Overnight Defense: House, Senate finalize defense policy bill | Trump closing in on cabinet picks

THE TOPLINE: The final version of an annual defense policy bill jettisons a number of controversial provisions and would authorize $3.2 billion more than President Obama requested. 

Senior staffers from the House and Senate Armed Services committees in a Tuesday background briefing detailed the end result of months of negotiations to reconcile the two chambers’ versions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

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The bill would authorize a total of $618.7 billion. Of that, $59.5 would be used for a war fund known as the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) account. 

Another $8.3 billion from the OCO account would be used for base budget requirements such as a pay raise for troops and troop increases. President Obama requested $5.1 billion from OCO for base requirements.

The troop pay raise would be 2.1 percent, above the president’s request for 1.6 percent pay raise.

End strength would also be increased across the services.

The Hill’s Rebecca Kheel breaks it all down here. 

SEC DEF WATCH: Retired Marine Gen. James Mattis recently backed out of a speaking engagement at a conference in Washington, D.C., amid speculation he could be appointed Defense secretary by President-elect Donald Trump. 

Mattis was listed as a confirmed speaker, according to an original agenda posted to the website for the Jamestown Foundation, the host of its Tenth Annual Terrorism Conference taking place on Dec. 14. 

However, Mattis informed the Foundation last week he could no longer speak at the conference, according to a source. A Foundation employee confirmed on Monday that there had been changes over the Thanksgiving break and Mattis is no longer on the agenda.
Mattis has also discussed his potential selection with senior leadership of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), where he sits on the board, according to a source.

CNAS President Richard Fontaine praised Mattis in a phone interview with The Hill on Monday and said he sees a role for the group to influence policy in the Trump administration.

“Yea, absolutely. Well Gen. Mattis is on the CNAS board, so that’s for starters,” said Fontaine, who said he did not know who Trump’s final choice would be. “And it’s not just about Gen. Mattis. We’ve been in touch with folks on the transition team, dating to before the election.” The Hill’s Kristina Wong has more here. 

SEC STATE WATCH: On the Secretary of State front, Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker (R) emerged from a Tuesday meeting at Trump Tower praising President-elect Donald Trump’s foreign policy chops. Corker is under consideration to be Trump’s secretary of State. 

“It’s been an honor to have the kind of meeting that I had today,” Corker told the press pool assembled in the lobby of Trump’s Manhattan skyscraper. 

“We had a very wide ranging meeting, actually a couple meetings and his instincts on foreign policy are obviously very, very good.”

Corker confirmed that he’s “in the running for a cabinet position” but that while the decision is narrowed down to a “very small group,” he’s unsure of the timeline.

Trump met with Gen. David Petraeus on Monday and is slated to meet with Mitt Romney later Tuesday, two leading candidates. And Reuters reported that Trump will also meet on Tuesday with Rudy Giuliani, a Trump loyalist who is pushing for the job. 

The Hill’s Ben Kamisar has more on the meetings here. 

MCCONNELL FAST-TRACKS IRAN SANCTIONS RENEWAL: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is fast-tracking an extension of key Iran sanctions as the Senate begins to wrap up its work for the year. 

The Kentucky Republican is using a procedural shortcut, known as “Rule 14”, to place the House-passed bill on the Senate calendar, paving the way for it to be brought up for a vote.  

The House passed a 10-year extension of the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA), which is set expire at the end of the year, earlier this month in a 419-1 vote.

The Hill’s Jordain Carney has more on the issue here. 

US MILITARY WRAPS UP AIRSTRIKE PROBE: A U.S. military general on Tuesday said “unintentional human errors” led to the deadly coalition bombing of Syrian-aligned forces near Deir Ezzor on Sept. 17.

U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Richard Coe, the investigating officer, called the bombing, which occurred during a U.S.-Russia brokered ceasefire, “regrettable.” 

Coe said the coalition forces who participated in the bombing — which included U.S., Australian and Danish forces — believed they were striking Islamic State in Iraq and Syria forces.

The Hill’s Kristina Wong has more here.  

ON TAP FOR TOMORROW: 

The Foreign Policy Initiative is hosting its annual policy forum “An Era of Consequences” at the Newseum from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information go here.

The spokesman for the U.S.-led war against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria is hosting a briefing tomorrow at 11 a.m. To tune in online, go here. 

ICYMI: 

— The Hill: Iraqi PM: Trump promised more support for ISIS fight
— The Hill: Trump, British security advisers to meet
— The Hill: Congress set to honor OSS veterans with medal
— New York Times: For Bashar al-Assad, Winning the Syrian War May Lead to New Troubles
— Defense News: Carter Slams Congress Over Potential Continuing Resolution Through May