Overnight Defense: White House 'fully expects' Trump-Kim meeting to happen | Trump blocks Broadcom deal over national security | Haley floats military action in Syria | Pentagon uncertain about Trump tariffs

View in your browser     THE TOPLINE: The White House on Monday said it "fully expects" a meeting between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, announced last week, to happen. Asked during a press briefing if there's a chance the meeting won't happen, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, "We fully expect that it will." "The offer was made, and we've accepted," she continued. "North Korea made several promises, and we hope that they stick to those promises, and if so, the meeting will go on as planned." Sanders's Monday comments come after she appeared to give Trump wiggle room to cancel with comments she gave during Friday's press briefing. Read more here.   TRUMP-KIM MEETING HAS RISKS: On Friday, we examined the potential risks of Trump meeting with Kim, such as giving the North Korean leader a propaganda win. If you missed it: President Trump is making a serious roll of the dice with his decision to meet face-to-face with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump would be the first U.S. president to ever meet with a leader of North Korea, and success in the negotiations -- if the Korean peninsula was denuclearized -- would be a tremendous, historic achievement. At the same time, there's little reason to believe Kim has actually changed his mind about nuclear weapons when he's on the verge of achieving his goal of a nuclear-tipped missile capable of striking the U.S. mainland. While GOP lawmakers said Kim's offering of a meeting was proof that Trump's policies are having some success, they also urged caution going forward. Read the rest here.     HALEY RAISES POSSIBILITY OF US MILITARY ACTION IN SYRIA: U.S. ambassador the United Nations Nikki Haley on Monday said the United States is "prepared to act" on its own in the Syria if the U.N. does not, raising the possibility of U.S. military action there. Haley compared the situation now in east Ghouta to when the United States struck a Syrian airbase last year after a chemical weapons attack blamed on the Syrian regime. "When the international community consistently fails to act, there are times when states are compelled to take their own action," Haley told the Security Council. "We warn any nation determined to impose its will through chemical attacks and inhuman suffering, but most especially the outlaw Syrian regime, the United States remains prepared to act if we must," she added. "It is not a path we prefer. But it is a path we have demonstrated we will take, and we are prepared to take again." Read more here.   TRUMP BLOCKS BROADCOM DEAL OVER NATIONAL SECURITY: President Trump on Monday blocked the Singapore-based Broadcom from pursuing its hostile takeover of Qualcomm, saying the deal posed a threat to national security. The announcement came just hours after Broadcom CEO Hock Tan met with officials from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) to make his case for the deal, according to a source familiar with the meeting. CFIUS had launched an investigation into the national security implications of the deal last week, over concerns that it would hamper U.S. efforts to develop 5G wireless networks and other emerging technologies. "Given well-known U.S. national security concerns about Huawei and other Chinese telecommunications companies, a shift to Chinese dominance in 5G would have substantial negative national security consequences for the United States," CFIUS wrote in a letter to the companies' attorneys last week. Read more here from The Hill's Harper Neidig.   PENTAGON UNCERTAIN ABOUT TRUMP TARIFFS: Over the weekend, The Hill's Ellen Mitchell looked at how Trump's recently imposed tariffs have left Pentagon officials, defense hawks and defense industry executives scratching their heads. From her story: Military officials are still grappling with President Trump's new tariffs on steel and aluminum, uncertain as to how they might affect the Defense Department. Trump on Thursday ordered a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum -- exempting Canada and Mexico -- in an attempt to stop "aggressive foreign trade practices." He said tariffs are meant to improve national security. Defense Secretary James Mattis, in a memo to the Commerce Department last month, agreed with the president that, "the systematic use of unfair trade practices to intentionally erode our innovation and manufacturing industrial base poses a risk to our national security." But he added that the Pentagon was concerned "about negative impact on our key allies" from the tariffs. In Congress, where opposition to the tariffs is strong among Republicans, lawmakers have warned the tariffs could damage some of the country's most important military alliances. Read the rest here.   ON TAP FOR TOMORROW: The Senate Armed Services Committee will hear from U.S. Central Command head Gen. Joseph Votel and Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, commander of U.S. Africa Command, at 9:30 a.m. in Hart Senate Office Building, room 216. http://bit.ly/2Iie8QG The heads of U.S. Army Cyber Command, Marine Forces Cyberspace Command, Air Forces Cyber and Navy Fleet Cyber Command will testify on the cyber posture of the services before a Senate Armed Services subpanel at 2:30 p.m. in Russell Senate Office Building, room 222. http://bit.ly/2FoW7lH   ICYMI: -- The Hill: Pentagon issues memo with guidance for Trump's military parade -- The Hill: Pentagon chief mum on North Korea ahead of possible summit -- The Hill: Mattis: It would be 'very unwise' for Syria to use weaponized gas -- The Hill: Opinion: Kim Jong Un has no intention of giving up his nukes -- The Hill: Opinion: 'De-nuking' North Korea is not possible because it's not verifiable -- The Washington Post: Former Navy intelligence chief took lavish meals and gifts from 'Fat Leonard' but is cleared of consorting with prostitutes -- ABC News: Newly released DoD video purportedly shows Navy pilot's encounter with UFO -- Military Times: Military Times' Sailor of the Year's wife reveals she fears deportation     Join The Hill on Wednesday, March 21, for Leadership in Action: The Hill's Newsmaker Series featuring Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Reps. Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.), and Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.). RSVP Here     Please send tips and comments to Rebecca Kheel, rkheel@thehill.com, and Ellen Mitchell, emitchell@thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter: @thehill, @Rebecca_H_K, @EllenMitchell23         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for Defense Newsletters     Forward Defense Newsletters       Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.