There’s one more angle to unpack here on the confusion swirling around Ukraine and its future in NATO, and whether Kyiv must surrender its own territory to Russia as part of any deal: Is this entire ordeal just a “rookie mistake” by Mr. Hegseth, the TV host-turned-defense secretary who has only been on the job for a few weeks?

That’s apparently the conclusion of Sen. Roger Wicker, chairman of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee. On the sidelines of the Munich summit, he told Politico that Mr. Hegseth’s comments resembled something that a “fool” might say.

“Hegseth is going to be a great defense secretary, although he wasn’t my choice for the job,” the Mississippi Republican said. “But he made a rookie mistake in Brussels and he’s walked back some of what he said” earlier this week.

Mr. Wicker went on to say that Mr. Hegseth’s speech was “the kind of thing Tucker Carlson could have written, and Carlson is a fool.”

Here is what Mr. Hegseth said Wednesday: “The United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement.”

A day later, he said this: “I would say I want to be clear about something as it pertains to NATO membership not being [a] realistic outcome for negotiations. That’s something that was stated as part of my remarks here as part of a coordination with how we’re executing these ongoing negotiations, which are led by President Trump … Everything is on the table in his conversations with Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy.”

For what it’s worth, there are plenty of foreign policy analysts who do believe Ukraine joining NATO is a pipe dream.

National Security Correspondent Bill Gertz has an in-depth report on troubling news from China, where the People’s Liberation Army appears to be practicing attacks on U.S. electronic warfare planes and aircraft carriers.

A new report from the private intelligence company Allsource Analysis includes satellite images from Xinjiang province in western China. Those images show two mockups of what appear to be U.S. E-2 Hawkeye airborne warning and control aircraft. Other warplanes have been spotted as targets in the past, but not the E-2, which is a critical command-and-control aircraft for coordinating aircraft carrier strikes, Mr. Gertz reports.

The new information again demonstrates that China appears to be making serious preparations for a potential clash with American naval forces, perhaps as part of its long-feared invasion of the island democracy of Taiwan. U.S. naval forces are expected to play key roles in defending allies in the region from Chinese military attacks, including Taiwan. 

And this isn’t the first time China has conducted simulations of attacks on American military assets. Earlier satellite images taken in April by the same company show mockups of 20 aircraft on a simulated runway, including six models that appear to be F-22s, an advanced U.S. stealth fighter bomber. The pictures also show apparent scorch marks and craters where bombing runs or missile strikes were suspected. F-35 mockups also have been spotted in the desert area.

The Washington Times’ Lindsey McPherson is tracking the latest developments on the terror threat from Syria and growing fears on Capitol Hill and in national security circles that the chaos there could directly impact the U.S.

Ms. McPherson has an exclusive story on new legislation put forward by Rep. Morgan Luttrell, Texas Republican, that would require the Department of Homeland Security to assess the threat posed by individuals in Syria with ties to terrorist groups. The proposed Syria Terrorism Threat Assessment Act comes two months after a rebel alliance toppled the government of longtime Syrian dictator Bashar Assad.

There are multiple terrorism angles to consider here. Inside the Pentagon, there are fears that a weak central government in Damascus could open the door for a resurgence of the Islamic State. And what’s more, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, an Islamist group that once had ties to al Qaeda and is listed by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization, led the rebel offensive to overthrow Assad. An HTS leader is now the de facto head of the new government in Syria.

TikTok made a return to the most popular app stores in the U.S. on Thursday night, ending a short-lived absence that began last month when Big Tech firms Apple and Google removed the app to comply with a U.S. law.

Lead Tech Correspondent Ryan Lovelace has been all over this story and has the latest details. 

Apple’s and Google’s decision to allow TikTok back into their marketplaces comes amid Mr. Trump’s efforts to delay enforcement of a federal ban on the app. Hours after assuming office last month, Mr. Trump took action designed to delay the ban from taking effect while he looked to help broker a new ownership structure for TikTok, which is currently owned by the China-based company ByteDance.

Critics say the current ownership structure gives the Chinese communist government direct power over TikTok and, in turn, access to Americans’ data. And, they say, it also allows Beijing to promote its own preferred narratives to huge U.S. audiences.

TikTok announced the move in a brief press release Thursday night.

• Feb. 14-16 — Munich Security Conference, MSC 2025

• Feb. 17-21 — International Defense Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) 2025, United Arab Emirates

• Feb. 18 — The role of AI in transforming Saudi Arabia’s economic landscape, Atlantic Council 

• Feb. 19 — Globalizing perspectives on AI safety, Brookings Institution

• Feb. 26 — 2025 Defense Software & Data Summit, Govini