| 'WE WILL ASSERT AND ENFORCE A 'TRUMP COROLLARY' TO THE MONROE DOCTRINE': Building on his "America First" reorientation of U.S. national security strategy, President Donald Trump proudly announced his foreign policy will be modeled on the 1823 Monroe Doctrine, in which President James Monroe warned Europe to keep out of America's backyard in the Western Hemisphere. "My Administration proudly reaffirms this promise under a new 'Trump Corollary' to the Monroe Doctrine: That the American people — not foreign nations nor globalist institutions — will always control their own destiny in our hemisphere," Trump said in a Dec. 2 proclamation. The 33-page National Security Strategy, released late last week, fleshed out what Trump means by "America First." It portrayed the upending of 80 years of America embracing its role as the world's premier superpower as a "necessary, welcome correction." The "Donroe Doctrine" is described in the document as "pragmatic without being pragmatist, realistic without being realist, principled without being idealistic, muscular without being hawkish, and restrained without being dovish." "U.S. policy will be realistic about what is possible and desirable to seek in its dealings with other nations. We seek good relations and peaceful commercial relations with the nations of the world without imposing on them democratic or other social change that differs widely from their traditions and histories," the strategy declares. Or as War Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a Saturday keynote speech at the Reagan Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California, "The war department will not be distracted by democracy building, interventionism, undefined wars, regime change, climate change, woke moralizing, and feckless nation building." "Out with utopian idealism, and in with hard-nosed realism," Hegseth said. NSS EMPHASIZES TRUMP'S 'AMERICA FIRST' PRIORITIZATION OF US'S BACKYARD SHAHEEN: TRUMP STRATEGY 'BUILT ON A FALSE CHOICE': The pullback from Europe and the Asia-Pacific was met with immediate howls of protest from Democrats on Capitol Hill. "This plan, and the Administration's approach, is riddled with contradictions. President Trump rightly wants our European allies to step up on their own defense, but undercuts their ability to do so by actively promoting far-right wing, pro-Russian political parties," said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "The strategy claims to take a realist worldview, but it fundamentally ignores the threat posed by Russia and China." "The Trump Administration's National Security Strategy is built on a false choice: that America must retreat from the world to protect its people at home," Shaheen argues. "The opposite is true. America is stronger when we use our alliances, our diplomatic tools, and our influence to advance America's national interests and values." "The American people deserve leadership that can deliver security and prosperity. That means strengthening NATO, ensuring that Russia does not gain from its own war of aggression in Ukraine, competing seriously with China, and stabilizing our neighborhood through law enforcement, diplomacy, and development." OPINION: TRUMP'S NEW WEAKNESS ON CHINA PESKOV: 'A POSITIVE STEP': Russia welcomed the new national security strategy, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noting that Russia is no longer mentioned as a "direct threat." "We consider this is a positive step," Peskov said. "There are statements there against confrontation and in favor of dialogue and building good relations," Peskov told the Russian news agency TASS, adding that Russia hopes this would lead to "further constructive cooperation with Washington on the Ukrainian settlement." The policy calls for "reestablishing conditions of stability within Europe and strategic stability with Russia." "It further suggests that part of the reason for strife with Russia is Europe's lack of self-confidence," writes Emily Harding, in an analysis for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, that she says "will come as music to Putin's ears and nails on a chalkboard for Brussels." "This is the giant middle finger to Europe by this administration," retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, a former U.S. Army in Europe commander, was quoted as saying in a video posed on X. "I think the happiest person in the world with this document is Vladimir Putin, because this strategy cedes Europe to the Russian sphere of influence." "And this is out in the open now. It's not, there's no nuance, it's out in the open," Hodges said. "This is exactly what Putin wants: a free pass to do whatever he wants in Europe. A global war between Russia and Europe is what happens when America quits its job as a world leader." TRUMP NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY PUTS ENDING RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR AS 'CORE INTEREST' Good Monday 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: Fresh from hosting the Kennedy Center honors last night, President Donald Trump will hold court again today at White House, with his official schedule listing a "Roundtable" event in the White House. TRUMP BLAMES UKRAINE, AGAIN: As Russian President Vladimir Putin steadfastly refuses to compromise on any of his maximalist demands to end the war in Ukraine, President Trump continued to blame Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — who has accepted the revised U.S. peace plan — for the failure of Trump's initiative. "I'm a little bit disappointed that President Zelensky hasn't yet read the proposal, that was as of a few hours ago. His people love it. But he hasn't — Russia's fine with it," Trump told reporters on the red carpet at the Kennedy Center last night. "Russia is, I believe, fine with it, but I'm not sure that Zelensky's fine with it. His people love it, but he hasn't read it." "Ukraine is determined to keep working in good faith with the American side to genuinely achieve peace," Zelensky posted on X Saturday after he said he had "a long and substantive phone call" with Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner. Zelensky is in London today meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at 10 Downing Street. TRUMP CLAIMS ZELENSKY 'HASN'T READ' PEACE PLAN HEGSETH DEFENDS BOAT STRIKES, AGAIN: In his latest defense of the Sept. 2 strike on a suspected drug boat carrying alleged "narco-terrorists," Pete Hegseth said he delegated the tactical decisions to his commander Adm. Frank "Mitch" Brady, but reiterated that the U.S. military knew all of the boat's occupants were affiliated with drug cartels, and that he personally ordered. "Not many military decisions should be made by the secretary of war. I believe in deferring those decisions to local commanders as much as possible. But because of the strategic implications of the first few strikes, I wanted to hold that decision at my level," Hegseth said during a question-and-answer session at the Reagan Defense Forum Saturday. "A lot of things I can't share in this room to give us the kind of confidence that we know where this is coming from, who's driving it, who's on it, what their intentions are." Hegseth said he watched the initial strike, but left after about five minutes. "At that point, it was a tactical operation. And so I moved on to other things. I shouldn't be fighting tactics as the secretary of war. So I moved on to other things. Later on, a couple hours later, I was told, hey, there had to be a reattack because there were a couple folks who could still be in the fight, access to radios." "There was a link-up point of another potential boat. Drugs were still there. They were actively interacting with them," Hegset said. "I said, 'Roger, sounds good.' From what I understood then and what I understand now, I fully support that strike." "It was entirely appropriate to strike the boat again to make sure that its cargo was destroyed. It is in no way a violation of the law of war. And I think the Washington Post owes Secretary Hegseth and especially Admiral Mitch Bradley, a highly decorated career Navy SEAL, an apology for that slander," Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) said on NBC's Meet the Press. "Now, this controversy, let's remember, all started with a Washington Post story about nine days ago that said after the first strike, there were two survivors that were helpless. And then they were ordered to kill these helpless survivors. That is simply not the case. They were not floating in the ocean on a wooden plank or in life jackets. They were on a capsized vessel. They were not incapacitated in any way." Over the weekend, NBC reported that the Adm. Brady told some lawmakers that all 11 people on the boat were "on an internal list of narco-terrorists who U.S. intelligence and military officials determined could be lethally targeted," citing two U.S. officials and one person familiar with the congressional briefings. "I did not hear him personally say anything about a military target list. Now, he had several briefings throughout the day. I wasn't in the briefing, for instance, with Mark Warner, my counterpart in the Senate Intelligence Committee," Cotton told NBC's Kristen Welker. "I can only say what he told me. He said that they had high confidence based on multiple sources of intelligence that everyone on that boat was part of a foreign terrorist organization, and had been designated by the U.S. government." HIMES: "THE AMERICAN PUBLIC NEEDS TO JUDGE FOR ITSELF": The most vigorous pushback to Hegseth's version of events has come from Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), who says the debate can only be settled by the release of the video of the second strike. "I have spent years looking at videos of lethal action taken, often in the terrorism context. And this video was profoundly shaking shaken. And I think it's important for Americans to see it," Himes said on CBS's Face The Nation. "This is an instance in which I think the American public needs to judge for itself." President Trump promised to release the classified video, but when Fox News correspondent Lucas Tomlinson asked Hegseth at the Reagan Forum if he would be releasing the full video, Hegseth hedged. "We are reviewing it right now," he replied. "Is that a yes or no?" Tomlinson pressed. "The most important thing to me are the ongoing operations in the Caribbean with our folks that use bespoke capabilities, techniques, procedures in the process. I am way more interested in protecting that than anything else," Hegseth said. "So we are viewing the process, and we will see." "Pete Hegseth has no credibility on this matter," Himes said on CBS. "You know that Hegseth said, well, they took the second strike because of the fog of war. There was no fog. The military watched this boat very carefully — or I shouldn't even say boat. They watched the wreckage of the boat very carefully for a long period of time before they took the second strike." "Then, we get this thing of how they're trying to right the boat. This was about a 40-foot boat that had just been hit with a massive piece of munitions. The conflagration probably destroyed everything in that boat. But, oh, maybe they might have swum under, gotten a radio, probably waterlogged, and radioed a boat that we're not even sure was there," Himes said. "So what we've had is a series of shifting explanations … So, look, what Pete Hegseth says about this strike has zero credibility at this point." CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER THE RUNDOWN: Washington Examiner: NSS emphasizes Trump's 'America First' prioritization of US's backyard Washington Examiner: Trump National Security Strategy puts ending Russia-Ukraine war as 'core interest' Washington Examiner: Opinion: Trump's new weakness on China Washington Examiner: Trump claims Zelensky 'hasn't read' peace plan Washington Examiner: Ukraine hit by 'massive' Russian attack hours after US-Zelensky call Washington Examiner: Macron denies 'everything' about US betrayal comments as White House hosts Ukraine for marathon talks in Miami Washington Examiner: A brief history of American regime-change wars Washington Examiner: NDAA text neglects IVF expansion, housing but includes China restrictions Politico: Hegseth Declares End of US 'Utopian Idealism' with New Military Strategy Fox News: Tom Cotton calls on Washington Post to apologize to Hegseth, Bradley for 'slander' AP: Russia Unleashes Massive Drone and Missile Attack on Ukraine as Diplomatic Talks Continue AP: As sea drones force Russia to retreat, Ukraine examines ways to launch more complex attacks The War Zone: Ukrainian F-16s Appear to Be Armed with Laser-Guided Rockets in New Photos Wall Street Journal: Putin Wanted AI Supremacy. Now Russia Is Struggling to Stay in the Race. Washington Post: In Russia talks, NATO allies fear Trump is doing his 'own thing Breaking Defense: Navy's Caudle: F/A-XX Fighter Decision Needs to Come 'Quickly' The Aviationist: Boeing Marks Final Delivery of Converted QF-16 Target Drone to USAF Washington Post: German armsmaker wins big from Trump's NATO spending demands Defense One: Army Stands Up Western Hemisphere Command as New Strategies Highlight Domestic Operations DefenseScoop: New US National Security Strategy Reveals Trump Administration's Latest Stance on Taiwan Wall Street Journal: See How a Chinese Invasion of Taiwan Could Unfold Air & Space Forces Magazine: Golden Dome Details Begin to Emerge Wall Street Journal: Alarm Over Hypersonic Missile Gap Fuels Startup Boom Breaking Defense: No Decision Made on Second Round of Reconciliation for Defense: OMB Director Air & Space Forces Magazine: AETC Gets Its Hands on 1st Production T-7 Trainer Air & Space Forces Magazine: New STRATCOM Boss Stresses Deterrence in 'Tech-Saturated' World Air & Space Forces Magazine: SDA Back on Track to Award Satellite Contracts After Funds Went to Troop Shutdown Pay Washington Post: National Guardsman shot in D.C. 'slowly healing,' West Virginia governor says CSIS: The National Security Strategy: The Good, the Not So Great, and the Alarm Bells 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 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: n "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. 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
| | | | "The war department will not be distracted by democracy building, interventionism, undefined wars, regime change, climate change, woke moralizing and feckless nation building." | | War Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking at the Reagan Defense Forum Saturday, elucidating the "Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine." |
|
| | 
Megyn Kelly -> Pete Hegseth responds to 2017 rape accusation. 🔥 vol. 3, issue 13 | December 6, 2024 Quick Hits All the news you need in...
No comments: