Overnight Defense: Pentagon prepping for Trump order to draw down in Afghanistan, Iraq | Questions swirl after DOD purge | 10th service member killed by COVID-19

Happy Monday and welcome to Overnight Defense. I’m Rebecca Kheel, and here’s your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. CLICK HERE to subscribe to the newsletter.

THE TOPLINE: Expectations are rising that President TrumpDonald John TrumpTucker Carlson assures viewers his show ‘not going anywhere’ following presidential election Trump senior advisers dissuaded president from military strike on Iran: report Senators clash on the floor over wearing masks: ‘I don’t need your instruction’ MORE will make one more big cut to U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan and Iraq before he leaves office.

The Pentagon is preparing for Trump to order as soon as this week a drawdown from 4,500 to 2,500 troops in Afghanistan and from 3,000 to 2,500 in Iraq by Jan. 15, according to multiple reports Monday.

The White House referred questions to the Pentagon, which did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.

Context: In Afghanistan, U.S. military officials have been arguing against going below 4,500 troops while intra-Afghan peace talks continue and the Taliban has yet to uphold its part of its deal with the United States.

The U.S.-Taliban deal signed in February called for a full U.S. withdrawal by this coming May if the Taliban upholds counterterrorism commitments such a denying safe haven to al Qaeda. But Pentagon officials have said the Taliban hasn’t done that commitment yet.

In addition, the Taliban has stepped up attacks on Afghan forces, which U.S. officials have repeatedly condemned as threatening the peace process.

Miller’s message: Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller appeared to telegraph drawdowns in his first message to the force Friday.

Miller’s memo, though, at times contradicted itself. In the same paragraph where he said the war against al Qaeda “isn’t over,” he declared that “all wars must end.”

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“As we prepare for the future, we remain committed to finishing the war that al Qaeda brought to our shores in 2001. This war isn’t over. We are on the verge of defeating al Qaeda and its associates, but we must avoid our past strategic error of failing to see the fight through to the finish,” he wrote.

“Indeed, this fight has been long, our sacrifices have been enormous, and many are weary of war — I’m one of them — but this is the critical phase in which we transition our efforts from a leadership to supporting role,” he continued. “We are not a people of perpetual war — it is the antithesis of everything for which we stand and for which our ancestors fought. All wars must end.”

Republican warning: After news broke of the Pentagon’s preparations, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellSenators clash on the floor over wearing masks: ‘I don’t need your instruction’ On The Money: Biden urges Congress to pass Democrats’ COVID-19 relief package | Fears of double-dip recession rise | SEC’s Clayton to resign at end of 2020 Overnight Defense: Pentagon prepping for Trump order to draw down in Afghanistan, Iraq | Questions swirl after DOD purge | 10th service member killed by COVID-19 MORE (R-Ky.) fired a warning shot against withdrawing more U.S. troops from Afghanistan.

McConnell didn’t directly criticize Trump, but he warned that only a “small minority” in Congress would support a quick drawdown and warned that a rapid withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan “would hurt our allies and delight, delight, the people who wish us harm.” 

“The consequences of a premature American exit would likely be even worse than President Obama’s withdrawal from Iraq back in 2011. … It would be reminiscent of the humiliating American departure from Saigon in 1975. We’d be abandoning our partners in Afghanistan,” he said from the Senate floor. 

Rep. Michael McCaulMichael Thomas McCaulOvernight Defense: Pentagon prepping for Trump order to draw down in Afghanistan, Iraq | Questions swirl after DOD purge | 10th service member killed by COVID-19 Former VOA producer sues US global media agency over termination Record number of women to serve in the next Congress MORE (R-Texas), the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, also released a statement Monday warning against an Afghanistan withdrawal.

“A premature U.S. withdrawal would not only jeopardize the Afghan government’s ability to negotiate, but would endanger U.S. counterterrorism interests,” McCaul said. “The U.S.-Taliban agreement is conditions-based for a reason — the Taliban cannot be permitted to not fulfill their commitments while we fulfill ours. We need to ensure a residual force is maintained for the foreseeable future to protect U.S. national and homeland security interests and to help secure peace for Afghanistan.”

UNDERSTANDING THE PURGE: Defense circles have been bracing for an Afghanistan pullout since last week’s purge at the Pentagon that started with Mark EsperMark EsperTrump senior advisers dissuaded president from military strike on Iran: report Overnight Defense: Pentagon prepping for Trump order to draw down in Afghanistan, Iraq | Questions swirl after DOD purge | 10th service member killed by COVID-19 McConnell warns Trump against troop drawdown in Afghanistan MORE’s firing as Defense secretary.

Over the weekend, we took a look at the questions that have been raised by the shakeup. In addition to questions about what it meant for Afghanistan, others have also questioned whether the oustings were just petty score settling or something more nefarious.

The shakeup has led President Trump’s critics to sound the alarm, with Democratic lawmakers and others fearful of what the Pentagon’s new leadership will try to push through in Trump’s remaining two months in office.

But others say the Pentagon’s vast bureaucracy and the military chain-of-command make any radical changes in less than 70 days difficult.

“All this speculation about, ‘Is Trump going to do something with the Insurrection Act, is he going to invade some country?’ No,” said Mark Cancian, a former defense official now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

While “it’s not impossible that he would try some precipitous withdrawal from Afghanistan,” Cancian said, the military “could slow roll him” on anything he directs.

A former official from Trump’s 2016 transition blasted what they described as “score settling by inexperienced MAGA warriors in the White House,” calling it “downright dangerous in the national security community.”

“Transitions of power are delicate in any country and hostile nations have often seen transitions as a good time to take a risk to further their own advantage,” the former official told The Hill. “Decapitating the civilian leadership of the most powerful military on earth at its most vulnerable hour is inviting a crisis that could well get people killed.”

O’Brien downplays Esper rift: In an interview Monday, national security adviser Robert O’Brien discussed his relationship with Esper and denied that he was ever gunning for his job.

“There was a lot written about Mark Esper and myself,” O’Brien told The Hill editor-at-large Steve Clemons in an interview conducted for the Soufan Center’s Global Security Forum. “I never wanted Mark Esper’s job. I just wanted to see Mark Esper succeed and do a great job as secretary of Defense.”

Over the summer, when reports first surfaced that Trump was unhappy with Esper and close to firing him, CNN reported that O’Brien had expressed interest in the Defense secretary job, as well as secretary of State, should either position open up.

CNN and NBC News also reported that O’Brien at one point printed out a side-by-side comparison of his remarks about Trump versus Esper’s in an effort to highlight how he was more supportive of the president.

10TH MILITARY COVID DEATH: A 45-year-old Army reservist from Florida has died from COVID-19, an Army Reserve spokesman said Monday, marking the military’s 10th death from the disease.

Lt. Col. Simon Flake identified the deceased service member as Sgt. 1st Class Calvin Ogletree III from Lakeland, Fla.

His death was first noted in Monday’s update of the online chart the Pentagon maintains of coronavirus cases connected to the department.

He died Thursday at Florida’s Bartow Regional Medical Center, Flake said in a statement.

Ogletree was an active-duty soldier from 1994 to 1997, working as a mechanic. During that time, he served in Germany, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 1997, he transferred to the Army Reserve as a motor transport operator.

In 2003, Ogletree completed a combat tour in Iraq. His last assignment was as a senior writer instructor for the 8th Battalion-108th Regiment (Transportation) in Jacksonville, Fla., Flake said.

ON TAP FOR TOMORROW

Rep. Mac ThornberryWilliam (Mac) McClellan ThornberryOvernight Defense: Pentagon prepping for Trump order to draw down in Afghanistan, Iraq | Questions swirl after DOD purge | 10th service member killed by COVID-19 Overnight Defense: Trump fires Defense chief Mark Esper | Worries grow about rudderless post-election Pentagon | Esper firing hints at broader post-election shake-up | Pelosi says Esper firing shows Trump intent on sowing ‘chaos’ Democratic lawmakers lambast Trump over Esper firing as GOP remains mum MORE (R-Texas), the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, will provide a keynote speech at the Heritage Foundation’s launch of its “2021 Index of U.S. Military Strength” at 11 a.m. https://herit.ag/2IATaBA

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles “C.Q.” Brown will speak about equity and inclusion in the Air Force at a virtual event hosted by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs at 11 a.m. https://bit.ly/2IzseSN

Officials from the Space Force, Commerce Department and NASA will discuss space situational awareness and space traffic management at 2 p.m. at a webinar hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. https://bit.ly/2KiI6tn

The Center for a New American Security will host a panel discussion on “The Biden Pentagon and the Future of U.S. Defense” at 3:30 p.m. https://bit.ly/3lIZ3Lm

ICYMI

— The Hill: Trump wants to see Austin Tice home before he leaves office, says national security adviser

— The Hill: Trump national security adviser calls lifting blockade on Qatar ‘priority’ in next 70 days

— The Hill: Army identifies five soldiers killed in Egypt helicopter crash

— The Hill: Opinion: Trump’s Pentagon shakeup may be more than perceived disloyalty

— Los Angeles Times: Born into occupation, young Afghans fear the Taliban will crush their freedoms when U.S. troops exit

— The New York Times: New virus, old enemy

— Foreign Policy: Trump administration plans to designate Yemen’s Houthis as terrorists

OVERNIGHT ENERGY: House Democrats push Biden to pick Haaland as next Interior secretary | Trump administration proposal takes aim at bank pledges to avoid fossil fuel financing | Wasserman Schultz pitches climate plan in race to chair Appropriations

TGIF! Welcome to Overnight Energy, The Hill’s roundup of the latest energy and environment news. Please send tips and comments to Rebecca Beitsch at rbeitsch@thehill.com. Follow her on Twitter: @rebeccabeitsch. Reach Rachel Frazin at rfrazin@thehill.com or follow her on Twitter: @RachelFrazin.

Signup for our newsletter and others HERE.  

MOMENTUM FOR A HISTORIC MOMENT: More than 50 House Democrats are pushing President-elect Joe BidenJoe BidenOutside groups flood Georgia with advertising buys ahead of runoffs Biden will receive @POTUS Twitter account on Jan. 20 even if Trump doesn’t concede, company says Trump to participate in virtual G-20 summit amid coronavirus surge MORE to select Rep. Deb HaalandDebra HaalandOVERNIGHT ENERGY: House Democrats push Biden to pick Haaland as next Interior secretary | Trump administration proposal takes aim at bank pledges to avoid fossil fuel financing | Wasserman Schultz pitches climate plan in race to chair Appropriations House Democrats push Biden to pick Haaland as next Interior secretary The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC – Pence, Biden wage tug of war over pandemic plans MORE (D-N.M.) as his Interior secretary, a move that would for the first time bring a Native American into a president’s Cabinet.

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“Representative Deb Haaland is eminently qualified to be Interior Secretary. She has been a champion for our environment and public lands and has worked tirelessly to improve the nation-to-nation relationship between the United States and Indian tribes,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to the transition team, noting their ability to “make history by giving Native Americans a seat at the Cabinet table for the first time.”

Haaland, who is already being vetted for the position, was in 2018 one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress, alongside Rep. Sharice DavidsSharice DavidsOVERNIGHT ENERGY: House Democrats push Biden to pick Haaland as next Interior secretary | Trump administration proposal takes aim at bank pledges to avoid fossil fuel financing | Wasserman Schultz pitches climate plan in race to chair Appropriations House Democrats push Biden to pick Haaland as next Interior secretary US is far from gender balance in politics despite record year for women candidates MORE (D-Kan.).

The letter, first reported by Politico, was spearheaded by House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.). Haaland chairs the panel’s Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands.

Though just elected to her second term, “she has distinguished herself as a respected leader within our caucus,” the lawmakers wrote, while her focus on climate change and Native rights would help her “play a leading role in carrying out your administration’s environmental and climate policies and managing its relationship with tribal nations.”

Haaland has also been backed by youth climate organization Sunrise Movement and has generated excitement among progressives and those eager to see Biden keep his promise to pick a Cabinet that reflects the diversity of the country.

But the letter from colleagues helps bolster her bid, showing support from a broader ideological range. 

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Read more on the endorsement here

BANK ON IT: A new Trump administration proposal is taking aim at banks’ attempts to exclude certain fossil fuel activities, including exploration in the Arctic, from financing. 

The Office of the Comptroller of Currency (OCC), which proposed the new rule on Friday, states that decisions by banks not to serve a specific customer should be based on individual risks, rather than a categorical exclusion. 

It is billing the new rule as a measure to ensure fair access to financing. 

“Fair access to financial services, credit, and capital are essential to our economy,” acting Comptroller of the Currency Brian Brooks said in a statement. “This proposed rule would ensure that banks meet their responsibility to provide their services fairly since they enjoy special privilege and powers because if the system fails to provide fairness to all, it cannot be a source of strength for any.”

Critics see an attempt to force banks to provide financing for fossil fuel production, particularly in the Arctic, something that most major U.S. banks have put self-imposed restrictions on. 

“We’re not talking about a protected class of people … we’re talking about fossil fuel corporations,” said Ben Cushing, a Sierra Club senior campaign representative. 

“The law is not designed to force banks to invest in projects that they deem to be overly risky and not good investments … banks have always had the discretion to decide what to invest in and what not to invest in,” Cushing said. 

The rule specifically calls out fossil fuel financing, noting that banks told the agency that in 2019 and 2020, they “had decided to cease providing financial services to one or more major energy industry categories, including coal mining, coal-fired electricity generation, and/or oil exploration in the Arctic region.”

“Organizations involved in politically controversial but lawful businesses — whether family planning organizations, energy companies, or otherwise — are entitled to fair access to financial services under the law,” it said. 

It also called out attempts to not finance private prisons, gun manufacturers and family planning services. 

OCC spokesperson Bryan Hubbard said in an email that the agency would have a range of actions for enforcing the rule including fines but that it does not have the authority to make criminal arrests. 

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The public has until Jan. 4 to comment on the rule, meaning that the Trump administration will not have much time to finalize it prior to President-elect Joe Biden’s Jan. 20 inauguration. 

Read more about the proposal here.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY: Rep. Debbie Wasserman SchultzDeborah (Debbie) Wasserman SchultzOn The Money: Democrats accuse Mnuchin of sabotaging economy in dispute with Fed | Trump administration proposal takes aim at bank pledges to avoid fossil fuel financing | JPMorgan: Economy will shrink in first quarter due to COVID-19 spike OVERNIGHT ENERGY: House Democrats push Biden to pick Haaland as next Interior secretary | Trump administration proposal takes aim at bank pledges to avoid fossil fuel financing | Wasserman Schultz pitches climate plan in race to chair Appropriations Wasserman Schultz pitches climate plan in race to chair Appropriations MORE (D-Fla.) told colleagues she’d use the power of the House Appropriations Committee to advance legislation on climate if she’s handed the gavel. 

In a letter to fellow lawmakers, Wasserman Schultz called climate change “the defining issue of our time, because it affects virtually every policy area.”

“It is time for the Appropriations Committee, to work together with the committees of jurisdiction to double down on combating climate change. Substantial federal investments are desperately needed to expedite the transition to clean energy and blunt the impacts already afflicting our communities — especially communities of color,” the former Democratic National Committee chairwoman wrote in a four-page climate plan that was included with her note.

Wasserman Schultz is the underdog in the race to replace House Appropriations Committee Chair Nita LoweyNita Sue LoweyOVERNIGHT ENERGY: House Democrats push Biden to pick Haaland as next Interior secretary | Trump administration proposal takes aim at bank pledges to avoid fossil fuel financing | Wasserman Schultz pitches climate plan in race to chair Appropriations Wasserman Schultz pitches climate plan in race to chair Appropriations House committee chairs demand briefing from GSA head on presidential transition MORE (D-N.Y.), who is retiring. 

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Rep. Rosa DeLauroRosa Luisa DeLauroOVERNIGHT ENERGY: House Democrats push Biden to pick Haaland as next Interior secretary | Trump administration proposal takes aim at bank pledges to avoid fossil fuel financing | Wasserman Schultz pitches climate plan in race to chair Appropriations Wasserman Schultz pitches climate plan in race to chair Appropriations DeLauro racks up labor endorsements for Appropriations gavel MORE (D-Conn.), who chairs the Appropriations subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies, which covers the largest non-defense spending bill, has already secured a number of endorsements from major labor groups. 

Wasserman Schultz’s plan comes as the government will need significant funding to enact President-elect Joe Biden’s climate goals. Biden’s $2 trillion plan would funnel funding toward a number of clean energy technologies, electric vehicle infrastructure, a massive retrofitting plan for homes and buildings and expanding public transit.

Read more on the plan here

HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE: Ousted Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Neil ChatterjeeNeil ChatterjeeOVERNIGHT ENERGY: House Democrats push Biden to pick Haaland as next Interior secretary | Trump administration proposal takes aim at bank pledges to avoid fossil fuel financing | Wasserman Schultz pitches climate plan in race to chair Appropriations Senate advances energy regulator nominees despite uncertainty of floor vote OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Trump takes major step toward Alaska wildlife refuge drilling opposed by Biden | Grijalva backs Haaland for Interior Secretary | Obama alumni considered top picks for Biden Energy secretary MORE congratulated President-elect Joe Biden on his victory in the presidential race during the commission’s Thursday meeting.

“As we look to the incoming administration, I want to thank President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President [Kamala] Harris,” Chatterjee said before reflecting on his time as a staffer to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellBiden decides on pick for secretary of State OVERNIGHT ENERGY: House Democrats push Biden to pick Haaland as next Interior secretary | Trump administration proposal takes aim at bank pledges to avoid fossil fuel financing | Wasserman Schultz pitches climate plan in race to chair Appropriations Key McConnell ally: Biden should get access to transition resources MORE (R-Ky.).

“On the many times he visited the Senate chamber, he always made a point to check in on me, despite the fact I was an insignificant staffer,” Chatterjee said. “I certainly have my disagreements on policy with him, but I wish him well.”

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He also congratulated Harris saying he “takes no small amount of pride seeing the numerous historical barriers she has broken.”

Chatterjee’s comment came during lengthy opening remarks before FERC’s meeting, speaking publicly about his demotion by President TrumpDonald John TrumpBen Carson says he’s ‘out of the woods’ after being ‘extremely sick’ with COVID-19 Biden will receive @POTUS Twitter account on Jan. 20 even if Trump doesn’t concede, company says Trump to participate in virtual G-20 summit amid coronavirus surge MORE.

“Although it may have cost me the gavel, I stand by my actions,” he said. “Some might prefer to ignore the pressing questions of the day, but I feel we have to face them head-on.”

Chatterjee has speculated he was removed from his chair due to his support for carbon pricing and a refusal to implement Trump’s September order to suspend diversity trainings. 

WHAT WE’RE READING:

In California, 1 million people lack access to clean water, High Country News reports

Huge Puerto Rico radio telescope to close in blow to science, The Associated Press reports

Alaska regulators worked with Pebble on wetlands plan, E&E News reports

ICYMI: Stories from Friday (and Thursday night)…

Environmentalists aim to use EPA guidance removal rule as tool despite opposition

House Democrats push Biden to pick Haaland as next Interior secretary

Wasserman Schultz pitches climate plan in race to chair Appropriations

Trump administration proposal takes aim at bank pledges to avoid fossil fuel financing

Last Night's WWE Monday Night Raw Viewership

— Viewership numbers are in for last night’s newsworthy edition of Monday Night Raw and the show generated an average of 2.540 million viewers, up 6% from last week’s 2.390 million.

— On the night, Raw finished #4, #5 and #7 for its three hours in the 18-49 demographic and #10 overall in total viewership. Leading the way was Monday Night Football as usual, which was watched by 10.33 million people. The other shows to beat Raw in the 18-49 demographic were the MNF Kickoff Show before the game and Sportscenter after it.

— As expected, Raw held strong from hour one to hour two and the usual drop was seen into hour three:

    Hour 1 – 2.622 million
    Hour 2 – 2.609 million
    Hour 3 – 2.413 million