NATO convenes urgent session as Turkey calls for no-fly zone over northern Syria after airstrikes kill 33 Turkish troops – Washington Examiner

CRISIS POINT: Ambassadors from all 29 NATO nations met in emergency session in Brussels this morning, after Turkey invoked Article 4 of the alliance treaty. Under Article 4 of the Treaty, any ally can request consultations whenever, in the opinion of any of them, their territorial integrity, political independence or security is threatened, NATO said in a statement.

Turkey is calling on world powers to impose a no-fly zone over northern Syria after regime airstrikes in the Idlib region killed 33 Turkish troops Thursday, and worsened a humanitarian crisis that has displaced hundreds of thousands of people. Its the highest death toll for Turkish forces since they first moved into Syria in 2016.

Turkey has been trying to block the Russian-backed Syrian government offensive which is aimed at capturing the last major rebel stronghold. The brutal military campaign has targeted hospitals and schools, and has worsened the misery of thousands of civilians fleeing the fighting.

NO-FLY, NO GO: When NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg emerged from the meeting shortly after 6 a.m. Washington time, he made no mention of any no-fly zone, but said the NATO allies expressed their full solidarity and condemned the continued indiscriminate airstrikes by the Syrian regime and Russia in Idlib province.

I call on them to stop their offensive, to respect international law and to back U.N. efforts for a peaceful solution, he said.

REFUGEES ON THE MOVE: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ordered his border forces to stand down and allow refugees to cross into Turkey, and a senior Turkish official says Ankara would no longer stop Syrian refugees from reaching Europe, according to Reuters.

The move was applauded by Refugees International, which advocates on behalf of displaced people. If true, the move could provide a lifeline for the hundreds of thousands of desperate Syrians fleeing a brutal and condemnable Syrian and Russian offensive in Idlib, said the groups president, Eric Schwartz. And we would urge Turkey not to impose an arbitrary deadline on those seeking to escape the Russian-Syrian kill box.

Turkey has already taken in more than 3.6 million Syrian refugees, and says it will not stop the new arrivals from moving on to Europe and other destinations.

All refugees should enjoy freedom of movement, but we are also deeply concerned that those leaving Turkey will face a perilous journey across the sea to Greece a journey that has claimed so many lives, said Schwartz The Greek government will need to move quickly to rescue and receive refugees that make the crossing.

THE WORLD IS SITTING ON ITS HANDS: South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a stalwart defender of President Trump, yesterday supported Turkeys no-fly zone request, and called on Trump to act quickly.

Mr. President: it is in our national security interest to stop the slaughter and get ahead of a humanitarian crisis that could see millions of additional refugees flow out of Syria, creating further chaos, Graham said in a statement.

The world is sitting on its hands and watching the destruction of Idlib by Assad, Iran, and the Russians. This is one of the greatest humanitarian disasters in decades and the brutal aggression of Assad supported by Iran and Russia needs to come to an end, Graham said.

I very much appreciate Turkeys intervention in Idlib. It is now time for the international community to establish a no-fly zone to save thousands of innocent men, women, and children from a horrible death.

ESPER ENGAGED: At the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Mark Esper consulted with his Turkish counterpart, Hulusi Akar, by phone.

The two leaders discussed the Assad regime's brutal aggression in Idlib, which is backed by Russia and Iran; the resulting humanitarian crisis in Northwest Syria; and Libya, said a Pentagon read-out of the call. As President Trump said on Tuesday, and as discussed in today's call, we are exploring ways the United States can work together with Turkey and the international community.

RUSSIA DENIES ROLE: The Russian Defence Ministry claimed Turkish troops were hit by artillery fire, not airstrikes, and said the Turkish forces were collocated with rebel fighters and shouldnt have been there.

The Russian news agency RIA said Turkey had failed to notify Moscow of the presence of Turkish troops in the area despite being in regular communication with the Russian military.

MESSAGE TO ERDOGAN: As the news was breaking yesterday, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison was briefing reporters at the State Department. As she waited for details of the attack she said one thing was clear: The U.S. not Russia is Turkeys true friend.

This is a big development, and our alliance is with Turkey. It is not with Russia; it is with Turkey. We want Turkey to understand that we are the one that theyve been allied with. Theyre in all of the missions that we have.

Good Friday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyres 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 doesnt work, shoot us an email and well add you to our list. And be sure to follow us on Twitter: @dailyondefense.

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HAPPENING TODAY: Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly discusses "How a Modernized Navy will Compete with China and Russia, with Michael O'Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, at 9 a.m. See calendar below.

355 SHIPS IN 10 YEARS: At yesterdays House Armed Services Committee hearing, Modly insisted that despite proposed cuts in the Navys shipbuilding budget for FY 2021, he anticipated meeting the goal of 355 ship fleet in 10 years.

While this budget does slow our trajectory to a force of 355 ships or more, it does not arrest it, Modly testified. You have my personal assurance that we are still deeply committed to building that larger, more capable, more distributed naval force within what I consider a strategic relevant timeframe of no more than 10 years.

Committee chairman, Democrat Rep. Adam Smith was highly skeptical of the pledge. It's almost meaningless at this point, since it's like 20, 30 years out, he said. It's great to have goals, I suppose, and we can aspire towards that number. But at the point -- at this point, it seems like just that, an aspiration.

LOSING A SUB: Modly was quizzed by Smith about the decision of the Pentagon to move money that would have paid for a second Virginia-class attack submarine to boost funding for the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Well, to be frank, it's not helpful because it takes a ship out of a plan that we're driving towards, said Modley. It particularly is harmful in the sense that it takes a ship out of a category of ship for which we're going to have a hard time getting to anyway.

The need for new attack submarines is considered a critical component of the Navys future strategy, and Modly admitted the current plan doesnt quite get where the Navy wants to be. We feel like we need to have at least 66 attack submarines. Even on the 10-year trajectory, based on industrial base capacity, we think we can get to about 49 or 50, he said So it takes out one. If we can get to 48 instead of 49, that impacts that number.

NOT IN THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENED: Pressed by California Democrat Rep. Susan Davis, Chief of Naval Operation Adm. Michael Gilday admitted he was not consulted about the decision to forgo a submarine for more nuclear funding.

I was not directly involved in those discussions, he testified. It happened at budget endgame very quickly and we were informed after the decision was made.

IRANS TORTURE TV: The Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies is out with a new report that documents the Iranian regimes use of torture and forced confessions on its state-run media network.

To coerce political prisoners into appearing on camera and falsely admitting to contrived crimes, interrogators often beat prisoners with cables, sometimes to the point of paralysis; hold prisoners in solitary confinement for years; or threaten forced injections of hallucinogenic drugs, write authors Toby Dershowitz and Talia Katz. In using forced confessions, Iranian state media violate human rights of the innocent, demonize minority groups, delegitimize dissidents, and frame dual-nationals for contrived crimes.

The report calls for sanctions to be placed on the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting network, noting IRIB reporters are actually the interrogators who extracted the forced confessions.

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FRIDAY | FEBRUARY 28

8 a.m. Orlando, Fl. Day three of the Air Force Association 2020 Air Warfare Symposium, with, Will Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology And Logistics; Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett; Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein; and Elon Musk, SpaceX Chief Engineer and Lt. Gen. John Thompson, commander, Space and Missile Systems Center. Agenda at https://www.afa.org/events/airwarfare/agenda

9 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. N.W. Brookings Institution discussion: "How a Modernized Navy will Compete with China and Russia, with acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly, and Michael O'Hanlon, senior fellow at Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/events

9 a.m. 201 Waterfront St., National Harbor, Md. The American Conservative Union holds its annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Agenda: http://cpac.conservative.org/agenda

5 p.m. 1521 16th St. N.W. Institute of World Politics book discussion on "To Catch a Spy: The Art of Counterintelligence," with author Jim Olson, former chief of CIA counterintelligence. https://www.iwp.edu/events

MONDAY | MARCH 2

10 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. N.W. Brookings Institution discussion: Congress and defense policy: A conversation with Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas. https://www.brookings.edu/events

10 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. N.W. Brookings Institution discussion: Defending NATOs eastern flank: A conversation on Russia with Estonias minister of defense, with Jri Luik Estonian MoD. https://www.brookings.edu/events

TUESDAY | MARCH 3

10:30 a.m. 2118 Rayburn House Armed Services Committee hearing: The Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Budget Request for the Department of the Army, with testimony from Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy and Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville. https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings

2 p.m. 2118 Rayburn House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness hearing: The Fiscal Year 2021 Air Force and Space Force Readiness Posture, with testimony from Shon Manasco, acting undersecretary of the Air Force; Gen. Stephen Wilson, Air Force vice chief of staff; and Lt. Gen. David Thompson, vice commander, U.S. Space Force. https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings

2:30 p.m. 2212 Rayburn House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces hearing: The Fiscal Year 2021 Budget Request for Nuclear Forces and Atomic Energy Defense Activities, with testimony from Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration; Victorino Mercado, performing the duties of assistant secretary of defense for strategy, plans, and capabilities; Vice Adm. Johnny Wolfe, Navy director, Strategic Systems Programs; Air Force Lt. Gen. Richard Clark, deputy chief of staff for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration; and Allison Bawden, director, natural resources and environment team, Government Accountability Office. https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings

WEDNESDAY | MARCH 4

9 a.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. McAleese Defense Programs Conference, with national security adviser Robert OBrien; Ellen Lord, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment; Michael Griffin, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering; Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, and more than a dozen others. https://www.mcaleese.com/events

10 a.m. 2118 Rayburn House Armed Services Committee hearing: The Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Budget Request for the Department of the Air Force, with testimony from Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett; Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein; Gen. John Raymond, chief of space operations, U.S. Space Force. https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings

2:30 p.m. 2212 Rayburn House Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Emerging Threats and Capabilities hearing: The Fiscal Year 2021 Budget Request for U.S. Cyber Command and Operations in Cyberspace, with testimony from Kenneth Rapuano, assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and global security; and U.S. Cyber Commander and National Security Agency Director Army Gen. Paul Nakasone. https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings

2:30 p.m. 1030 15th St. N.W. Center for the National Interest and the Eurasia Center debate: Why should the US care about Ukraine? with Will Ruger, vice president for research and policy at the Charles Koch Institute; and Alina Polyakova, president & CEO of the Center for European Policy Analysis. The moderators are Jacob Heilbrunn, editor of The National Interest; and Melinda Haring, deputy director of the Eurasia Center. Register at : https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event

9:30 p.m. ET Hoover Institution, Stanford, Ca. Intelligence Squared U.S. debates "The Maximum Pressure Campaign Against Iran Is Working, with former national security adviser retired Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster and Military Historian Victor Davis Hanson arguing for the proposition and Martha Crenshaw, terrorism studies expert and Abbas Milani of the Iran Democracy Project arguing against. Streamed live at https://www.intelligencesquaredus.org/debates

THURSDAY | MARCH 5

9:30 a.m. 2212 Rayburn House Armed Services Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces Hearing: The Fiscal Year 2021 Army and Marine Corps Ground Modernization Programs, with testimony from Bruce Jette, assistant secretary of the army for acquisition, logistics and technology; Gen. John Murray, commanding general, Army Futures Command; Lt. Gen. Eric Smith, commanding general, Marine Corps Combat Development Command; and James Geurts, assistant secretary of the navy for research, development, and acquisition https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings

This dangerous situation must be deescalated to avoid further worsening of the horrendous humanitarian situation in the region, and to allow urgent humanitarian access for those trapped in Idlib. We urge an immediate return to the 2018 ceasefire.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, after an urgent meeting called by Turkey to discuss the escalating crisis in Syria

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NATO convenes urgent session as Turkey calls for no-fly zone over northern Syria after airstrikes kill 33 Turkish troops - Washington Examiner