TRUMP ‘GREATLY DISAPPOINTED’: After launching a war of choice against Iran without consulting with or considering the impact on America’s closest allies, President Donald Trump is shocked to discover that many of those countries are not enthusiastic about being dragged into the expensive and dangerous mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to stabilize the world oil market.
“There are some countries that greatly disappointed me,” Trump said at an afternoon White House event, wrapping up a 24-hour period in which he railed against countries that benefit from America’s security umbrella, while refusing what Trump insists is a small ask to help with a “very minor” mission. “Very few shots going to be taken because they don’t have many shots left.”
“We have 45,000 troops in Japan. We have 45,000 troops in South Korea. We have 45,000 or 50,000 troops in Germany. We defend all these countries. And then, ‘Do you have any mine sweepers?’ And they say, ‘Well, would it be possible for us not to get involved.’”
Trump says some allies, who he won’t name, have already dispatched ships to join the effort. “Some are very enthusiastic, and some are less than enthusiastic,” he said at a Kennedy Center event. “I assume some will not do it. I think we have one or two that will not do it that we’ve been protecting for about 40 years at, you know, tens of billions of dollars.”
Faced with reluctant allies, Trump pivoted to suggest he’s really asking for help as a sort of loyalty test to find out which allies the U.S. can depend on in the crunch. “We’re the strongest nation in the world. We have the strongest military by far in the world. We don’t need them,” Trump said. “I’m almost doing it in some cases, not because we need them, but because I want to find out how they react. Because I’ve been saying for years that if we ever did need them, they won’t be there.”
US ALLOWING IRANIAN OIL TANKERS THROUGH STRAIT OF HORMUZ TO STABILIZE SUPPLY, BESSENT SAYS
U.K., GERMANY FACE TRUMP’S IRE: Germany was one of the first countries to be a hard “no” on taking part in a multinational coalition to open the checkpoint through which 20% of the world’s oil supplies are transported. “This is not our war; we did not start it,” said German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. “NATO is a defense alliance and not an intervention alliance,” said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. “The war in the Middle East is not a matter for NATO. Therefore, Germany will also not become involved militarily,” Merz posted on X.
“While taking the necessary action to defend ourselves and our allies, we will not be drawn into the wider war,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said at a press conference in London. While not giving a flat refusal, Starmer said, “if we are to send our servicemen and women into harm’s way, the very least they deserve is to know that they do so on a legal basis, and with a proper, thought-through plan.”
Starmer’s reticence particularly irked Trump, who spoke to him by phone Sunday night. Trump seemed unacquainted with the U.K.’s parliamentary system of government, and berated Starmer for not immediately agreeing to Trump’s request, without further consultation with his ministers.
“I think he’s a very nice guy,” Trump said. “He says, ‘Well, I’d like to ask my team.’ I said, ‘You don’t have to worry about a team. You don’t have a team. You’re the prime minister. You can make a decision.’ ‘Well, I have to speak to my people.’ I said, ‘You don’t have to speak to anybody.’ So, it was very disappointing.”
Starmer, it should be noted, offered Britain’s two aircraft carriers for aid in the defense against Iranian drones, and Trump curtly shut him down with a terse and insulting response. “I said, ‘I don’t want them anymore. I don’t want them after we win. I want it before we start. I don’t need your aircraft carriers after we’ve already won.”
FAILURE TO ANTICIPATE: Trump is getting criticism for thinking that the U.S. and Israel alone could contain the aftermath of the destruction of Iran’s military and defense industry.
“I’ve been saying for the last two weeks I think that among other mistakes Trump made before undertaking this operation, he was not consulting adequately with our allies. He also didn’t prepare the American people and didn’t prepare the Congress,” Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton said on CNN. “Not only the political groundwork wasn’t laid with the allies, I’m surprised that the military hadn’t done more earlier to remove what is clearly one of Iran’s most important retaliatory strike capabilities — not just its ballistic missiles, not just its drones, but closing the Strait of Hormuz.”
While the Pentagon insisted that all contingencies were considered and planned for, Trump revealed yesterday that he had no idea that Iran’s so-called “Mosaic” defense plan, where the over 30 regional commanders were delegated authorities to strike pre-selected targets in the event the leadership was wiped out, meant that all of America’s Gulf allies would be hit.
“Nobody. No, no, no. The greatest experts. Nobody thought they were going to hit. They were, I wouldn’t say, friendly countries. They were like neutral,” Trump said. Secretary of State Marco Rubio knew. In fact, three days into the war, Rubio explained that was part of the rationale for Trump starting the war when he did.
“It was abundantly clear that if Iran came under attack by anyone, the United States or Israel or anyone, they were going to respond and respond against the United States,” Rubio said. “The orders had been delegated down to the field commanders. It was automatic.”
“I would think our European partners would really want no part of this,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) said on CNN. “You’re talking about the president who threatened to attack Greenland if they didn’t cooperate with his plan to take over Greenland, and a president who actually is now strengthening Putin’s hand by relaxing our restrictions on the purchase of Russian oil.”
“Look, there was never any doubt that the United States military could obliterate the Iranian military, never a doubt,” Van Hollen said. “The question all along has been for what purpose, to what end, at what risk, and what the hell is the endgame?”
WHERE THINGS STAND WITH IRAN WAR IN ITS THIRD WEEK
Good Tuesday 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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NOTE TO READERS: Daily on Defense will take a one-week spring break hiatus beginning Monday, March 30. We will return Monday, April 6.
HAPPENING TODAY: As the U.S. enters day 18 of the Iran war, the top commander of Operation Epic Fury says it is methodically achieving “very clear military objectives” that are designed to “eliminate Iran’s ability to project power against Americans and against its neighbors.”
“To date, our Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps aviators have collectively flown more than 6,000 combat flights, demonstrating the unmatched capability of America’s joint force,” U.S. Central Command Adm. Brad Cooper said in a video update posted on X. “As we maintain air superiority over Iranian skies, we continue to remain centered on our military objectives. These are well defined and include eliminating Iran’s ballistic missiles, drone, and naval threats.”
Cooper said the priority is destroying Iran’s manufacturing capabilities to ensure it can’t replace the drones and missiles that have been destroyed. “It’s one thing to defend by striking launchers and intercepting missiles and drones. But it’s another thing to eliminate the wider manufacturing apparatus behind them. And we are doing that.”
And while the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked at this point, Cooper said ongoing operations are setting the conditions for the Strait to reopen, and the video featured a series of before-and-after imagery. “Here you see a photo from March first of a naval drone storage facility located near the Strait of Hormuz. This is the same location, eight days later, completely destroyed.”
“We’re also zeroed in on dismantling Iran’s decades-old threat to the free flow of commerce through the Strait of Hormuz through a combination of air, land, and maritime capabilities,” Cooper said. “We have successfully destroyed over 100 Iranian naval vessels, and we aren’t done. We will continue to rapidly deplete Iran’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation in and around the Strait of Hormuz. Our progress remains steady.”
ISRAEL ELIMINATES TWO MORE IRANIAN LEADERS: As President Donald Trump muses that there is no one to talk to in Iran because “they’re all dead,” Israel is relentlessly hunting down and killing whoever is left. “My biggest problem is I have no idea who we’re talking to because nobody ever heard of any of these people,” Trump said.
This morning, Israel’s defense minister announced that the Israeli military believes it has killed top Iranian security official, Ali Larijani, and Gholam Reza Soleimani, the head of the Revolutionary Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force.
The latest decapitation strikes come as Axios reported that Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff had established a line of communication with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Araghchi denied the report, posting on X, “My last contact with Mr. Witkoff was prior to his employer’s decision to kill diplomacy with another illegal military attack on Iran. Any claim to the contrary appears geared solely to mislead oil traders and the public.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: Where things stand with Iran war in its third week
Washington Examiner: Leaked audio reveals new Iranian supreme leader survived strike because he went outside
Washington Examiner: Iran has launched more than 300 attacks on a dozen countries since war began: CENTCOM
Washington Examiner: Japan’s Takaichi prepares to lobby Trump for ‘Golden Dome’ cooperation, stability on trade and defense
Washington Examiner: Which ships have been able to pass through the Strait of Hormuz?
Washington Examiner: US allowing Iranian oil tankers through Strait of Hormuz to stabilize supply, Bessent says
Washington Examiner: Strait of Hormuz dispute won’t delay Trump’s visit to China, Bessent says
Washington Examiner: Japan’s Takaichi prepares to lobby Trump for ‘Golden Dome’ cooperation, stability on trade and defense
Washington Examiner: Vance accuses media of trying to ‘drive a wedge’ between him and Trump over Iran
Washington Examiner: Viktor Orban faces uphill battle to hold leadership as opposition hits him on Russia ties and accusations of corruption
Washington Examiner: Army general involved in Ukraine support improperly handled classified intelligence, watchdog concludes
Washington Examiner: Border Patrol official Greg Bovino to retire by end of March
Washington Examiner: Trump claims he will have the ‘honor’ of taking Cuba
Washington Examiner: Ecuador-US ‘war’ with drug cartels begins with two-week operation
Washington Examiner: Afghanistan claims over 400 civilians killed in Pakistani bombing of drug rehab center
Washington Examiner: Trump says former president praised his Iran strikes, but all four issue denials
Washington Examiner: Opinion: Iran war oil crisis teaches a valuable lesson
Washington Examiner: Cuba’s crisis is closer — and more dangerous — than Washington thinks
Washington Examiner: Opinion: Congress must call time on the intelligence community’s Havana Syndrome cover-up
AP: War Rages on Multiple Fronts as Israeli Attacks on Lebanon Grow amid Iran Shipping Stranglehold
The Hill: 200 US Troops Wounded Since Iran War Started: CENTCOM
New York Times: Fire on U.S. Aircraft Carrier Raged for Hours, Sailors Say
Wall Street Journal: US Reaper Drones Take the Fight to Iran, but at a Cost
The War Zone: Israel Claims Destruction Of ‘Iran Force One’
Washington Post: Trump-Xi Summit Delayed as US President Pushes China to Help Open Hormuz
New York Times: Another Tanker Is Hit Near Strait of Hormuz
CNN: Fact check: Trump falsely claims, again, that his pre-9/11 book warned about Osama bin Laden
Air & Space Forces Magazine: American Forces in Europe Key to War Against Iran: EUCOM Boss
DefenseScoop: Inside a ‘First of Its Kind’ Counter-Drone Laser Test in the American Desert
Breaking Defense: Army Awards Anduril Counter-Drone Task Order as First in New $20B ‘Contract Vehicle’
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Eyes Advanced Propulsion Tech with Program Worth Up to $16B
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Loved Ones Mourn 6 Airmen Killed in KC-135 Crash
CNN: Fact check: Trump falsely claims, again, that his pre-9/11 book warned about Osama bin Laden
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Loosens Up Time Off Rules Around PCS Moves
THE CALENDAR:
TUESDAY | MARCH 17
8:30 a.m. 1211 Connecticut Ave. NW — Henry L. Stimson Center discussion: “Pursuing North Korea’s Denuclearization in an Era of Strategic Drift: Voices from Japan,” with Mizumi Dutcher, doctoral candidate at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies; Hideya Kurata, professor at the National Defense Academy of Japan; Michiru Nishida, professor at Nagasaki University; Jenny Town, senior fellow and director, Stimson Center’s 38 North Program; and Andrew Oros, senior fellow and director, Stimson Center’s Japan Program https://www.stimson.org/event/pursuing-north-koreas-denuclearization
10 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Committee hearing: “U.S. Military Posture and National Security Challenges in North and South America,” with testimony from Gen. Francis Donovan, commander, U.S. Southern Command; Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander, U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command; and Joseph Humire, performing the duties of Assistant Secretary of Defense for homeland defense and Americas security affairs http://www.armedservices.house.gov
10 a.m. — House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing: “Reforming America’s Defense Sales,” with testimony from Stanley Brown, principal deputy assistant secretary of State for political-military affairs; Michael Duffy, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment; and Michael Miller, director, Defense Security Cooperation Agency http://foreignaffairs.house.gov
10 a.m. 2167 Rayburn — House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee hearing: “Force Design or Force in Decline: Reviewing Readiness.” http://transportation.house.gov
10 a.m. 310 Cannon — House Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee hearing: “DeepSeek and Unitree Robotics: Examining the National Security Risks of PRC Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Autonomous Technologies and Building a Secure U.S. Technology Base.” http://homeland.house.gov
10:30 a.m. — Middle East Institute virtual discussion: “War with Iran: A View from Israel,” with former Israeli Defense Forces Col. Miri Eisin; Eyal Hulata, Foundation for Defense of Democracies senior international fellow; and Natan Sachs, MEI senior fellow https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/
11 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Decisions, Discord and Diplomacy: From Cairo to Kabul,” with author retired Adm. William Fallon, former commander, U.S. Central Command; and CSIS President and CEO John Hamre https://www.csis.org/events/cairo-kabul-conversation-admiral-william-j-fallon-ret
2 p.m. 390 Cannon — House (Select) Intelligence Committee hearing: “Annual Worldwide Threats Assessment Hearing,” with testimony from Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. James Adams; Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard; acting National Security Agency Director Lt. Gen. William Hartman; FBI Director Kash Patel; and CIA Director John L. Ratcliffe http://intelligence.house.gov
3:30 p.m.2212 Rayburn — House Armed ServicesStrategic Forces Subcommittee hearing: “FY2027 Strategic Forces Posture,” with testimony from Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy Marc Berkowitz; Adm. Richard Correll, commander, U.S. Strategic Command; Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander, U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command; Robert Kadlec, assistant secretary of defense for nuclear deterrence, chemical, and biological defense; and Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander, U.S. Space Command http://www.armedservices.house.gov
4 p.m. 2121 K St. NW — International Institute for Strategic Studies book discussion: “Contending with American Exceptionalism,” with author Kori Schake, director of foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute https://www.iiss.org/events/2026/03/adelphi-book-launch
WEDNESDAY | MARCH 18
9 a.m. 3351 Fairfax Dr., Arlington, Va. — National Defense Industrial Association Human Systems Conference panel discussion: “Human Side of AI Tools, Tutors, and Teammates” https://www.ndia.org/events/2026/3/17/human-systems-conference
9 a.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — CrowdStrike Fal.Con Gov Conference: “Cybersecurity Is National Security,” with U.S. National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross; Nick Andersen, executive assistant director for cybersecurity at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency; and Defense CIO Kirsten Davies delivers closing keynote remarks https://www.crowdstrike.com/en-us/events/fal-con/gov/
10 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Committee hearing: “U.S. Military Posture and National Security Challenges in Europe,” with testimony from Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, commander, U.S. European Command; and Daniel Zimmerman, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs http://www.armedservices.house.gov
10 a.m. — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace virtual discussion: “War, Peace, and the Future of the U.S.-Israeli Relationship,” with Yael Lempert, Middle East Institute vice president for outreach; Daniel Kurtzer, Princeton University professor of Middle East policy studies; Daniel Shapiro, fellow, Atlantic Council’s Middle East Security Initiative; and Aaron David Miller, senior fellow, CEIP American Statecraft Program https://carnegieendowment.org/events/2026/03/war-peace-and-the-future
10 a.m. 1211 Connecticut Ave. NW — Henry Stimson Center discussion: “New Frontiers for North Korean Surveillance and Repression,” with Hanna Song, executive director, Database Center for North Korean Human Rights; Rose Adams, communications manager of Unification Media Group; Martyn Williams, senior fellow, Stimson Center and the Stimson Center’s 38 North Program; and Jenny Town, senior fellow and director, Stimson Center’s 38 North Program https://www.stimson.org/event/new-frontiers-for-north-korean-surveillance
10:30 a.m. — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies virtual discussion: “How spacepower is evolving to meet emerging challenges,” with Maj. Gen. Samuel Keener, director of joint forces development and training in the U.S. Space Command; and Jennifer Reeves, senior resident fellow for spacepower studies at the Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center for Excellence https://www.mitchellaerospacepower.org/events
10:30 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion: “Implementing a U.S. Cyber Force,” with Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX); retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Ryan Heritage, commissioner, CSIS Commission on Cyber Force Generation; and Lauryn Williams, deputy director, CSIS Strategic Technologies Program https://www.csis.org/events/implementing-us-cyber-force
1 p.m. — Center for a New American Security virtual discussion: “Project Maven: Artificial Intelligence in Warfare,” with Katrina Manson, reporter, Bloomberg and author, Project Maven: A Marine Colonel, His Team, and the Dawn of AI Warfare; and Paul Scharre, executive vice president, Center for a New American Security https://www.cnas.org/events/project-maven
1 p.m. Washington Institute for Near East Policy virtual forum: “Great Power Competition During (and After) the Iran War,” with Anna Borshchevskaya, WINEP senior fellow; Souhire Medini, WINEP visiting fellow; Grant Rumley, WINEP senior fellow; and Henry Tugendhat, WINEP fellow https://washingtoninstitute-org.zoom.us/webinar/register
2 p.m. 2141 Rayburn — House Judiciary Committee Oversight Subcommittee hearing: “The Legal Basis for Action Against Venezuelan Drug Traffickers.” http://judiciary.house.gov
3 p.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee and Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee joint hearing: “Posture and Readiness of the Mobility Enterprise,” with testimony from Gen. Randall Reed, commander of U.S. Transportation Command; and Stephen Carmel, administrator, Transportation Department’s Maritime Administration http://www.armedservices.house.gov
3:30 p.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Intelligence and Special Operations Subcommittee hearing: “U.S. Special Operations Forces and Command – Challenges and Resource Priorities for FY2027,” with testimony from Derrick Anderson, assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict; and Adm. Frank Bradley, commander, U.S. Special Operations Command http://www.armedservices.house.gov
5:45 p.m. Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum virtual book discussion: Rogue States: The Making of America’s Global War on Terror, with author Matthew Frakes, assistant professor at the Ohio State University Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society; and Anthony Eames, director of scholarly initiatives at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum https://roguestateslaunchvirtual.rsvpify.com
6 p.m. 1957 E St. NW — George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs Korea Policy Forum: “The Future of U.S.-ROK Nuclear Cooperation: National and Economic Security at the Intersection.” https://calendar.gwu.edu/event/korea-policy-forum-the-future-of-usrok-nuclear-cooperation
THURSDAY | MARCH 19
9 a.m. 1789 Massachusetts Ave. NW — American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research in-person discussion: “Poland, Northeastern Europe, and the Future of the Transatlantic Partnership,” with Erik Brattberg, nonresident senior fellow, Atlantic Council; Ian Brzezinski, senior fellow, Atlantic Council; Heather Conley, nonresident senior fellow, American Enterprise Institute, Robert Doar, president, American Enterprise Institute; Radosław Fogiel, Member, Sejm of the Republic of Poland; Anniken Huitfeldt, Ambassador of Norway to the U.S.; Igor Janke, president, Warsaw Freedom Institute; Paweł Kowal, member, Sejm of the Republic of Poland; Andrew Michta, professor of strategic studies, University of Florida; Dalibor Rohac, senior fellow, American Enterprise Institute; Kori Schake, director of foreign and defense policy, American Enterprise Institute; and Rep. Michael Turner (D-OH) https://www.aei.org/events/poland-northeastern-europe-and-the-future-of-the-transatlantic-partnership/?
11 a.m. — Arab Center Washington D.C. virtual discussion: “Unpacking the War on Iran: Political Implications and Global Repercussions,” with Giorgio Cafiero, CEO of Gulf State Analytics; Negar Mortazavi, editor and host of “The Iran Podcast”;Barbara Slavin, Stimson Center fellow; and Youosef Munayyer, Arab Center senior fellow https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register
11 a.m. — Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft virtual discussion: “How Badly Could the War Against Iran Hurt the Global South?” with Greg Priddy, senior fellow for the Middle East at the Center for the National Interest; Rachel Ziemba, adjunct senior fellow, Center for a New American Security; Karthik Sankaran, senior research fellow in geoeconomics, Quincy Institute Global South Program; and Sarang Shidore, director, Quincy Institute’s Global South Program https://quincyinst.org/events/how-badly-could-the-war-against-iran-hurt-the-global-south/
1 p.m. 1211 Connecticut Ave. NW — Henry L. Stimson Center book discussion: West Asia: A New American Grand Strategy in the Middle East, with author Mohammed Soliman; Daniel Markey, senior fellow, Stimson Center; and Emma Ashford, senior fellow, Stimson Center https://www.stimson.org/event/the-middle-east-is-asian
FRIDAY | MARCH 20
10 a.m. — National Institute for Deterrence Studies virtual seminar: “Nuclear Strategy at a Crossroads,” with Franklin Miller, former senior director for defense policy and arms control at the National Security Council; and Eric Edelman, counselor at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments https://thinkdeterrence.com/events/nuclear-strategy-at-a-crossroads
2 p.m. 1400 L St. NW — Atlantic Council discussion: “The fight for influence in Venezuela against Russia, China, Iran and Cuba,” with former assistant Homeland Security secretary for counterterrorism and threat prevention Samantha Vinograd, nonresident senior fellow, Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security; Sebastian Arcos, interim director at Florida International University’s Cuban Research Institute; Sergey Sukhankin, senior fellow, Jamestown Foundation and senior fellow, Saratoga Foundation; and Nikolas Foster, nonresident senior fellow, Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub; and Jason Marczak, vice president and senior director, Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/the-fight-for-influence-in-venezuela
