NOT WITH A BANG, BUT A WHIMPER: Just like that, after 52 days of “unrelenting” bombardment, “Operation Rough Rider” — which we only recently learned was the name of the U.S. air campaign to compel Houthi rebels in Yemen to stop attacking international shipping — has ended. Or so President Donald Trump believes.
“They have capitulated. But more importantly, we will take their word. They say they will not be blowing up ships anymore,” Trump announced at the beginning of his meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the White House Tuesday. “They’ve announced to us, at least, that they don’t want to fight anymore. They just don’t want to fight, and we will honor that, and we will stop the bombings.”
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Since the Pentagon doesn’t do war briefings anymore and the U.S. Central Command has gone silent since its one and only update issued last month, Trump had the “very good news” to himself. “I think it’s very, very positive. They were knocking out a lot of ships going — as you know, sailing beautifully down the various seas. It wasn’t just the canal; it was a lot of other places. And I will accept their word, and we are going to stop the bombing of the Houthis effective immediately.”
SCRAMBLING FOR DETAILS: With the Pentagon taking a pass on the big news, it fell to State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce to handle reporters’ questions. It soon became clear she had little more than President Trump’s words and a social media post from Special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to go by.
Witkoff also said nothing, merely reposting a statement from Oman’s foreign minister Badr Albusaidi, which said, “Following recent discussions and contacts conducted by the Sultanate of Oman with the United States and the relevant authorities in Sana’a, in the Republic of Yemen, with the aim of de-escalation, efforts have resulted in a ceasefire agreement between the two sides. In the future, neither side will target the other, including American vessels, in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, ensuring freedom of navigation and the smooth flow of international commercial shipping.”
“Looking at the President’s remarks, looking at this particular message from the Omanis, this is about the Red Sea, the attacking of ships, and the nature of the action that the United States had taken,” Bruce said. “That is what I’ve seen here, and that’s all I can remark on,” she added, promising more details Thursday.
ISRAEL NOT INCLUDED: The Houthi’s Political Bureau issued a statement Tuesday, which didn’t mention any ceasefire or promises to “not be blowing up ships anymore,” and at the same time, doubled down on its ongoing campaign to attack Israel in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
“By the will of Allah, the support for Gaza continues, and the response is coming,” Mohammad Ali Al-Houthi, Head of the Revolutionary Committee in Yemen, said. “Netanyahu must prepare for this resignation, for his crimes are failed terrorism.”
The defiant statement comes after Israeli air strikes devastated Yemen’s international airport in Sanaa on Monday in retaliation for a Houthi ballistic missile that hit Israel’s Ben Gurion airport Sunday night and after Israel has approved a plan to seize Gaza and forcibly displace Palestinians to move to southern Gaza.
Secretary of State, national security adviser, USAID Director, and National Archivist Marco Rubio, who was at the White House meeting with Carney, seemed to indicate that the U.S. interest was limited to safe passage in shipping lanes, and beyond that, Israel was on its own.
“This was always a freedom of navigation mission,” Rubio said. “These guys, these are a band of individuals with advanced weaponry that were threatening global shipping, and the job was to get that to stop. And if it’s going to stop, then we can stop.”
“There appears to be a U.S. deal with the Houthis that doesn’t cover Houthi aggression towards Israel,” Jonathan Conricus, a former IDF spokesman, posted on X. “If that is the case and these are the results of American diplomacy, I’m less optimistic about the future. As long as they attack Israel at the behest of Iran, the region won’t be at peace.”
TRUMP SAYS HOUTHI SHIP ATTACKS WILL STOP: ‘THEY DON’T WANT TO FIGHT ANYMORE’
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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HAPPENING TODAY: TWO NUCLEAR POWERS ON THE BRINK: The world has been watching as India and Pakistan, two nuclear powers with historical animosities, edged closer to military confrontation. Now, the tensions that began with an April attack in the India-controlled area of Kashmir, in which 26 tourists were killed, has boiled over, with India firing missiles targeting “terrorist infrastructure” in the Pakistan-administered area of Kashmir and Pakistan calling the strikes “an act of war.”
More than two dozen people, including children, were killed in retaliatory strikes, Pakistan said, while it also claimed to have shot down three Indian Air Force fighter jets.
“I am monitoring the situation between India and Pakistan closely,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X. “I echo @POTUS’s comments earlier today that this hopefully ends quickly and will continue to engage both Indian and Pakistani leadership towards a peaceful resolution.”
Just to be clear, the two nuclear-armed states may be on the brink of war, but they are not on the brink of nuclear war, as far as we can tell.
INDIA LAUNCHES MISSILE ATTACK AGAINST PAKISTAN
OOPS! ANOTHER F-18 IN THE DRINK: You won’t find this news on the Pentagon or U.S. Central Command website, but former Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell, who’s been promoted to assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs and senior adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, did confirm it on X.
“The DoD continues to monitor the situation regarding the loss of an F-18 fighter aircraft on the USS Harry S. Truman earlier today,” Parnell said. “We can confirm that this aircraft was not struck by the Houthis.”
What Parnell didn’t say was that the mishap that resulted in the second loss of a $60 million F/A-18 Super Hornet from the Truman occurred when the two-seater was landing on the carrier deck. The arresting wire that catches the plane was either missed or failed in some manner, resulting in the plane continuing over the bow and forcing the pilots to eject and be rescued by helicopter.
Despite the loss of two of its aircraft, “The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group remains fully mission capable,” said Parnell. “An investigation is underway, and more information will be made available when the cause of this mishap is determined.”
If you’re counting, that’s three F/A-18s lost in Operation Rough Rider. Last month, an F-18 and its tow vehicle slipped off the hangar deck while the carrier was conducting evasive maneuvers to avoid a Houthi missile. Back in December, the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg accidentally shot down an F/A-18 while it was engaging multiple Houthi drones and anti-ship cruise missiles.
TRUMP PLANS TO ANNOUNCE THE US WILL CALL THE PERSIAN GULF THE ARABIAN GULF
THE DOD TRANSGENDER BAN BACK ON: In a win for President Trump’s effort to purge the ranks of transgender troops, who in a January executive order he said are perpetrating a “falsehood,” not consistent with military service, the Supreme Court Tuesday said the Pentagon could proceed with its discharge of transgender service members, while legal challenges proceed.
Several lower courts have ruled the ban unconstitutional and had issued preliminary injunctions delaying enforcement of the policy. Yesterday’s ruling in the case United States v. Shilling was brief, just four sentences, and gave no reason. It did note that the court’s liberal Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented.
“No More Trans @ DoD,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted after the ruling.
Transgender rights groups decried the ruling as a slap in the face to “qualified transgender servicemembers who have met the standards and are serving honorably,” in the words of Jennifer Levi, a transgender rights advocate at GLAD.
“As a result of this decision, reached without benefit of full briefing or argument, brave troops who have dedicated their lives to the service of our country will be targeted and forced into harsh administrative separation process usually reserved for misconduct,” said Shannon Minter, of the National Center For Lesbian Rights. “They have proven themselves time and time again and met the same standards as every other soldier, deploying in critical positions around the globe.”
SUPREME COURT LETS TRUMP’S TRANSGENDER MILITARY BAN TAKE EFFECT FOR NOW
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: India launches missile attack against Pakistan
Washington Examiner: Trump says Houthi ship attacks will stop: ‘They don’t want to fight anymore’
Washington Examiner: US-China trade talks to take place this weekend in Switzerland, Bessent says
Washington Examiner: Supreme Court lets Trump’s transgender military ban take effect for now
Washington Examiner: Anthony Tata pledges to be ‘apolitical’ and apologizes for past comments
Washington Examiner: VA chief defends workforce cuts and promises to protect veteran care
Washington Examiner: Friedrich Merz wins on second ballot to become German chancellor after historic first round defeat
Washington Examiner: Visit to border revealed ‘remarkable’ shift between Biden and Trump: Lankford
Washington Examiner: Noem says reconciliation bill would ’empower’ DHS to enact Trump immigration plans
Washington Examiner: Carney politely tells Trump Canada’s ‘not for sale’ — Trump retorts ‘never say never’
Washington Examiner: US troops operating Gaza pier were ill-equipped for mission
Washington Examiner: House Intelligence finds FBI ‘failed’ in its investigation of 2017 congressional baseball shooting
Washington Examiner: Opinion: How hostile nations use US legal residency to spy
New York Times: Trump Administration Plans to Send Migrants to Libya on a Military Flight
Washington Post: Trump team urged Ukraine to take U.S. deportees amid war, documents show
AP: Trump says only 21 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza now believed to be alive
NBC News: Second Fighter Jet Crashes into the Sea after Landing Failure on USS Harry S. Truman
Reuters: Order by Hegseth to Cancel Ukraine Weapons Caught White House Off Guard
AP: Trump plans to announce the US will call the Persian Gulf the Arabian Gulf, officials tell AP
Defense One: Trump’s Pentagon Personnel Nominee Wants to Curb DOGE Data Access
Colorado Springs Gazette: Democratic Lawmakers Urge DOD to Provide Details on Air Force Academy Faculty Cuts
Air & Space Forces Magazine: New KC-46 Remote Vision System Slips Another 18 Months, to Summer 2027
The War Zone: AC-130 Gunship-Launched Black Arrow Small Cruise Missile Has a 400-Mile Range
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Set to ‘Significantly’ Change Launch Facilities for Sentinel ICBM
SpaceNews: Space Force Awards Contracts for Missile-Warning Ground Systems
Defense One: Reduced Funding Slows MDA’s Hypersonic Interceptor Development
Breaking Defense: Union Workers Strike at Pratt & Whitney Plant Where F-35 Engine Is Made
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Inside Orbital Watch: USSF’s Neighborhood Watch For Space
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Space Force Wants More Rapid, Flexible Launch
Breaking Defense: Facing ‘Fusion of Foes,’ Special Ops Leaders Envision ‘SOF Renaissance’
AP: Family sues over Florida deputy’s killing of US Airman Roger Fortson
New York Times: Opinion: Xi Can’t Trust His Own Military
THE CALENDAR:
WEDNESDAY | MAY 7
10 a.m. H-140, U.S. Capitol — House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing: “Oversight Hearing — The U.S. Army,” with testimony from Daniel Driscoll, secretary of the Army; and Gen. Randy George, chief of staff of the Army http://appropriations.house.gov
11 a.m. — Heritage Foundation virtual discussion of a new report, “A Strategy to Revitalize the Defense Industrial Base for the 21st Century,” with Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) https://www.heritage.org/defense/event/revitalizing-the-defense-industrial-base
2:30 p.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute discussion: “What Happening in Minsk?” with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Belarus opposition leader https://www.hudson.org/events/whats-happening-minsk
3 p.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee hearing: “Nuclear Forces and Atomic Energy Defense Activities Programmatic Updates,” with testimony from Air Force Lt. Gen. Andrew Gebara, deputy chief of staff, strategic deterrence and nuclear integration; Vice Adm. Johnny Wolfe, director, Strategic Systems Programs; Teresa Robbins, acting administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration; Brandi Vann, performing the duties of the assistant secretary of defense for nuclear, chemical, and biological defense programs; and Andrea Yaffe, acting principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for space policy http://www.armedservices.house.gov
3:30 p.m. 2212 Rayburn House Armed Services Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee hearing: “Update on Air Force Projection Forces Aviation Programs and Capabilities,” with testimony from Lt. Gen. David Tabor, deputy Air Force chief of staff for plans and programs; and Darlene Costello, principal deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics http://www.armedservices.house.gov
3:30 p.m. 300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Politico discussion: “Securing Europe: NATO Next Steps,” with Benedikt Franke, vice-chairman and CEO of the Munich Security Conference https://politico-securingnato
THURSDAY | MAY 8
9 a.m. 2212 Rayburn — House Armed Services Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation Subcommittee hearing: “Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence Posture of the Department of Defense,” with testimony from Douglas Matty, DOD chief digital and artificial intelligence officer; and Katie Arrington, performing the duties of DOD chief information officer y http://www.armedservices.house.gov
9 a.m. — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies virtual discussion: “Space superiority, space fires, Golden Dome, and the continued delivery of unparalleled spacepower advantage,” with Lt. Gen. Thomas James, deputy commander, U.S. Space Command; and Charles Galbreath, senior resident fellow for spacepower studies, Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence https://www.mitchellaerospacepower.org/events/ltg-thomas-l-james/
9 a.m. 2008 Rayburn — House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing: “Oversight Hearing – The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency,” with testimony from Bridget Bean, acting director, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency http://appropriations.house.gov
9 a.m. 138 Dirksen — Senate Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing: “A Review of the President FY2026 Budget Request for the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” with testimony from FBI Director Kash Patel http://appropriations.senate.gov
9 a.m. Cannon Caucus Room 390 — United Against Nuclear Iran displays an Iranian Shahed-136 drone on Capitol Hill to call attention to Iran malign drone proliferation, with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA); Sen. James Lankford (R-OK); Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) [email protected]
9:30 a.m. 1400 L St. NW — Atlantic Council discussion: “National Security and the Future of Space Commerce,” with retired Gen. John Raymond, former chief of space operations at U.S. Space Force https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/general-john-raymond
11 a.m. 1750 Independence Dr. — Friends of the National World War II Memorial V-E Day 80th Anniversary Commemoration, to “pay tribute to the more than 400,000 Americans who gave their lives and the more than 60 million souls lost worldwide in the deadliest conflict in human history.” https://www.wwiimemorialfriends.org/ceremony-registration
12 p.m. — Association of the U.S. Army “Noon Report” webinar: “U.S. Army: Powering the Mission,” with Brandon Cockrell, deputy assistant Army secretary for energy and sustainability https://www.ausa.org/events/noon-report/us-army-powering-the-mission
12:30 p.m. 1301 Connecticut Ave. NW — Institute for Policy Studies book discussion: Fire and Rain: Nixon, Kissinger, and the Wars in Southeast Asia, with author Carolyn Woods Eisenberg https://ips-dc.org/event/fire-and-rain
3 p.m. — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies virtual discussion: “Logistics While Under Attack: Key to a CCA (Concepts and Capability Assessments) Force Design,” with Brig. Gen. Joseph Kunkel, director of force design, integration, and wargaming for the Deputy Chief of Staff for Air Force Futures; Mark Gunzinger, director of future concepts and capability assessments, Mitchell Institute; and retired Lt. Gen. David Deptula, dean, Mitchell Institute https://www.mitchellaerospacepower.org/events/research-study-release-cca2025/
FRIDAY | MAY 9
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave., NW— Center for Strategic and International Studies CSIS Military Fellows discussion: “Insights for Future Conflicts from the Russia-Ukraine War,” with Col. Scott Pence, U.S. Army fellow; Capt. Quinton Packard, U.S. Navy fellow; Capt. Luke Slivinski, U.S. Coast Guard fellow; Col. Nathan Lewis, U.S. Air Force fellow; Col. Matthew Slusher, U.S. Air Force fellow; and Seth Jones, president, CSIS Defense and Security Department https://www.csis.org/events/insights-future-conflicts-russia-ukraine-war
12 p.m. 112 Elden St., Suite P, Herndon, Virginia — Clare Boothe Luce Center for Conservative Women discussion: “Escaping North Korea: From Brainwashing to Freedom,” with Seohyun Lee, North Korean defector and human rights advocate https://tinyurl.com/48c7pcdy
TUESDAY | MAY 13
8:30 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies Global Security Forum: “Strength Through the Storm: Industry, Innovation, and the Future of U.S. Military Power.” https://www.csis.org/events/2025-global-security-forum
THURSDAY | MAY 15
8 a.m. 111 Fairview Park Dr., Falls Church, Virginia — Potomac Officers Club Cyber Summit, with Bridget Bean, executive director, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency; and Acting assistant secretary of defense for Cyber Policy Ashley Manning https://potomacofficersclub.com/events/2025-cyber-summit/
8 a.m. 700 M St. NE — Politico Security Summit with House Intelligence ranking member Rep. Jim Himes (D-CN); and Rep. Michael Lawler (R-NY) chairman, House Foreign Affairs Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee https://2025politicosecuritysummit.splashthat.com/Invite
FRIDAY | MAY 23
9 a.m. 550 Taylor Ave., Annapolis, Maryland — U.S. Naval Academy 2025 graduation and commissioning ceremony at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium https://www.usna.edu/CommissioningWeek/schedule.php
TUESDAY | JUNE 24
TBA The Hague, Netherlands — The Netherlands hosts 2025 NATO Leaders Summit June 24-25.