Eve Levin  //  8/6/17  //  Topic Update

Pulling transgender military service members out of duty would disrupt military readiness, contends Brenda Fulton at Just Security.

A new Lawfare poll shows surprisingly little American confidence in the federal government’s ability to protect national security.

Some experts expressed concern over how General John Kelly’s switch to Chief of Staff could affect the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity mission (Politico).

• Kelly reportedly vehemently disagreed with the firing of former FBI Director James Comey (CNN, Business Insider).
• Jed Shugerman warns of celebrating the incoming Chief of Staff without remembering his past acts.
• Kevin Johnson, on ImmigrationProf Blog, compiles the names of potential replacements for the position of Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stated that the United States is not seeking regime change in North Korea (Business Insider, WaPo).

• The United States should replicate the Iranian deal, which pursued a strategy of deterrence by denial through arms control, with countries like North Korea and Pakistan, argues Robert Litwak on Lawfare.

Tillerson is refusing to spend funds already appropriated by Congress to fight terrorist propaganda and Russian disinformation (WaPo, Politico).

If President Trump eliminates the Iran deal, he could put the entire world at risk, write Steve Andreasen and Steven Simon for the New York Times.

• Carl Bildt concurs in the Washington Post.
• Iran has filed a complaint alleging American violations of the Iranian nuclear deal (NYT).

The United States sanctioned Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by freezing his American assets and banning Americans from doing business with him (WaPo).

The Trump Administration may be preparing trade measures against China (Hill).

Jared Kushner’s plan for the Middle East will not succeed, argues Aaron David Miller for Politico.

National security advisor General H.R. McMaster’s ousting of Ezra Cohen-Watnick, an aide on the National Security Council, raises questions about tension between McMaster and Bannon (WaPo, Fox).

McMaster also dismissed reports of wrongdoing by Susan Rice, his predecessor in the Obama administration (Hill).

Vice President Mike Pence rejected the possibility of the United States holding direct talks with North Korea (WSJ).

• The State Department has banned travel to North Korea on a United States passport starting September 1.

President Trump may have ruffled feathers in a meeting with top U.S. military leaders, during which he declared that the United States is losing the war in Afghanistan (NBC).

• Sune Engel Rasmussen argues that the United States cannot win in Afghanistan at The Guardian.

Tags: