| THE PUTIN INTERVIEW: On the eve of this week's presidential elections in Russia, President Vladimir Putin sat down for a friendly interview with Russian state television, confident that having silenced all his critics he will easily win another six-year term. The headline from Wednesday's interview was Putin's invocation of Russia’s published military doctrine, which allows for the use of nuclear weapons in the event of a threat to Russian sovereignty. But Putin told interviewer Dmitry Kiselev that he didn't foresee a nuclear war with the West, even as he warned against NATO countries sending troops into Ukraine. "Why do we need to use weapons of mass destruction? There has never been such a need," Putin said. "We have our own principles. What do they say? That we are ready to use [nuclear] weapons? When it is about the existence of the Russian state, about harming our sovereignty and independence, we have everything spelled out in our strategy. We have not changed it." Putin bragged about his nuclear arsenal, calling Russia's nuclear triad "more advanced than any other one." "We have made a lot more progress. We have a more advanced nuclear component," Putin said. "On the whole, as for carriers and warheads, we have a rough parity, yet the nuclear component we have is more sophisticated." In congressional testimony this week, Avril Haines, the director of national intelligence, confirmed that Russia's nuclear modernization program has produced the world's "largest and most diverse nuclear weapons stockpile." WARNING AGAINST WESTERN TROOPS: Putin is clearly trying to head off the momentum of some European countries to send support troops and military trainers to Ukraine, and he warned Germany in particular against providing Ukraine with Taurus long-range missiles that could threaten the Kerch Bridge, which Russia needs to keep its forces in occupied Crimea supplied. "If the Taurus missiles hit that part of the Crimean Bridge, which is certainly, even according to their concepts, part of the Russian territory, this is a violation of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany," Putin said. "The fact is that German opposition is behaving even more aggressively. We will see what they will agree on. We are following this closely." "The United States announced that they are not going to send troops. We know what American troops in the Russian territory are. These are invaders. That is how we will treat them even if they appear in the territory of Ukraine," Putin said, praising President Joe Biden as a "representative of the traditional school" of U.S.-Russia relations. "I do not think that it is getting closer to a head-on collision. But we are ready for it." NOT TIME FOR PEACE TALKS: In her testimony this week, Haines said Putin continues to judge the time is on his side, and Putin indicated he's in no mood to negotiate a cease-fire or a peace agreement with Ukraine while he believes he has the upper hand. "For us to hold negotiations now just because they are running out of ammunition would be ridiculous," Putin said. "Nevertheless, we are open to a serious discussion, and we are eager to resolve all conflicts, especially this one, by peaceful means. However, we must be sure that this is not just another pause that the enemy wants to use for rearmament but rather a serious conversation with security guarantees for the Russian Federation." Not coincidentally, that is the same argument Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky uses to argue against negotiations with Putin, namely that Russia would just use the time to reinforce and rebuild his military, which has suffered horrendous losses of men and materiel in the first two years of war. Putin continues to portray Russia as the victim of an effort by the U.S. and its NATO allies to topple his regime. "As for the states saying that they have no 'red lines' with Russia, they should realize that Russia will have no 'red lines' with them either." CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Good Thursday 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 Stacey Dec. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn't work, shoot us an email and we'll add you to our list. And be sure to follow me on Threads and/or on X @jamiejmcintyre CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP OR READ BACK ISSUES OF DAILY ON DEFENSE HAPPENING TODAY: Former President Donald Trump is expected to attend today's proceedings in a federal courtroom in Florida, in which U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon will hear arguments from Trump's legal team that insist that under the Presidential Records Act, Trump had a perfect right to keep the classified documents he took with him and hid from the FBI after leaving office. "I had what’s called the Presidential Records Act," Trump told Laura Ingraham in a Fox News town hall last month. "I was allowed to do what I did. Absolutely allowed. That’s why they passed the act in 1978." "Why didn’t you just hand them over when they were requested, though?" Ingraham asked. "I mean, they requested them. You could have just handed them over and probably saved yourself a lot of trouble." "I didn’t have to hand them over," Trump replied. "But I would’ve done that. We were talking, and then all of a sudden, they raided Mar-a-Lago." Trump's attorneys are expected to argue the law is "unconstitutionally vague" and will therefore ask that the 40-count federal indictment against him be dropped. Special counsel Jack Smith's team of prosecutors argue the opposite, that the Presidential Records Act "does not exempt Trump from the criminal law, entitle him to unilaterally declare highly classified presidential records to be personal records, or shield him from criminal investigations — let alone allow him to obstruct a federal investigation with impunity." "That frivolous claim is offered for one transparent purpose — to delay the trial," prosecutors wrote in a 27-page filing. JACK SMITH FILES FLURRY OF RESPONSES AGAINST TRUMP'S BID TO DISMISS CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS CASE 'RED SEA UPDATE': The back-and-forth exchanges between U.S. warships and Houthi forces in Yemen are such a regular occurrence these days that the U.S. Central Command issues almost daily "Red Sea Updates." The latest overnight update said that on Wednesday, the Houthis fired off a single anti-ship ballistic missile, which fell harmlessly into the Gulf of Aden, and noted that the U.S. "successfully engaged and destroyed four unmanned aerial systems (UAVs) and one surface-to-air missile in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen." On Tuesday, the U.S. and a coalition warship shot down two Houthi drones after the Houthis targeted the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Laboon in the Red Sea but missed. Monday's update detailed how the Houthis targeted but missed a Singaporean-owned, Liberian-flagged merchant vessel ship Pinocchio. About two hours later, the U.S. conducted a series of strikes in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen that resulted in the destruction of an unmanned underwater vessel and 18 anti-ship missiles, according to CENTCOM. US CONDUCT NINTH AIRDROP IN GAZA: CENTCOM announced that the U.S. military conducted the ninth airdrop of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza as U.S. ships steam to the region to build a temporary floated pier to increase the flow of food to the famished. "U.S. C-17 and C-130s dropped over 35,712 U.S. meal equivalents and 28,800 bottles of water into Northern Gaza, an area of great need, allowing for civilian access to the critical aid," CENTCOM said in a statement. UN AGENCY GETS AID TO NORTHERN GAZA THROUGH NEW ISRAEL CROSSING THE RUNDOWN: Washington Examiner: Army requests increased funding for Indo-Pacific training and deployments Washington Examiner: 'It's possible' for Israel to plan acceptable Rafah attack, Blinken says Washington Examiner: Hakeem Jeffries supports 'decisive defeat' of Hamas amid looming Rafah invasion Washington Examiner: UN agency gets aid to northern Gaza through new Israel crossing Washington Examiner: DEA surveillance program shows why Congress may 'go slow' on FISA renewal Washington Examiner: Top takeaways from Robert Hur's testimony on Biden classified documents Washington Examiner: Republican House majority will stay tight with special elections to replace fleeing members months away Washington Examiner: Ken Buck blasts GOP colleagues after announcing early exit from Congress Washington Examiner: Haitian prime minister to resign with multinational forces deploying as quickly as possible Washington Examiner: Beijing blasts TikTok ban as plan for 'suppressing China' Washington Examiner: Opinion: Speaker Mike Johnson should have made time to meet with Latvia's prime minister Washington Post: Ukraine launches new wave of strikes against Russia's oil facilities 19fortyfive.com: The Russian Military Has Bigger Problems In Ukraine Than Lost Tanks AP: The drama in Russia's election is all about what Putin will do with another 6 years in power AP: North Korea's Kim drives new-type tank during drills and calls for efforts to prepare for war Reuters: Philippines’ Marcos To Meet Blinken Next Week As South China Sea Tensions Rise Bloomberg: China Leads the US, Russia in Hypersonics, Pentagon Analyst Says New York Times: Russians Seize Advantage In Electronic Warfare New York Times: Israeli Forces Make A Lethal Strike On A U.N. Aid Warehouse In Rafah. AP: Despair deepens for families of hostages in Gaza as Ramadan cease-fire deadline passes Wall Street Journal: To Build More Missiles, the U.S. Looks to an Ally 10,000 Miles Away AP: Plan To Install New Leaders In Haiti Appears To Crumble After Political Parties Reject It CNN: Biden Administration Discussing Using Guantanamo Bay To Process Possible Influx Of Haitian Migrants Defense One: Today's Battles Happen at the Pace of Software. The Pentagon Needs to Hit the Accelerator Breaking Defense: 'I'm Disappointed': Pentagon CIO Cybersecurity Chief Asks Industry, Where's My AI? The War Zone: New Images of China's J-35 Naval Stealth Fighter Could Depict Third Example Defense News: Pentagon May Build a Second Track for Hypersonic Ground Testing Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Delays T-7 IOC Another Year, Slashes 2025 Production Inside Defense: BlackSky Awarded $23.7 Million for Air Force’s Fourth Operational Imperative Effort Air & Space Forces Magazine: KC-46's New Remote Vision System Likely Delayed Until 2026 Air & Space Forces Magazine: SDA Plans $25.5 Billion in Spending Over the Next Five Years SpaceNews: Space Force Selects Startup Defense Unicorns to Update Software at Launch Ranges Defense One: The Big AI Research DARPA Is Funding This Year Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Programs Boss: No Need to Decide on More than 100 B-21s for at Least a Decade Oilprice.com: "How Afghanistan Could Benefit From Better Relations with Its Neighbors" Military Times: Vets, Cops Should Teach Firearm Storage Safety to Troops, Study Finds Air & Space Forces Magazine: Study Shows Higher Rates of Some Cancers in ICBM Personnel THE CALENDAR: THURSDAY | MARCH 14 8 a.m. 2941 Fairview Park Dr., Falls Church, Virginia — Potomac Officers Club "Achieving Transformative Cooperation for National Defense Forum," with Rhys Williams, executive director, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and Steven Morani, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for sustainment https://potomacofficersclub.com/events 9 a.m. 1744 R St. NW — German Marshall Fund of the U.S. discussion: "Latvian-U.S. security cooperation and 20 years of Latvian membership in the NATO alliance,” with Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds and Kristine Berzina, managing director of GMFUS North https://www.gmfus.org/event/conversation-latvian-defense-minister-andris-spruds 9:30 a.m 216 Hart — Senate Armed Services Committee hearing: "The posture of U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Southern Command," with testimony from Air Force Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander, U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command; and Army Gen. Laura Richardson, commander, U.S. Southern Command https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings 10 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW — Atlantic Council and NBC News discussion: “Reporters at Risk: On The Frontlines in Ukraine and Gaza,” with Yaroslav Trofimov, chief foreign affairs correspondent at the Wall Street Journal; Benjamin Hall, correspondent at Fox News; Erin McLaughlin, correspondent at NBC News; Sherif Mansour, Middle East and North Africa program coordinator at the Committee to Protect Journalists; Almar Latour, CEO of Dow Jones and publisher at the Wall Street Journal; Adrienne Arsht, executive vice chairwoman, Atlantic Council, founder, Atlantic Council’s Latin America Center and the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Center; and Courtney Kube, national security and military correspondent at NBC News https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/reporters-at-risk 10 a.m. — Middle East Institute virtual discussion: “Iran’s Record-Low Election Turnout: Why Voters Stayed Away and What It Means for the Islamic Republic’s Future,” with Arash Ghafouri, CEO of Stasis Consulting; Leily Nikounazar, freelance journalist and researcher for the New York Times; Mehrzad Boroujerdi, vice provost and dean of the Missouri University of Science and Technology College of Arts, Sciences, and Education and professor of political science at the Missouri University of Science and Technology Department of History and Political Science; and Alex Vatanka, senior fellow and director, MEI Iran Program https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register 10 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Perspective on Artificial Intelligence (AI) Autonomy at the DOD,” with Matt Turek, deputy director, DARPA Information Innovation Office https://www.csis.org/events/darpa-perspective-ai-and-autonomy-dod 10:30 a.m. 419 Dirksen — Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing: “U.S. Strategy in the Pacific Island Region,” with testimony from Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and Ely Ratner, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs http://foreign.senate.gov 10:50 a.m. Brussels, Belgium — Joint news conference with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Polish President Andrzej Duda at NATO Headquarters https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news 11 a.m. — Government Executive Media Group virtual discussion: “State of the Marines,” with Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith https://events.defenseone.com/state-of-defense 12 p.m. 1000 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Cato Institute forum: “Taiwan’s Urgent Need for Asymmetric Defense,” with Michael Hunzeker, associate professor at George Mason University; Alex Velez-Green, senior policy adviser at the Heritage Foundation; Eric Gomez, Cato senior fellow; and Justin Logan, director of defense and foreign policy studies at Cato https://www.cato.org/events/taiwans-urgent-need-asymmetric-defense 3 p.m. 1200 South Hayes St., Arlington, Virginia — Rand Corporation discussion: “Climate Change and Conflict: Implications for U.S. Central Command,” with Chris Backemeyer, deputy assistant secretary of state for assistance coordination/regional and multilateral affairs; Greg Pollock, Pentagon principal director for arctic and global resilience; Jeffrey Martini, associate director, Rand Strategy, Doctrine, and Resources Program; Karen Sudkamp, associate director for infrastructure, immigration, and security operations at the Rand Homeland Security Research Division; and Vago Muradian, founder and editor, Defense and Aerospace Report https://www.rand.org/events/2024/03/climate-change-and-conflict.html 3 p.m. — Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft virtual book discussion: The Showman: Inside the Invasion That Shook the World and Made a Leader of Volodymyr Zelensky, with author Simon Shuster, reporter for Russia and Ukraine at Time; Mark Episkopos, adjunct professor of history at Marymount University and research fellow at the Quincy Institute’s Eurasia Program; and Kelley Beaucar Vlahos, senior adviser at the Quincy Institute and editorial director, Quincy Institute’s Responsible Statecraft magazine https://quincyinst.org/events/book-talk-the-showman-inside-the-invasion-that-shook-the-world MONDAY | MARCH 18 7:15 a.m. — Association, U.S. Army "Coffee Series," with Army budget leaders Kirsten Taylor, deputy assistant Army secretary for plans, programs, and resources; Maj. Gen. Mark Bennett, director, Army budget; and Maj. Gen. Joseph Hilbert, director of force development in the office, deputy Army chief of staff for resources and plans https://www.ausa.org/events/coffee-series/mg-bennett 12 p.m. — Foreign Press Association Zoom discussion: "John Bolton: Wars, Elections & U.S. Isolationism," with former Trump national security advisor John Boltion and FPA President Ian Williams https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register TUESDAY | MARCH 19 1 p.m. 2172 Rayburn — House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing: “A ‘Strategic Failure’: Biden’s Withdrawal, America’s Generals, and the Taliban Takeover,” with testimony from retired Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, former commander, U.S. Central Command, and retired Gen. Mark Milley, former chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff http://foreignaffairs.house.gov WEDNESDAY | MARCH 20 10 a.m. — Counter Extremism Project webinar: "Cruel And Unusual Punishment — How The Houthis Target Women, Journalists And Religious Minorities," with Edmund Fitton-Brown, CEP senior adviser; Nura al Jarwi, president, Association for the Protection of Violated Women and Survivors of Houthi Prisons; and Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director, CEP Counter Extremism Project https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register | | | | "We had a perfect relationship with Finland, just perfect. We didn't have a single claim against each other. … We didn't even have any troops there. We had removed everything from the Russian-Finnish border. Why did they do that? For purely political reasons, I think. I guess they really wanted to be a member of a Western club, under some kind of "umbrella." Why did they do that, I frankly don't understand." | | Russian President Vladimir Putin, in an interview on state television, expressing consternation over Finland, which shares a 800-mile border with Russia, joining NATO |
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