STRATEGY SEEKS ACCESS TO PANAMA, GREENLAND: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney took a lot of grief for his remarks at Davos last week, in which he declared the international rules-based order — which has guided the U.S. view of how nations should act since the end of World War II — a “fiction” that has been irreparably ruptured and replaced by an era of “great power rivalry,” where “strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must.”
While Trump was irritated by Carney’s description of a world where major powers such as the U.S. impose their will on middle powers through economic coercion and tariffs, the Pentagon’s new National Defense Strategy, released late Friday, embraces the idea that the U.S. top dog and will no longer be “distracted by interventionism, endless wars, regime change, and nation building.”
In fact, the strategy agrees with Carney that the old rules no longer apply, and that the quaint concept of rules-based international order is a “cloud-castle abstraction.” Instead, President Donald Trump’s “America First” policy will see the United States flexing its military muscle to dominate the Western Hemisphere.
“The United States will no longer cede access to or influence over key terrain in the Western Hemisphere,” reads the strategy. “DoW will therefore provide the President with credible options to guarantee U.S. military and commercial access to key terrain from the Arctic to South America, especially Greenland, the Gulf of America, and the Panama Canal.”
“We will ensure that the Monroe Doctrine is upheld in our time.”
TRUMP’S GREENLAND QUEST ENDS WITH A WHIMPER, NOT A BANG
EUROPE: “STRONGLY POSITIONED’ TO DEFEND AGAINST RUSSIA: The strategy signals a step back from America’s security commitment to European allies. “It is neither America’s duty nor in our nation’s interest to act everywhere on our own, nor will we make up for allied security shortfalls from their leaders’ own irresponsible choices,” it stated in the preamble, signed by Secretary Pete Hegseth. “No longer will the Department be distracted by interventionism, endless wars, regime change, and nation building.”
The 34-page document labeled Russia as “a persistent but manageable threat to eastern Europe,” but says NATO’s European members are, or should be, “strongly positioned to take primary responsibility for Europe’s conventional defense,” albeit with “critical but more limited support” from the United States.
“European NATO dwarfs Russia in economic scale, population, and, thus, latent military power,” the document read. “Our NATO allies are substantially more powerful than Russia — it is not even close. Germany’s economy alone dwarfs that of Russia,” the document argued. “It follows that, although we are and will remain engaged in Europe, we must — and will — prioritize defending the U.S. homeland and deterring China.”
DETERRING CHINA ‘THROUGH STRENGTH, NOT CONFRONTATION’: The strategy seeks “a stable peace, fair trade, and respectful relations with China,” and aims to deter China from trying to take over the self-governing island of Taiwan through “strength, not confrontation.”
“Our goal in doing so is not to dominate China; nor is it to strangle or humiliate them. Rather, our goal is simple: To prevent anyone, including China, from being able to dominate us or our allies,” read the strategy, while adding “We will also be clear-eyed and realistic about the speed, scale, and quality of China’s historic military buildup.”
“To that end, as the NSS directs, we will erect a strong denial defense along the First Island Chain. We will also urge and enable key regional allies and partners to do more for our collective defense. In doing so, we will reinforce deterrence by denial so that all nations recognize that their interests are best served through peace and restraint.”
SHAHEEN: SEVERELY MISSED THE MARK’: Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), co-chair of the Senate NATO Observer Group, was sharply critical of the new strategy, saying in a statement, that “Secretary Hegseth and the Trump Administration have severely missed the mark,” and can’t “be taken seriously when it demands defense spending targets from our partners that we could not even meet ourselves.”
“This document wrongly shifts our national defense posture away from one of our top adversaries and undermines NATO and our alliances, Shaeen said. “Alarmingly, as Americans and our allies grow increasingly concerned by the President’s rhetoric, the Pentagon confirms it will provide the President with ‘credible options’ to guarantee America’s access to Greenland, the Gulf of Mexico and the Panama Canal.”
“As I’ve repeatedly said, continuing down this path is bad for America and bad for our allies — helping adversaries like Putin and Xi who want to see NATO divided.”
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. 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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HAPPENING TODAY: ANOTHER SHUTDOWN COUNTDOWN: The shooting death of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by immigration enforcement officers in Minneapolis on Saturday has infuriated Democrats in Congress to the point they are threatening another partial government shutdown in just four days, if funding for Homeland Security is not dropped from the six appropriations measures headed for final passage.
Among the agencies that would be funded in the roughly $1.33 trillion six-bill spending package, is funding for the Pentagon for the rest of this fiscal year, in addition to funding for ICE.
“The way that this agency has been functioning is completely against every tenet of law enforcement,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) said on NBC’s Meet the Press. “When they’re killing two constituents in my state, and they’re taking two-year-olds out of the arms of their mom, and they are taking an elder Hmong man out of his house and putting him out there in his underwear, and then figuring out they have the wrong man. No, I am not voting for this funding.”
While Democrats are in the minority in Congress, the Republicans don’t have enough votes to overcome a filibuster, which Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has vowed to use to block the DHS funding measure. “What’s happening in Minnesota is appalling — and unacceptable in any American city, Schumer said in a statement. “Senate Democrats will not provide the votes to proceed to the appropriations bill if the DHS funding bill is included.”
In a separate statement Schumer, called on Republicans to work with Democrats to rewrite the DHS bill while advancing the other five funding bills.
“Leader Thune could separate, which is what they did in the House, separate the five other appropriation bills, put them on the floor. They would pass, I think, overwhelmingly. Then let’s take up DHS,” said Sen. Angus King (I-ME) on CBS. “And, by the way, if those bills pass, 96 percent of the federal government is funded,” King said, “Take up DHS by itself. Let’s have an honest negotiation, put some guardrails on what’s going on, some accountability. And that would solve this problem.”
“I hate shutdowns. I’m one of the people that helped negotiate the solution to end the last shutdown. But I can’t vote for a bill that includes ICE funding under these circumstances,” King said.
SCHUMER CALLS ON SENATE GOP TO SCRAP DHS FUNDING BILL TO AVOID SHUTDOWN
XI’S SHOCKING MILITARY PURGE: China’s top general is the latest and most senior officer to fall victim to a purge of the top ranks of the Chinese military under President Xi Jinping’s campaign to root out corruption and remove disloyal military leaders whom he suspects of plotting against him.
Zhang Youxia, the senior of the two vice chairs of the powerful Central Military Commission, and another commission member, Liu Zhenli, are being investigated for alleged “serious violations of discipline and law,” according to a statement from the Chinese Defense Ministry Saturday.
“The removal of Zhang, the 75-year-old son of a famous revolutionary general who has known Xi since childhood, elevates the purge into one of the biggest reshuffles imposed on the Chinese military since the Tiananmen Square crackdown of 1989,” the Washington Post reported, while the New York Times quoted a former CIA analyst as calling the move “unprecedented in the history of the Chinese military and represents the total annihilation of the high command.”
TRUMP VS. CARNEY: President Trump continued his running feud over the weekend, as Canada, in response to America’s combative trade war with its erstwhile close ally, closed a deal with China to cut tariffs on Chinese electric cars in return for lower tariffs on Canadian products. The deal was negotiated by Prime Minister Mark Carney earlier this month, during a trip to Beijing and a meeting with Xi Jinping.
“If Governor Carney thinks he is going to make Canada a ‘Drop Off Port’ for China to send goods and products into the United States, he is sorely mistaken. China will eat Canada alive, completely devour it, including the destruction of their businesses, social fabric, and general way of life,” Trump posted on Truth Social Saturday. “If Canada makes a deal with China, it will immediately be hit with a 100% Tariff against all Canadian goods and products coming into the U.S.A.”
“The last thing the World needs is to have China take over Canada,” Trump said in a follow-up post. “It’s NOT going to happen, or even come close to happening!”
In another post, he said, “China is successfully and completely taking over the once Great Country of Canada. So sad to see it happen. I only hope they leave Ice Hockey alone!”
In response, Carney told reporters all Canada has done with China “is to rectify some issues that developed in the last couple of years.”
“We have commitments under CUSMA [United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement] not to pursue free trade agreements with non-market economies without prior notification. We have no intention of doing that with China or any other non-market economy.”
CANADA HAS ‘NO INTENTION’ OF SIGNING FREE TRADE DEAL WITH CHINA, CARNEY SAYS
TRUMP’S NON-APOLOGY APOLOGY: Trump doesn’t do apologies. It’s not his thing, but in response to his inflammatory remark in a Fox News interview, that when NATO sent troops to Afghanistan, “they stayed a little back, little off the front lines,” he’s trying in his own way to make amends.
The remark infuriated NATO allies who fought and died with U.S. troops in Afghanistan, often on the front lines. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer was particularly outraged, calling the remarks “insulting and frankly appalling”.
“The GREAT and very BRAVE soldiers of the United Kingdom will always be with the United States of America! In Afghanistan, 457 died, many were badly injured, and they were among the greatest of all warriors. It’s a bond too strong to ever be broken,” Trump posted on Social Media. “The U.K. Military, with tremendous Heart and Soul, is second to none (except for the U.S.A.!). We love you all, and always will! President DONALD J. TRUMP”
CHINA IS TOASTING TRUMP’S REPELLENT AFGHANISTAN RHETORIC
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: Schumer calls on Senate GOP to scrap DHS funding bill to avoid shutdown
Washington Examiner: Britain leads condemnation of Trump’s NATO comments: ‘Insulting and appalling’
Washington Examiner: Tom Rogan: China is toasting Trump’s repellent Afghanistan rhetoric
Washington Examiner: Iranian prosecutor denies canceling 800 executions as Trump claimed
Washington Examiner: Syrian infighting spotlights existing US troop presence
Washington Examiner: Trump’s Greenland quest ends with a whimper, not a bang
Washington Examiner: Pentagon: Iran’s nuclear weapon ambitions remain despite Midnight Hammer airstrikes
Washington Examiner: European leaders insist ‘shifting international order’ is inevitable while holding out hope instability will pass
Washington Examiner: Noem and Lewandowski waged campaign to oust Trump’s border leader: Sources
Washington Examiner: Iran may have killed over 30,000 protesters in two days
Washington Examiner: Bessent says Carney not ‘doing the best job’ for Canada
Washington Examiner: The future of Syria’s Kurds hang in the balance
Washington Examiner: US launches first drug boat strike of 2026, killing two and leaving one survivor
Washington Examiner: Trump brags about secret weapon that was key to Maduro capture: ‘The discombobulator’
Politico: US Officials: More Ukraine, Russia Talks Coming Next Week
The Hill: Trump Warns ‘Armada’ Heading to Iran: ‘Maybe We Won’t Have to Use It’
Washington Post: Iranian forces massacred protesters fleeing burning market, witnesses say
Breaking Defense: ‘No Decision’ Yet on AFRICOM’s Future, as Terror Groups Become ‘More Cohesive’: Official
Wall Street Journal: China Trains AI-Controlled Weapons with Learning from Hawks, Coyotes
The Atlantic: The Great Divorce
AP: UK’s Starmer slams Trump remarks on non-US NATO troops in Afghanistan as ‘insulting’ and ‘appalling’
AP: Iranian prosecutor denies Trump’s claim 800 prisoners were spared execution
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Golden Dome Czar Charts Two-Year Plan Focused on Command and Control, Interceptors
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Bringing Back William Tell Weapons Meet in March
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Congress Trims USAF’s Nuclear Spending in ’26 Spending Package
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Joint Force Air Component Commanders: Demand More of Our Cyber Forces
THE CALENDAR:
MONDAY | JANUARY 26
Brussels, Belgium — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte addresses the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs and Committee on Security and Defense.
1:30 p.m. 1700 Richmond Hwy., Arlington, Va. — Exchange Monitor Nuclear Deterrence Summit: “Accelerating the Mission: Delivering Deterrence with Urgency,” with Brandon Williams, administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration; Kimberly Budil, director, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Thomas Mason, director, Los Alamos National Laboratory; Laura McGill, laboratories director, Sandia National Laboratories; and John Longenecker, CEO of Longenecker & Associates https://www.exchangemonitor.com/go/nuclear-deterrence-summit-2026/
TUESDAY | JANUARY 27
8 a.m. 1777 F St. NW — Council on Foreign Relations China Strategy Initiative and the University of California San Diego School of Global Policy 21st Century China Center discussion: “China and Congress: Is There Still a Bipartisan Consensus?” with Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE); Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE); Michael Froman, CFR president; Stephen Hadley, principal at Rice, Hadley, Gates & Manuel LLC; and Rush Doshi, CFR senior fellow, Asia studies and director, CFR China Strategy Initiative https://www.cfr.org/event/china-and-congress-there-still-bipartisan-consensus
8:30 a.m. 1700 Richmond Hwy., Arlington, Va. — Exchange Monitor Nuclear Deterrence Summit: “Accelerating the Mission: Delivering Deterrence with Urgency,” with Scott Pappano, principal deputy administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration; Audrey Beldio, NNSA principal assistant deputy administrator for production, modernization and materials management; and Sean McDonald, senior adviser for the NNSA Integrated Plutonium Program https://www.exchangemonitor.com/go/nuclear-deterrence-summit-2026/
12 p.m. 957 E St. NW — George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs book discussion: The Case for American Power, with author Shadi Hamid, columnist, Washington Post; and retired U.S. Ambassador to Tunisia Gordon Gray https://calendar.gwu.edu/event/the-case-for-american-power-shadi-hamid
12 p.m. — Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft virtual discussion: “Europe and the Crisis in Transatlantic Relations,” with former U.K. Ambassador to Russia Tony Brenton; Zoltan Koskovics, director, Center for Fundamental Rights Geopolitical Unit; Zachary Paikin, deputy director, Quincy Institute’s Better Order Project and research fellow at the Quincy Institute’s Grand Strategy Program; and Anatol Lieven, director, Quincy Institute’s Eurasia Program and chair in American diplomatic history at the Quincy Institute https://quincyinst.org/events/europe-and-the-crisis-in-transatlantic-relations/
1:30 p.m. 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW— Carnegie Endowment for International Peace discussion: “Technology and the Bomb: Evaluating Proliferation Risks in a Rapidly Evolving World,” with Amy McAuliffe, visiting professor, practice at the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs; Matthew Bunn, professor of practice of energy, national security and foreign policy at the Harvard Kennedy School; Jane Darby Menton, fellow at the CEIP Nuclear Policy Program; and Rose Gottemoeller, non-resident senior fellow at the CEIP Nuclear Policy Program https://carnegieendowment.org/events/2026/01/technology-and-the-bomb
2 p.m. 1025 Connecticut Ave. NW — Center for the National Interest panel discussion: “Iran: What Comes Next?” with Sina Azodi, assistant professor, Middle East Politics, George Washington University; and Alex Vatanka, senior fellow, Middle East Institute RSVP: Jordan Henry at [email protected]
4 p.m. 2100 NW 100th St., Clive, Iowa — President Donald Trump delivers remarks on energy and the economy in Clive, Iowa. https://eoppra.my.site.com/survey/survey
WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 28
8 a.m. 801 Allen Y. Lew Pl., NW — Clarion Defence and the Hudson Institute 2026 Apex Defense Conference, with Jeff Frankston, acting deputy assistant secretary of defense for industrial base resilience; and Vice Adm. Michael Vernazza, commander, Naval Information Forces, CONTACT: [email protected] [Note: Register at https://apex-2026.reg.buzz/
8:15 a.m. 1700 Richmond Hwy., Arlington, Va.— Exchange Monitor Nuclear Deterrence Summit: “Accelerating the Mission: Delivering Deterrence with Urgency,” with updates from U.S. Strategic Command https://www.exchangemonitor.com/go/nuclear-deterrence-summit-2026/
2:30 p.m. 232A Russell — Senate Armed Services Cybersecurity Subcommittee hearing: “The Department’s Cyber Force Generation Plan and the Associated Implementation Plan,” with Air Force Brig. Gen. R. Ryan Messer, deputy director for global operations, J3 Joint Staff; Army Lt. Gen. William Hartman, acting commander, U.S. Cyber Command, performing the duties of director, National Security Agency and acting chief of the Central Security Service; and Assistant Defense Secretary for Cyber Policy Katherine Sutton http://www.armed-services.senate.gov
3 p.m. 1400 L St. NW — Atlantic Council discussion: “2026 National Defense Authorization Act,” with Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA); and Frederick Kempe, president and CEO of the Atlantic Council RSVP: [email protected]
THURSDAY | JANUARY 29
8 a.m. 7920 Jones Branch Dr., McLean, Va. — Potomac Officers Club Defense R&D Summit, with Emil Michael, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering; Col. Daniel May, chief AI officer for Air Force intelligence at the Air Force Department; and Thomas Rondeau, principal director, FutureG and 5G at the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering https://www.potomacofficersclub.com/events/2026-defense-rd-summit/
8:45 a.m. 1700 Army Navy Dr., Arlington, Va. — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Airpower Forum, with Lt. Gen. Scott Pleus, acting Air Force vice chief of staff; Brig. Gen. Jason Bartolomel, commander, Air Force Research Laboratory; and Lt. Gen. Jason Armagost, deputy commander, Air Force Global Strike Command; Lt. Gen. David Harris, deputy chief of staff of Air Force Futures; and Gen. Adrian Spain, commander, Air Combat Command https://www.mitchellaerospacepower.org/events/2nd-airpower-forum-26/
10 a.m. 253 Russell — Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Coast Guard, Maritime, and Fisheries Subcommittee hearing: “The Fleet We Funded: Assessing Coast Guard Force Laydown on the Heels of Historic Investment,” with Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday http://commerce.senate.gov
12 p.m. — Forecast International virtual event, “Global Defense Spending Snapshot: 2025 Review and 2026 Outlook,” with Shaun McDougall, lead analyst for U.S. defense markets at Forecast International; Derek Bisaccio, lead analyst for defense markets and strategic analysis at Forecast International; and David Hutchins, moderator & lead analyst for defense systems and strategic analysis at Forecast International https://events.forecastinternational.com/global-defense-spending-snapshot/register/
12 p.m. — New America’s Future Security Program virtual book discussion: The Warhead: The Quest to Build the Perfect Weapon, with author Jeffrey E. Stern https://events.newamerica.org/thewarheadthequesttobuildtheperfectweapon
2 p.m. — Government Executive Media Group’s DefenseOne virtual discussion: “From Skies to Seas: How Drones Are Reshaping The INDOPACOM Challenge” https://events.defenseone.com/from-skies-to-seas-how-drones-are-dominating-indopacom/
5 p.m. 1521 16th St. NW — Institute of World Politics discussion: “The War in Ukraine — An Update from the Front,” with Glenn Corn, IWP faculty member and 34-year veteran of the U.S. intelligence and foreign affairs communities https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-war-in-ukraine-an-update-from-the-front-tickets
8 p.m. — Jews United for Democracy and Justice virtual discussion: “Israel, Gaza and the Middle East: What Lies Ahead?,” with Dennis Ross, fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy and former director, policy planning at the State Department; and Warren Olney, host and executive producer, “To the Point” https://www.jewsunitedfordemocracy.org/blog/event
FRIDAY | JANUARY 30
9:15 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies summit: “Exploring Global AI Policy Priorities Ahead of the India AI Impact Summit,” with French Ambassador to the U.S. Laurent Bill; Indian Ambassador to the U.S. Vinay Kwatra; Russ Headlee, senior bureau official in the State Department Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy; and Poornima Shenoy, U.S. representative for the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry https://www.csis.org/events/exploring-global-ai-policy-priorities-ahead-india-ai-impact-summit
10 a.m. — National Institute for Deterrence Studies virtual seminar: “Reflections on Russia’s Nuclear Behavior: Doctrine vs. Reality,” with Mark Schneider, senior analyst, National Institute for Public Policy; and Stephen Blank, non-resident senior fellow, Foreign Policy Research Institute https://thinkdeterrence.com/events/reflections-on-russias-nuclear-behavior
12:45 p.m. 1957 E St. NW — George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs Sigur Center for Asian Studies discussion: “Making Sense of Japan’s Defense Policy: Continuities, Changes, and Challenges,” with Ryo Kiridori, research fellow, National Institute for Defense Studies; and Kuniko Ashizawa, professional lecturer, GWU Elliott School of International Affairs RSVP: [email protected]
