| 'NOT A SO-CALLED REGIME-CHANGE WAR': In President Donald Trump's first two video addresses after the start of Operation Epic Fury, he promised the Iranian people that the goal was nothing short of liberating them from a vicious regime. "I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand," Trump said Saturday. "When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations." "Seize this moment to be brave, be bold, be heroic, and take back your country. America is with you. I made a promise to you, and I fulfilled that promise," Trump said Sunday. "The rest will be up to you, but we'll be there to help." By Monday, "regime change" was dropped from the talking points. "This is not a so-called regime-change war, but the regime sure did change, and the world is better off for it," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a rare Pentagon briefing along with Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine. "The mission of Operation Epic Fury is laser-focused," Hegseth said. "Destroy Iranian offensive missiles, destroy Iranian missile production, destroy their navy and other security infrastructure and they will never have nuclear weapons." "To the media outlets and political left screaming "endless wars," stop. This is not Iraq. This is not endless," Hegseth said. When NBC's Courtney Kube asked about President Trump's suggestion the war could last four weeks, Hegseth blew her off with sneering "Please." "It's the typical — typical NBC sort of got-you type question," he snarled. When another asked about the danger of the campaign spiraling into a longer war, he was combative and dismissive. "Did you not hear my remarks? I mean, we're ensuring the mission gets accomplished, but we are very clear-eyed." "We have plans; we have generals; we have chairmans; we have commanders — CENTCOM commanders; Admiral Cooper, who's executing very deliberately to ensure outcomes that I laid out are accomplished," he said. "But we would never, in front of a press pool, lay out how long that may take." HEGSETH DISPUTES IRAQ WAR COMPARISONS, ARGUING IRAN OPERATION EPIC FURY ISN'T ABOUT REGIME CHANGE WHAT'S THE CASUS BELLI? Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed congressional leaders yesterday, and he's scheduled to be back on the Hill today for separate briefings for the full Senate at 3:30 p.m. and the full House at 5 p.m. Rubio is expected to be accompanied by Hegseth, Caine, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe. Rubio told reporters he doesn't understand why anyone is confused about the reason President Trump broke off talks with Iran and went to war in partnership with Israel. It wasn't about an imminent threat of nuclear weapons, or long-range ballistic missiles. No, he said it was because Tehran was locked and loaded to attack U.S. troops in the region. "Tt was abundantly clear that if Iran came under attack by anyone, the United States or Israel or anyone, they were going to respond and respond against the United States. The orders had been delegated down to the field commanders. It was automatic," Rubio said. "We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action, we knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn't preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties and perhaps even higher those killed, and then we would all be here answering questions about why we knew that and didn't act." In an appearance on Jesse Watters's Fox program, Vice President J.D. Vance seemed to concede that Iran's nuclear weapons program was not an imminent threat. "What the president determined is he didn't want to just keep the … country safe from an Iranian nuclear weapon for the first three, four years of his second term. He wanted to make sure that Iran could never have a nuclear weapon, Vance said. "I think the president was looking for the long haul. He was looking for Iran to make a significant long-term commitment. Later on Fox, Trump's chief negotiator Steve Witkoff said talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi broke down over the arrogance of the Iranian negotiators, insisting they had the inalienable right to enrich all the nuclear fuel that they possessed. "We, of course, responded that the president feels we have the inalienable right to stop you dead in your tracks," Witkoff told Fox's Sean Hannity. "In that first meeting, both the Iranian negotiators said to us directly with, you know, no shame, that they controlled 460 kilograms of 60 percent and they're aware that that could make 11 nuclear bombs and that was the beginning of their negotiating stance. They were — they were proud of it. They were proud that they had evaded all sorts of oversight protocols to get to a place where they could deliver 11 nuclear bombs." In a post on X, Araghchi said Rubio's remarks confirmed its suspicions that Israel sabatofed the nuclera talks just as they were making progress. "Mr. Rubio admitted what we all knew: U.S. has entered a war of choice on behalf of Israel. There was never any so-called Iranian 'threat.' Shedding of both American and Iranian blood is thus on Israel Firsters." NETANYAHU DISMISSES CLAIM ISRAEL DRAGGED US INTO WAR WITH IRAN, PREDICTS 'ERA OF PEACE' TRUMP: 'WE'RE KNOCKING THE CRAP OUT OF THEM': Instead of his usual media interactions with groups of reporters, Trump has been taking a one-on-one approach conducting short phone interviews with individual journalists. "We're knocking the crap out of them," Trump told CNN's Jake Tapper. "I think it's going very well. It's very powerful. We've got the greatest military in the world and we're using it." But he said Iran has yet to feel the full force of America's military might. We haven't even started hitting them hard. The big wave hasn't even happened." "The big one is coming," Trump told the New York Post, in a phone where he did noy rule out ground troops at some point. "I don't have the yips with respect to boots on the ground — like every president says, 'There will be no boots on the ground.' I don't say it," Trump said. "I say, 'Probably don't need them,' [or] 'if they were necessary.'" "We don't know who the leadership is. We don't know who they'll pick. Maybe they'll get lucky and get someone who knows what they're doing." TRUMP CLAIMS IRAN OPERATION 'AHEAD OF SCHEDULE' AS US SINKS 10 SHIPS 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 HAPPENING TODAY: The Pentagon's policy chief Elbridge Colby is scheduled to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee at 9:30 a.m. to provide an update on the National Defense Strategy. Colby is the chief author of the document, which, when released last month, noted that "Iran's regime is weaker and more vulnerable than it has been in decades," while it also has "the blood of Americans on its hands" and "remains intent on destroying our close ally Israel." Colby will no doubt be asked as the document's description of the "Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine," which says the U.S. will focus on the Western Hemisphere, instead of sending "America's brave sons and daughters to fight war after rudderless war to topple regimes and nation-build halfway around the world, in doing so eroding our military's readiness and delaying modernization." And Colby will likely be quizzed how the high usage rate of U.S. missiles and other munitions in the Iran war will impact the ability of the U.S. military to deter China in the Indo-Pacific region. TRUMP: MUNITION STOCKS 'NOT WHERE WE WANT TO BE': Amid reports that Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine warned President Trump that an extended campaign would run the risk of exhausting America's stockpile of air defense missiles for Patriot and THAAD launchers, Trump took to Truth Social to tamp down the speculation. "The United States Munitions Stockpiles have, at the medium and upper medium grade, never been higher or better – As was stated to me today, we have a virtually unlimited supply of these weapons," Trump said in his post just before midnight last night. "Wars can be fought 'forever,' and very successfully, using just these supplies." But in the next breath, Trump admitted there is a shortage of "high end" missiles, which include the interceptors used to shoot down ballistic missiles. "At the highest end, we have a good supply, but are not where we want to be," he said, blaming "Sleepy Joe Biden" who said "spent all of his time, and our Country's money, GIVING everything to P.T. Barnum (Zelenskyy!) of Ukraine." "While he gave so much of the super high-end away (FREE!), he didn't bother to replace it," Trump complained, but said thanks to him, there really isn't a problem. "Fortunately, I rebuilt the military in my first term, and continue to do so. The United States is stocked, and ready to WIN, BIG!!!" ZELENSKY: 'WE NEED DIFFERENT WEAPONS': While Trump can't seem to resist dinging Volodymyr Zelensky whenever he's frustrated, the Ukrainian president is offering to help defend Gulf states from Iran's large inventory of Shahed drones, something that Ukraine is expert at. All he wants in return is a ceasefire that lasts at least a month, he told Bloomberg News in a phone interview. "I would suggest the following: leaders of the Middle East have great relations with Russians," Zelenskiy told Bloomberg "They can ask Russians to implement a month-long ceasefire." In return, Zelensky offered to send his best operators of drone interceptors to the Middle East countries, who are under assault from Iran's Shahed drones and also in danger of running out of air defense missiles. In public remarks yesterday, Zelensky warned that most countries are not prepared to defend against the cheap one-way drones that Iran and Russia can turn out by the hundreds. "Yes, Middle Eastern countries are wealthy, they have stockpiles, they have a lot, but eventually it all runs out. And how many PAC-3 anti-ballistic missiles are produced worldwide? Fifty to sixty per month are produced in the United States, the largest primary manufacturer of these missiles." And Zelensky warned drone technology is evolving at an exponential rate. "We need different weapons, we need to know how aviation fights drones, the experience that Ukrainians have. We need mobile fire groups, interceptor drones, the right systems and systems, what we have —we change systems every six months." So far 695 drones have been intercepted in the Iran war.
US EMBASSY IN SAUDI ARABIA HIT BY SUSPECTED IRANIAN DRONES THE RUNDOWN: Washington Examiner: Hegseth disputes Iraq War comparisons, arguing Iran Operation Epic Fury isn't about regime change Washington Examiner: US troop death toll in Middle East up to six Washington Examiner: Trump claims Iran operation 'ahead of schedule' as US sinks 10 ships Washington Examiner: US Embassy in Saudi Arabia hit by suspected Iranian drones Washington Examiner: US decimates Iranian base in Strait of Hormuz as IRGC says shipping lane closed Washington Examiner: Trump says Iran missiles could soon have reached US and snubs press questions on conflict Washington Examiner: Who is running Iran now? Washington Examiner: Democrats seize on anti-war fervor to ding Trump on Iran Washington Examiner: Who has been killed so far during US-Israel mission in Iran? Washington Examiner: How the Iran conflict was launched: 'Operation Epic Fury is approved. No aborts. Good luck' Washington Examiner: Melania Trump gives candid, heartfelt message to families of soldiers killed in Iran operation Washington Examiner: Starmer fires back at Trump over Iran 'unlawful action' Washington Examiner: Macron goes nuclear with increases to French warhead arsenal Washington Examiner: Iran conflict threatens to raise gas prices Washington Examiner: Penetrated, isolated, and decimated, Iran's evil regime is in tatters Washington Examiner: Tim Carney Opinion: 'No controlling legal authority' goes to war Washington Examiner: Tim Rogan Opinion: Keir Starmer smites the special relationship on Iran Washington Post: Israel strikes Iran, Lebanon as war spreads through Middle East AP: US Embassy in Riyadh urges Americans to avoid diplomatic post after Iranian drone attack CNN: No Warning, No Siren: Six US Service Members Killed in Iranian Strike That Hit Makeshift Operations Center in Kuwait CNN: Trump tells CNN the 'big wave' is yet to come in war with Iran New York Post: Trump says US strikes on Iran are about to kick into even higher gear: 'The big one is coming' Wall Street Journal: Gulf States in Race Against Time to Repel Iran's Onslaught AP: Iranian drones buzz across the Persian Gulf after their pivotal use by Russia in Ukraine Jerusalem Post: Qatar Shoots Down Two Iranian Su-24 Fighter Jets over Airspace as Gulf States Suffer Iran Strikes The War Zone: Iran's Key Naval Base on Strait of Hormuz Set Ablaze from Strikes The Telegraph: Trump – I'm 'very disappointed' in Starmer over Iran Bloomberg: Medal of Honor Pilot Took Four Armor-Piercing Rounds in Maduro Raid The Atlantic: Eliot Cohen: America's Invaluable Ally Air & Space Forces Magazine: 'Hardest Hits Are Yet to Come': B-1s Bomb Iran as Fighters Keep Flowing into Theater Breaking Defense: Macron Calls to Increase French Nuclear Arsenal, Team with Germany and Others on 'Deterrent' Air & Space Forces Magazine: Three US F-15Es Shot Down by Kuwaiti Friendly Fire; Crews Safe Air & Space Forces Magazine: US Space Command Among 'First Movers' in Strikes Against Iran Breaking Defense: How US Cyber Operators Could Take on Iran in Cyberspace as Epic Fury Plays Out Defense One: Intelligence Firms Watch for Uptick in Iran Cyber Activity After US, Israel Strikes The New York Times: The Pentagon's Favorite Tech Guy Is This Hawaiian Shirt-Wearing Founder Air & Space Forces Magazine: Iran War Boosts Defense Stocks, at Least for Now Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Updates Scoring Charts for New Fitness Test THE CALENDAR: TUESDAY | MARCH 3 8 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute discussion: "Securing Venezuela's Freedom after Maduro," with Leopoldo Lopez, Venezuelan opposition leader https://www.hudson.org/events/securing-venezuelas-freedom-after-maduro 9 a.m. 226 Dirksen — Senate Judiciary Committee hearing: "Oversight of the Homeland Security Department," with testimony from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem http://judiciary.senate.gov 9:30 a.m. 216 Hart — Senate Armed Services Committee hearing: "Update on the National Defense Strategy," with testimony from Elbridge Colby, undersecretary of defense for policy http://www.armed-services.senate.gov 9:30 a.m. — Henry L. Stimson Center virtual discussion: "North Korea's Ninth Party Congress: Domestic and Global Implications," with former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation Vann Van Diepen; Michael Madden, founder of North Korea Leadership Watch and nonresident fellow, Stimson Center 38 North Program; Rachel Minyoung Lee, senior fellow, Stimson Center's 38 North Program; and Jenny Town, director, Stimson Center's 38 North Program https://www.stimson.org/event/north-koreas-ninth-party-congress 12 p.m. — Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft virtual book discussion: Israel, Palestine, U.S. complicity, and the March to War with Iran, with author Robert Malley, lecturer and senior fellow, Yale Jackson School; Khaled Elgindy, senior fellow, Quincy Institute Middle East Program; and Trita Parsi, co-founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute https://quincyinst.org/events/book-talk 2 p.m. — Brookings Institution virtual discussion: "War in Iran: What Happens Next?" with Mara Karlin, visiting fellow, Brookings Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology; Philip Gordon, scholar at the Brookings Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology; Jeffrey Feltman, visiting fellow, Brookings Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology; and Suzanne Maloney, Brookings vice president https://www.brookings.edu/events/us-iran-tensions-what-happens-next/ 6 p.m. 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center and the Sheridan Libraries and University Museums discussion: "How Are Marine Robots Shaping Our Future?," with James Bellingham, executive director, Johns Hopkins Institute for Assured Autonomy; and Neil Greenfieldboyce, science correspondent for NPR https://hub.jhu.edu/events/2026/03/03/ WEDNESDAY | MARCH 4 10 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Committee hearing: "Speed to Scale: Revitalizing the Defense Industrial Base," with testimony from Michael Duffey, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment https://armedservices.house.gov/calendar/ 10 a.m. 2141 Rayburn — House Judiciary Committee hearing: "Oversight of the Department of Homeland Security." http://judiciary.house.gov 10 a.m. 2154 Rayburn — House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing: "Oversight of Fraud and Misuse of Federal Funds in Minnesota: Part II," with testimony from Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) http://oversight.house.gov 10 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute discussion: "A Strategic Response to Sino-Russian Cooperation: Perspectives from Europe and the Indo-Pacific," with Nishank Motwani, Australian Strategic Policy Institute strategic fellow; Justyna Szczudlik, deputy head of research at the Polish Institute of International Affairs; and Patrick Cronin, Hudson Institute Asia-Pacific security chair https://www.hudson.org/events/strategic-response-sino-russian-cooperation 10:30 a.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE — Heritage Foundation discussion: "Restoring Peace Through Strength: The 2026 Index of U.S. Military Strength," Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN), Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX); Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-NC) Robert Greenway, director, Heritage Center for National Security; Dan Green, research fellow, Heritage Center for National Security; and Victoria Coates, vice president of the Heritage Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute https://www.heritage.org/defense/event/restoring-peace-through-strength 12 p.m. — New America virtual discussion: "When Nuclear Danger Becomes Background Noise," with W.J. Hennigan, New York Times reporter; and Amy Nelson, director, New America Future Security Scenarios Lab https://www.newamerica.org/future-security/events 12 p.m. — Foundation for Defense of Democracies virtual discussion: "Surveying Foreign Influence in AI Tools," with retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, senior director, FDD Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation; Joseph Bodnar, FDD senior research manager at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue; Jamil Jaffer, founder and executive director of George Mason University's National Security Institute; and Leah Siskind, FDD's director of impact https://www.fdd.org/events/2026/03/04/surveying-foreign-influence-in-ai-tools/ 2:30 p.m. 216 Hart — Senate Armed Services Readiness and Management Support Subcommittee hearing: "The Current Readiness of the Joint Force," with testimony from Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Christopher LaNeve; Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James Kilby; Assistant Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Bradford Gering; Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. John Lamontagne; Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. Shawn N. Bratton; and Diana Maurer, director of defense capabilities and management at the Government Accountability Office http://www.armed-services.senate.gov 2:30 p.m. 2247 Russell — Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe hearing: "Responding to China's Infiltration and Coercion in Europe," with Vidmantas Verbickas, Lithuanian vice minister of foreign affairs; Audrye Wong, nonresident senior fellow, American Enterprise Institute; and Valbona Zenell, nonresident senior fellow, Atlantic Council 3:30 p.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee hearing: "Energy, Installations, and Environment Update," with testimony from Dale Marks, assistant secretary of defense for energy, installations, and environment; Jordan Gillis, assistant secretary of the Army for installations, energy, and environment; Brendan Rogers, assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, installations, and environment; and Michael Borders, assistant secretary of the Air Force for energy, installations, and environment http://www.armedservices.house.gov 5 p.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute discussion: "Securing America's Critical Mineral Supply Chain," with Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) https://www.hudson.org/events/securing-americas-critical-mineral-supply-chain THURSDAY | MARCH 5 10 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Committee hearing: "U.S. Defense Strategy and Posture and the National Defense Strategy," with testimony from Elbridge Colby, undersecretary of defense for policy https://armedservices.house.gov/calendar10 a.m. 2172 Rayburn — House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing: "Advancing National Security through Public Diplomacy," with testimony from Sarah Rogers, undersecretary of state for public diplomacy http://foreignaffairs.house.gov | | | | "I got him before he got me …They tried twice. Well, I got him first." President Donald Trump, speaking to ABC News Sunday night, referring to the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the reported Iranian plot to assassinate Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign. | | President Donald Trump, speaking to ABC News Sunday night, referring to the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the reported Iranian plot to assassinate Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign. |
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