HELM: Vice President Kamala Harris will take the reins of the National Space Council, the White House announced Saturday, ensuring that the space agenda gets high-level attention in the new administration, POLITICO’s Eugene Daniels and your Morning D correspondent report for Pros.

The veep plans to put her own “stamp” on the council, an official said, including “supporting sustainable development of commercial space activity, advancing peaceful norms and responsible behaviors in space, achieving peaceful exploration objectives with our allies and partners.”

The news drew bipartisan praise. “Having the vice president run it keeps it at the right level,” former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a leading space enthusiast who advised former President Donald Trump and is also a member of the council’s User Advisory Group, said Saturday. “I’m delighted so far on how they have handled space. They are building on really having a dominant position in space again.”

But there’s also interest in who will run the day-to-day operations of the Cabinet-level body. “It is great that Harris has stepped up, but she lacks any historical depth in the space realm. She needs a very grounded executive secretary” of the council,” Greg Autry, who served on the NASA transition team for Trump and now teaches space leadership at Arizona State University, tells Morning D.

FOR YOUR RADAR: Harris is set to speak at the Naval Academy’s commencement ceremony on May 28.

— Senate intel leaders vow to ‘get to the bottom’ of increasing directed-energy attacks: POLITICO Pro

— Software, missiles, testing at top for budget, says DepSecDef Hicks: Breaking Defense

— U.S. denies Iran claims of prisoner deal; UK plays it down: The Associated Press

— WATCH: Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the threat posed by China: CBS’ 60 Minutes

— ‘A tough call’: Biden considering mandatory Covid vaccines for U.S. troops: POLITICO Pro

— Army punishes more Fort Hood leaders after Vanessa Guillén’s killing reveals command failures: The Washington Post

— Germany, France, Spain aim for fighter jet agreement: Reuters

— India, Australia cleared to buy $4.3B in U.S. military gear: Defense News

— Analysts question uniqueness of hypersonic weapons capabilities: National Defense

— How the Pentagon started taking UFOs seriously: The New Yorker

— From former Soviet archives, chilling new details of the Cuban missile crisis: The Washington Post

— ‘I’d never been involved in anything as secret as this’: POLITICO Magazine

— Combating climate change will make us more secure: The Hill