TRUMP: ‘A TURNAROUND FOR THE AGES’: In a one-hour-and-48 minute rambling State of the Union address — that beat last year’s record-long speech to joint session of Congress by a full nine minutes — President Donald Trump presided over a campaign rally-style event that stuck mostly to familiar boasts about his domestic economic and immigration agenda, sprinkled with assorted barbs at “crazy” Democrats who he accused of “destroying our country.”
Most of the talking points would be familiar to anyone who’s watched Trump hold court in the Oval Office or at his televised Cabinet meetings. If the speech was a report card on Trump’s first year of his second term (which he said should really be his third term, “but strange things happen”), Trump gave himself an A++. “I can say with dignity and pride that we have achieved a transformation like no one has ever seen before and a turnaround for the ages.”
About an hour in, Trump turned to foreign policy, touting the eight wars he claims to have ended or prevented, while making a case for taking military action against Iran, if diplomacy fails, despite repeating his claim that the U.S. B-2 bombers “obliterated Iran’s nuclear weapons program” last summer. “We wiped it out, and they want to start all over again and are at this moment again pursuing their sinister ambitions.”
‘THESE PEOPLE ARE CRAZY’: SIX TAKEAWAYS FROM TRUMP’S STATE OF THE UNION
‘WE HAVEN’T HEARD THOSE SECRET WORDS’: Having assembled the largest air and naval armada in the Gulf region in more than two decades, Trump said, notwithstanding the success of last year’s Operation Midnight Hammer, Iran’s nuclear ambitions have not been quenched.
“They were warned to make no future attempts to rebuild their weapons program, in particular, nuclear weapons. Yet they continue. They’re starting it all over,” he said. “They have already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they’re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America.”
“My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy. But one thing is certain. I will never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror, which they are by far, to have a nuclear weapon. Can’t let that happen,” he said. “We are in negotiations with them. They want to make a deal, but we haven’t heard those secret words: ‘We will never have a nuclear weapon.’”
ARAGHCHI: ‘IRAN WILL UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES EVER DEVELOP A NUCLEAR WEAPON’: Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who is Iran’s chief negotiator, has repeatedly said that Iran is willing to make a deal that would ensure that Iran’s nuclear program “would remain peaceful forever” and, in recent media appearances, has indicated Iran is anxious to make a deal.
“And I believe that, still, there is a good chance to have a diplomatic solution which is based on a win-win game, and a solution is at our reach,” Araghchi said Sunday on the CBS program Face the Nation.
“Iran will resume talks with the U.S. in Geneva with a determination to achieve a fair and equitable deal — in the shortest possible time,” Araghchi posted on X yesterday before Trump’s address. “Our fundamental convictions are crystal clear: Iran will under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon; neither will we Iranians ever forgo our right to harness the dividends of peaceful nuclear technology for our people.”
It’s not so much the case that Iran won’t say the “secret words,” it’s more a matter of credibility and whether Araghchi can deliver on those promises, especially given the bellicose rhetoric coming from Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“Despite what Iran’s foreign minister might say, Khamenei, the supreme leader, the only decider in Tehran, has really doubled down on we’re not going to talk about missiles, we’re not going to talk about nuclear enrichment in a very defiant tone,” Brett McGurk, former National Security Council coordinator, said on CNN. “And he’s the guy that matters.”
“I think President Trump, if there could be a diplomatic off-ramp, I think he would take it. And he seems to think that maybe Iran is going to come in with something that he can defend,” McGurk added. “I’m just not seeing that in the cards.”
READ IN FULL: PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S STATE OF THE UNION 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.
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UKRAINE’S GRIM ANNIVERSARY GETS NARY A MENTION: On the day Ukraine marked a somber anniversary, four years since Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, the war rated only three short sentences in theTrump’s address.
“We’re working very hard to end the ninth war, the killing and slaughter between Russia and Ukraine, where 25,000 soldiers are dying each and every month. Think of that, 25,000 soldiers are dying a month, a war which would have never happened if I were president. It would have never happened,” was all Trump had to say. Although at one point, he did brag about cutting off pretty much all direct aid to Ukraine, and forcing European allies to buy weapons and ammunition from the U.S. for Ukraine.
“Everything we send over to Ukraine is sent through NATO and they pay us in full,” Trump said. “They pay us totally in full.”
There was no mention of the anniversary, which was commemorated by European allies who converged on the capital yesterday. And there was no official U.S. delegation in Kyiv, aside from the embassy staff.
On the eve of the anniversary the White House did put out a presidential message that praised “the legion of heroes who stood up to tyranny and evil” saying their story “reminds us that history is shaped by those willing to stand firm when all hope seems lost.” But that was in reference to the 190th anniversary of the Battle of the Alamo.
U.S. NEUTRAL ON ‘LASTING PEACE IN UKRAINE’ RESOLUTION: The United Nations marked the day by voting, at the request of Ukraine, on a one-page resolution “Support for lasting peace in Ukraine.”
The resolution, which passed 107-12, with Russia and Belarus among the no votes, called for an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire, just and lasting peace, and complete exchange of prisoners of war. The United States abstained, along with China and India.
“The United States welcomes, of course, the call for an immediate ceasefire,” said Tammy Bruce, deputy U.S. representative to the U.N., who explained the U.S. chose to abstain because the resolution included “language that is likely to distract from ongoing negotiations.”
The offending passages were critical of Russia, expressing “grave concern” of its “continued and intensified attacks” on civilians and civilian targets, as well as expressing support for the “territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders,” of which Russia currently occupies between 18% and 20%.
That language “is likely to distract from ongoing negotiations, rather than support discussion of the full range of diplomatic avenues that may pave the way to that durable peace,” Bruce said.
“A UN vote on a lasting peace in Ukraine and we abstained. Go figure,” said former Trump special envoy to Ukraine retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg on X. “The Russian Federation was against the proclamation. Is not four years of war enough? Is not missing children, shelling of cities and the killing of innocents enough? It is not a business deal – it is war,” he wrote.
‘THESE GUYS DON’T KNOW WHEN TO QUIT’: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is not giving up on his vendetta against retired Navy captain Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) by appealing a judge’s order blocking him from punishing Kelly for alleged seditious remarks.
Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon sharply rebuked Hegseth in no uncertain terms for abridging Kelly’s First Amendment rights by seeking to demote him, and reduce his pension for participating in a video that called on troops to resist unlawful orders.
“This Court has all it needs to conclude that Defendants [Hegesth et al] have trampled on Sen. Kelly’s First Amendment freedoms and threatened the constitutional liberties of millions of military retirees,” Lean wrote in a scathing opinion.
Justice Department officials filed notice yesterday that they will ask a panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to review the Feb. 12 ruling by Leon, according to the Associated Press.
“These guys don’t know when to quit,” Kelly posted on X. “A federal judge told Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth that they violated my constitutional rights and chilled the free speech of millions of retired veterans. There is only one reason to appeal that ruling: to keep trampling on the free speech rights of retired veterans and silence dissent.”
“I went to war to defend Americans’ constitutional rights, and I won’t back down from this fight, no matter how far they want to take it,” Kelly said.
DEMOCRATS TARGETED OVER ‘ILLEGAL ORDERS’ VIDEO ATTEND TRUMP STATE OF THE UNION
HEGSETH’S AI ULTIMATUM: Hegeth has also been in a running battle with Anthropic Chief Executive Dario Amodei over restrictions built into its Claude artificial intelligence tool, which included guardrails to prevent the AI from being used for autonomous lethal weapons and mass surveillance.
In a meeting yesterday, Hegseth reportedly gave Amodei until Friday to agree to remove the restrictions on use or risk losing its government contract, or face other consequences, such as being designated “a supply chain risk” or being made subject to the Defense Production Act.
The Wall Street Journal reports this morning that the company “is softening its core safety policy to stay competitive with other AI labs,” but did not say if that would meet the Pentagon’s demands. Anthropic faces intense competition from rivals such as OpenAI, Elon Musk’s xAI, and Google.
A senior Pentagon official told the Associated Press that military operations need tools that don’t come with built-in limitations, insisting the Pentagon “has only issued lawful orders and stressed that using Anthropic’s tools legally would be the military’s responsibility.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: READ IN FULL: President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech
Washington Examiner: Marco Rubio gets his flowers as Trump praises ‘best-ever’ Secretary of State during State of the Union
Washington Examiner: White House unloads on Democrats who ‘failed’ Trump’s State of the Union ‘test’
Washington Examiner: Inside the Chamber: Trump gets under Democrats’ skin at State of the Union
Washington Examiner: Trump offers uncompromising populist vision of America’s future during State of the Union
Washington Examiner: ‘These people are crazy’: Six takeaways from Trump’s State of the Union
Washington Examiner: Democrats targeted over ‘illegal orders’ video attend Trump State of the Union
Washington Examiner: Trump slams ‘unfortunate’ Supreme Court tariff ruling in front of justices
Washington Examiner: ‘We did not hear the truth from the president’: Spanberger squares up to Trump in State of the Union rebuttal
Washington Examiner: Coast Guard reinstates more than 50 service members separated over COVID-19 vaccine
Washington Examiner: US unable to ‘fight every drone threat’ at FIFA World Cup games: Official
Washington Examiner: What does the killing of ‘El Mencho’ mean for Mexico?
New York Times: Xi’s Purges of China’s Military Run Deep, New Study Shows
AP: Hegseth warns Anthropic to let the military use the company’s AI tech as it sees fit, AP source says
Defense One: Pentagon’s Spending Plan Doubles Down on Land, Air, Sea Robots
CSIS: Russia-Ukraine War in 10 Charts
Kyiv Independent: ‘You can’t turn off your emotion’ — Inside a Ukrainian morgue as war deaths mount
AP: CIA offers tips to potential informants in Iran as Trump considers military action
Task & Purpose: Fight over Military Aviation Safety Reform Stalls in Congress
AP: Trump cites health care issues in Greenland, saying he’s sending a hospital ship. His claims are off
Air & Space Forces Magazine: AMC Still Open to Wide Range of Options for New Tanker, Including Family of Systems
Breaking Defense: Ursa Major Unleashes HAVOC with New Hypersonic Missile
DefenseScoop: As the Pentagon Goes Full-Tilt on Small UAS, Some Services Are Trying to Build a New Generation of Drone-Savvy Troops from the Rip
The War Zone: Upgraded F-22 ‘Raptor 2.0’ Details Seen in New Model
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Meink Suggests E-7 Program Remains Unresolved
Breaking Defense: DAF Shakes Up Space Acquisition Leadership, Purdy Takes ‘Senior Advisor’ Role
Air & Space Forces Magazine: SPACECOM Offering Bonuses to Staffers Who Make the Move to Alabama
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Expanding ‘Airminded’ Exercises from New BMT to Tech Schools
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Lohmeier: Next Budget Will Fund ‘Year of Readiness’ in Fiscal ’27
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Space Force Moving to Upgrade Its Elements of Long-Range Kill Chains
Air & Space Forces Magazine: New ‘Ringleader’ Exercise Series to Test DAF Battle Network
THE CALENDAR:
WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 25
10 a.m. 562 Dirksen — Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing: “The Water Resources Development Act of 2026 and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Projects, Programs, and Priorities,” with testimony from Adam Telle, assistant secretary of the Army for civil works; and Lt. Gen. William Graham, chief of engineers and commanding general, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers http://epw.senate.gov
5 p.m. 1521 16th St. NW — Institute of World Politics lecture: “Peace Through Strength: The Path Forward in Russia-Ukraine,” with Gentry Beach, founder of America First Global; Glenn Corn, IWP faculty member; and James Robbins, IWP faculty member https://www.iwp.edu/events/peace-through-strength
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 Max Boot, senior fellow in national security studies, Council on Foreign Relations and contributor to the Washington Post; and Larry Diamond, senior fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies https://www.jewsunitedfordemocracy.org/blog/event
THURSDAY | FEBRUARY 26
8 a.m. 1800 Presidents St., Reston, Va.— Potomac Officers Club GovCon Executive Leadership Summit discussion: “Digital Warfighters: The New Power Players in Defense Tech” www.potomacofficersclub.com/events/2026-govcon-executive-leadership-summit/
8 a.m. 11493 Sunset Hills Rd., Reston, Va.— Government Executive Media Group forum: “Cybersecurity Futures: Built on Zero Trust,” with William Streilein, former principal staff at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory and former inaugural chief technology officer, Defense Department Chief Digital and AI Office https://events.atarc.org/built-on-zt25/home/
9 a.m. — Peterson Institute for International Economics virtual discussion: “Will Europe Ever Get its Defense Act Together?” with Cornelia Woll, professor of international political economy and president of the Hertie School, Berlin https://www.piie.com/events/2026/will-europe-ever-get-its-defense-act-together
9:30 a.m. G-50 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing on Mark Ditlevson to be assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and hemispheric affairs; and Brian Birdwell to be an assistant secretary of defense for sustainment. http://www.armed-services.senate.gov
5:30 p.m. 2300 N St. NW — Aspen Institute book discussion: Statecraft 2.0: What America Needs to Lead in a Multipolar World, with author Dennis Ross, Washington Institute for Near East Policy fellow https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/
FRIDAY | FEBRUARY 27
9:30 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave., NW —Brookings Institution in-person and virtual discussion: “U.S. policy in a changing nuclear landscape,” with Michael O’Hanlon, Philip H. Knight chair in Defense and Strategy, senior fellow and director, Talbott Center, Brookings; Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), ranking member, Armed Services Committee; Suzanne Maloney, vice president and director, foreign policy, Brookings; Tom Wright, senior fellow, Talbott Center, Brookings; Andrew Yeo, SK-Korea Foundation Chair in Korea Studies and senior fellow, Brookings Center for Asia Policy Studies; Mara Karlin, visiting fellow, Talbott Center, Brookings; Bruce Jones, senior fellow, Talbott Center, Brookings; Caitlin Talmadge, nonresident senior fellow, Talbott Center, Brookings; and Melanie Sisson, senior fellow, Talbott Center, Brookings https://connect.brookings.edu/register-to-watch-us-nuclear-landscape
9:30 a.m. 775 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Brookings Institution discussion: “U.S. Policy in a Changing Nuclear Landscape, with Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), Armed Services ranking member https://www.brookings.edu/events/us-policy-in-a-changing-nuclear-landscape ]
10 a.m. — National Institute for Deterrence Studies virtual seminar: “Nuclear Testing Explained: History, Risks, and the Road Ahead,” with Henry Sokolski, executive director, Nonproliferation Policy Education Center; Don Cook, former deputy administrator for defense programs at the National Nuclear Security Administration; and James Petrosky, NIDS president https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event
1 p.m. 1400 L St. NW — Atlantic Council discussion: “Reporters at risk: Navigating Iran’s internet blackout,” with Holly Dagres, senior fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy Viterbi Program on Iran and U.S. Policy; Nate Swanson, resident senior fellow and director, Atlantic Council Iran Strategy Project, Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative, Rafik Hairi Center and Middle East Programs; Adrienne Arsht, executive vice chair, Atlantic Council Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Adrienne Arsht National Security Resilience Initiative; and Andrew Peek, director, Atlantic Council Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Adrienne Arsht National Security Resilience Initiative https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/reporters-at-risk-navigating-irans-internet-blackout/
