ANALYSIS: TRUE. America’s Future Depends on Rebuilding the Navy.

The SECDEF was asked about the Pacific at the conference. Here is the question by a Japanese reporter and SECDEF’s answer:

REPORTER, JAPAN: “I would like to ask about China. You have mentioned that the U.S. will be prioritizing and deterring China. What role will you be expecting Japan and other Indo-Pacific (IP4) countries to play in this context?”

HEGSETH: “We don’t have an inevitable desire to clash with China. There is a recognition that there are divergent interests, which means we must be strong in order to advance our own interests and deter aggression.” “……we don’t feel conflict is inevitable and certainly don’t seek conflict with China.” “That’s why President Trump has worked … ensuring that the U.S. is prepared for any contingency.” It is prudent for us to work with allies and partners in the Pacific to ensure deterrence through hard power….” “That’s why a lot of my first phone calls as Secretary of Defense were to Pacific allies—to Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and others.” “Because just as the NATO alliance is critical, working by, with, and through as and partners in the Indo-Pacific is critical as well. The U.S. alone cannot do everything, everywhere, all at once. And we will not have to, because we are not alone. Our Indo-Pacific allies—Japan, Australia, South Korea, the Philippines, and others—understand the reality of the ascendant Chinese threat. And it will be critical for them to invest in their own deterrence capabilities. It can’t just be America. We need allies to step up—and many of them are already doing so.” “This is why President Trump has placed a strong emphasis on deterrence in the Pacific. And that’s why one of my top priorities as Secretary of Defense is ensuring that the U.S. military remains the strongest, most capable, most lethal fighting force on the planet. Because heaven forbid, we have to use it—but if we do, it must be ready to close with and destroy our enemies and bring our men and women home with success as quickly as possible.”

The SECDEF is bluntly saying a war with the PRC will be in their waters. Thus, the need for the Navy to take the fight to them over there and to defend our friends and allies in the region from the PRC’s ambitions to dominate the Pacific. That will take many more ships, more strategic sealift, and more airpower, airlift.

For a so-called “amateur,” Hegseth certainly understands the big picture and is saying all the right things about the Pacific.

YEP.

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: Party Time — Trump Throws the MSM Hacks Into Another Tizzy. “Kicking the White House Correspondents’ Association to the periphery is long overdue, like cleaning a room in an old house that no one has used for years. They can now devote more time to hosting their annual no-talent show dinner. Maybe they can get Jimmy Kimmel to host it through his tears this year.”

WE JUST KEEP LEARNING ALL SORTS OF THINGS:

Related:

FAIL BRITANNIA: Nelson makes way for Yvette Cooper portrait in Parliament’s diversity drive.

Paintings of Lord Nelson have been taken down under plans to make Parliament’s artworks more diverse, The Telegraph can reveal.

The move followed an MP-led review of parliamentary art linked to slavery and racism.

Two images of the British naval hero have been taken down since the Black Lives Matter-inspired review began in 2020, including one depicting the commander dying for his country at the Battle of Trafalgar.

A portrait of Sir Francis Drake, another naval commander, has also been removed.

“A generation which ignores history has no past — and no future,” the wise man once wrote.

MOST OF RACHEL MADDOW’S STAFF TO BE LET GO AMID MSNBC CUTS: Report.

The majority of the production crew working on MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show will be let go, The Guardian reported on Tuesday night.

For the first 100 days of the Trump administration, Rachel Maddow is hosting her show on the network five nights a week after hosting on Mondays only. It was reported this week that MSNBC is overhauling some of its programming, as Joy Reid has exited the network after hosting the last episode of The ReidOut on Monday. Alex Wagner’s Alex Wagner Tonight was also canceled, but she will remain at MSNBC. The network also shuttered its Miami operations and with it, José Díaz-Balart Reports and The Katie Phang Show.

The Guardian reported that most of Maddow’s production crew members are being let go because they also worked on Wagner’s show[.]

But what of Maddow herself? Megyn Kelly Questions Whether NBC Executives Have The ‘Testicular Fortitude’ To Fire Rachel Maddow.

In other news from the far-left Comcast-owned network:

As the firings of Reid and her staff illustrate, MSNBC’s coffers are appearing quite drained after the 2024 election was decided. I hope they have the wardrobe budget to make this work:

NOTHING TO SEE HERE, MOVE ALONG:

DISPATCHES FROM THE EDUCATION APOCALYPSE: Ohio university installs ‘biological’ sex bathroom signs to comply with new state law.

The University of Cincinnati has installed “biological men” and “biological women” bathroom signs to comply with a new state law that takes effect this month.

The university put up the new signs “last week in its residence halls and some other on-campus buildings in response to the passage of a law that restricts bathroom use in public and private K-12 schools and colleges to members of the same ‘biological sex,’” NBC reported.

The so-called “bathroom bill” requires all K-12 public schools and all public and private universities in the state “to label all of their multi-person bathrooms, locker rooms, shower rooms and changing rooms as being only for either males or females,” Cleveland.com reported, adding the “text of the legislation doesn’t include any penalties for violating the new rules, nor any enforcement provisions.”

“As a public institution, we are following the law and seeking to meet our mission to create an environment where we provide opportunity, develop educated and engaged citizens and enrich our city, state and world,” University of Cincinnati spokesperson M.B. Reilly told NBC.

Exit quote: “Oberlin has published policies saying the school will comply with the law taking effect Tuesday and is offering counseling and a chance for students to ask to move out of their dorms.”

MAKING SENSE OF DOGE:

Read the whole thing.

DEEP STATE BLUES: FBI looking into James Comey’s off-the-books ‘honeypot’ operation targeting 2016 Trump campaign.

According to the whistleblower, two female FBI undercover employees infiltrated Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign at high levels and were directed to act as “honeypots” while traveling with Mr. Trump and his campaign staff.

The Times has learned that the bureau, now led by Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino, is looking for those once-undercover employees who were previously under Mr. Comey’s direction.
The FBI declined to comment.

According to the whistleblower disclosure, which The Times reviewed, the investigation differed from Crossfire Hurricane, a later FBI counterintelligence operation that looked into never-proved allegations that the campaign was colluding with Russia.

The whistleblower said the early off-the-books probe was a criminal investigation targeting Mr. Trump and his staff.

Mr. Trump launched his presidential campaign on June 16, 2015, at Trump Tower in New York City, about a year before the FBI opened Crossfire Hurricane.

The whistleblower agent “personally knew” that Mr. Comey ordered an FBI investigation into Mr. Trump and that Mr. Comey “personally directed it,” according to the disclosure.

Flashback: Obama, Clapper were briefed on reports of Clinton campaign’s Russia collusion narrative, Durham report shows.

I’d be shocked if Obama’s fingerprints weren’t all over this.

MOCKING THE RAGE OF THE PRIVILEGED CLASS:

ATHENA THORNE: Flailing Democrats Turn to Yet Another Once-Effective Technique. “Now, out-of-power leftists are hoping to resurrect another technique that was quite effective for them in days past: storytelling. Specifically, this is the art of designating a victim with a sob story for their media counterparts to blast everywhere 24/7 in an attempt to turn public opinion their way.”

Never underestimate the power of a narrative but the press no longer enjoys an effective monopoly for pushing one.

WORKED UP MIGHT NOT BE THE RIGHT TERM:  Money spent.

People are approaching levels of Aristo aristo ala lanterne.