Ash says the pivot is real

Ash Carter says the Pentagon will put its money where its mouth is on the pivot to Asia. Pentagon watchers have wondered aloud if the Obama administration really is getting real on Asia — or just talking about it. Air Force and Navy officials, who appear to have the most to gain from the "rebalancing," are particularly curious if in the current budget crunch they’ll be given the resources to make the U.S. presence there adequately robust. Outside analysts have wondered, too.

The Pentagon is working to make sure everybody knows it means it this time. Yesterday was Deputy Secretary of Defense Ash Carter’s turn. "The Pentagon leadership is focused intently on executing the rebalance," he told an audience at the Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars in Washington. "We’re watching every dollar, every ship, every plane, to make sure that we execute our rebalance effectively."

A bit more on Carter and the pivot, below.

Welcome to Thursday’s edition of FP’s Situation Report where we wonder if Teddy could have won the debate, too. Follow me @glubold or hit me anytime at gordon.lubold@foreignpolicy.com. Sign up for Situation Report here: http://bit.ly/NCN9uN or just send me an e-mail and we’ll put you on the list.

This is one of those days where national security writers feel like they’re swimming upstream against a raging current. Of course, last night’s debate was not billed as one on foreign policy or national security, though we did think it would come up briefly. Instead, mere mentions of anything across the pond or about the Pentagon or military in general were few.

Romney, on the role of government: "We have a responsibility to protect the lives and liberties of our people, and that means a military second to none. I do not believe in cutting our military. I believe in maintaining the strength of America’s military."

Obama, on Romney and defense spending: "And this is where there’s a difference, because Governor Romney’s central economic plan calls for a $5 trillion tax cut — on top of the extension of the Bush tax cuts — that’s another trillion dollars — and $2 trillion in additional military spending that the military hasn’t asked for."

Obama, on the deficit: "When I walked into the Oval Office, I had more than a trillion-dollar deficit greeting me. And we know where it came from: two wars that were paid for on a credit card; two tax cuts that were not paid for; and a whole bunch of programs that were not paid for; and then a massive economic crisis."

Romney closer: "If the president’s re-elected, you’ll see dramatic cuts to our military. The secretary of defense has said these would be even devastating. I will not cut our commitment to our military."

Full transcript: http://bit.ly/O6pIiF

Indeed, it’s not foreign policy, stupid. Only 1 percent of respondents to a new NBC-Wall Street Journal poll think terrorism is the single most important issue in deciding for whom they would vote. Foreign policy and the Middle East motivates just 6 percent of respondents. The economy, of course, pushes 46 percent of respondents toward one candidate or another. Another poll, conducted by USA Today/Gallup, shows that 52 percent of Americans believe Obama would better handle terrorism and other threats over the 42 percent who believe Romney would.

http://bit.ly/114C1k

http://bit.ly/KjhAqL

Speaking of debt and the deficit: Gates and Mullen are not only wrong, they’re crafty. At least when it comes to talking about the national debt, Michael Cohen argues on FP. For all their talk recently about how crushing American debt is putting the country’s national security interests at risk, the rhetoric aims to quietly garner more support for high levels of military spending. "The U.S. national debt isn’t a security threat. Indeed, for all their high-minded rhetoric about the risks of growing indebtedness — and their image as elder statesmen above the grubbiness of politics — Mullen and Gates’ goal is rather mundane and parochial: ensure that U.S. military budgets stay on their current inflated course," he writes. http://bit.ly/PQpzx2

This is just plain weird. Somehow, Killer Apps’ John Reed links a problem the Pentagon is confronting over counterfeit parts with the use of plant DNA. Seems the Defense Logistics Agency, which among other things is the DoD branch responsible for purchasing microchips, is expanding a pilot program to inject plant-based DNA into the ink used to mark microchips with manufacturers’ logos. "Because plant DNA is incredibly difficult to replicate, the Pentagon can quickly see which parts are genuine and which are bogus simply by wiping a swab over the ink," John writes. http://bit.ly/SsOZ94

Al Qaeda is returning to the shadows. Al Qaeda wins some and loses some, but it persists, according to Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, who makes a point obvious to al Qaeda watchers: AQIM is on the rise. He suggests that it could be an example of the "relocalization of jihad," in which regional interests of such groups trump global ambitions. "This may be true, especially because revolutionary events in the region provide jihadists with local opportunities they simply did not enjoy previously. Some analysts, however, appear far too eager to declare networks like al Qaeda irrelevant to the counterterrorism picture," he writes. http://bit.ly/QYKFt7

Carter and the pivot, continued. Amid ongoing trouble in Afghanistan and the Middle East and budget cuts at home, it’s all about establishing priorities, analysts and Pentagon insiders say. "With our allies and partners, I think you’ll see, we are, in fact, across the Asia-Pacific region able to invest to sustain peace and prosperity," he added. "In other words, we are not just talking the talk, we are walking the walk. And I’d ask if you don’t believe us, to just watch our steps over coming months and years, and you’ll see us implement the rebalance."

FP’s National Security readers know that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Pentagon policy chief Jim Miller have echoed the sentiment in recent weeks. Now it’s Carter’s turn to convince the public, scholars, policymakers, and even his own Pentagon that the military sees the move to Asia as critical.

"And so for us is a time to look up, look around, and look forward at what the world will need from us next – to the security challenges that will define our future after Iraq and Afghanistan," Carter said. 

Carter talk transcript: http://1.usa.gov/QROROn

FP Panetta interview: http://bit.ly/PllOjU

FP Miller interview: http://bit.ly/Ul01c0

No Rest for Unrest

• VOA: Scores killed in Syria as car bombs detonate. http://bit.ly/Wi8uzF
• NYT: Turkey strikes back, day two. http://nyti.ms/QuDObZ
• Guardian: Syrian shelling of village in Turkey condemned by NATO and Pentagon. http://bit.ly/Viipax
• Al-Arabiya: Syria widens Hezbollah’s contradictions. http://bit.ly/O7o68a
• AFP: Drone strikes kill five al-Qaeda in southern Yemen. http://bit.ly/Rf6vZJ

Eleven Years and Counting

• Xinhua: Allaying concerns, Karzai says presidential elections will happen in 2014. http://bit.ly/OEYSPY
• NBC (blog) U.S. war in Afghanistan won’t succeed, Karzai says. http://nbcnews.to/Wo0GfK
• VOA: Confusion abounds on Wardak gun battle. http://bit.ly/PEzGoK
• Examiner: Afghan forces now over a third of a million strong, says ISAF. http://bit.ly/OEYSPY

Noting

• HuffPo: Allowing women to drive could lead to less virginity, more homosexuality, say academics in Saudi Arabia’s highest religious council. http://huff.to/Smlvtu
• NYT (blog): IKEA apologizes for removing women from Saudi catalogue. http://nyti.ms/PRPxQQ
• CBS: State confirmed Libya threats, House panel says. http://cbsn.ws/Qu3BkD
• Defense News: McCain would block funding shifts to cover firms’ sequestration costs. http://bit.ly/O7p58q