VICTORY AT THE BORDER: ‘THE DETERRENT EFFECT IS THERE’: Before heading to the U.S.-Mexico border with Vice President J.D. Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was already declaring victory in sealing the border against what President Donald Trump has characterized as an invasion of America by “inadmissible and removable aliens.”
“President Trump gave us a charge: 100% operational control of the Southern border. Border security is national security,” Hegseth said in an appearance on Fox and Friends. “Over 20 million people … poured in across our open-border policy, which created recklessness, death, drugs for our communities. We’re sending those folks home and we’re not letting more in, and you’re seeing that right now.”
Hegseth cited a historic low level of border crossings since Trump took office, and the Pentagon deployed thousands of additional troops in support of the Department of Homeland Security to secure the border. “Not quite to zero yet — 97% drop,” Hegseth said. “The deterrent effect is there. We’ve brought in the military.”
Hegseth said some of the credit goes to Mexico, who responded to Trump’s entreaties by dispatching some 10,000 Mexican troops to its side of the border. “Right now, we have historic cooperation, military-to-military, but we’re letting them lead. It’s their country. It’s their fight. We want them to lead that fight. So far, they have stepped up, which is a very good sign.”
“My message to Mexican leaders and Mexican military leaders has been, ‘We want to cooperate with you, and we will cooperate with you. But if you don’t police up the cartels on your side of the border, then we’ll be forced to do it for you. We don’t want to do that.’”
REPUBLICANS PRAISE TRUMP AFTER MIGRANT ARRESTS FALL TO LOWEST IN ‘RECORDED HISTORY’
THE TRUMP EFFECT: ‘THEY HEARD MY WORDS’: In his joint address to Congress Tuesday night, Trump said his election sent a clear message to migrants who, in the past, would enter the United States with impunity. “They heard my words, and they chose not to come. Much easier that way. In comparison, under Joe Biden, the worst president in American history, there were hundreds of thousands of illegal crossings a month.”
“Within hours of taking the oath of office, I declared a national emergency on our southern border. And I deployed the U.S. Military and Border Patrol to repel the invasion of our country. And what a job they’ve done,” Trump said. “As a result, illegal border crossings last month were by far the lowest ever recorded. Ever.”
Tracking illegal immigration is tricky because trends fluctuate. Most of the statistics measure “encounters” at the border, which can include both legal and illegal immigration. They also do not include so-called “got-aways,” people who managed to sneak across the border undetected.
Hegseth said those “got-aways” could be measured in the “single digits.”
PENTAGON SURGING MORE SOLDIERS, COMBAT VEHICLES TO THE SOUTHERN BORDER
HOMAN: ‘THEY CAN HATE ME ALL THEY WANT. WE’RE COMING.’: Trump continues to portray “virtually all” illegal migrants as “murderers, drug dealers, gang members and people from mental institutions and insane asylums.”
It’s a characterization echoed by Trump border czar Tom Homan. “President Trump promised American people we’re going to shut down illegal alien crime in this country. That’s exactly what we’re doing,” Homan told Laura Ingraham on her Fox News program, responding to criticism from Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who said her sanctuary policies were actually making the city “the safest it has been in anyone’s lifetime.”
“Mayor Wu should be standing side-by-side with me. Who does not want to bring hell to an illegal alien that raped a child, not one, many,” Homan said. “Look, we took two murderers off the streets of Chicago. Is that city safer? We took child predators off the streets of Chicago. Does that make that city safer?” Homan said. “Every crime committed by an illegal alien, every child raped by an illegal alien, every public safety threat by an illegal alien could have been prevented because they’re not supposed to be here.”
“We got a safer border because we got a safer border. Ninety-seven percent less people are coming. Less women are being raped; less children are drowning in the river. Less Americans dying from fentanyl overdoses. Less sex traffic in women and children,” Holman said. “Look, they can hate me all they want. We’re coming. I said I’m going to bring hell. I meant it.”
VANCE WANTS TRUMP TO ‘BUILD THE ENTIRE BORDER WALL’ BY 2029
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. 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: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will meet with his U.K. counterpart when he welcomes British Defense Secretary John Healey at 1:30 p.m. The meeting comes as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is in Brussels for today’s emergency meeting of European Union leaders on Ukraine.
Among the 27 leaders expressing strong support for Ukraine, as Volodymyr Zelensky is under increasing pressure from the United States to make a quick peace deal with Russia, are French President Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz, the likely next chancellor of Germany.
“This is a watershed moment for Europe. And it is also a watershed moment for Ukraine, as part of our European family,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said as she stood next to Zelensky, dressed as usual in his dark long-sleeved collarless shirt, with Ukraine’s trident coat of arms on his left chest. “Europe faces a clear and present danger, and therefore, Europe has to be able to protect itself to defend itself as we have to put Ukraine in a position to protect itself and to push for a lasting and just peace.”
Von der Leyen is proposing an 800 billion Euro plan to “rearm Europe” in anticipation of the end of U.S. military assistance to Ukraine. “It gives the member states fiscal space to invest in defense, gives the member states the possibility to invest in the Ukrainian defense industry or to procure military capabilities that go right away to Ukraine.”
“I want to thank all our European leaders first of all and for such signals strong support,” Zelensky said. “These are not just words. We feel it. It’s very important you made a strong signal to Ukrainian people … it’s great that we are not alone. We feel it, and we know it. Thank you so much.”
STARMER AND MACRON COULD BACK UP ZELENSKY AT WHITE HOUSE
U.S. CUTS VITAL INTELLIGENCE SHARING WITH KYIV: In the latest effort to force a reluctant Zelensky to the peace table, President Trump has paused its intelligence sharing, cutting off the kind of real-time intelligence that has allowed Ukraine to hit targets well inside Russia, and tip off Ukrainian forces of how Russian troops are moving on the battlefield.
“We have taken a step back and are pausing and reviewing all aspects of this relationship,” national security adviser Mike Waltz said Wednesday.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe said the suspension was instituted after the contentious Oval Office meeting last week because afterward, Trump doubted Zelensky’s desire for peace. “On the military front and the intelligence front, the pause that allowed that to happen will go away, and I think we’ll work shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine as we have,” Ratcliffe said.
US PAUSED INTELLIGENCE SHARING WITH UKRAINE AFTER OVAL OFFICE SPAT
FURIOUS BLOWBACK: ‘I’M PISSED OFF’: Democrats in Congress were quick to condemn the intelligence sharing pause as an act of perfidy.
“Many more Ukrainians will die because the Ukrainians will not have as much warning as they did previously of Russian attacks, and many fewer Russian military assets and people will be at risk,” Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee said on CNN. “I mean, the president could have taken two approaches. He could have gone for the aggressor and said, ‘Hey, if you don’t come to the table, we are going to triple our efforts to assist the Ukrainians.’ But of course, President Trump took the other route, which was to say I’m going to force the victim to his knees.”
“I’m pissed off about this,” Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) said in a separate CNN appearance. “I think it sends the wrong message to our allies, and it sends the wrong message to other countries that are small countries that border Russia, that are going to worry that if we abandon Russia, what are we going to do about Latvia, or Lithuania, or Moldova, or other countries in the region?”
“Intelligence can mean a lot of things. What I suspect is going on here is maybe the over-the-horizon type intelligence, about striking across the border into Russia,” Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) said appearing with Suozzi. “And moreover, they didn’t say who else can share it. So, all the intelligence that the U.S. has is seamlessly shared with the U.K. The U.K. is not prohibited from sharing that with Ukraine.”
“I think an important thing to understand about last Friday is not last Friday. It’s everything that led up to it,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Sean Hannity on Fox last night. “All the President is trying to do here is figure out if there’s a path towards peace.”
“When the Vice President made the point that it’s going to take diplomacy to get things like this solved, President Zelensky, unfortunately, made the decision to challenge the Vice President and start questioning whether diplomacy is even possible; in essence, sabotaging and undermining the President’s plan,” Rubio said. “It’s been very clear from the beginning that President Trump views this as a protracted, stalemated conflict. And frankly, it’s a proxy war between nuclear powers – the United States, helping Ukraine, and Russia — and it needs to come to an end.”
FRANCE STEPS IN TO PROVIDE MILITARY INTELLIGENCE TO UKRAINE AS THE U.S. FREEZES VITAL INFORMATION
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: US paused intelligence sharing with Ukraine after Oval Office spat
Washington Examiner: Starmer and Macron could back up Zelensky at White House
Washington Examiner: Apprehended ISIS terrorist connected to Abbey Gate bombing tied to other deadly attacks
Washington Examiner: Trump says ISIS terrorist behind Kabul bombing that killed 13 US service members extradited to America
Washington Examiner: Greenland PM scoffs at Trump address: ‘We do not want to be Americans’
Washington Examiner: US holding first-ever bilateral talks with Hamas
Washington Examiner: Hungarian foreign minister says Ukraine NATO membership out of the question: ‘totally impossible’
Washington Examiner: Hungary seeks ‘international alliance’ of ‘patriotic forces’ to replace liberal ‘Ivory tower’
Washington Examiner: Vance wants Trump to ‘build the entire border wall’ by 2029
Washington Examiner: State Department considering criminal referrals against USAID
Washington Examiner: Trump leans on House rebels to support no-frills funding extension as Democrats balk
Washington Examiner: Chinese hackers and government officials charged for cyberespionage campaign targeting US
Washington Examiner: Hugo Gurdon Opinion: Trump may regret the stronger Europe his Ukraine peace deal requires
Washington Examiner: Tom Rogan Opinion: Trump smashes Ukraine’s shield and summons Russia’s sword
Washington Examiner: Toma Rogan Opinion: Will Iran give Trump what he wants?
Task & Purpose: In 15 Months, the Navy Fired More Air Defense Missiles Than It Did in the Last 30 Years
Bloomberg: First US Hypersonic Weapon Still Isn’t Combat-Ready, Pentagon’s Tester Says
Wall Street Journal: Russia Is Chasing a Deal to Keep Its Military Bases in Syria
AP: South Korean fighter jets accidentally drop bombs, injuring 8 people
Air & Space Forces Magazine: AMC Finishing Up Analysis for Next-Generation Tanker
Defense One: Space Force Hopes It Gains from Hegseth’s Budget Shift
Military.com: ‘Warheads on Foreheads’: Top Leaders for Air Force, Space Force Leaning into Defense Secretary’s Rhetoric
The Hill: Pentagon Signs AI Deal to Aid Military Decision-Making
Bloomberg: Pentagon Denies Report of Halt in Cyber Operations Versus Russia
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Space Force to Stand Up Guardian Recruiting Squadron with Mandate for New Mindset
DefenseScoop: DIU, Air Force Move Forward with 2 Vendors to Next Phase of Enterprise Test Vehicle Program
Air & Space Forces Magazine: How Flying Test Bed Work Has Helped B-21 Make Good Progress
The War Zone: F-15’s New EPAWSS Electronic Warfare Suite Already Has Successor in Development
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Why Intelligence Agencies Think They Can Finally Build a Common Picture for Warfighters
Breaking Defense: Secret Space Force Payloads Monitor China’s Satellite Surveillance Network, Official Says
Air & Space Forces Magazine: CCA Logistics: How USAF and Industry Plan to Rise to the Challenge
Air & Space Forces Magazine: NATO Shifts Strategy Based on Lessons Learned from Ukraine
National Defense Magazine: Despite Provisional Purgatory, New Air Force Command Making Moves
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Space Force Takes New Approach to Ground Control Systems
SpaceNews: Silicon Valley Players Aim to Follow SpaceX’s Disruptive Path in Defense Sector
The Cipher Brief: Taiwan Watches U.S.-Ukraine Rift: Could It Happen Here?
The Cipher Brief: Could Trump’s ‘Iron Dome for America’ Fill U.S. Missile Defense Gaps?
The Cipher Brief: Opinion: China is Russia’s Crutch
THE CALENDAR:
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
8 a.m. — International Institute for Strategic Studies virtual discussion: “Transformation Under Fire: An Analysis of Ukraine’s Security Sector Since 1991,” with Oleksiy Melnyk, co-director of the Razumkov Center’s Foreign Relations and International Security Programme; Wolf-Christian Paes, IISS senior fellow for armed conflict; Lea Ellmanns, IISS research analyst for armed conflict; and retired U.K. Army Brig. Gen. Ben Barry, IISS senior fellow for land warfare https://iiss.zoom.us/webinar/register
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
9:30 a.m. G-50 Dirksen Senate Armed Services Committee hearing: “Defense Mobilization in the 21st Century,” with testimony from Christine Michienzi, founder and CEO of MMR Defense Solutions and former senior technology advisor to the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment; John McGinn, executive director of the Greg and Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting George Mason University’s Costello College of Business; and David Berteau, president and CEO of the Professional Services Council, http://www.armed-services.senate.gov
10 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Human Domain Lessons from Russia-Ukraine,” with Ukrainian Army Lt. Col. Volodymyr Dutko; retired Lt. Gen. David Barno, senior fellow at the Johns Hopkins University School for Advanced International Studies’ Merrill Center; and Ben Connable, adjunct professor of security studies at Georgetown University https://www.csis.org/events/human-domain-lessons-russia-ukraine-conflict-focus
1:30 p.m. — Center for American Progress virtual discussion: “The Risks of Trump’s Politicization of the Military,” with retired Vice Adm. Michael Franken, former deputy commander of AFRICOM; former U.S. Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago John Estrada; Rudy deLeon, CAP senior fellow; and Alison McManus, CAP managing director of national security and international policy https://www.americanprogress.org/session/panel-discussion
2 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Iranian Networks in the Middle East,” with Renad Mansour, director of the Chatham House Iraq Initiative Project https://www.csis.org/events/iranian-networks-middle-east
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
