Overnight Defense: Pompeo sees ‘ways to go’ before North Korea gives up nukes | Ex-astronaut slams Trump space force | Veteran’s wife who faced deportation leaves for Mexico

Happy Friday and welcome to Overnight Defense. I’m Ellen Mitchell, and here’s your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.

 

THE TOPLINE: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday that North Korea still has more work to do before fulfilling its promise to denuclearize.

Pompeo told reporters that there is “still a ways to go before” the country fully denuclearizes, noting that North Korea is still in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, according to The Associated Press.

“Chairman Kim made a commitment to denuclearize,” Pompeo said.

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“The world demanded that [he] do so in the U.N. Security Council resolutions. To the extent they are behaving in a manner inconsistent with that, they are in violation of one or both of the U.N. Security Council resolutions. We can see we still have a ways to go to achieve the ultimate outcome we’re looking for.”

Where he said it: The secretary of State is in Singapore for the Association of South East Asian Nations annual regional forum.

A senior State Department official told reporters that a private meeting between Pompeo and the North Korean foreign minister at the meeting was possible, but he would not confirm it.

What’s happening back in Washington: The White House said Thursday that President Trump had received another letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, but did not disclose the contents of the letter.

The president also suggested in a tweet Thursday that he and Kim may meet again after the two held an historic summit in Singapore earlier this year, writing, “l look forward to seeing you soon!”

At the June summit, North Korea had agreed to eventually denuclearize in return for unspecified security guarantees from the U.S.

 

EX-ASTRONAUT SLAMS TRUMP’S SPACE FORCE: Former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly tore into President Trump’s “Space Force” proposal on Friday, saying the U.S. government should focus its efforts on “the cyber war” facing the country. 

“I don’t want to speculate on the president’s motivations,” Kelly said on MSNBC  in response to a question on why Trump announced his “Space Force” plan back in June.

“This space force is talking about some future, potentially almost scientific war that we may have to be a party of. How about we deal with the war we’re currently in,” added the former commander of International Space Station (ISS).

“The cyber war that is, you know, trying to affect our democracy, the thing that’s most important to the United States, which is free and fair elections,” Kelly also said.

Background on the ‘Space Force’: Trump officially directed the Pentagon to create a space force in June, making the announcement despite a lack of support from military leaders. 

Defense One reported this week that the Defense Department is planning to create Space Operations Force in the coming months without congressional approval. 

Trump also touted his proposal for a Space Operations Force during a rally in Pennsylvania on Thursday, adding that the move was “very important.” 

The concerns: “It’s not clear to me what the purpose is of this new branch of the military, which is going to be incredibly expensive,” Kelly said. “And my big concern here is that, you know, space has been a place for us to work in a peaceful manner. And, you know, changing that with not any clear reason at this point is, like I said, kind of hard to understand.”

Kelly, who is also a retired Navy Captain, added that a program like this would “cost a lot of money.” 

“We’re currently in a war right now,” he added, referencing cyber warfare. “We should worry about that one.” 

Kelly’s twin brother, Mark Kelly, is the husband of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.).

 

DEPORTATION WOES FOR WIFE OF WAR VETERAN: The wife of a former Marine and Iraq combat veteran who voted for President Trump left voluntarily for Mexico on Friday, rather than be deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Alejandra Juarez, 38, has exhausted all of her options to fight against the deportation that was scheduled by ICE, The Associated Press reported.

The lead up: Alejandra Juarez illegally crossed the southern border into the U.S. in 1998 and married former Marine Sgt. Cuauhtemoc “Temo” Juarez in 2000, the Military Times reported last month.

Juarez served as an infantryman in the Marines from 1995 to 1999 and was deployed to both Africa and South America before later joining the Army National Guard in Orlando, Fla.

The family has been living in Davenport, Fla., with their two children — Pamela and 8-year-old Estela — until a 2013 traffic stop flagged Alejandra Juarez’s status as an undocumented immigrant.

Earlier this year, Trump implemented a “zero tolerance” immigration policy that aggressively prosecutes those caught entering the country illegally.

Lawmaker backs family to no avail: Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.) has been pushing the Patriot Spouses Act, which would allow Alejandra Juarez to remain in the country, but the bill was not taken up by a House committee.

Soto accompanied the family to the airport on Friday, AP noted.

“It’s an absolute disgrace by the Trump administration to be deporting a patriotic spouse,” Soto said. “Her husband, Temo, served in the Marines … while she was at home on the home-front, raising two young women. What justice does this serve?”

The family’s attorney, Chelsea Nowel, said Alejandra Juarez has no criminal record besides her illegal entry.

Juarez no longer has friends or family living in Mexico, so she will be living in the Yucatan city of Merida, where there is a small community of other military spouses who have been deported, the AP noted.

  

ICYMI

— The Hill: Iran starts naval drills in Persian Gulf: report

–The Hill: Nikki Haley accuses Russia of violating sanctions with North Korean work permits

— The Hill: White House preparing to release Middle East peace plan: report

— Defense News: Meet the new head of the Pentagon’s strategic tech office

— The New York Times: Attackers in burqas kill dozens at Shiite mosque in Afghanistan