Overnight Defense: GOP chairman defends $610B spending level

THE TOPLINE: House Armed Services Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) is defending the $610 billion spending level in the 2017 defense authorization

The figure is in line with President Obama’s request and the 2015 Bipartisan Budget Act, which set spending levels for 2016 and 2017.

{mosads}Thornberry told reporters on Thursday that sticking with the same spending amount in his annual defense policy bill as the president requested is the best chance for the measure to be signed into law.

“We looked seriously at asking for more money for defense,” Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) told reporters. “The judgment was that this gives us — being at the same total level as the president gives us — a chance of getting an appropriations bill signed into law and an authorization bill signed … so we want to take that opportunity.”

However, it means delaying a fight for more defense spending until next year. 

The Hill’s Rebecca Kheel has more here. 

OBAMA DOWNPLAYS US-SAUDI STRAINS: President Obama said Thursday the U.S. and its Arab allies remain united in their effort to dismantle the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), adding that talk of strained relationships “was always overblown.”

Following a summit meeting with leaders from Persian Gulf nations in Saudi Arabia, Obama said leaders pledged to increase their contributions to the anti-ISIS campaign.

“We remain united in our fight to destroy ISIL or Daesh, which is a threat to all of us,” the president said, using alternative names for the group. 

However, he also acknowledged there’s a need for stronger lines of communication between the U.S. and its Gulf partners. 

The Hill’s Jordan Fabian has the story here. 

COST OF ISIS WAR PASSES $7B: The cost of the war against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has surpassed $7 billion, according to a Pentagon estimate released Thursday.

The figure spans the total spent from when the U.S. began its air campaign in Iraq on Aug. 8, 2014, through March 31, 2016. The average daily cost over 602 days of operation is $11.6 million, the Pentagon said.

ARMY INVESTIGATING HUMVEE MISHAP: Three Army Humvees are seen in a YouTube video violently smashing on the ground following an unfortunate training mishap. 

There is video of the whole thing, here.

Now, the 173rd Airborne Brigade is investigating what went wrong during the airborne drop, according to the Army Times.

On April 11, the Army conducted a heavy drop and personnel airborne operation as part of exercise Saber Junction 16 at Hohenfels training area in Germany, according to the paper. 

The three Humvees slipped from their rigging as their parachutes deployed, plummeting hundreds of feet to the earth. 

“While (the commanders of the 173rd) are aware of the video, it does not overshadow the hard work of the paratroopers, allies, and partners that took place during Saber Junction 16,” an Army spokesman told the paper. 

ON TAP FOR TOMORROW: 

Retired Marine Gen. James Mattis – whom some Republicans are trying to draft as a presidential candidate — speaks at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) tomorrow from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. 

The discussion will focus on the security and military challenges in the Middle East. Watch along here. 

ICYMI: 

— The Hill: FBI paid more than $1.3M to hack terrorist’s iPhone

— The Hill: Lawmakers optimistic secret 9/11 pages will soon see release

— Associated Press: US Navy accuses Gulf commander of misconduct

— New York Times: How Hillary Clinton became a hawk

— Military widows will lose thousands without action from Congress

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