| TRUMP: 'GUANTANAMO … THAT’S A TOUGH PLACE TO GET OUT OF': When President Donald Trump announced yesterday, at the signing of the Laken Riley Act, that he was ordering the Pentagon to prepare an existing migrant facility at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to receive up to 30,000 of "the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people," he made it sound like they would be held there indefinitely. "Some of them are so bad we don’t even trust the countries to hold them, because we don’t want them coming back. So we’re going to send them out to Guantanamo," Trump said. "That’s a tough place to get out of." Trump's executive order signed later also referred to the need to expand the Migrant Operations Center to full capacity to "provide additional detention space for high-priority criminal aliens." However, in an interview last night on Fox News, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the migrant processing facility — which is separate from the prison camp for terror suspects — would only be a way station as deportees are sent back to their home countries. "We don’t want illegal criminals in the United States, not a minute longer than they have to be. Move them off to Guantanamo Bay, where they can be safely maintained until they are deported to their final location, their country of origin, where they are headed," Hegseth told Sean Hannity. "Guantanamo has long been a place for migrants," Hegseth noted. "In fact, in the 1990s, tens of thousands of Haitian and Cuban migrants were staged there as part of a crisis. We have an even bigger crisis on our hands right now." TRUMP SAYS HE'LL USE GUANTANAMO BAY TO DETAIN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS 'THIS IS NOT THE CAMPS': In an earlier appearance on Fox News, Hegseth drew on his experience from his first National Guard deployment to Guantanamo to paint a picture of how the Naval Base would be used to "humanely move illegals out of our country, where they do not belong, back to the countries where they came from." "Guantanamo Bay is a perfect place. I served there from 2004 to 2005," Hegseth told host Will Cain. "Americans think of Gitmo as the images you see on your screen, right, the detention facilities with folks from the Taliban and al Qaeda. Those are the people I guarded in Camp 5 and Camp X-Ray. That’s one part of Guantanamo Bay." "That’s one part of Guantanamo Bay. The other part of Guantanamo Bay, Will, is a naval station where it has long been, for decades, a mission of that naval station to provide for migrants and refugees and resettlement. So, this is not the camps," Hegseth said, insisting Gitmo would be a "safe location" for processing paperwork before people were sent to their home country. He said Guantanamo was "built for" this kind of mission and has plenty of space to expand. "One of them is the golf course on the Naval station, which can be expanded to provide an additional 6,000 places where migrants or illegals could go." HEGSETH ON MILLEY: 'ACCOUNTABILITY IS BACK': Normally, when a senior officer — or any member of the military for that matter — is under investigation for wrongdoing, superiors are barred by the Uniform Code of Military Justice from making any statements about the guilt that could indicate how they think the case should come out. It's a legal concept known as "unlawful command influence," which bars any person bearing “the mantle of command authority” from pressuring or even appearing to pressure or prejudge the outcome of military judicial proceedings. But in the case of retired Gen. Mark Milley, who was given a full, unconditional pardon by President Joe Biden and is therefore not subject to recall to active duty for the purposes of a court-martial, Hegseth appears free to opine on his guilt, as he pursues administrative action to strip Milley of a star and dock his pension. Three and four-star officers require Senate approval for retirement at those ranks. Otherwise, they must retire at the last rank they honorably served. "Mark Milley got a pardon. That’s something President Biden was in his purview to do, just like in our purview at the Defense Department, we have the opportunity to review things he may have done inside the chain of command while President Trump was president that undermined those authorities," Hegseth told Cain. "There will be a review of the rank he will retain upon retirement, and he will have that process." "This is a demonstration that, inside President Trump’s Defense Department, we’re going to hold not just junior levels, the mid-level, the highest levels possible accountable for actions," Hegseth said. "And that’s the signal this is meant to send."Former Defense Secretary and Army Chief of Staff Mark Esper has publicly defended Milley, insisting he did nothing to undermine the president's authority and, in at least one case, was acting on Esper's orders. As a result, like Milley, Esper has seen an official portrait of him removed from display in the Pentagon. OPINION: TRUMP'S PENTAGON PORTRAIT REMOVALS MISS THE TARGET Good Thursday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre's Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Christopher Tremoglie (@chriswtremo). 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 BREAKING THIS MORNING — TRAGIC MIDAIR COLLISION: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon and the Army have launched an investigation into last night's midair collision near Reagan National Airport between American Airlines flight 5422, a regional jet from Wichita, Kansas, with 64 passengers and crew on board, and an Army UH-60 helicopter out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia with a crew of three. Both aircraft ended up in the icy Potomac River after a fiery midair explosion, and there are no reports of survivors. PLANE COLLIDES WITH BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER NEAR REAGAN AIRPORT: DOZENS FEARED DEAD Several members of the U.S. figure skating community were aboard the plane, and officials said no senior Army leaders were on the Black Hawk, which was reportedly on a training flight in a narrow corridor along the east bank of the river reserved for low-flying helicopters. FIRST US COMMERCIAL PLANE CRASH FATALITIES IN 16 YEARS DUE TO — MILITARY BLACK HAWK President Donald Trump weighed in on his Truth Social account, saying. "The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn't the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn't the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane. This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!" TRUMP POSTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA THAT PLANE CRASH 'SHOULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED' HAPPENING TODAY: It's Day Two for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in his bid to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. On Wednesday, he got a roughing up from Democrats and some Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee. Today, he appears before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee at 10 a.m. Yesterday, Kennedy struggled at times under sharp questioning about how his current positions squared with past statements, especially regarding vaccine safety. "I believe that vaccines play a critical role in healthcare," Kennedy said. "All of my kids are vaccinated. I’ve written many books on vaccines. My first book in 2014, the first line of it is I am not anti-vaccine. And the last line is I am not anti-vaccine.” Kennedy needs pretty much all the Republicans to vote for him, and some seemed to be wavering. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), a physician who chairs today’s session, pressed Kennedy on how he would fix Medicaid, which Kennedy testified "is not working for Americans." "Well, I don’t have a proposal for dismantling the program," Kennedy said. RFK JR. GETS TENTATIVE SUPPORT FROM KEY GOP SENATOR AFTER FIRST SENATE HEARING ALSO TODAY: The Senate Intelligence Committee meets at 10 a.m. to consider whether to advance the nomination of Tulsi Gabbard to be director of national intelligence to the Senate floor for a final vote, and it's unclear whether her nomination will make it out of committee. Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii and combat veteran, could see her nomination blocked by Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), who sits on the committee and has expressed concerns about Gabbard's qualifications. Her one vote could keep Gabbard's nomination from reaching the floor. Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), who along with Collins voted against the nomination of Pete Hegseth, are also said to be possible no votes. VANCE WARNS GOP SENATORS ABOUT VOTING AGAINST RFK JR. AND GABBARD HEGSETH ORDERS SHIFT TO 'MERIT-BASED, COLOR-BLIND POLICIES': In a memorandum headlined “Restoring America’s Fighting Force” issued yesterday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said a new task force will be tasked with ensuring that the military and civilian workers for the Department of Defense are the "most qualified individuals" based on "merit-based, color-blind policies." "Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, as defined in the January 27, 2025, Executive Order, are incompatible with the values of DoD," Hegseth wrote in the memo. "The DoD will strive to provide merit-based, color-blind, equal opportunities to Service members but will not guarantee or strive for equal outcomes." Among the directives the task force will implement are: - Baring any consideration of sex, race, or ethnicity" promotions
- Eliminating sex-based, race-based, or ethnicity-based goals
- Prohibiting any instruction on Critical Race Theory, Gender Ideology, and DEI
- Requiring U.S. Service Academies and other defense academic institutions to teach that "America and its founding documents remain the most powerful force for good in human history."
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER THE RUNDOWN: Washington Examiner: Portrait of Mark Esper in Pentagon taken down Washington Examiner: Tom Rogan Opinion: Trump's Pentagon portrait removals miss the target Washington Examiner: Pentagon's acting inspector general reviewing order of Mark Milley investigation Washington Examiner: Trump says he'll use Guantanamo Bay to detain illegal immigrants Washington Examiner: Border experts warn of 'violent pushback' from Mexican cartels to Trump crackdown Washington Examiner: Trump administration rescinds Biden protection from deportation for Venezuelans Washington Examiner: Colombian president loses Liberal Party support after feud with Trump over deportations Washington Examiner: Vance warns GOP senators about voting against RFK Jr. and Gabbard Washington Examiner: Wobbly confidence in Gabbard confirmation forces Senate leaders to get creative Washington Examiner: RFK Jr. gets tentative support from key GOP senator after first Senate hearing Washington Examiner: Egyptian president dismisses Trump's Palestinian resettlement plan as 'injustice' Washington Examiner: Experts and unearthed report cast doubt on White House's condoms for Gaza claim Washington Examiner: Tom Rogan Opinion: What China wants from Trump Washington Examiner: Opinion: The United States should restore neutrality to the Panama Canal Military Times: All of DOD Exempt from White House's Civilian Hiring Freeze AP: Pentagon agency pauses celebrations for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Black History Month and more Politico: How Trump's orbit used blunt force to squeeze Hegseth through AP: What to know about Guantánamo Bay, the base where Trump will send 'criminal aliens' CBS News: After 3 Years of War, More Ukrainians Accept Reality of Likely Ceasefire with Russia, but with Conditions AP: After talking tough during campaign, Trump appears to ease up on China at start of presidency The War Zone: F-16s Have Been Using Laser-Guided Rockets to Shoot Down Houthi Drones DefenseScoop: Air Force Pondering CCA Drones That Don't Require Runways as Officials Plan Next Increment Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Conducts More Deportation Flights with Armed Security Forces 'Ravens' Defense News: Trump's Missile Shield Marks Shift in Homeland Defense Strategy Air & Space Forces Magazine: Lockheed Looks to Deliver Up to 190 F-35s in 2025, Loses $1.9 Billion on Secret Programs CBS News: Startup Castelion Raises $100 Million for Hypersonic Strike Weapons Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Shuts Down Athena Programs for Review in DEI Purge AP: Trump is looking to boot transgender troops from the military. Here's why that's complicated Air & Space Forces Magazine: Patches, Nail Polish, Shaving: Here Are the New Air Force Dress and Grooming Standards Task & Purpose: Air Force one-star general fired for 'inappropriate personal relationships' THE CALENDAR: THURSDAY | JANUARY 30 9:30 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Trump 2.0 and the Two Koreas,” with Michael Allen, managing director and partner at Beacon Global Strategies; Hans Nichols, political reporter at Axios; and Bruce Klingner, senior research fellow for Northeast Asia at the Heritage Foundation https://www.csis.org/events/trump-20-and-two-koreas-capital-cable-105 9:30 a.m. — Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies virtual book discussion: Russia’s Two-Hundred-Year Quest to Dominate Ukraine, with author Eugene Finkel, professor of international affairs at Johns Hopkins SAIS Europe https://sais.jhu.edu/campus-events 10 a.m. 106 Dirksen Senate— Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on the nomination of Tulsi Gabbard to be director of national intelligence http://intelligence.senate.gov 10 a.m. — Wilson Center Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies virtual discussion: “Belarus After Its Presidential Election,” with Victoria Leukavets, post-doctoral researcher, Stockholm Center for Eastern European Studies; Alesia Rudnik, director, Center for New Ideas; and Artyom Shraibman, founder, Sense Analytics Consultancy https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/belarus-after-its-presidential-election 10 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “AFRICOM at 17: Shaping U.S.-Africa Relations,” with Army Brig. Gen. Rose Lopez Keravuori, director of intelligence, U.S. Africa Command https://www.csis.org/events/africom-17-shaping-us-africa-relations 11:15 a.m. 1777 F St. NW — Council on Foreign Relations discussion: “Securing Ukraine’s Future: What Should the United States Do?” with Karen DeYoung, Washington Post senior national security correspondent; Paul Stares, director, CFR Center for Preventive Action; Heidi Crebo-Rediker, senior fellow, CFR Center for Geoeconomic Studies; Liana Fix, CFR fellow for Europe; and Thomas Graham, CFR distinguished fellow https://www.youtube.com/watch 12 p.m. — RAND Corporation virtual discussion: “Artificial Intelligence and Homeland Security,” with Benjamin Boudreaux, professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School; and Douglas Yeung, associate director of the RAND Homeland Security Research Division’s Management, Technology, and Capabilities Program https://www.rand.org/events/2025/01/ai-and-homeland-security.html 1 p.m. — Georgetown University Center for Contemporary Arab Studies virtual discussion: “In the Aftermath of the Syrian Revolution,” with Muzna Dureid, advocacy and partnership manager at the Nobel Women’s Initiative; and former Syrian political prisoner Yassin al-Haj Saleh https://georgetown.zoom.us/webinar/register FRIDAY | JANUARY 31 10 a.m. — National Institute for Deterrence Studies virtual seminar: “The Middle East Missile Update and the Iranian Nuclear Threat,” with Shoshana Bryen, senior director, Jewish Policy Center; and Ilan Berman, senior vice president, American Foreign Policy Council https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event THURSDAY | FEBRUARY 13 TBA Brussels, Belgium — NATO Defense Ministers meet for two days at NATO Headquarters in Brussels | | | | "The Department of Defense has an obligation to the American public to ensure their sons and daughters serve under the best leadership we can provide them. Doing so is a national security imperative. A foundational tenet of the DoD must always be that the most qualified individuals are placed in positions of responsibility in accordance with merit-based, color-blind policies." | | Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a memo issued Wednesday, on "Restoring America's Fighting Force" |
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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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