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Internal review calls for renewed focus on leadership and discipline among US special operations commandos


CONDUCT UNBECOMING: Alarmed by a series of instances in which elite American commandos were caught behaving badly, U.S. Special Operations Command launched what it called a “comprehensive review of the culture and ethics” of its operators.

The report, released yesterday, noted that “several incidents of misconduct and unethical behavior threatened public trust and caused leaders to question special operations forces culture and ethics.”

The unclassified report rejected the notion that the special operations community — which includes Navy SEALs, Army Green Berets and Delta Force commandos — has a “systemic ethics problem,” but did find “that in some instances USSOCOM’s cultural focus on SOF employment and mission accomplishment is to the detriment of leadership, discipline and accountability.” In other words, too much focus on getting the job done, and not enough on producing ethical leaders.

MESSAGE FROM THE TOP: The report was released along with a letter from the U.S. Special Operations Command chief, Army Gen. Richard Clarke to his troops.

“The bottom line is that we have disproportionately focused on SOF employment and mission accomplishment at the expense of the training and development of our force. In some cases, this imbalance has set conditions for unacceptable conduct to occur due to a lack of leadership, discipline, and accountability,” Clarke wrote.

“When our country sends SOF abroad, they send us into some of the most ambiguous situations. They do so because they trust us to handle these missions with competence and character. Trust is our currency with our leaders and the American people,” he said, adding that “tough calls” will be necessary to reinforce the trust.

“Culture does not tend itself – it must be cultivated by leaders,” he said “and only active, consistent engagement from leaders at every level will make us better.”

RECOMMENDATIONS: The 69 page report contains 16 recommendations aimed at restoring leadership, discipline, and accountability to the Special Operations forces, and warns that, “If left unaddressed, the conditions outlined in the [report’s] findings will continue to create the conditions and contexts, where unethical behavior and misconduct place both the assigned SOF mission as well as the safety and well-being of service members at risk. “

NO MENTION OF TRUMP PARDONS: The report did not mention the three high profile cases in which President Trump intervened to overturn disciplinary actions against alleged, or in one case convicted, war criminals.

Those cases involved:

Maj. Mathew Golsteyn, an Army Green Beret who was facing a court martial on murder charges for allegedly killing a suspected Taliban bomb-maker in 2010.

Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, a Navy SEAL who was found guilty of posing for a picture with the corpse, but acquitted of murdering a wounded teenage ISIS prisoner in 2017.

Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance, who was pardoned by Trump after serving six years of a 19-year sentence following a conviction for ordering his troops to fire on unarmed civilians in Afghanistan in 2012.

RELATED: Trump is the last word on military justice.

RELATED: ‘Cowards’: Pardoned Eddie Gallagher exposes identities of active SEALs who testified against him.

Good Wednesday 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 Susan Katz Keating (@SKatzKeating). 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 us on Twitter: @dailyondefense.

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HAPPENING TODAY: Joint Chiefs Vice Chairman Air Force Gen. John Hyten speaks at the Air Force Association “Breakfast Series,” at 7 a.m.

VETO OF AUMF REPEAL THREATENED: With the House of Representatives preparing to vote on a bill, sponsored by California Democrat Rep. Barbara Lee, repealing the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force, the White House is threatening a veto.

“If H.R. 2456 were presented to the President, his senior advisors would recommend he veto it,” warns a Statement of Administration Policy released by OMB on Monday.

“The arbitrary termination of the authorization would embolden our enemies with the recognizable goal of outlasting us. This bill is misguided, and its adoption by Congress would undermine the ability of the United States to protect American citizens whom Iran continues to seek to harm. It would make the world less safe, less secure, and less free,” the statement says.

The Lee amendment picked up the endorsement of Concerned Veterans for America, which issued a statement yesterday.

“The 2002 AUMF, originally drafted to authorize operations against the Saddam-era Iraqi government, is obsolete,” said Nate Anderson, the groups executive director. “Repealing this outdated measure is a critical step to preserving the proper separation of powers between Congress and the executive branch, and ensuring that future major military engagements are first debated and authorized by Congress as the Constitution demands.”

UK’S 5G DECISION DRAWS US REBUKE: The decision by the British government to allow Chinese tech giant Huawei to help build its 5G network, over strenuous U.S. objections, drew bipartisan and almost universal condemnation from members of Congress yesterday.

“While the U.K. believes that they can mitigate the risk posed by Huawei’s access to their network, in 5G there is no sure way to isolate the core network from other components,” said House Armed Services Committee leaders Democrat Adam Smith and Republican Mac Thornberry, who, in a joint statement, called the decision “troubling.”

“Granting Huawei access to any part of a country’s network opens access to the whole network, providing a potential door to the Chinese government,” they said. “This decision will inevitably complicate America’s ability to share information with our closest ally.”

‘SURVEILLANCE STATE COMMIES’: Nebraska Republican Sen. Ben Sasse, a self-described China Hawk, was less diplomatic in his statement objecting to the U.K.’s willingness to use Chinese technology.

“Here’s the sad truth: our special relationship is less special now that the U.K. has embraced the surveillance state commies at Huawei,” Sasse said. “During the Cold War, Margaret Thatcher never contracted with the KGB to save a few pennies.”

NOW 50 TBI INJURIES: In an update issued last night, the Pentagon now says 50 U.S. troops have been diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) as a result of Iran’s missile strike on the al Asad air base in Iraq Jan. 8.

“Of these 50, 31 total service members were treated in Iraq and returned to duty, including 15 of the additional service members who have been diagnosed since the previous report,” said Lt. Col. Thomas Campbell, a Pentagon spokesperson in statement.

“The Department of Defense is committed to providing the American people timely and accurate information about the care and treatment of our service members,” said Campbell. “The department is committed to delivering programs and services intended to lead to the best possible outcomes for our service members who suffer any injury.”

BODIES RECOVERED: The U.S. military has recovered the remains of two Air Force pilots who died when their Bombardier E-11A surveillance aircraft crashed in the Taliban-controlled area of Ghazni Province, Afghanistan on Monday.

“The remains were found near the crash site, treated with dignity and respect by the local Afghan community, in accordance with their culture,” said a statement from Col. Sonny Leggett, a spokesman for U.S. Forces Afghanistan.

U.S. forces destroyed the remnants of the aircraft, after recovering the plane’s flight data recorder. “The cause of the crash remains under investigation, however there are no indications the crash was caused by enemy fire,” the statement said.

KOREA MIAs ID’D: At yesterday’s House Armed Services Committee hearing on Korea policy, John Rood, undersecretary of defense for policy, provided an update on the 55 boxes of remains from the Korean War that the North Koreans returned to the U.S. in 2018 after the first meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong UN.

“Thus far, 43 U.S. servicemembers missing from the Korean War have been identified and more than a hundred identifications are expected from those remains,” Rood said. “This is a sacred duty, obviously, that we have on behalf of the armed forces that fight.”

INDUSTRY WATCH: The first reports of fourth quarters sales and earnings indicate 2019 was a banner year for U.S. defense contractors.

Lockheed Martin reported 2019 fourth quarter sales of $15.9 billion, up from to $14.4 billion in the fourth quarter of 2018. Fourth quarter earnings were $1.5 billion. For the full year of 2019 sales were $59.8 billion, compared to $53.8 billion in 2018, an increase of 11% Net earnings in 2019 were $6.2 billion, compared to $5 billion in 2018.

“The corporation delivered outstanding performance throughout 2019, achieving exceptional sales growth, strong earnings, cash from operations, and a record backlog,” said Lockheed Martin Chairman, President and CEO Marillyn Hewson.

United Technologies reported record sales, adjusted earnings per share, and free cash flow in calendar year 2019. That included sales of $19.6 billion in the fourth quarter, up 8% over 2018, and sales of $77 billion for all of 2019, up 16%.

“Organic sales grew 5 percent and adjusted earnings and free cash flow exceeded the high end of the ranges we expected, said UTC Chairman and CEO Gregory Hayes.

Today we’ll get results from General Dynamics at 9 a.m. and Boeing at 10:30 a.m., with Raytheon reporting tomorrow at 7 a.m.

Raytheon, meanwhile, has been awarded a 5-year, $197 million contract to help the U.S. Air Force modernize its missile warning architecture with a new system that will collect and fuse data from an array of sensors to provide a comprehensive picture of launch activity.

The Rundown

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Calendar

WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 29

7:30 a.m. 300 First St. S.E. — Joint Chiefs Vice Chairman Air Force Gen. John Hyten speaks at the Air Force Association “Breakfast Series.” https://www.afa.org/events

9 a.m. — General Dynamics webcasts fourth quarter and full-year 2019 financial results conference. https://www.gd.com

10:30 a.m. — The Boeing Company releases financial results for the fourth quarter of 2019 in a conference call with President and CEO David Calhoun and Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Enterprise Performance & Strategy Greg Smith. Webcast at http://event.on24.com

11:30 a.m. 1667 K St. N.W. — Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment discussion of new report, “Taking Back the Seas: Transforming the U.S. Surface Fleet for Decision-Centric Warfare,” with Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly. https://files.constantcontact.com

THURSDAY | JANUARY 30

7 a.m. — Raytheon Company releases 2019 fourth quarter and full-year results on its website, followed by a conference call at 9 a.m. Jan. 30, 2020. Audiocast www.raytheon.com/ir

9 a.m. G50 Dirkson. — Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the Defense Authorization request for Fiscal Year 2021 and the Future Years Defense Program, with Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, head of U.S. Africa Command; and Adm. Craig Faller, head of U.S. Southern Command. https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings

FRIDAY | JANUARY 31

9.a.m. Pentagon Briefing Room — Ellen Lord, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment; Kevin Fahey, assistant secretary of defense for acquisition; and Katie Arrington, the special assistant to the assistant secretary of defense for acquisition for cyber; brief reporters at the Pentagon on cyber security standards for government acquisition. Streamed live at https://www.defense.gov

10 a.m. Pentagon River Entrance — Defense Secretary Mark Esper welcomes Italian Defense Minister Lorenzo Guerini to the Pentagon, with joint press conference to follow in the Pentagon Briefing Room afterward. Streamed live at https://www.defense.gov

QUOTE OF THE DAY


“We have been dishonest to ourselves. I think a number of people coming here and testifying have tried to paint the good story. I don’t know if it’s for getting a promotion or it’s just the American way. We also have this hubris … that we think we can turn Afghanistan into little America or another Norway. We can’t. That’s the hubris.”

John Sopko, the Pentagon’s Special Inspector General for Afghanistan, testifying before the House Oversight and Reform National Security Subcommittee Tuesday.





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