| TRUMP: 'WE'VE ALREADY WON … BUT WE HAVEN'T WON ENOUGH': When it comes to describing where we are on the 11th day of Operation Epic Fury, President Donald Trump is all over the map. Is it "very complete, pretty much" as he told CBS News in a phone interview yesterday afternoon? Or is it "only just the beginning," as War Secretary Pete Hegseth told CBS's 60 Minutes over the weekend? Is the war a "short-term excursion," that will be ending soon, as he told Republicans at an issues conference in Miami, or are we "going to go further," as he told reporters later at a news conference? "We've already won in many ways, but we haven't won enough. We go forward more determined than ever to achieve ultimate victory that will end this long-running danger once and for all," Trump told Republicans at their annual retreat. "Forty-seven years. It should have been done a long time ago. The world would have been a different place had some president had the courage to go and do it." Asked later at his news conference about the mixed message that the war was both winding down and just getting started, Trump said, "I think you can say it both … It's the beginning of building a new country." "We could call it a tremendous success right now as we leave here, I could call it, or we could go further," Trump said. "And we're going to go further." TRUMP SAYS IRAN CONFLICT IS 'GOING TO BE A SHORT TERM EXCURSION' STRAIT TALK: 'DEATH, FIRE, AND FURY WILL RAIN UPON THEM': Even as global oil prices came back down to the $80-a-barrel range from the spike over $115, and the U.S. stock market recovered some of its recent losses, Trump is clearly worried about Iran's intentions in the vital Strait of Hormuz, where an estimated 20% of the world's oil flows. "I want to keep it open. I want to keep it good," Trump told reporters, but said closure of the Strait, "doesn't pertain to us so much as it does to China," and his threats against Iran are really just a favor for China. "We're really helping China here and other countries because they get a lot of their energy from the Straits. But, hey, look, we have a good relationship with China. It's my honor to do it." In a post on Truth Social last night, Trump repeated the claim that keeping the Strait open was "a gift from the United States of America to China, and all of those Nations that heavily use the Hormuz Strait," but at the same time, he adopted a much more bellicose tone. "If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far," Trump said. "Additionally, we will take out easily destroyable targets that will make it virtually impossible for Iran to ever be built back, as a Nation, again — Death, Fire, and Fury will rain upon them — But I hope, and pray, that it does not happen!" TRUMP VOWS TO HIT IRAN 'TWENTY TIMES HARDER' IF IT STOPS FLOW OF OIL IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ RUBIO REDEFINES THE GOAL ONCE AGAIN: At a State Department flag-raising ceremony for U.S. hostages and wrongful detainees around the world, Secretary of State Marco Rubio branded Iran, "the world's leading hostage-taker, the world's leading sponsor of terrorism." "I think we are all seeing right now the threat that this clerical regime poses to the region and to the world. They are trying to hold the world hostage. They are attacking their neighbors. They are attacking neighboring countries, their energy infrastructure, their civilian population. They're attacking embassies. This is a terrorist government. This is a terroristic regime," Rubio said. At the same time, Rubio gave a very narrow, and specific goal of the military campaign, not mentioning regime change, or freedom for the Iranian people, or even Iran's nuclear ambitions. "The goals of this mission are clear, and it's important to continue to remind the American people of why it is that the greatest military in the history of the world is engaged in this operation," Rubio said. "It is to destroy the ability of this regime to launch missiles, both by destroying their missiles and their launchers; destroy the factories that make these missiles; and destroy their navy." ISRAELI MILITARY SAYS 1,900 IRANIAN SOLDIERS AND COMMANDERS KILLED BY STRIKES ALONE 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 take a one-week spring break hiatus beginning Monday, March 30. We will return Monday, April 6. HAPPENING TODAY: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Air Force Gen. Dan Caine seem to be making morning briefings on the war a regular thing. Hegseth and Caine will take reporters' questions at 8 a.m. in the Pentagon briefing room. The briefing will be livestreamed at the Pentagon's website https://www.war.gov/News/Live-Events/ Later this morning, the Senate Armed Services Committee is scheduled to receive a classified, closed-door briefing on the progress of Operation Epic Fury, though it's unclear who will conduct the briefing. Meanwhile, a group of Democratic senators are threatening to wage a procedural battle to bring business to a halt until Rubio and Hegseth agree to public hearings on the war. "We have collectively agreed that we're going to use the levers that we have," Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) told The Hill last night. "We should be having hearings on the biggest military engagement since the war in Afghanistan." "Pete Hegseth and Marco Rubio must immediately come before Congress for a public hearing and explain why we're in this war, how it will end, and why they are prioritizing billions of dollars on an open-ended war instead of lowering costs for American families," the senators said in a joint statement. The group includes Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT), Adam Schiff (D-CA) Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). ISRAELI MILITARY SAYS 1,900 IRANIAN SOLDIERS AND COMMANDERS KILLED BY STRIKES ALONE NO, IRAN DOESN'T HAVE TOMAHAWKS: One of the things Hegseth and Caine may have to clean up in this morning's briefing is the growing evidence that a U.S Tomahawk missile hit a girls' school in Iran, and President Trump's comment in his news conference that Iran has Tomahawks, too. Trump did not repeat his accusation that he believes Iran was responsible for the strike on the first days of the war, saying "that's being investigated right now," but he deflected blame by insisting Tomahawk missiles are "generic" weapons that are widely available. "I will say that the Tomahawk, which is one of the most powerful weapons around, is used by — is sold and used by other countries. You know that," Trump told reporters. "And whether it's Iran, who also has some Tomahawks — they wish they had more. But whether it's Iran or somebody else, the fact that it's Tomahawk, a Tomahawk is very generic. It's sold to other countries." Uh, no. Iran has no known stocks of Tomahawk missiles, and the sale of them to U.S. allies is tightly controlled. The New York Times reported that only Australia and the U.K. currently have the American-made cruise missile. The Times also reported this morning that missile fragments purportedly from a U.S. Tomahawk missile were posted to Telegram by Iran's state broadcaster with the claim that they came from the bombed-out school site. "Initially, I thought it was probably Iranian missile that was aimed at our aircraft that hit a target and accidentally hit the school. But as we look at more of this evidence, it is possible it's a United States," Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) said on CNN. "So, here's the bottom line: Let's investigate it, let's be honest, let's be transparent." "One time, you know, our targeters identified a Chinese Embassy as belonging to the Serbian government. We bombed it. Things happen in war," Bacon said. "I know it wasn't intentional, but transparency is best in this situation." TRUMP SUGGESTS IRANIAN TOMAHAWK MISSILE KILLED 175 PEOPLE IN SCHOOL STRIKE TARGET ON HIS BACK: Israel has made no secret that it considers Iran's new leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, no better than his father, the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. So will Israel take him out, too? "You'll have to wait and see," Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar told CNN's Bianna Golodryga yesterday. "But it is clear that he continues the very extremist and mad policies of his father. He's a hard-liner. He is anti-American. He's anti-Western. Frankly, with these people, you cannot do anything serious if you want to solve conflict." Trump was asked if the son now has a "target on his back." The president replied, "Well, I don't want to say whether or not he does, because that would be inappropriate." "But, hey, look, I had a target on my back because, as you people wrote pretty well, they caught the assassin that was after me. So we just got them first," Trump said. "But I was disappointed because we think it's going to lead to just more of the same problem for the country." CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER THE RUNDOWN: Washington Examiner: Trump vows to hit Iran 'twenty times harder' if it stops flow of oil in Strait of Hormuz Washington Examiner: Trump says Iran conflict is 'going to be a short term excursion' Washington Examiner: Trump suggests Iranian Tomahawk missile killed 175 people in school strike Washington Examiner: Trump says Iran was trying to build a new nuclear site 'protected by granite' Washington Examiner: Israeli military says 1,900 Iranian soldiers and commanders killed by strikes alone Washington Examiner: Anthropic sues Trump administration over national security risk label Washington Examiner: Failson or fanatic? A closer look at Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's new supreme leader Washington Examiner: Rubio warns US will no longer tolerate 'hostage diplomacy' and claims Iranian military is 'being eviscerated' Washington Examiner: NYC bombing suspects charged with supporting terrorism after pledging allegiance to ISIS in custody Washington Examiner: British lawmaker wants King Charles to cancel trip to US over Iran war Washington Examiner: Oil prices drop significantly to end Monday after dramatic 24-hour fluctuation Washington Examiner: Rubio designates Afghanistan state sponsor of wrongful detention over US detainments Washington Examiner: Tom Rogan Opinion: European defense neglect underlined by abysmal Iran war response Washington Post: Early Iran Strikes Cost $5.6 Billion in Munitions, Pentagon Estimates Wall Street Journal: US and Israeli Military Campaign Tests Limits of Air Power AP: Iran fires drones toward Saudi Arabia and Kuwait New York Times: Fragments of U.S.-Made Missile Seen in Photos Taken by Iran Near Deadly School Strike AP: Trump and Putin discuss Iran war during phone call, Kremlin says AP: Prewar US intel assessment found intervention in Iran wasn't likely to change leadership AP: New footage raises likelihood the US struck an Iranian school where a blast killed at least 165 Kyiv Independent: 'I don't remember prices rising this fast' — Soaring oil prices strain Ukraine's war economy Air & Space Forces Magazine: B-1s and B-52s Pour into Europe for 'More Bomber Pulses' over Iran USNI News: French Navy Pledges 10 Additional Warships to Middle East, Escorts for Strait of Hormuz Defense One: Meet the Startups Trying to Build Military-Specific AI DefenseScoop: British Company Tops Leaderboard for Pentagon's Drone Dominance Program Defense News: NATO to Study What-If Scenarios That Could Cause Arctic Conflict with Russia Air & Space Forces Magazine: Wilsbach's Message to the Force on Iran: 'We Need You Ready' Task & Purpose: Air National Guard General Says Iran Operation Demonstrates 'Wartime Readiness' Air & Space Forces Magazine: CCA's AI Pilots Step into the Spotlight Breaking Defense: Europe Leads Global Arms Imports Market as Demand Surges: SIPRI Report Colorado Springs Gazette: Trump Appoints Erika Kirk to Air Force Academy Board AP: Former teacher praises Kentucky soldier killed in Iran war Air & Space Forces Magazine: Opinion: Air Superiority Is More Than Denial THE CALENDAR: TUESDAY | MARCH 10 9 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute discussion: "U.S.-Japan Cooperation on Naval Maintenance, Commercial Shipbuilding, and Shipping," with Akira Fukaishi, director for offshore and maritime at the Japan External Trade Organization; Diana Maurer, director for defense capabilities and management at the Government Accountability Office; Michael Roberts, senior fellow, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology; Kyoko Imai, associate director at the Indo-Pacific Security Initiative and Atlantic Council Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security; and William Chou, senior fellow and deputy director, Hudson Institute and Japan chair at the Hudson Institute https://www.hudson.org/events/us-japan-cooperation-naval-maintenance 3:40 pm — Center for a New American Security virtual discussion: "The Pentagon and Silicon Valley: The Future of AI in National Defense," with retired Air Force Lt. Gen. John Shanahan, adjunct senior fellow, CNAS Technology and National Security Program; Paul Scharre, CNAS executive vice president; and Vivek Chilukuri, director, CNAS Technology and National Security Program https://www.cnas.org/events/the-pentagon-and-silicon-valley 5:30 p.m. 37th and O Sts NW — Georgetown University Center for Jewish Civilization Andrew Siegal Memorial Lecture: "The U.S.-Israeli Strategic Relationship at a Crossroads," with Chuck Freilich, political science professor at Tel Aviv University, former Israel deputy national security adviser and former senior fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center https://events.georgetown.edu/event 6 p.m. Cambridge, Mass.— Harvard University Institute of Politics virtual discussion: "At War with Iran: Trump's Doctrine and What Comes Next in the Middle East," with former Deputy U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus, former special envoy to Lebanon; Bahar Moradi, president of the Harvard Undergraduate Iranian Association; and former Deputy to the United States Representative to the United Nations Ned Price, interim co-director of the Harvard University Institute of Politics and former spokesperson for the State Department https://www.youtube.com/@HarvardIOP/streams WEDNESDAY | MARCH 11 9:30 a.m — Henry L. Stimson Center virtual discussion: "The Re-Making of International Security: Arms Transfer Trends in a Changing Global Order," with Siemon Wezeman, senior researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Arms Transfers Programme; Annie Shiel, director for U.S. advocacy at the Center for Civilians in Conflict; Elias Yousif, fellow and deputy director at the Stimson Center Conventional Defense Program; and Rachel Stohl, senior vice president of research programs at the Stimson Center and director, Stimson Center Conventional Defense Program https://www.stimson.org/event/the-re-making-of-international-security-arms-transfer 8 p.m. — Jews United for Democracy and Justice virtual discussion: "What is the Endgame? U.S. Policy and the Future of Venezuela and Beyond," with former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta; and Larry Mantle, host of AirTalk with Larry Mantle https://www.jewsunitedfordemocracy.org/blog/event/march-11 12 p.m. 2043 Rayburn — Defense Forum Foundation and Free North Korea Radio Congressional Defense and Foreign Policy Lunch Forum: "Envisioning North Korea's Future: Women Leading the Way," with Oh Hye Seon, author, The Pyongyang Lady from London; Jung Ah, author, The Journey to South Korea; and Kim Ji Young, president of Free North Korea Radio [email protected] 2 p.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute book discussion: Mobilize: How to Reboot the American Industrial Base and Stop World War III" with author Shyam Sankar, Palantir chief technology officer https://www.hudson.org/events/mobilize-how-reboot-american-industrial-base-stop-world-war-iii THURSDAY | MARCH 12 8:30 a.m. 850 16th St. NW — Reagan Institute Center for Peace Through Strength National Security Innovation Base Summit, with Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN); Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ); retired Adm. Christopher Grady, former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Navy CTO Justin Fanelli; Rep. John McGuire (R-VA); Rep. Sarah Elfreth (D-MD); former Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX); Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA), former Defense Innovation Unit Director Mike Brown; Defense Undersecretary for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael Duffey; Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA); Sen. Todd Young (R-IN); former Army Secretary Eric Fanning; and Former Defense Undersecretary for Policy Sasha Baker, head of national security policy at OpenAI; Assistant Defense Secretary for Industrial Base Policy Michael Cadenazzi; Assistant Army Secretary for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology Brent Ingraham; Rep. Eugene Vindman, (D-VA).; and NATO Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation Adm. Pierre Vandier, https://www.reaganfoundation.org/events/2026-national-security-innovation-base-summit 5 p.m. 1521 16th St. NW — Institute of World Politics discussion: "Private Military Contractors: Understanding the Non-State Actors Changing the Institution of War," with Caroline Batka, senior military analyst at Comenius University https://www.iwp.edu/private-military-contractors-understanding-the-non-state-actors-changing-the-institution-of-war/ 6:30 a.m. 2425 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Va. — Association of the U.S. Army "Coffee Series," with Brent Ingraham, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology https://www.ausa.org/events/coffee-series/ingraham FRIDAY | MARCH 13 10 a.m. — National Institute for Deterrence Studies virtual seminar: "Toward a New Strategic Approach to U.S. Extended Nuclear Deterrence," with Paige Gasser, senior fellow at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Center for Global Security Research https://thinkdeterrence.com/events/toward-a-new-strategic-approach 10:30 a.m. — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies virtual discussion: "Protecting and defending our interests in space," with Lt. Gen. Dennis Bythewood, commander, U.S. Space Forces – Space and commander, U.S. Space Command Combined Joint Force Space Component; and Charles Galbreath, director and senior resident fellow for spacepower studies at the Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence https://www.mitchellaerospacepower.org/events/lt-gen-dennis-o-bythewood/ MONDAY | MARCH 16 2 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: "A Conversation with Ambassador Kevin Rudd," with CSIS President and CEO John Hamre, and Charles Edel, CSIS senior adviser and Australia chair https://www.csis.org/events/conversation-ambassador-kevin-rudd
| | | | "The killing of school children is appalling and unacceptable under any circumstance. This incident is particularly concerning in light of Secretary Hegseth's openly cavalier approach to the use of force, including his statement that U.S. strikes in Iran wouldn't be bound by 'stupid rules of engagement,' in his words. American servicemembers are governed by strict regulations that are intended to promote the utmost professionalism, so this incident and any like it must be fully and impartially reviewed." | | Joint statement by five Democratic senators on the missile strike that killed 175 people at an Iranian elementary school for girls |
|
| | 
Comments
Post a Comment