TOP STORY: During a forum in Kyiv on Sunday marking the third anniversary of the day Russian troops crossed the border into Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky struggled to express in fractured English how far his relationship with President Donald Trump has fallen.
“My relationship with President Trump,” Zelensky said, pausing as he appeared to grasp for the right diplomatic response. “It never was in such best way,” he said, provoking titters of laughter from the audience.
But for Zelensky, it is hardly a laughing matter. His strongest supporter over the past three years, the United States, has effectively switched sides, backing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s framework for ending the war while demanding Ukraine pay back the roughly $100 billion in military assistance provided during the Biden administration with a lopsided deal that would give the U.S. 50% of oil, gas, and rare earth minerals.
At the Sunday news conference, Zelensky said Trump’s proposal, which would require Ukraine to contribute $500 billion to a fund controlled by the U.S., is not acceptable. “The question of $500 billion is no longer there,” Zelensky said. “I don’t want something that 10 generations of Ukrainians will have to pay back,” he said, adding that future security guarantees must be part of any deal.
But he also acknowledged that by rebuffing Trump’s demands, he puts future U.S. support at risk. “So, I hope that it will not have influence on other steps of the United States. And they will not cancel or stop or freeze any support, especially military support to Ukraine. That is crucial for us.”
DRAMA AT THE UN: The growing rift between Trump and Zelensky will also play out at the United Nations today, where the U.N. General Assembly will consider competing versions of a nonbinding resolution marking today’s anniversary — a Ukrainian version, backed by Europe, which condemns Russia’s 2022 invasion and demands the immediate withdrawal of its forces from Ukraine, and an American version, which makes no mention of Russian aggression.
Gone is the Biden administration language about “Putin’s unprovoked war of aggression,” replaced by the anodyne description of the “conflict in Ukraine.” The grim joke in Kyiv is that it’s only a matter of time before Washington will begin calling the war a “special military operation.”
The largely symbolic vote is scheduled for this morning, while the Trump administration is also pushing for a separate vote in the more powerful Security Council this afternoon.
“The United States has proposed a simple, historic resolution in the United Nations that we urge all member states to support in order to chart a path to peace,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement on Friday. “This resolution is consistent with President Trump’s view that the U.N. must return to its founding purpose, as enshrined in the U.N. Charter, to maintain international peace and security, including through the peaceful settlement of disputes.”
On the Sunday shows, no member of Trump’s administration was willing to label Putin the aggressor, so as not to deviate from Trump’s position of blaming Zelensky for provoking the war and not to upset the coming negotiations with Russia.
“The war didn’t need to happen. It was provoked. It doesn’t necessarily mean it was provoked by the Russians,” U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said on CNN. “There were all kinds of conversations back then about Ukraine joining NATO. The president has spoken about this. That didn’t need to happen. It basically became a threat to the Russians.”
When national security adviser Mike Waltz was asked by Maria Bartiromo on Fox News, “Can you acknowledge that Russia is the aggressor here?” Waltz completely sidestepped the question. “All I have heard is, perpetuate more war. And that is — no one should be surprised that that’s not what President Trump campaigned on or intends to do.”
“My question is, does all the finger-pointing and pearl-clutching make peace more likely? That’s the enduring question the president is asking. He wants peace,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Fox News Sunday. “You’re good, you’re bad, you’re a dictator, you’re not a dictator, you invaded, you didn’t — it’s not useful. It’s not productive. And so, President Trump isn’t getting drawn into that in unnecessary ways. And as a result, we’re closer to peace today than ever before.”
MACRON MEETS WITH TRUMP: Trump meets this week with French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with Macron first up, scheduled to be welcomed to the White House around noon today.
But first, Macron will take part in a virtual meeting of the leaders of the Group of 7, which, unlike last year, will apparently not include Zelensky or make any statement labeling Russia the aggressor in the conflict or calling Ukraine the victim of the invasion.
“Over the past few hours, I have spoken with @vonderleyen, @eucopresident, @OlafScholz, @Keir_Starmer, @RTErdogan, and @PM_ViktorOrban,” Macron posted on X ahead of his arrival in Washington. “Following discussions over the past few days with European colleagues and allies, we are committed to ensuring that peace returns to Ukraine in a just, solid, and lasting manner, and that the security of Europeans is strengthened through all upcoming negotiations.”
Macron is expected to detail proposals for French and British troops to be deployed to Ukraine to guarantee any ceasefire, according to the French newspaper Le Monde.
Starmer is due in Washington on Thursday, and Macron and Trump have a joint news conference scheduled for 2 p.m. at the White House.
ZELENSKY ‘READY’ TO RESIGN IF IT LEADS TO PEACE OR NATO MEMBERSHIP
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HAPPENING TODAY: ‘WHAT DID YOU DO LAST WEEK?’ Elon Musk sparked mass confusion among government agencies and rank-and-file federal workers when he posted on X Saturday afternoon, “Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week. Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”
The email requested five “bullet points” describing what individual federal employees accomplished in the previous week. “The reason this matters is that a significant number of people who are supposed to be working for the government are doing so little work that they are not checking their email at all!” Musk said. “In some cases, we believe non-existent people or the identities of dead people are being used to collect paychecks. In other words, there is outright fraud.”
Agency heads began to push back on the request, with many telling employees not to respond until getting further clarification. The FBI, the State Department, and the Secret Service were among the government agencies that told workers to ignore the request.
“This threat is illegal, reckless, and yet another example of the cruel and arbitrary chaos Mr. Musk is inflicting on the people’s government and its dedicated public servants,” Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, wrote to acting OPM Director Charles Ezell. “You must immediately clarify that federal employees’ nonresponse to this ill-conceived, weekend email does not constitute resignation.”
PENTAGON TELLS PERSONNEL NOT TO RESPOND TO MUSK-BACKED ACCOMPLISHMENTS EMAIL
THE SATURDAY NIGHT MASSACRE: Democrats are also hopping mad about the Friday night firing of Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., Air Force Vice Chief of Staff James Slife, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, and the judge advocates general for the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
“This is a reflection of the president wanting the right people around him to execute the national security approach we want to take,” Hegseth said on Fox News Sunday. “I have a lot of respect for C.Q. Brown. I got to know him over the course of a month. He’s an honorable man, not the right man for the moment, and ultimately, the president made that call.”
“What Trump and Hegseth are trying to do is to politicize the Department of Defense,” Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said on ABC News. “It was completely unjustified. These men and women were superb professionals. They were committed to their oath to defend the Constitution of the United States.”
“They want everyone in DOD to be holding to the president, not to the Constitution. They want everyone there to do what they’re told, regardless of the law,” Reed said. “What was also startling over the weekend was firing all the advocate generals of the military. If you’re going to break the law, the first thing you do is you get rid of the lawyers.”
TRUMP FIRES CHAIRMAN OF JOINT CHIEFS, GEN. CQ BROWN
‘RAZIN’ CAINE MADE QUITE AN IMPRESSION: To replace Brown, Trump has nominated retired Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine, whom Trump met in 2018 on a trip to Iraq when Caine was a deputy commander of the U.S. forces battling the Islamic State.
Trump was immediately smitten by the Air Force pilot’s call sign and his statements that ISIS could be defeated in a week if the full power of the U.S. military was unleashed, as Trump recounted in his weekend remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
“And I get down the stairs, and, ‘What’s your name?’ ‘My name is Caine, sir.’ ‘What’s your first name?’ ‘They call me Razin.’ I say, ‘Wait a minute, your name is Razin Caine? I love you. I’ve been looking for you for five years. You are the great — this is what I want.’”
Trump also brought up Caine on Friday in a speech in Florida. “But I was talking to Gen. Dan Caine, and we call him Razin Caine. And I was told it would take about four years to defeat ISIS, and he did it in three weeks,” Trump said. “I said to him, ‘What do you think, General? How long will it take?’ ‘Sir, I think we should do it in less than four weeks. You’re going to have time left over.’ And he did, he did that. And we were told by the television generals it would take four years.”
“Dan ‘Razin’ Caine is going to be a fantastic chairman. I look forward to working with him, and he will give straightforward advice, as he did to President Trump on the defeat of ISIS,” Hegseth said on Fox News. “The president respects leaders who untie the hands of warfighters in a very dangerous world. I think Dan Caine’s the man to meet the moment.”
Caine will need a waiver to be confirmed, given that U.S. Code states the “President may appoint an officer as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff only if the officer has served as (A) the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; (B) the Chief of Staff of the Army, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, or the Chief of Space Operations; or (C) the commander of a unified or specified combatant command.”
“I do not know Gen. Caine. He will be subject, as the case, to careful review by the committee,” Reed said. “There are obviously a great many questions that we’re going to raise with him, but I think we have to give him the opportunity to make his case and also to make clear that he is going to be willing to speak truth to power, willing to give his best military advice to the president, not just tell the president what he wants to hear.”
HEGSETH DEFENDS TRUMP’S FIRING OF JOINT STAFF CHAIRMAN GEN. CQ BROWN
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: Pentagon tells personnel not to respond to Musk-backed accomplishments email
Washington Examiner: Zelensky ‘ready’ to resign if it leads to peace or NATO membership
Washington Examiner: Trump fires chairman of Joint Chiefs, Gen. CQ Brown
Washington Examiner: Hegseth defends Trump’s firing of Joint Staff Chairman Gen. CQ Brown
Washington Examiner: US working on ‘extension’ of Phase 1 of Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal
Washington Examiner: Witkoff predicts US-Ukraine mineral deal will be signed this week
Washington Examiner: Tens of thousands attend funeral for killed Hezbollah leader Nasrallah
Washington Examiner: Pentagon to lay off about 5,400 probationary employees, possibly more
Washington Examiner: CDU has limited options for forming government by shutting out second-place Alternative for Germany
Washington Examiner: AfD and antifa both want ‘Nazis out!’ in Berlin
Washington Examiner: ICE director ‘no longer’ in charge one month after Trump appointment
Washington Examiner: Trump clears out Guantanamo Bay, flies immigrant detainees back to Venezuela
AP: Ex-Secret Service agent and conservative media personality Dan Bongino picked as FBI deputy director
New York Times: Israel and Hamas Trade Accusations of Violating Fragile Cease-Fire
Washington Post: Three years in, Ukrainian fathers fear passing the war on to their sons
AP: Japan and Philippines agree to deepen defense ties due to their mutual alarm over Chinese aggression
Breaking Defense: As DOD Shifts $50B in Spending, Can an Old Playbook Protect Legacy Programs?
Washington Post: FBI Director Kash Patel to also take over as acting ATF director
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Puts Unique Twist on ACE in Middle East Exercise: Real-World Combat
SpaceNews: KBR Wins $176 Million Contract to Modernize US Space Surveillance Site
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Space Force Finishes Construction at Australia Site for Its New Deep Space Radar
Defense News: Space Force Bumps Astrion from Resilient GPS program
Task & Purpose: Troops in Greenland see sunlight after months of night
Air & Space Forces Magazine: What’s Different About the New Air Force Handbook
Lawfare: Opinion: Is independent, nonpartisan legal advice from military lawyers on the chopping block?
THE CALENDAR:
MONDAY | FEBRUARY 24
10 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW, — Brookings Institution discussion: “Trump’s Return and the Fate of Ukraine,” with Anastasiia Lapatina, Ukraine fellow at Lawfare; Tyler McBrien, managing editor at Lawfare; Fiona Hill, a senior fellow at the Brookings Foreign Policy Program; Constance Stelzenmuller, senior fellow and director of the Brookings Center on the U.S. and Europe and senior fellow at the Brookings Foreign Policy Program; and Benjamin Wittes, editor-in-chief of Lawfare and senior fellow at the Brookings Governance Studies Program https://www.brookings.edu/events/trumps-return
11 a.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Wilson Center Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies discussion: “Three Years of War in Ukraine: Taking Stock,” with former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin; and Serge Schmemann, member of the New York Times editorial board https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/three-years-war-ukraine-taking-stock
11:30 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute discussion: “Nonproliferation in Great Power Competition,” with Yashar Parsie, contributor at the Hudson Keystone Defense Initiative; Rebeccah Heinrichs, director of the Hudson Keystone Defense Initiative; and Peter Rough, director of the Hudson Center on Europe and Eurasia https://www.hudson.org/events/nonproliferation-great-power-competition
11:30 a.m. — Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies virtual SAIS Europe 70th anniversary keynote lecture: “Europe’s Challenges in a New Transatlantic Era,” with former Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, former European commissioner for economy; and Renaud Dehousse, rector at SAIS Europe https://sais.jhu.edu/campus-events
2 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Russia’s War in Ukraine and the Prospects for Peace,” with former Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence Michael Vickers; Eliot Cohen, CSIS chairman in strategy; Seth Jones, president of the CSIS Defense and Security Department; and Emily Harding, director of the CSIS Intelligence, National Security, and Technology Program https://www.csis.org/events/russias-war-ukraine-and-prospects-peace
6 p.m. 730 21st St. NW — George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs film screening and discussion: “Ukraine Under Fire,” with director and producer Jordan Campbell; Tinatin Japaridze, geopolitical risk analyst at the Eurasia Group; and Mark Dillen, executive director of Ukrainians of Colorado https://calendar.gwu.edu/event/ukraine-under-fire-i-a-film
TUESDAY | FEBRUARY 25
8:10 a.m. 1800 Presidents St., Reston, Va. — National Defense Industrial Association 2025 Tactical Wheeled Vehicle Conference, with Maj. Gen. Michelle Donahue, commander, Army Combined Arms Support Command https://www.ndia.org/events/2025/2/24/5530—twv
9 a.m. 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace discussion: “China and Ukraine,” with former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, a nonresident senior fellow at the CEIP Russia and Eurasia Program; Zhao Long, a senior research fellow at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies; and Ellen Nakashima, Washington Post national security reporter https://carnegieendowment.org/events/2025/02/carnegie-global-dialogue
9 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Brookings Institution discussion: “How Will Congress Approach U.S.-China Relations?” with Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI); Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL); Ryan Hass, director of the Brookings China Center, senior fellow in the Brookings Foreign Policy Program, Center for Asia Policy Studies and China Center, and chairman in Taiwan studies; Patricia Kim, a fellow in the Brookings Foreign Policy Program, the Brookings Center for Asia Policy Studies, and the Brookings China Center; and Suzanne Maloney, vice president and director of the Brookings Foreign Policy Program https://www.brookings.edu/events/how-will-congress-approach-u-s-china-relations
9 a.m. — Atlantic Council virtual discussion: “Debriefing Germany’s Federal Elections 2025,” with Noah Barkin, senior adviser at the Rhodium Group’s China Practice; Stefanie Bolzen, North America editor at WELT; Liana Fix, fellow for Europe at the Council on Foreign Relations; and Elisabeth Zerofsky, contributing writer at the New York Times Magazine https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/debriefing-germanys-federal-elections
9:15 a.m. 5151 Pooks Hill Rd., Bethesda, Md. — Institute for Defense and Government Advancement Operational Energy Summit, with Rear Adm. George Bresnihan, commander of the Defense Logistics Agency; and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Defense Continuity and Mission Assurance Steven Schleien https://www.idga.org/events-operationalenergysummit/agenda-mc
9:30 a.m. G-50 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the nomination of Stephen Feinberg to be deputy defense secretary http://www.armed-services.senate.gov
10 a.m. 2247 Rayburn — House Oversight and Government Reform Military and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee hearing: “Emerging Global Threats: Putting America’s National Security First,” with testimony from Meaghan Mobbs, director of the Center for American Safety and Security’s Independent Women’s Forum; Brent Sadler, senior research fellow for naval warfare and advanced technology at the Heritage Foundation; and Jacob Olidort, senior policy adviser at the Center for American Security America First Policy Institute http://oversight.house.gov
10 a.m. 2128 Rayburn — House Financial Services Committee hearing: “Examining Policies to Counter China” http://financialservices.house.gov
10:15 a.m. — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace virtual discussion: “Russia’s War on Ukraine Three Years On,” with Alexandra Prokopenko, a fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center; Eric Ciaramella, a senior fellow at the CEIP Russia and Eurasia Program; Andrew Weiss, CEIP vice president for studies; Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow at the CEIP American Statecraft Program; and Michael Kofman, a senior fellow at the CEIP Russia and Eurasia Program https://carnegieendowment.org/events/2025/02/russias-war-on-ukraine
2 p.m. 2172 Rayburn — House Foreign Affairs East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee hearing: “Missed Milestones: Evaluating The Last Four Years in the EAP (East Asian and Pacific) Region and Unseized Opportunities Under President Trump,” with testimony from Zack Cooper, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute; Craig Singleton, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies China Program; and Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Center for a New American Security http://foreignaffairs.house.gov
2 p.m. 2141 Rayburn — House Judiciary Constitution and Limited Government Subcommittee hearing: “‘Subject to the Jurisdiction Thereof’: Birthright Citizenship and the Fourteenth Amendment” http://judiciary.house.gov
2 p.m. H-140, U.S. Capitol — House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing: “Member Day,” with testimony from Members of Congress http://appropriations.house.gov
3 p.m. 1957 E St. NW — George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs discussion: “EU-U.S. bilateral relations,” with EU Ambassador to the U.S. Jovita Neliupsiene https://calendar.gwu.edu/event/a-conversation-with-jovita-neliupsiene
3 p.m. 2301 Constitution Ave. NW — U.S. Institute of Peace discussion: “Current developments in Moldova,” with Moldovan Ambassador to the U.S. Viorel Ursu; and William Hill, global fellow at the Wilson Center and former head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova https://www.usip.org/events/moldova-2025
WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 26
4 a.m. — International Institute for Strategic Studies virtual discussion: “Space Capabilities to Support Military Operations in the European Theater,” with Ester Sabatino, IISS research associate; Alexander Bollfrass, IISS head of strategy, technology and arms control; and Ben Schreer, IISS executive director https://www.iiss.org/events/2025/02/space-capabilities
8 a.m. 1800 Presidents St., Reston, Va. — National Defense Industrial Association Tactical Wheeled Vehicle Conference, with Ken Watson https://www.ndia.org/events
8:30 a.m. 929 Long Bridge Dr., Arlington, Va — IDEEA Comdef conference: “Defense Cooperation: Scaling Production at Speed,” with Matt Boman, principal deputy assistant secretary for export administration at the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security; Michael Kuenzli, deputy Army secretary for defense exports & cooperation; Michael Laychak, director, Defense Technology Security Administration; and Steven Ruehl, director, policy and programs for the deputy Air Force undersecretary for international affairst https://www.ideea.com/comdef24/speakers.htm
9 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “The Evolving Role of the Private Sector in National Defense,” with Linden Blue, CEO of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc https://www.csis.org/events/evolving-role-private-sector-national-defense
10 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Committee hearing: “Strengthening America’s Defense Industrial Base, Workforce, and Production Lines to Deter War,” with testimony from Eric Fanning, president and CEO, Aerospace Industries Association; David Norquist, president and CEO, National Defense Industrial Association; and Matthew Paxton, president, Shipbuilders Council of America https://armedservices.house.gov
10 a.m. — Wilson Center Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies virtual discussion: “Ukrainian Society Under Occupation: Hardship, Civic Resilience, and Perception,” with Katerina Sergatskova, co-founder of the 2402 Foundation for Safety and Zaborona Media; Mykhailo Minakov, editor-in-chief of the Focus Ukraine Blog; and Yuliya Soroka, professor at N.V. Karazin Kharkiv National University https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/ukrainian-society-under-occupation
1:30 p.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Intelligence and Special Operations Subcommittee hearing: “The Role of Special Operations in Great Power Competition,” with testimony from Army Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga, commander, U.S. Army Special Operations Command; Air Force Lt. Gen. Michael Conley, commander, Air Force Special Operations Command; Marine Maj. Gen. Peter Huntley, commander, Marine Forces Special Operations Command; and Navy Rear Adm. Milton Sands, commander, Naval Special Warfare Command https://armedservices.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=4997
2 p.m. — Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies virtual discussion: “DOJ in Transition: What May Be Coming Next?” with Gregg Sofer, partner at Hosch Blackwell LLP; and John Richter, partner at King & Spalding https://fedsoc.org/events/doj-in-transition
5:30 p.m. — Hudson Institute book discussion: Seven Things You Can’t Say about China, with author Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR); and John Walters, president and CEO, Hudson Institute https://www.hudson.org/events/seven-things-you-cant-say-about-china
THURSDAY | FEBRUARY 27
8 a.m. 7901 Tysons One Pl., Tysons, Va — Potomac Officers Club 5G Summit, with Thomas Rondeau, principal director of FutureG and 5G at the Defense Department; and Erwin Gianchandani, assistant director for technology, innovation and partnerships at the National Science Foundation https://potomacofficersclub.com/events/2025-5g-summit/
9:30 a.m. — Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies discussion: “Russia’s Military Thinking,” with Andrew Monaghan, senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute https://sais.jhu.edu/campus-events?
11 a.m. HVC-210, U.S. Capitol — House Oversight and Government Reform Delivering on Government Efficiency Subcommittee hearing: “How Foreign Aid Lost Its Way.” http://oversight.house.gov
12 p.m. — Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft virtual discussion: “The German Elections and the Future of Europe,” with Wolfgang Streeck, director emeritus, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies in Cologne; Thomas Fasbender, head of geopolitics at the Berliner Zellung; Molly O’Neal, non-resident fellow, Quincy Institute; and Anatol Lieven, director, Quincy Institute’s Eurasia Program https://quincyinst.org/events/the-german-elections-and-the-future-of-europe/
2 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion: “Critical Minerals and the Future of the U.S. Economy,” with Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO); and Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) https://www.csis.org/events/launch-event-critical-minerals-and-future-us-economy
2 p.m. 1400 L St. NW — Atlantic Council discussion: “The critical role of operational energy in military readiness and resilience,” with Rebecca Isacowitz, deputy assistant secretary of defense for energy resilience and optimization; and Capt. Newt McKissick, senior military adviser, Defense Innovation Unit Energy Portfolio https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/the-critical-role-of-operational-energy
FRIDAY | FEBRUARY 28
8:30 a.m. 351 Fairfax Dr., Arlington, Va.— National Defense Industrial Association and George Mason University Center for Government Contracting “Power of Prototyping Symposium,” with Ellen Lord, former undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, delivers remarks https://www.ndia.org/events/2025/2/28/power-of-prototyping
10 a.m. — National Institute for Deterrence Studies virtual seminar: “Assessment and Update of the Posture Commission,” with Madelyn Creedon, former assistant secretary of defense for global strategic affairs, president of Green Marble Group LLC; and Franklin Miller, principal at the Scowcroft Group https://thinkdeterrence.com/events/
10 a.m. 1400 L St. NW — Atlantic Council book discussion: No Country for Love, focusing on Ukraine’s historical struggle against authoritarianism amid Russia’s continued aggression, with author Yaroslav Trofimov, Wall Street Journal chief foreign affairs correspondent https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/book-launch-no-country-for-love