U.S. PREPARED TO LEAVE: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the United States is close to a deal with the Taliban on ending its support of terrorism in return for a U.S. pledge to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan at some future date.

“While we’ve made clear to the Taliban that we are prepared to remove our forces, I want to be clear we have not yet agreed on a timeline to do so,” Pompeo told reporters at the U.S. embassy in Kabul yesterday, outlining a four-step process to bring peace to Afghanistan after 17-and-a-half years of war.

Pompeo cited “real progress” and said the United States is “nearly ready to conclude a draft text” that would outline the Taliban’s commitments to ensure Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorists. “In light of this progress, we’ve begun discussions with the Taliban regarding foreign military presence, which today remains conditions-based.”

THE HOUR FOR PEACE: “As President Trump has said, after almost now two decades of war in Afghanistan, the hour has come for peace,” said Pompeo, who insisted the expected agreement and subsequent U.S. troop withdrawal would “open the door” to direct talks between the Taliban and the U.S.-backed Afghan government.

“We are not and will not negotiate with the Taliban on behalf of the government or people of Afghanistan. Rather, we’re working to bring Afghans together at the negotiating table to decide the future of their own country collectively,” he said.

U.S. TROOP DEATHS: The hopeful assessment comes as two more U.S. troops were killed in Afghanistan today, bringing to 10 the number of U.S. service members who have died in Afghanistan this year. The news came in a brief announcement from U.S. Forces Afghanistan, which provided no other details.

Of the 10 deaths in 2019, nine have occurred in combat, and one resulted from an undescribed “non-combat incident.” In 2018, 14 U.S. troops died in Afghanistan.

Good Wednesday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre ( @jamiejmcintyre ) and edited by Kelly Jane Torrance ( @kjtorrance ). Email us here for tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. If a friend sent this to you and you’d like to sign up, click here . If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email and we’ll add you to our list. And be sure to follow us on Twitter: @dailyondefense .

Subscribe today to the Washington Examiner magazine and get Washington Briefing: politics and policy stories that will keep you up to date with what's going on in Washington. SUBSCRIBE NOW: Just $1.00 an issue!

IMPORTANT NOTE: Your Daily on Defense team will be taking a short summer break beginning tomorrow, Thursday, June 27. We’ll resume regular service after the Independence Day holiday, so check your inbox beginning Friday, July 5. Until then, check out the Washington Examiner’s Defense & National Security policy page for the latest breaking news. You can also read today’s newsletter and all past issues in our archive at dailyondefense.com .

HAPPENING TODAY: Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein addresses a Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies forum on "The United States Air Force Role in Nuclear Modernization and Sustainment” at the Capitol Hill Club at 8:30 a.m.

3RD TRUMP-KIM SUMMIT?: After an exchange of “beautiful” and “excellent” letters, it appears President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are ready to try round three of denuclearization negotiations.

The word comes from South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who told the Yonhap news agency the United States and North Korea have been in behind-the-scenes talks to arrange a third bilateral summit.

"There has already been considerable headway made in the peace process on the Korean Peninsula, and it is still making steady progress," Moon said in a written interview with Yonhap and six other global news agencies. "The resumption of negotiations between North Korea and the United States will take it to the next level. I believe everything has now fallen into place for that to happen."

TRUMP TO G20: President Trump is scheduled to arrive in Osaka, Japan, tomorrow for the Group of 20 summit, which primarily focuses on economic issues. He’s expected to meet privately with a number of the world leaders in attendance, including China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Japan’s Shinzo Abe, Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman, and India’s Narendra Modi.

“Ultimately the G-20 summit is an opportunity for leaders of the world to speak frankly with one another about the state of the economy and other issues, including trade, energy, innovation, workforce development, quality infrastructure, and women's economic empowerment,” a senior White House official told reporters in a background briefing this week.

After the two-day meeting, Trump will travel to Seoul for weekend talks with Moon Jae-in about North Korea and possibly visit the DMZ.

SHOWDOWN ON WAR POWERS: President Trump’s Twitter threats , along with his assertion he doesn’t need the approval of Congress to strike Iran, have pushed House and Senate lawmakers into a renewed debate over congressional authorization of military force, Susan Ferrechio writes in the Washington Examiner.

The Senate GOP, in an unusual move, is negotiating with Democrats to allow a vote on a measure that would block Trump from using federal dollars to launch an attack on Iran.

“The caucus is totally united in ensuring that if the president has any desire to move forward with any potential military conflict in the Middle East, he needs to come to Congress and we’ll have a debate on the authorization of use of military force,” House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries of New York said following a closed-door meeting with rank-and-file Democrats Tuesday morning.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he’ll work with Democrats to allow the vote on the Iran amendment, but he doesn’t support it or believe it is needed.

The provision is sponsored by Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M., and backed by Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Mike Lee, R-Utah.

SHADES OF ‘FIRE AND FURY’: After Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani mocked Trump’s new sanctions as “outrageous and idiotic” and said the White House is “afflicted by mental retardation,” Trump fired back in a series of tweets.

“Iran’s very ignorant and insulting statement, put out today, only shows that they do not understand reality,” Trump tweeted . “Any attack by Iran on anything American will be met with great and overwhelming force. In some areas, overwhelming will mean obliteration.”

ESPER AT NATO: Acting Defense Secretary Mark Esper arrives at NATO headquarters today for his first meeting with fellow defense ministers. He has the advantage of being President Trump’s designated nominee to fill the job on a more permanent basis.

To mark his transition from Army secretary to Pentagon chief, Esper has opened a new Twitter account , where he posted a link to his memo to all DoD employees and photos of his trip to Brussels.

U.S.-UKRAINE PACT: The State Department has announced that the United States has signed a new memorandum of understanding with Ukraine to enhance the safety and security of Ukraine’s munitions stockpiles. The country has a huge stockpile of conventional arms and ammunition left over after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

“The memorandum sets out a $4 million U.S. contribution toward construction of six explosive storehouses over the next two years for the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense,” the State Department said. Between 2004 to 2018, the United States invested more than $40 million to help Ukraine secure the weapons and in 2018 funded the destruction or demilitarization of over 1,700 metric tons of obsolete Soviet-vintage munitions.

The Rundown

Washington Examiner: Iranian Americans rally in Washington for regime change — by Iranians

Washington Examiner: House Democrats pass border funding bill that leaves out money to slow massive surge

Stars and Stripes: Allied Spending Up, Russian Weapons On Agenda As Esper Meets NATO Defense Ministers

AP: U.S. Issues Turkey New Warning Over Russian Missile Purchase

Bloomberg: U.S., Japan Defense Chiefs Affirm Security Pact Trump Questioned

Breaking Defense: U.S. Wants Allies To Do More In Gulf; But They’re Already There

AP: Experts fear ‘snowball effect’ as Iran abandons nuclear deal

Military.com: Iran Says It Almost Downed A P-8 Surveillance Plane. Here's What The P-8 Does

Defense News: NATO Chief Threatens Response If Russia Doesn’t Comply With Nuclear Treaty

San Diego Union-Tribune: Prosecution Rests In Court-Martial Of Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, Defense Is Next

Washington Post: Saudi Arabia announces capture of an ISIS leader in Yemen in U.S.-backed raid

Reuters: Trump Committed To Campaign To Oust Venezuela’s Maduro – U.S. Envoy

USNI News: U.S. Warship Shadowing High-End Russian Frigate Near Cuba

Air Force Magazine: Deasy Faces Senate Confirmation as IT Portfolio Progresses

Washington Post: U.S. Air Force veteran accused as mercenary in Libya’s civil war is freed

New York Times: Duterte Says Boat Sinking By China Was Mishap

Air Force Magazine: Two Years, $32 Million to Go on Desert Shield, Desert Storm Memorial

Time: On Watch in the Arabian Gulf: What the U.S. Navy Faces Against Iran

Navy Times: With Resilience And Grit, This Wounded Sailor Made It Back To The Fleet — And Earned Eight Gold Medals

Calendar

WEDNESDAY | JUNE 26

9:30 a.m. Acting Defense Secretary Mark Esper is welcomed to NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, for a two-day defense ministerial by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Livestreamed at www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/events .

6:30 a.m. 2425 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. Sgt. Major of the Army Daniel Dailey speaks at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Institute of Land Warfare breakfast at AUSA headquarters. www.ausa.org/events

7:30 a.m. 2101 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. National Defense Industrial Association discussion on "Congressional Perspectives" with Rep. Anthony Brown, D-Md., vice chair of the House Armed Services Committee, and retired Air Force Gen. Hawk Carlisle, president and CEO of NDIA.

8:30 a.m. 300 First Street S.E. National Defense Industrial Association, the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, the Air Force Association, and the Reserve Officers Associationforum on "The United States Air Force Role in Nuclear Modernization and Sustainment,” with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein. www.afa.org/events

8:50 a.m. 900 South Orme St. Arlington. Institute for Defense and Government Advancement fourth annual Directed Energy Systems Summit, June 26-28. Speakers: Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., co-chair of the Congressional Directed Energy Caucus; Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., co-chair of the Directed Energy Caucus; Gary Woltering, deputy chief of the Air Combat Command's Advanced Weapons Systems Division. www.idga.org/events

11:30 a.m. 1667 K Street N.W. Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments discussion on "Revolution and Aftermath: Forging a New Strategy toward Iran,” with former defense undersecretary for policy Eric Edelman, and co-author Ray Takeyh, senior fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. csbaonline.org/about/events

11:45 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Hudson Institute discussion, “Maritime Irregular Warfare: Preparing to Meet Hybrid Maritime Threats.” www.hudson.org/events

12 p.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asia-Pacific Security Affairs Randall Schriver discusses DOD's Indo-Pacific strategy at the Heritage Foundation. Livestreamed at www.heritage.org .

12 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. N.W. Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion on "Defending the Arctic," focusing on the recent release of the June 2019 Defense Department Arctic strategy and Russian and Chinese influences, with Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee's Readiness and Management Support Subcommittee. www.csis.org

2 p.m. Pentagon Auditorium. David Norquist, performing the duties of deputy defense secretary, hosts a Hall of Heroes induction ceremony for Medal of Honor recipient retired Army Staff Sgt. David G. Bellavia. Livestreamed at www.defense.gov/Watch/Live-Events .

THURSDAY | JUNE 27

7:30 a.m. 555 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. Defense One Tech Summit. Final agenda includes Sue Gordon, principal deputy director of national intelligence, Office of the Director of National Intelligence; Henry “Trey” Obering, former director, Missile Defense Agency; William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, ODNI; B. Edwin Wilson, deputy assistant secretary of defense for cyber policy, and more. www.defenseone.com

12 p.m. 385 Russell. Charles Koch Institute and the Center for Strategic Studies discussion on the "Military Intervention Project," which tracks the use of America's force since the country's founding, with Monica Duffy Toft, leader of the project and professor at Tufts University, and Emma Ashford, research fellow in defense and foreign policy at the Cato Institute. www.eventbrite.com

2:30 p.m. 1030 15th Street N.W. Atlantic Council and the NATO Defense College Foundation discussion on "NATO at 70: Refocusing for Change?" Speakers include former Secretarty of State Madeleine Albright.

FRIDAY | JUNE 28

10:30 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Avenue N.W. Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion on "Should the United States severely restrict Huawei's business?" with Martijn Rasser, senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security's Technology and National Security Program; Dan David, CIO of FG Alpha Management; Paul Triolo, practice head for geo-technology at the Eurasia Group; and Erin Ennis, senior vice president of the U.S.-China Business Council. www.csis.org

11 a.m. 2301 Constitution Avenue N.W. United States Institute of Peace discussion with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nadia Murad on helping Iraq recover from ISIS, the plight of the Yazidi people, and stabilization and resilience in the country. Speakers: Kelley Currie, head of the State Department's Office of Global Criminal Justice; Knox Thames, special adviser for religious minorities in the Near East and South/Central Asia at the State Department; Stanley Kao, representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office to the United States; Michael Yaffe, vice president of the USIP Middle East and Africa Center; and Sarhang Hamasaeed, director of the USIP Middle East Programs. www.usip.org/events

2 p.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. N.W. Brookings Institution discussion with Gen. Paul Selva, vice chairman of the joint chiefs, on “The future of U.S. defense strategy.” www.brookings.edu/events