| ZELENSKY CAVES 'IT IS TIME TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT': Well aware that European arsenals are inadequate to arm his troops in the middle of his war with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky buckled under President Donald Trump's suspension of military aid and wrote the magic words Trump was demanding to hear. "My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump's strong leadership to get a peace that lasts," Zelensky wrote in a post on X and in a letter he sent to Trump on Tuesday. "Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible," he said. "Regarding the agreement on minerals and security, Ukraine is ready to sign it [at] any time and in any convenient format." "Our meeting in Washington, at the White House on Friday, did not go the way it was supposed to be," Zelensky said, offering an apology of sorts in the third person, passive voice. "It is regrettable that it happened this way. It is time to make things right. We would like future cooperation and communication to be constructive." "We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence," and he thanked Trump specifically for the Javelin anti-tank missiles the U.S. sent to Ukraine in 2020, before the full-scale invasion during Trump's first term. "We remember the moment when things changed when President Trump provided Ukraine with Javelins. We are grateful for this." OPINION: ZELENSKY DRIVES A HARD BARGAIN AND LEARNS A HARD LESSON TRUMP: 'IT’S TIME TO STOP THIS MADNESS' After reading a few lines from the letter — which appeared to match Zelensky's social media post word for word — Trump sounded satisfied with Zelensky's act of contrition. "I appreciate that he sent this letter, just got it a little while ago," Trump said. "Simultaneously, we’ve had serious discussions with Russia and received strong signals that they are ready for peace. Wouldn’t that be beautiful?" "I’m working tirelessly to end the savage conflict in Ukraine," Trump said. "Millions of Ukrainians and Russians have been needlessly killed or wounded in this horrific and brutal conflict, with no end in sight." "It’s time to stop this madness. It’s time to halt the killing. It’s time to end this senseless war. If you want to end wars, you have to talk to both sides," he continued. "Do you want to keep it going for another five years?" he said at another point, taking a gratuitous jab at Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). "Yeah, yeah, you would. Pocahontas says yes." 'ALL WE NEEDED WAS A NEW PRESIDENT': TRUMP DECLARES 'AMERICA IS BACK' AS DEMOCRAT PROTEST FALLS FLAT ZELENSKY SUGGESTS PARTIAL TRUCE: In his missive, Zelensky suggested what could be the broad outlines of an initial ceasefire, one that would not freeze the current battle lines in place. "The first stages could be the release of prisoners and truce in the sky — ban on missiles, long-ranged drones, bombs on energy and other civilian infrastructure — and truce in the sea immediately, if Russia will do the same," Zelensky wrote. "Then we want to move very fast through all next stages and to work with the U.S. to agree a strong final deal." "I would like to reiterate Ukraine's commitment to peace. None of us wants an endless war," Zelensky said. "Nobody wants peace more than Ukrainians." SLOTKIN: 'REAGAN MUST BE ROLLING IN HIS GRAVE': In her 10-minute rebuttal to Trump's record-long 100-minute address, first-term Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) said that while "we all want an end to the war in Ukraine," the "spectacle that just took place in the Oval Office last week," would have former President Ronald Reagan 'rolling in his grave." "President Trump loves to say 'peace through strength.' That’s actually a line he stole from Ronald Reagan," Slotkin said. "Reagan understood that true strength required America to combine our military and economic might with moral clarity. And that scene in the Oval Office wasn’t just a bad episode of reality TV. It summed up Trump’s whole approach to the world." "He believes in cozying up to dictators like Vladimir Putin and kicking our friends like the Canadians in the teeth. He sees American leadership as merely a series of real estate transactions. As a Cold War kid, I’m thankful it was Reagan and not Trump in office in the 1980s. Trump would have lost us the Cold War." ELISSA SLOTKIN SAYS TRUMP 'TALKED A BIG GAME' BUT LACKS ECONOMIC PLAN IN REBUTTAL SPEECH Good Wednesday 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 IRON DOME REBRANDED: When President Trump issued his Jan. 27 "Iron Dome For America" executive order, he envisioned the Israeli system, an area defense against short-range rockets. But what Trump has in mind is a much bigger enterprise, an impenetrable missile shield covering the entire nation, more akin to former President Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative, derisively labeled "Star Wars" by critics. In his speech, Trump referred to the program by its new, more glittery rebranded name, "Golden Dome." "As commander in chief, my focus is on building the most powerful military of the future. As a first step, I’m asking Congress to fund a state-of-the-art Golden Dome missile defense shield to protect our homeland, all made in the USA," Trump said. "Ronald Reagan wanted to do it long ago, but the technology just wasn’t there. Not even close. But now, we have the technology. It’s incredible, actually." "Israel has it. Other places have it. And the United States should have it, too, right?" Trump said. "This is a very dangerous world. We should have it. We want to be protected, and we’re going to protect our citizens like never before," Trump said.The expensive project is drawing the same criticism that the Reagan era project did, namely that it is impractical, would be easily overwhelmed in any exchange of nuclear weapons, and is massively expensive. Dov Zakheim, who was Pentagon comptroller during the administration of George W. Bush, recently wrote that the effort could cost "as much as $100 billion annually through 2030," with a total cost of a whopping "$2.5 trillion." GREENLAND: 'ONE WAY OR THE OTHER WE’RE GOING TO GET IT': Trump has not given up on his dream of adding the massive ice-covered island of Greenland to the list of United States territories, and said he's "working with everybody involved to try and get it." "We need it really for international world security and I think we’re going to get it. One way or the other, we’re going to get it," Trump said last night, delivering what amounts to a sales pitch to Greenland's 50,000 or so residents. "I also have a message tonight for the incredible people of Greenland. We strongly support your right to determine your own future. And if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America," Trump said. "We will keep you safe. We will make you rich. And together, we will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before." Polls suggest most Greenlanders favor eventual independence from Denmark, but Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede rejected Trump's overture out of hand. “We don’t want to be Americans or Danes either. We are Greenlanders," Egede said, "The Americans and their leader must understand that." Denmark, which owns Greenland, has repeatedly said that the Arctic island is not for sale, and Greenlanders must decide its own future. “He [Trump} said they respect the right to Greenlandic self-determination, and that I think was the most important part of that speech,” Danish foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told a press conference in Helsinki this morning. 'RECLAIMING THE PANAMA CANAL': Trump also repeated his goal of taking control of the Panama Canal and cryptically joked that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would be the fall guy should it not come to pass. "We have Marco Rubio in charge. Good luck, Marco," Trump said. "Now, we know who to blame if anything goes wrong." However, Trump suggested that taking back the vital waterway would be an economic endeavor, not a military mission. "To further enhance our national security, my administration will be reclaiming the Panama Canal, and we’ve already started doing it," he said. "Just today, a large American company announced they are buying both ports around the Panama Canal and lots of other things having to do with the Panama Canal and a couple of other canals." CK Hutchison Holding, a Hong Kong-based conglomerate that operates port facilities on both ends of the 50-mile canal, has agreed to sell its lease to BlackRock Inc. for $23 billion, effectively putting the ports under American control. "The Panama Canal was built by Americans for Americans, not for others. But others could use it," Trump said, misstating the terms of the Panama Canal treaty that requires that all countries be treated equally. "It was given away by the Carter administration for $1. But that agreement has been violated very severely. We didn’t give it to China. We gave it to Panama, and we’re taking it back." WOULD TRUMP REALLY INVADE PANAMA TO RECLAIM THE CANAL BY FORCE? ARMY RECRUITING: Trump also took credit for the Army exceeding its recruiting goals, a remarkable turnaround that began two years before Trump took office. The Army announced in January that due to its recruiting efforts in 2024, the service was on track to bring in 61,000 young people by the end of the fiscal year in September, the second straight year of meeting its goals. "I am pleased to report that, in January, the U.S. Army had its single best recruiting month in 15 years and that all armed services are having among the best recruiting results ever in the history of our services," Trump said, portraying the positive trend as a result of his election. "It was just a few months ago where the results were exactly the opposite. We couldn’t recruit anywhere. We couldn’t recruit." "Now we’re having the best results just about that we have ever had," Trump said. "What a tremendous turnaround. It’s really a beautiful thing to see. People love our country again. It’s very simple. They love our country, and they love being in our military again. So it’s a great thing." DURING JOINT ADDRESS TO CONGRESS, TRUMP TELLS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT HE'S BEEN ACCEPTED TO MILITARY ACADEMY 'WE USED TO MAKE SO MANY SHIPS': On the heels of a recent Government Accountability Office report that portrayed the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base as inadequate to meet the needs of the Navy, Trump also announced a new "Office of Shipbuilding" in the White House, which he said would "offer special tax incentives to bring this industry home to America, where it belongs." "We used to make so many ships. We don’t make ’em anymore very much, but we’re going to make them very fast, very soon. It will have a huge impact," Trump said. "To boost our defense industrial base, we are also going to resurrect the American shipbuilding industry, including commercial shipbuilding and military shipbuilding. TRUMP DEMANDS CONGRESS REPEAL BIPARTISAN CHIPS ACT THE RUNDOWN: Washington Examiner: Trump says ISIS terrorist behind Kabul bombing that killed 13 US service members extradited to America Washington Examiner: Vance introduces 'friend' Elbridge Colby at Senate hearing, backs him for key Pentagon position Washington Examiner: Egypt's plan for Gaza's future sidelines Hamas Washington Examiner: Trump signs executive order honoring Jocelyn Nungaray ahead of joint address Washington Examiner: Democratic protests of Trump address defy Jeffries request for 'dignified' response Washington Examiner: Trump demands Congress repeal bipartisan CHIPS Act Washington Examiner: Trump takes fight to jeering Democrats in speech full of red meat Washington Examiner: Elissa Slotkin says Trump 'talked a big game' but lacks economic plan in rebuttal speech Washington Examiner: Zelensky drives a hard bargain and learns a hard lesson Washington Examiner: During joint address to Congress, Trump tells high school student he's been accepted to Military Academy Washington Examiner: Opinion: Unleash DOGE on the Pentagon New York Times: Europe Tries to Boost Military Spending as America Realigns Defense One: At Least One Pentagon Agency Has Begun Firing Probationary Workers Defense News: House Defense Modernization Caucus Eyes 'Constructively Disruptive' Reforms at DOD Air & Space Forces Magazine: China's Exercises Start to Look More Like Operations, USSF Pacific Leader Says Air & Space Forces Magazine: Researchers: US Bombs May One Day Use Chinese GPS Signals Defense News: Boeing Grows Alaska-Based Homeland Missile Defense Silo Count by 20 Military.com: Air Force Sees Historic Numbers of Airmen Waiting to Go to Boot Camp in 2025 Breaking Defense: Lockheed Out of Navy's F/A-XX Future Fighter Competition Defense News: Israeli Firms Want a Piece of the US Cruise Missile Market Aviation Week: US Air Force Next-Gen Tanker Prospects Are Running on Fumes Breaking Defense: Air Force Fields FMS Inquiries for MH-139 Grey Wolf Helo as Test Campaign Progresses Air & Space Forces Magazine: B-52 Flies with Israeli Fighters over Mediterranean Sea SpaceNews: Space Launch Executives Warn US Infrastructure Unprepared for Coming Launch Surge Air & Space Forces Magazine: 'It Works': Space Force Expands Surveillance-as-a-Service Program After Successful Pilot Air & Space Forces Magazine: How the US Can Speed Up Its Momentum in Electromagnetic Warfare Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Superiority Is Still the Key to Winning. Achieving It Is Getting Harder Air & Space Forces Magazine: The Biggest Storylines at AFA Colorado 2025 with Retired Lt. Gen. David Deptula THE CALENDAR: WEDNESDAY | MARCH 5 8 a.m. 2425 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Virginia — Association of the U.S. Army seminar: “Holistic Health and the Resilient Soldier," with Army Chief of Chaplains Maj. Gen. William Green; and Lt. Gen. David Francis, commanding general of the Army Center for Military Training https://www.ausa.org/events/hot-topic/holistic-health-and-resilient-soldier 8:30 a.m. 850 18th St. NW — Reagan Institute Center for Peace Through Strength National Security Innovation Base Summit, with Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) vice chair of the House Armed Services Committee; Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO); Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA); Rep. Chrissy Houlahan; (D-PA); Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE); former Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX); Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein, vice chief of space operations; Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MI); Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA); and Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) https://www.reaganfoundation.org/events/2025-national-security-innovation-base-summit 9 a.m. — Wilson Center virtual discussion “Protecting Maritime Security and Stability in the Indo-Pacific: Challenges for the U.S. and Japan,” with Yurika Ishii, associate professor, National Defense Academy of Japan; Yasuhiro Matsuda, professor, University of Tokyo’s Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia; James Kraska, professor, Naval War College’s Center for International Law; and James Schoff, senior director of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation’s U.S.-Japan NEXT Alliance Initiative https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/protecting-maritime-security 9:15 a.m. 390 Cannon — House (Select) Strategic Competition Between the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party Committee hearing: “End the Typhoons: How to Deter Beijing’s Cyber Actions and Enhance America’s Lackluster Cyber Defenses.” https://selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov 10 a.m. Aurora, Colorado — Air and Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium: “The Threat is Now: Building the Force to Win,” with Gen. Thomas Bussiere, commander, Air Force Global Strike Command and U.S. Strategic Command; and Navy Vice Adm. Richard Correll, deputy commander, U.S. Strategic Command https://www.afa.org/afa-warfare-symposium/ 10 a.m. 2154 Rayburn — House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing: "Sanctuary cities policies," with testimony from Boston Mayor Michelle Wu (D); Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D); Denver Mayor Michael Johnston (D); and New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) http://oversight.house.gov 10 a.m. 419 Dirksen — Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing: “Advancing American Interests in the Western Hemisphere,” with testimony from Joseph Ledford, fellow and assistant director of the Stanford University Hoover Institution’s Hoover History Lab, Stanford, Calif. http://foreign.senate.gov 10 a.m. 2167 Rayburn — House Transportation and Infrastructure Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee hearing: “America Builds: Coast Guard Acquisitions and Infrastructure.” http://transportation.house.gov 10 a.m. 310 Cannon — House Homeland Security Committee hearing: “Countering Threats Posed by the Chinese Communist Party to U.S. National Security.” http://homeland.house.gov 11:30 a.m. 850 16th St. NW — Reagan National Security Innovation Base Summit with: Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. Michael Guetlein; and Army Gen. James Rainey, commanding general, Army Futures Command https://www.reaganfoundation.org/events/2025 2:30 p.m. 106 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Readiness and Management Support Subcommittee hearing: “The Posture of the U.S. Transportation Command in Review of the Defense Authorization Request for FY2026 and the Future Years Defense Program,” with testimony from Air Force Gen. Randall Reed, commander, U.S. Transportation Command http://www.armed-services.senate.gov THURSDAY | MARCH 6 6:30 a.m. 2425 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, Virginia — Association of the U.S. Army "Coffee Series" discussion with Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Weimer https://www.ausa.org/events/coffee-series/sma-weimer 9:30 a.m. 1777 F St. NW — Council on Foreign Relations discussion: “Securing Ukraine’s Future," with Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg https://www.cfr.org/event/securing-ukraines-future 9:30 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute discussion: “Rebuilding America’s Maritime Industrial Base,” with Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) https://www.hudson.org/events/rebuilding-americas-maritime-industrial-base 5:30 p.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute discussion: “Iran on the Brink: Resistance, Repression, and Global Power Shifts,” with Mariam Memarsadeghi, founder and director of the Cyprus Forum for Iran’s Future; Ladan Boroumand, co-founder of the University of Parma’s Abdorrahman Boroumand Center; and Zineb Riboua, program manager, Hudson Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East https://www.hudson.org/events/iran-brink-resistance-repression FRIDAY | MARCH 7 9 a.m. 1100 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — American Bar Association forum: "Air and Space Law," with former Deputy FAA Administrator Katie Thompson; Nikki Harding, deputy assistant TSA administrator for compliance; and Alex MacDonald, former NASA chief economist https://events.americanbar.org/event WEDNESDAY | MARCH 12 12 p.m. — Cato Institute discussion: "The Troublemaker: How Jimmy Lai Became a Billionaire, Hong Kong's Greatest Dissident, and China's Most Feared Critic," with Mark Clifford, author and president, Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation; Sebastien Lai, son of Jimmy Lai; Mark Simon, former group director, Next Digital Companies; and Ian Vasquez, vice president for international studies, Cato Institute https://www.cato.org/events/troublemaker | | | | "America is back. Six weeks ago, I stood beneath the dome of this Capitol and proclaimed the dawn of the golden age of America. From that moment on, it has been nothing but swift and unrelenting action to usher in the greatest and most successful era in the history of our country. We have accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations accomplished in four years or eight years, and we are just getting started." | | President Donald Trump, in his opening lines of his address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night |
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