Overnight Defense: Pentagon rebuffs Trump’s ban on Muslims

THE TOPLINE: The Pentagon on Tuesday rebuffed Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump’s call to ban all Muslims from entering the U.S.

“Anything that creates tensions and creates the notion that the United States is at odds with the Muslim faith and Islam would be counterproductive to our efforts right now, and totally contrary to our values,” Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said.

Asked specifically whether the Pentagon opposed the ban, Cook said, “I’m not going to get into domestic politics.”

{mosads}But, he reiterated, “Anything that tries to challenge American values on this would be certainly something of concern to the Department of Defense, as it would be across the country.”

Cook also noted that there were Muslims “serving patriotically in the U.S. military today, as there are people of many faiths.”

He also noted that the U.S. was partnering with Muslim nations in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

“Anything that bolsters ISIL’s narrative and pits the United States against the Muslim faith is — is certainly not only contrary to our values, but contrary to our national security,” he added, using an alternate name for the group. 

HOUSE PASSES VISA WAIVER RESTRICTIONS: The House voted Tuesday to restrict a program that allows people from some countries to come to the U.S. without a visa, responding to growing fears about the threat of terrorism from overseas.

The measure was approved in a bipartisan 407-19 vote, reports The Hill’s Cristina Marcos, with all 19 votes against from Democrats.

The waiver program allows tourists from 38 countries, including the United Kingdom, Spain and France, to stay in the U.S. for up to 90 days without a visa. About 20 million tourists use the program each year. 

Concerns about the program’s security spiked following reports that all of the identified attackers in Paris were European nationals. Tourists who use the visa waiver program are already screened against American security databases, but are subject to less restrictive checks than other travelers.

“We simply cannot give people from other countries special access to our country if we don’t have all of the information that we absolutely need to ensure that they are not a threat to national security,” said Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.), the bill’s author.

Under the legislation, citizens from countries that qualify for the program would be denied visa-free entry to the U.S. if they have visited Iraq, Syria or other countries deemed to be terror hotspots in the last five years, or if they are citizens of those countries. Those individuals would instead have to pass through a more stringent security process.

The measure would further direct the Department of Homeland Security to remove a country from the visa waiver program if it doesn’t share counterterrorism data with the U.S. It would also require eligible countries to screen travelers against INTERPOL databases for links to criminal activity.

Provisions of the bill are expected to be included in a catchall government spending measure known as the omnibus that lawmakers are racing to finish this week. Negotiators are still trying to reach an agreement on policy riders to be included in the legislation, including a measure to restrict refugee resettlement.

Government funding is slated to run out on Friday.

PENTAGON URGES CONGRESS TO PASS SPENDING BILL: Defense Secretary Ashton Carter is calling for Congress to get a deal on a 2016 government spending bill before a Friday deadline, instead of a short-term spending measure that would simply extend 2015 funding levels.

“At a time when our security environment demands a dynamic and agile military, it is vital that negotiations on Capitol Hill arrive at an agreement to fund all of government for the remainder of the fiscal year, consistent with the funding levels set in the budget agreement achieved earlier this year,” Carter said in a statement.

The Pentagon chief’s comments come as progress in the House on a spending measure has stalled, with Republicans indicating that a short-term spending bill will be necessary before Friday in order to keep the government running.

Officials fear a short-term spending measure, known as a continuing resolution, could be extended for a full year, leaving the Pentagon short of expected funding in 2016. 

“Further delaying such funding will do real harm. As I have said before, a continuing resolution is a straitjacket for the Department of Defense,” said Carter. “It prevents us from fielding a modern, ready force in a balanced way, while embracing reform to ensure that every taxpayer dollar is well spent. 

Democrats said a deal was nearly at hand, until Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) sought to link it to another measure to renew a slate of expired tax breaks.

Republicans have raised the possibility of working through the weekend to pass a spending bill.

“There will be ample opportunities for extraneous policy fights in the future, but at this time, Congress must set aside such fights and prioritize our security by funding all of government,” Carter said.

EX-OBAMA OFFICIALS SAY US NOT WINNING ISIS FIGHT: Two former top Obama defense officials told lawmakers Tuesday that the U.S. was not winning the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

“I don’t think we are where we need to be,” Michèle Flournoy, former under secretary of Defense for policy, told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

“I think that this threat has shown itself to be much more serious than I think we first realized,” said Flournoy, now CEO of the Center for a New American Security. 

“It’s something that’s a long-term challenge that we need to deal with, and I don’t think we are fully resourcing a multidimensional strategy,” she added.  

Flournoy also added that the threat is “getting worse, not better.” 

Michael Vickers, another former senior Obama defense official who testified alongside Flournoy, said he did not believe the U.S. was winning the ISIS fight. 

“I do not believe we are winning, or we’re certainly not winning fast enough,” added Vickers, former under secretary of Defense for intelligence under President George W. Bush and Obama. 

Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook did not comment on whether he agreed with those remarks, but said Defense Secretary Ash Carter is due to testify in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday on how the fight is going.

“You can hear what he has to say about where the fight against ISIL stands. And I think you’ll hear from the secretary at that point, as you have in recent days, that there is more to be done,” he said.

“But we are intensifying and accelerating our campaign. He’s going to detail exactly some of those steps we’re doing, steps that have been in play since before the attacks in Paris,” he said.

“And I think the secretary will be able to characterize well for members of the committee exactly where we stand, what we’re doing, and where progress still needs to be made as well.”

ICYMI: 

— Obama aide: Trump’s comments disqualify him from presidency

— Trump: ‘We’re at war – get it through your head’

— Muslim congressman receives death threat

— US investigates reports of new Iran missile test

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