Welcome to The Hill's Defense & NatSec newsletter{beacon} Defense &National Security Defense &National Security   The Big Story  Trump NATO envoy poised to press allies on defense spendingThe Senate confirmed Matthew Whitaker, former acting attorney genera l during President Trump’s first term, as the next U.S. ambassador to NATO. © The Hill, Greg NashWhitaker, confirmed late Tuesday by the Senate in a 52-45 vote, has an extensive law enforcement background but light foreign policy experience.  During his confirmation hearing last month, he told senators that if he is confirmed for the post, he would urge the alliance’s members to bolster their defense spending, and he showed commitment to the transnational military organization founded in 1949.  "President Trump has been clear: The United States remains committed to NATO and to the principle of peace through strength,” Whitaker said at the time.   Trump has criticized European allies for years for not contributing more to the military alliance to contain the Soviet Union. During his first term, Trump floated the idea of the United States withdrawing from NATO.  More recently, reports have emerged that the Pentagon is considering an overhaul of the U.S. military’s combatant commands, including one scenario that would have the United States give up its role as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). Withdrawing from the SACEUR command structure would signal diminished U.S. involvement in NATO and could eventually spell the end of the alliance as it has been known for 75 years.  Whitaker reiterated to senators last month that the U.S.’s commitment to NATO is “ironclad,” referencing Article 5 of the treaty. He vowed to press NATO member countries to commit to spending at least 5 percent of their gross domestic product on defense.  Still, his confirmation comes after some Republicans have raised concerns over whether Trump could give up the U.S.’s leadership role within the alliance.  Read the full report at TheHill.com.  Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I'm Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.   Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.   Essential Reads  How policy will affect defense and national security now and inthe future: Naval Academy removes hundreds of library books in DEI purgeThe U.S. Naval Academy has removed nearly 400 books that promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) from its library.  A spokesperson for the Navy confirmed to The Hill that the Academy removed the nearly 400 books from the Nimitz Library collection “in order to ensure compliance with all directives outlined in Executive Orders issued by the President.” The library, according to the spokesperson, has roughly 590,000 print …  Full Story   White House issues warning to China for war games near TaiwanThe Trump administration on Tuesday issued a warning to China after Beijing announced large-scale war games in the waters and airspace around Taiwan. The joint military drills, which were launched with no prior notice and included China’s army, navy and air and rocket forces, were meant as a “severe warning and forceful containment against Taiwan independence,” according to a spokesperson for China’s …  Full Story   US sanctions network helping to get weapons for Houthis The United States sanctioned an alleged network of financial facilitators, procurement operatives and companies Wednesday that are getting weapons, dual-use materials and stolen Ukrainian grain to Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, the Treasury Department announced Wednesday.   Full Story   On Our Radar  Upcoming things we're watching on our beat:  Secretary of State Marco Rubio will attend a two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers, with press conferences scheduled by both Rubio and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte tomorrow at 4 a.m. in Brussels, Belgium.  In Other News  Branch out with a different read from The Hill: Hochul knocks ICE over ‘just plain cruel’ detention of family New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said it was “just plain cruel” for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to detain a family, including a child in third grade, from their home in upstate New York. Full Story   On Tap Tomorrow  Events in and around the defense world:  The Senate Armed Services Committee will hear from the heads of U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command at 9:30 a.m.  The U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission will hold a hearing on “The Rocket’s Red Glare: China’s Ambitions to Dominate Space,” with Gen. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations, at 9:30 a.m.  Defense Priorities will have a virtual discussion on “China-Russia: Cooperation or a no-limits alliance?” at 11 a.m.  Stimson Center will host a discussion on “Iran’s Rise and Rivalry with the US in the Middle East,” at 12 p.m.   What We're Reading  News we've flagged from other outlets: In first, Hegseth to skip multinational meeting on Ukraine support (Military Times) Pentagon has spent about $376M on new border ops that NORTHCOM general expects to last ‘years not months’ (Stars And Stripes) Trending Today  Two key stories on The Hill right now: Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs: Here’s how much countries are getting hit President Trump on Wednesday announced he was imposing reciprocal tariffs on dozens of nations, citing what he called years of unfair trade practices. … Read more No bathroom breaks: How Booker accomplished record Senate speech Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) set a new record for the longest Senate speech in history on Monday and Tuesday by holding the upper chamber’s floor for … Read more  Opinion in The Hill Op-ed related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill: Assessing Hegseth’s interim defense strategic guidance  You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Close Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Defense and National Security newsletter Subscribe ...read more read less