Overnight Defense: Obama to veto 9/11 bill | Syria ceasefire takes effect | GOP senators fight to take female draft out of bill

THE TOPLINE: The United States and Russia’s latest attempt at a ceasefire in Syria took effect Monday, with reports indicating the violence has subsided somewhat.

The plan was announced late Friday — or early Saturday in Geneva. If the ceasefire holds for seven days, the United States and Russia will begin coordinating strikes on terrorist groups such as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the group formerly known as al Nusra.

{mosads}Some have expressed doubt that this latest effort will reduce violence for long or in the wisdom of the United States and Russia coordinating militarily in Syria.

Secretary of State John Kerry sought Monday to counter skeptics.

“Sure, this is less than perfect,” he said. “This is perhaps one of the most complicated places in the world. But let me ask you, flawed compared to what? Compared to nothing? Compared to daily violence that absolutely guarantees a future of even more violence and possible sectarian explosion in the region? What we have been seeing in Syria day after day, week after week, month after month is a lot worse than flawed.”

Read more of Kerry remark’s here.

Some, including an advisor to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on Middle East issues, are also calling for the United States to act more aggressively should the ceasefire fail. Read more about that, from The Hill’s Kristina Wong, here.

OBAMA TO VETO 9/11 BILL: The White House officially said President Obama plans to veto the Justice Against Sponsors of Terror Act after the House unanimously passed it last week.

The Hill’s Jordan Fabian has more:

President Obama will veto legislation allowing the families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia in U.S. courts, the White House said Monday.

“That is still the plan. The president does plan to veto this legislation,” press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters. “I do anticipate the president will veto the legislation when it is presented to him. It hasn’t been presented to him yet.”

Those comments are the clearest indication yet Obama plans to reject the bipartisan legislation, opening up the possibility Congress could override an Obama veto for the first time.

Earnest had strongly hinted for the past several months that the president will reject the bill, but he had not issued a full veto threat before.

Read the rest here.

MILITARY VOTERS WANT GARY JOHNSON: Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson beat out both Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump in a new poll of military voters.

The Hill’s Kristina Wong has the story:

Johnson was preferred by 37 percent of respondents, which include active-duty, retired and former members of the military, as well as their family members.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump came in second, at 30 percent, and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton came in third, at 24 percent. 

Johnson’s strong showing in the latest poll comes despite controversy over the former New Mexico governor not appearing to know about the Syrian city of Aleppo during an MSNBC “Morning Joe” interview on Sept. 8.

“And what is Aleppo?” Johnson had asked in response to a question about what he would do to ease the humanitarian crisis in the war-torn city, shocking the MSNBC hosts.

Read more here.

GOP SENATORS WANT FEMALE DRAFT OUT OF DEFENSE BILL: A group of 17 Republican senators is urging leaders of the Armed Services committees to take language out of a defense policy bill that would require women to register for the draft.

“We should not hinder the brave men and women of our armed forces by entrapping them in unnecessary cultural issues,” the senators wrote to the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate committees. “Our all-volunteer military is the best military the world has ever seen, and women who wish to serve in this military are free to do so.”

The letter was spearheaded by Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), who reiterated his criticism that the provision puts “culture wars” into the defense bill.

“Republicans and Democrats should be able to agree that taking care of national security is more important than running up the score in unnecessary and divisive culture wars,” Sasse said in a statement accompanying the letter’s release Monday.

Read more here.

ON TAP FOR TOMORROW:

The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on encryption and cyber matters at 9:30 a.m. the Hart Senate Office Building, room 216. http://bit.ly/2cLSmcM

Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) will speak about stabilizing Iraq at 4 p.m. at the U.S. Institute of Peace. http://bit.ly/2by2boA

ICYMI:

— The Hill: Philippines president: US special forces ‘have to go’

— The Hill: House votes to restrict delisting state sponsors of terrorism

— The Hill: Top GOP senator ‘confident’ of 9/11 bill veto override

— The Hill: Gulf Arab states issue warning on 9/11 lawsuit bill

— The Hill: Washington wonders: What would a Trump Pentagon look like?

— The Hill: US military: Iranian behavior getting worse in Persian Gulf

— The Hill: House to vote next week to block Gitmo transfers

— Navy Times: A US sailor delivered a baby at sea — in the middle of the ISIS war

— Washington Post: A war with the Defense Department over a hidden Washington golf course

— Military Times: The U.S. military has a huge problem with obesity and it’s only getting worse

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