| AN UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER: A short-lived standoff with the government of Colombia over the acceptance of U.S. military flights carrying deported immigrants ended last night after President Donald Trump threatened the South American country with visa restrictions and initial 25% tariffs before Colombian President Gustavo Petro caved. “The government of Colombia has agreed to all of President Trump's terms, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay," the White House said in a statement from press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who noted the tariff will be held "in reserve" while the visa restrictions would remain "until the first planeload of Colombian deportees is successfully returned." "Today's events make clear to the world that America is respected again," Leavitt said. The Colombia capitulation is just the opening salvo in Trump's plan to use the might of America's economy, and the threat of crippling trade wars as his primary weapon to bend both allies and adversaries to his will. Trump often waxes rhapsodically about the power of tariffs and claims they could replace income taxes as the primary source of revenue. "I’m a believer in tariffs," he said last October in remarks to the Economic Club of Chicago. "To me, it’s the most beautiful word in the dictionary." TARIFFS ON HOLD AFTER COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT AGREES TO ALL OF TRUMP'S DEMANDS 'THE DANES ARE UTTERLY FREAKED OUT': Emboldened by his success in using tariffs to coerce other countries into giving in to his demands, Trump is making it abundantly clear he's not abandoning his desire to wrestle Greenland Away from Denmark and is again counting on tariffs as his economic weapon of choice. In what was described by the Financial Times as a fiery 45-minute phone call with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen last week, Trump was said to have been "aggressive and confrontational" and had rebuffed Frederickson's counteroffer of more cooperation on military bases and mineral exploitation. "Five current and former senior European officials briefed on the call said the conversation had gone very badly," the newspaper reported. "The intent was very clear. They want it. The Danes are now in crisis mode," said one person briefed on the call. Another said: "The Danes are utterly freaked out by this." A former Danish official added: "It was a very tough conversation. He threatened specific measures against Denmark such as targeted tariffs." "It was horrendous," one European official told the FT, "Before, it was hard to take it seriously. But I do think it is serious and potentially very dangerous." The call prompted Rasmus Jarlov, a conservative member of the Danish parliament to post on X, "Make no mistake. Denmark is never going to hand over 57,000 of our citizens in Greenland to become Americans against their will. We understand that the US is a powerful country. We are not. It is up to the US how far they will go. But come what may. We are still going to say no." "And I write it because I get the impression that the people behind the idea of taking Greenland from Denmark have a weird idea that they just have to rattle their sabers a little bit to get their will," he continued. "You can forget that. No threats of tariffs or even invasion or anything else will make us sell our citizens and territory under any circumstances. Ever." 'WE MIGHT BE IN AN ENLARGED COUNTRY PRETTY SOON': Trump shows no sign he's going to give up on his territorial ambitions, and he talked up his plan in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday without mentioning Greenland by name, telling a rally crowd, "We may be a very substantially enlarged country in the not too distant — Isn’t it nice to see? You know, for years, for decades we’re the same size to the square foot — probably got smaller actually — but we might be in an enlarged country pretty soon." Later, on Air Force One, Trump told reporters, “I think we’re going to have it,” adding, “I think the people want to be with us." “I think Greenland, we’ll get, because it has to do with freedom of the world,” Trump said. “I don’t really know what claim Denmark has to it, but it would be a very unfriendly act if they didn’t allow that to happen because it’s for the protection of the free world." That prompted Jarlov, the Danish lawmaker, to post a 9-minute video lecture aimed at an American audience. The lecture reviewed the history of Greenland, explained how it became a part of Denmark, and explained how it functions as a separate country while enjoying the benefits of Danish citizenship. WHAT HAPPENED THE LAST FEW TIMES THE US TRIED TO ACQUIRE GREENLAND 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 (@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 HAPPENING TODAY: A small group of reporters and cameras will be at the Pentagon's River Entrance at 9 a.m. today to record the moment Pete Hegseth ascends the steps and heads to this third-floor office to begin his first full day as the 29th secretary of defense in what he has called “the most important deployment of my life.” Hegseth was sworn in Saturday by Vice President J.D. Vance at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building across from the White House and made a quick stop at the Pentagon to check out his new digs. He was confirmed by the Senate with the thinnest of margins Friday night after no votes from Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Susan Collins (R-ME) resulted in a tie that required Vance to hustle over to the Capitol to cast the deciding 51st vote. "It’s not the last time or not the first time the headline reads, 'Junior enlisted Marine bails out junior Army officer,'" Hegseth joked after taking his oath, adding his children were unfazed by the close call. "Instead of being sad about 50 to 50 — 51 to 50, they said, 'Dad, you won in overtime.'" "All praise and glory to God. His will be done," Hegseth said as his first words after swearing to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. And he then thanked President Trump for "the honor of a lifetime." "We look forward to having the backs of our troops and having your back in executing peace through strength, in putting America first, and in rebuilding our military," Hegseth said. "We don’t want to fight wars. We want to deter them, as you said, and we want to end them responsibly. But if we need to fight them, we’re going to bring overwhelming and decisive force to close with and destroy the enemy and bring our boys home." HEGSETH SETS OUT TO ERADICATE DEI FROM PENTAGON: 'NO EXCEPTIONS' 'WE WILL PUT AMERICA FIRST, AND WE WILL NEVER BACK DOWN': In his official message to the force, Hegseth pledged to "revive the warrior ethos and restore trust in our military," "rebuild our military by matching threats to capabilities," and "reestablish deterrence by defending our homeland." "Just as my fellow soldiers had my back on the battlefield, know that I will always have your back," he wrote. "We serve together at a dangerous time. Our enemies will neither rest nor relent. And neither will we. We will stand shoulder to shoulder to meet the urgency of this moment." "The main thing that we want Pete Hegseth to do is to fix the problems at the Department of Defense. And, unfortunately, there are many," Vance said in his first interview as vice president. "We've gotten into way too many wars that we don't have a plan for winning. We've gotten into way too many misadventures that we shouldn't have gotten into in the very first place. And our procurement process is incredibly broken." "He is a guy who sees, not through the perspective of the generals or the bureaucrats. He looks at things through the perspective of the men and women that we send off to fight in our wars," Vance told CBS's Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation. "We believe that military morale, at least until the election of President Trump, was historically low. You had the Army missing recruitment goals by tens of thousands of soldiers, and, already, recruitment is starting to pick up because Pete Hegseth is fundamentally a war fighter's leader at the Department of Defense." HEGSETH SETS OUT TO ERADICATE DEI FROM PENTAGON: 'NO EXCEPTIONS' McCONNELL'S RESERVATIONS: Former Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), freed from the responsibility of keeping Republicans united in the Senate, warned in a statement explaining his opposition to Hegseth that there "must be a firewall between servicemembers and politics." "The Biden Administration failed at this fundamental task. But the restoration of 'warrior culture' will not come from trading one set of culture warriors for another," McConnell said. "At the gravest moments, under the weight of this public trust, even the most capable and well-qualified leaders to set foot in the Pentagon have done so with great humility — from George Marshall harnessing American enterprise and Atlantic allies for the Cold War, to Caspar Weinberger orchestrating the Reagan build-up, to Bob Gates earning the wartime trust of two Commanders-in-Chief, of both parties," McConnell said. "Mere desire to be a 'change agent' is not enough to fill these shoes. And 'dust on boots' fails even to distinguish this nominee from multiple predecessors of the last decade. Nor is it a precondition for success. Secretaries with distinguished combat experience and time in the trenches have failed at the job." Still, he said, "I wish Secretary Hegseth great success, and I look forward to working closely with him to restore American hard power. Every member of the uniformed services will be looking to him for decisive, principled, and nonpartisan leadership." MCCONNELL SAYS NATIONAL SECURITY THREATS PUSHED HIM TO VOTE 'NO' ON HEGSETH THE RUNDOWN: Washington Examiner: Tariffs on hold after Colombian president agrees to all of Trump's demands Washington Examiner: Trump to soon begin deporting 'thousands' of migrants per day: House Republican Washington Examiner: Trump using military cargo planes to fly back illegal immigrants at southern border Washington Examiner: Hamas releases 4 Israeli hostages in exchange for 200 Palestinian detainees Washington Examiner: Elise Stefanik, Israel, and the 'antisemitic rot' at the UN Washington Examiner: Illegal crossings cut in half since November election, Border Patrol data show Washington Examiner: Hegseth sets out to eradicate DEI from Pentagon: 'No exceptions' Washington Examiner: North Korea announces test of cruise missile system Washington Examiner: Trump speaks with British PM Starmer, teases first foreign trip Washington Examiner: Trump teases FEMA overhaul on North Carolina flood disaster tour Washington Examiner: What happened the last few times the US tried to acquire Greenland Washington Examiner: Trump CIA director says agency won't mix 'politics with intelligence' Washington Examiner: Trump NASA pick faces GOP scrutiny over donations to Democrats and DEI ties Washington Examiner: South Korean prosecutors indict impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his martial law Washington Examiner: CIA admits COVID-19 most likely originated from Chinese lab leak Washington Examiner: New Zealand mayor fact-checks Trump's claim that the US split the atom Financial Times: US officials push to exempt Ukraine from Rubio's foreign aid freeze AP: Top Trump administration officials in Chicago for start of immigration enforcement crackdown AP: Trump should rethink revoking former officials' security details, Tom Cotton says AP: Qatar Says a Deal Is Reached to Release an Israeli Hostage and Allow Palestinians into Northern Gaza Defense News: Trump Tariffs Could Backfire on Military, Some Experts Warn New York Times: Europe Is Pouring Money into Defense. Is It Enough? Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force C-17s Conduct First Deportation Flights, Two Not Allowed to Land AP: Sweden seizes vessel suspected of 'sabotage' after undersea data cable rupture in Baltic Sea Defense One: Pilot Shortage: New Report Calls for More Air Force Fighters and Larger Reserve The Hill: Pentagon Looks to Leverage AI in Fight Against Drones Breaking Defense: Boeing to Log $1.7B in Defense Program Losses in Fourth Quarter Air & Space Forces Magazine: F-15E Fighters with Advanced New EW System Arrive in England The War Zone: XQ-67 Getting Overhauled with New Capabilities as Part of Demon Ape Program Task & Purpose: Boot Camp Recruits Will Learn About Tuskegee Airmen, Air Force Insists Air & Space Forces Magazine: Space Force Expects to Spend 40% More on Commercial SATCOM This Year Aviation Week: SDA Preps to Solicit Bids for New Set of LEO-Based Satellites Military.com: Problems with Tricare Contract Transition 'Actively Harming' Military, Lawmaker Tells Pentagon THE CALENDAR: MONDAY | JANUARY 27 9 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) virtual book discussion: House of Huawei: The Secret History of China’s Most Powerful Company, with author Eva Dou, Washington Post technology policy reporter; Rebecca Arcesati, lead analyst for science, technology and innovation at the Mercator Institute for China Studies; and James Goodrich, senior adviser for technology analysis at the RAND Corporation https://www.csis.org/events/huawei-redux TUESDAY | JANUARY 28 8:30 a.m. 4301 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Virginia — Intelligence and National Security Alliance discussion: “Fast-Tracking Innovation: Cyber Command’s New Acquisition Authorities,” with Khoi Nguyen, command acquisition executive and director of the U.S. Cyber Command’s Cyber Acquisition & Technology Directorate; Joshua Stiefel, professional staff member at the House Armed Services Committee; and retired Army Col. Candice Frost, vice chair of Nightwing https://www.insaonline.org/detail-pages/event/2025/01/28 9:30 a.m. G-50 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Committee hearing: “Defense Innovation and Acquisition Reform." with testimony from James Geurts, former assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition; Shyam Sankar, chief technology officer and executive vice president of Palantir Technologies; and Nathan Diller, CEO of Divergent Technologies Inc. http://www.armed-services.senate.gov 10 a.m. 253 Russell — Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing: “Examining the Panama Canal and Its Impact on U.S. Trade and National Security," with testimony from Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Louis Sola; former Federal Maritime Commission Commissioner Daniel Maffei; Eugene Kontorovich, professor, George Mason University Scalia Law School; and Joseph Kramek, president and CEO, World Shipping Council http://commerce.senate.gov 11 a.m. — Wilson Center Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies virtual discussion: “The North Caucasus and Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine,” with Marat Iliyasov, visiting scholar, George Washington University Global Academy; Christine Le Jeune, Ph.D. candidate in sociocultural anthropology, University of Florida; and Jean-Francois Ratelle, professor of conflict studies, University of Ottawa Graduate School of Public and International Affairs https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/north-caucasus-and-russias-invasion-ukraine 2 p.m. — Defense One virtual discussion: “Artificial Intelligence in the Skies: The U.S. Air Force’s Path to next-Gen Air Superiority,” with Maj. Gen. Joseph Kunkel, director of force design, integration and wargaming at Air Force Futures; Joseph Wingo, director of DOD business strategy at Armis; and Audrey Decker, air warfare reporter at Defense One https://www.govexec.com/events/ 2:30 p.m. 1957 E St. NW — George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs discussion: “The Future of Syria,” with Natasha Hall, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; and Steven Heydemann, chair in Middle East studies at Smith College https://calendar.gwu.edu/event/the-future-of-syria WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 29 7:15 a.m. 2425 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Virginia — Association of the U.S. Army "Coffee Series" discussion with Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George https://www.ausa.org/events/coffee-series/gen-george 9:30 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “The Future of Uranium to Jumpstart Nuclear Power in the 21st Century,” with Miriam D’Onofrio, acting senior director for energy and investment at the National Security Council; and Gracelin Baskaran, director of the CSIS Critical Minerals Security Program https://www.csis.org/events/future-uranium-jumpstart-nuclear-power 10 a.m. — Chemical Weapons Convention Coalition discussion: “The Future of Syria’s Chemical Weapons Stockpile,” with Natasha Hall, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Middle East Program; and Gregory Koblentz, deputy director, George Mason University Biodefense Graduate Program https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register 11 a.m. 1700 Richmond Hwy., Arlington, Virginia — Air Force Gen. Anthony Cotton, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, delivers remarks at the Exchange Monitor 2025 Nuclear Deterrence Summit https://www.exchangemonitor.com/go/nuclear-deterrence-summit-2025/agenda/ 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 | | | | "It's not the last time or not the first time the headline reads, 'Junior enlisted Marine bails out junior Army officer.'" | | Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, thanking Vice President J.D. Vance for casting the tie-breaking vote in the Senate Friday night, securing Hegseth's confirmation. |
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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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