| 'WHATEVER HEGSETH WANTS TO DO IS OK WITH ME': As he is wont to do, President Donald Trump, when confronted with a question he doesn't like, denies what he said about the subject in the past, even though it's on video for all to see, and attacks the reporter who had the temerity to suggest he might be flip-flopping. That tried-and-true scenario played out in the Oval Office on Monday, when Rachel Scott of ABC News asked Trump if he still planned to release the classified video at the center of a war crimes debate consuming Washington. "Mr. President, you said you would have no problem with releasing the full video of that strike on September 2 off the coast of Venezuela," Scott said before Trump angrily cut her off. "I didn't say that," Trump said. "This is ABC Fake News." For the record, here's what Trump said just last Wednesday: "I don't know what they have, but whatever they have, we'd certainly release. No problem." Three days before, he insisted Pete Hesgeth "didn't even know what people were talking about," and said, "No, I wouldn't have wanted that second strike. The first strike was very lethal. It was fine." But that was before he was shown the video that has also been seen by about a dozen members of Congress, including Democrats who have described it as showing helpless survivors killed by a second so-called double-tap missile strike. "I saw the video," Trump said yesterday. "They were trying to turn the boat back to where it could float. And we didn't want to see that because that boat was loaded up with drugs just like everything else." Now, Trump says, it will be Hegseth's call if the video will be shown to the American public. When Scott noted that Hegseth has said the possible release of the video is under review," Trump replied, "Whatever Hegseth wants to do is OK with me." When Scott pressed again, Trump snapped and launched into a personal attack. "You are the most obnoxious reporter in the whole place. Let me just tell you, you are an obnoxious, a terrible, actually a terrible reporter. And it's always the same thing with you. I told you, whatever Pete Hegseth wants to do is OK with me." 'IT SEEMS PRETTY CLEAR THEY DON'T WANT TO RELEASE THIS VIDEO': During a Q&A session at the Reagan Defense Forum Saturday, Hegseth said the Pentagon was reviewing the video to see if its release might compromise what he called "bespoke capabilities, techniques, procedures." "I'm way more interested in protecting that than anything else," Hegseth told Fox News's Lucas Tomlinson. "So we're viewing the process and we'll see." "It seems pretty clear they don't want to release this video because they don't want people to see it because it's very, very difficult to justify," Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said Sunday on ABC. "If they release the video, then everything that the Republicans are saying will clearly be portrayed to be completely false, and people will get a look at it, and they will see." Among the many details reported by various media outlets, and attributed to things purportedly said by Adm. Frank "Mitch" Bradley in a classified briefing last week is that the survivors were in the water for 41 minutes and at one point waved at a U.S. aircraft as if they wanted to be rescued, was that the boat loaded with cocaine, not fentanyl, was — according to U.S. intelligence — headed to link up with another, larger vessel that was bound for Surinam, and that Hegseth told the admiral the crew of the boat could be lethally targeted because they were "an internal list of narco-terrorists" who could be legally killed. "We're not siding with the drug dealers," Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, said on CNN. "But we also want to make sure that we follow the law." "The reason we insist that the law of war be carried out by our forces is we expect our opponents to do the same thing," Reed said. "And how can we justify condemning an opponent if they are, you know, breaking the law of war, shooting people who are shipwrecked." "This is a case where the law is very clear, the facts aren't. And we really need to get at the facts," Sen. Angus King (I-ME) said last week. "Who gave what orders, when? What was the nature of the secretary's order? What did he say? What order did he give to the admiral? Then, what did the admiral do? What did the secretary know about the strike?" AN ATTEMPT TO FORCE HEGSETH'S HAND: In an attempt to pressure Hegseth to release the full, unedited video, the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act, which is in its final form after House and Senate negotiators reached a compromise agreement over the weekend, includes a provision that would cut Hegseth's travel budget unless or until he makes the video public. Tucked into the massive bill, on page 818 of 3,086, is the following language: "Of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this act or otherwise made available for fiscal year 2026 for operation and maintenance, defense-wide, and available for the Office of the Secretary of Defense for travel expenses, not more than 75 percent may be obligated or expended until the Secretary of Defense … provides to the Committees on Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the Senate unedited video of strikes conducted against designated terrorist organizations in the area of responsibility of the United States Southern Command." "I can make the statement that the significant portion of cocaine coming out of Venezuela is heading for Europe and Africa, not the United States. So, you know, I don't think anyone quite knew exactly where it was going," Reed said. "There's so many unanswered questions, and that's why it's critical to get the information out. Let the American people see for themselves what happened. They can make a judgment, and their judgment would be, I think, very sound." NDAA REQUIRES HEGSETH TO SUBMIT 'UNEDITED VIDEO' OF BOAT STRIKES OR FACE TRAVEL BUDGET CUTS Good Tuesday 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 Christopher Tremoglie. 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 NOTE TO READERS: Daily on Defense will be on holiday break beginning the week of Monday, Dec. 22, and continuing through Jan. 1, 2026. We'll be back in the new year. HAPPENING TODAY: The Pentagon says War Secretary Pete Hegseth has no public or media events on his schedule today, but he apparently will be briefing key "Gang of Eight" lawmakers about the operations off the coast of Venezuela, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine at 3:30 this afternoon. The so-called "Gang of Eight" includes the majority and minority leaders in the House and Senate, as well as the ranking members of the House and Senate intelligence committees. Separately, Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), is expected to meet with Adm. Alvin Holsey, commander of the U.S. Southern Command, who is retiring Friday, after reportedly clashing with Hegseth over the lethal strikes on the suspected drug boats. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO HOLD MEETING WITH 'GANG OF EIGHT' IN 2016, PETE WAS A DIFFERENT HEGSETH: CNN's K-File investigative unit has been working overtime digging up comments Pete Hegseth made almost a decade ago as a Fox News commentator that show he once espoused very different views about the laws of armed conflict. The comments on Fox News came in 2016 when candidate Donald Trump began talking about killing the families of terrorists and expanding the use of torture. "It's typical Trump, all bluster, very little substance. He talks a tough game, but then when pressed on it, he's an armchair tough guy," Hegseth said on Fox. "I hate to say it, but this is a guy who said that John McCain is not a war hero, yet he sought his own five military deferments because he says big, blustery things that people want to hear." "But he goes way too far. And then when the military says, 'We won't follow illegal orders like torture or killing families,' which is not loosening the rules of engagement, he suddenly realizes, wait, 'I might actually be commander in chief,'" Hegseth said. In a segment that aired on CNN last night, the network replayed an excerpt from a Fox News presidential debate when anchor Bret Baier questioned candidate Trump about whether U.S. troops would carry out orders for "targeting terrorist families and also the use of interrogation methods more extreme than waterboarding." "Experts have said that when you ask the U.S. military to carry out some of your campaign promises," Baier said, "the military will refuse because they've been trained to turn down and refuse illegal orders." "They won't refuse. They're not going to refuse me. Believe me," Trump replied. "I'm a leader. I'm a leader. I've always been a leader. I've never had any problem leading people. If I say do it, they're going to do it. That's what leadership is all about." Hegseth, at the time, was highly critical of that answer, which Trump subsequently walked back. "Here's the problem with Trump. He says, 'Go ahead and kill the families. Go ahead and torture. Go ahead and go further than waterboarding.' What happens when people follow those orders or don't follow them?" "I got some response from vets on that saying, you're not just going to follow that order if it's unlawful," Hegseth said in another clip. "[The] Military is not going to follow illegal orders. And so, the Trump campaign was forced to change their position and say, 'We're going to try to change the law so that the military can operate within the law. That's a tall order also." NDAA READY FOR FINAL PASSAGE: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) released the compromise version of the NDAA, the National Defense Authorization Act, the annual policy bill that mandates how the Pentagon's budget can be spent once a separate authorization bill also passes Congress. The $900 billion plan is about $8 billion more than the Trump Administration requested, but less than the $30 billion some defense hawks were seeking. And as has been the tradition for years the final bill enjoyed broad bipartisan support, while not pleasing everyone. "This year's National Defense Authorization Act helps advance President Trump and Republicans' Peace Through Strength Agenda by codifying 15 of President Trump's executive orders, ending woke ideology at the Pentagon, securing the border, revitalizing the defense industrial base, and restoring the warrior ethos," Johnson said in a statement. "While I have concerns about how the Speaker and White House handled the final negotiations of the bill, the majority of this legislation reflects months of bipartisan negotiations done in good faith between the House and Senate Armed Services Committees," said Rep. Adam Smith, top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, in his statement. "While I do not support everything included in this bill, on balance, I believe it deserves support." The bill includes wins for both parties. Republicans beat back efforts to guarantee access to in vitro fertilization treatments for military families, reverse the renaming of military installations and bases after Confederates, and strengthen collective bargaining rights for thousands of DOD civilian employees. Democrats were able to get provisions in the bill to require notifications and detailed justifications for the removal of general and flag officers, and after years of effort, the bill repeals the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force against Iraq. "We were also successful in removing several partisan riders and poison pills included in the House-passed bill earlier this year," Smith said. "That includes mitigation of numerous attacks on LGBTQ+ individuals and DEI efforts; curtailing sales of military guns to the public; and excluding harmful provisions and other language that sought to restrict university research, which jeopardized U.S. innovation and fundamental research." NDAA DRAFT WOULD LIMIT PENTAGON'S ABILITY TO REDUCE EUROPEAN PRESENCE THE RUNDOWN: Washington Examiner: NDAA requires Hegseth to submit 'unedited video' of boat strikes or face travel budget cuts Washington Examiner: NDAA draft would limit Pentagon's ability to reduce European presence Washington Examiner: Pentagon technology chief focused on far powers while administration prioritizes western hemisphere Washington Examiner: New DHS website will list 10,000 worst criminal illegal immigrants arrested Washington Examiner: Trump OKs sale of Nvidia AI chips to China and threatens Mexico with 5% tariff Washington Examiner: Trump warns Europe to be 'very careful' after EU slaps Musk's X with $140 million fine Washington Examiner: Trump administration to hold meeting with 'Gang of Eight' Washington Examiner: Trump administration persists with Franklin the Turtle social media campaign Politico: Trump thrashes European leaders in wide-ranging interview: 'I think they're weak' Washington Post: Zelensky rules out ceding land to Russia, refusing to bow to Putin or Trump New York Times: Thai Jets Bomb Cambodia as at Least 5 Die in New Wave of Fighting Wall Street Journal: Chinese Jets Locked Radar on Japanese Fighters New York Times: Overmatched: Why the U.S. Military Needs to Reinvent Itself Military Times: Troops to Get 3.8% Pay Raise Under Proposed Defense Bill Air & Space Forces Magazine: In Defense Bill, Congress Rejects Bid to Retire A-10s, F-15Es Aviation Week: Pentagon Committed to F/A-XX Eventually, Studying Industrial Base Concerns Defense One: Pentagon Would Have to Explain Future JAG Firings Under NDAA Provision Breaking Defense: Compromise NDAA Protects Wedgetail, Greenlights Black Hawk Multiyear Buys Air & Space Forces Magazine: Report: Space Force and SPACECOM Need Cross-Domain Support to Gain Superiority The War Zone: Congress Wants to Know If The C-130 Hercules Could Be the USAF's New 'Doomsday Plane' Wall Street Journal: Gaza Sits Under 68 Million Tons of Rubble. A Look at the Daunting Task Ahead. DefenseScoop: An Early Look at the Pentagon's Plan to Deliver AI at Scale Under Trump Air & Space Forces Magazine: Northrop Tests New Rocket Motor as Part of Innovation Push Air & Space Forces Magazine: New CMSAF Pledges High Standards, Better Resources for Airmen New York Times: 4 Russian Soldiers Sentenced to Prison for Killing Texan Who Fought for Moscow New York Times: Honduras Issues Arrest Warrant for Ex-President Pardoned by Trump THE CALENDAR: TUESDAY | DECEMBER 9 TBA — NATO Parliamentary Assembly Transatlantic Forum, with NATO Deputy Secretary-General Radmila Shekerinska https://www.nato-pa.int/node/985924 10 a.m. — National Press Club Press Freedom Center news conference with Debra Tice, mother of detained journalist Austin Tice, to address his case one year after the fall of Damascus. https://www.press.org/events/news-conference-debra-tice 10 a.m. 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace discussion: "Miniaturization and Modernization: The Untold Story of China's Nuclear Weapons," with Hui Zhang, senior research associate at Harvard University; and Tong Zhao, senior fellow, CEIP Nuclear Policy Program and Carnegie China https://carnegieendowment.org/events/2025/11/miniaturization-and-modernization 11 a.m. — Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security virtual discussion: "Making Sense of the National Security Strategy,"with Matthew Kroenig, vice president and senior director, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Atlantic Council; Rama Yade, Senior Director, Atlantic Council Africa Center; Jason Marczak, vice president and senior director, Atlantic Council Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center; and Tressa Guenov, director, programs and operations and senior fellow, Atlantic Council Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/making-sense-of-the-national-security-strategy/ 12 p.m. — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies virtual discussion: "Policy Paper Release: Charting a Path to Space Superiority: The Cross-Domain Imperative," with retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Brook "Tank" Leonard, former chief of staff of the U.S. Space Command; retired Army Lt. Gen. David Deptula, dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies; and Jennifer Reeves, senior resident fellow for spacepower studies at the Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence https://afa-org.zoom.us/webinar/register 1 p.m. — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies virtual discussion: new report: "Charting a Path to Space Superiority: The Cross-Domain Imperative," with retired Air Force Col. Jen "Boots" Reeves; and retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Brook "Tank" Leonard https://afa-org.zoom.us/webinar/register 2 p.m. — The Hill virtual discussion: "Navigating America's Shipbuilding Future," with Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA); Michelle Kruger, president at Austal; Eric Labs, senior analyst for naval forces and weapons at the Congressional Budget Office; Matthew Paxton, president of the Shipbuilders Council of America; Tom Peddicord, industrial goods practice and North America leader at the Boston Consulting Group; and Kathleen Koch, contributing editor, The Hill https://thehilltalks-shipbuildingfuture.splashthat.com/ WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 10 9 a.m. 2300 N St. NW — The Aspen Institute "Aspen Security Forum: D.C. Edition," with Radmila Shekerinska, deputy NATO secretary-general; Mulambo Haimbe, Zambian foreign affairs minister; Robert Kupiecki, Polish national security adviser; Kersti Kaljulaid, former Estonian president; Olof Skoog, deputy secretary-general for political affairs, European External Action Service; Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA); Stephen Biegun, vice chairman, National Endowment for Democracy; retired Adm. Mike Mullen, former Joint Chiefs Chairman; retired Gen. David Berger, former Marine Corps commandant; Rep. Michael Turner (R-OH); Yehor Cherniev, MP and head of the Ukrainian Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly; Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO); Rep. John Moolenaar, chairman, House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, ranking member, House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party; Oliver Linz, director policy of planning, German Federal Foreign Office; Anja Manuel, executive director, Aspen Strategy Group and Aspen Security Forum; Michael Pillsbury, senior advisor, Heritage Foundation; Kiron Skinner, School of Public Policy, Pepperdine University, https://www.aspensecurityforum.org/aspen-security-forum/2025-asf-dc/ 9 a.m. 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Middle East Institute conference: "Syria and the Global Community Post-Assad," with former U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford; former Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf; and Charles Lister, MEI senior fellow https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register 9 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies Project on Nuclear Issues launches new report, "Project Atom 2025," focusing on managing escalation with China, with Heather Williams, director, CSIS Project on Nuclear Issues https://www.csis.org/events/report-launch-project-atom-2025 10 a.m. — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace virtual discussion: "The UN Without the United States: The Impact of U.S. Retreat on Global Human Rights," with former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International organization Affairs Allison Lombardo; Bruno Stagno Ugarte, chief advocacy officer at Human Rights Watch; and Martin Kimani, president and CEO of the Africa Center https://carnegieendowment.org/events/2025/12/the-un-without-the-united-states 12:30 p.m. 2401 M St., NW — George Washington University Project for Media and National Security Defense Writers Group lunch and discussion with Benedetta Berti, NATO parliamentary assembly secretary-general RSVP: [email protected]. 1:30 p.m. — Middle East Institute virtual briefing on a recent trip to Syria and recommendations to advance U.S.-Syria relations," with former U.S. Central Command Commander retired Gen. Joseph Votel, MEI senior fellow on national security https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register 2 p.m. 2358-C Rayburn — Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe briefing: "From Production to Procurement: How Europe and Ukraine Are Transforming Defense Supply Chains," with Maj. Gen. Karsten Jensen, defense attache at the Royal Danish Embassy in the United States; Kateryna Bondar, fellow, Center for Strategic and International Studies's Wadhwani AI Center; and Sophia Besch, senior fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Europe Program https://www.youtube.com/live/i8W5tE8eQSU 3:30 p.m. 1400 L St. NW — Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security discussion: "U.S. hypersonic capabilities," with Rep. Mark Messmer (R-IN); and Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ); and Matthew Kroenig, vice president and senior director at the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/representatives-messmer-and-norcross THURSDAY | DECEMBER 11 9:30 a.m. G50 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Committee hearing: "The administration's deployment of the National Guard across the United States," with testimony from Joseph Humire, acting assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and America security affairs, Charles Young, principal deputy general counsel, Department of Defense; and Air Force Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander, U.S. Northern Command. https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings 11 a.m — Peterson Institute for International Economics virtual discussion: "Rebuilding and Realignment: Economic Future for Ukraine and Russia," with Yuriy Gorodnichenko, professor at the University of California at Berkeley; Maurice Obstfeld, PIIE senior fellow; Elina Ribakova, PIIE nonresident senior fellow; and Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, PIIE nonresident senior fellow https://www.piie.com/events/2025/rebuilding-and-realignment-economic-future-ukraine 12 p.m. — Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft virtual discussion: "Trump's Gaza Plan and What It Means for Palestinians," with Carol Daniel-Kasbari, non-resident fellow, Quincy Institute; Mouin Rabbani, co-editor, Jadaliyya; Muhammad Shehada, chief of communications and program, Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor and visiting fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations Middle East and North Africa Program; and Khaled Elgindy, senior research fellow, Quincy Institute https://quincyinst.org/events/trumps-gaza-plan-and-what-it-means-for-palestinians/ 2 p.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute discussion: "Building U.S.-Taiwan Defense Supply Chain Collaboration: Opportunities for Co-development and Co-production," with former Taiwan General Staff Chief Adm. Lee Hsi-Min; Betsy Shieh, consultant at Barbet Insights; Brandon Tseng, co-founder and president of Shield AI; and Rupert Hammond-Chambers, president of the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council https://www.hudson.org/events/building-us-taiwan-defense FRIDAY | DECEMBER 12 9 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute event: "Antisemitism as a National Security Threat," with Michael Doran, senior fellow and director, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East; Bernard Haykel, non-resident senior fellow, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East; Rebeccah Heinrichs, senior fellow and director, Keystone Defense Initiative; Can Kasapoglu, non-resident senior fellow, Hudson Institute; Liel Leibovitz, senior fellow, Hudson Institute; and Michael Sobolik, senior fellow, Hudson Institute Invite only: [email protected] 10 a.m. — National Institute for Deterrence Studies virtual seminar, "Peace Through Strength: Renewing America's Nuclear Deterrent, A Proposed Nuclear Posture Review for 2026," with James Petrosky, NIDS president; Curtis McGiffin, NIDS co-founder; and Kirk Fansher, NDSs senior fellow https://thinkdeterrence.com/events/peace-through-strength 10:30 a.m. Doral, Florida — Navy Adm. Alvin Holsey relinquishes his duties as commander of U.S. Southern Command to Air Force Lt. Gen. Evan L. Pettus at the command's headquarters. Holsey will retire after more than 37 years of service in the U.S. Navy. 10:30 a.m. 2401 M St., NW — George Washington University Project for Media and National Security a Defense Writers Group coffee and discussion with Sen. Mark Warner, vice chairman, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence RSVP: [email protected] 11 a.m. — Atlantic Council virtual event to launch a report titled "Russian economy in 2025: Between stagnation and militarization," with Alexandra Prokopenko, fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center; Elina Ribakova, nonresident senior fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics; Charles Lichfield, director of economic foresight and analysis and senior fellow, Atlantic Council GeoEconomics Center; Mikhail Zygar, nonresident senior fellow, Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center; and former United States Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst, senior director, Atlantic Council Eurasia Center https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/report-launch | | | | QUOTE OF THE DAY: "For decades, the American military has relied on systems that are bespoke, complex, and wildly expensive. That made some sense back when our primary adversary, the Soviet Union, pursued a similar approach, allowing the West to spend it into the ground. The trouble with highly engineered and expensive weapons is that they are all but impossible to produce rapidly or purchase in large numbers." | | Excerpt from provocative New York Times series arguing the U.S. military is "overmatched" by China and other adversaries. |
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Megyn Kelly -> Pete Hegseth responds to 2017 rape accusation. 🔥 vol. 3, issue 13 | December 6, 2024 Quick Hits All the news you need in...
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