Senior U.S. military commanders have cautioned Pete Hegseth that sustaining combat operations against Iran could weaken the Pentagon’s ability to respond to threats closer to home.
According to the Washington Post, the officers in charge of American forces in Europe, Asia and Latin America, together with the Navy’s highest-ranking admiral, formally “non-concurred” with the Defense Secretary’s effort to keep more than 50,000 U.S. troops in the Middle East on alert.
To sustain the Iran war, the Pentagon has redirected U.S. ships, aircraft and other military assets from across the globe, a shift that has curtailed missions and disrupted training schedules on three continents.
Leaders in the Army and Air Force supported the longer deployments, but they also warned that the move comes with serious risks as the U.S. military strains to meet the demands of an expanding wartime posture.
The Navy has faced some of the sharpest pressure since Trump launched the war, with the USS Abraham Lincoln deployed for more than nine months and spending an unprecedented 250 straight days at sea.
Conditions aboard the carrier have reportedly deteriorated, with shortages of food and hygiene supplies, malfunctioning toilets and mold-ridden showers contributing to a mental health crisis among sailors, some of whom have allegedly tried to jump overboard.
As the internal pushback surfaced, Trump posted on Truth Social early Monday, sharing an AI-generated video that appeared to depict Iran’s key energy hub on Kharg Island under bombardment.
The President paired the clip, which showed the facility engulfed in flames, with a brief caption: “Kharg Island being blown to smithereens!!!”
The commanders overseeing US forces in Europe, Asia and Latin America, along with the Navy’s top admiral, formally ‘non-concurred’ with Pete Hegseth’s push to keep more than 50,000 troops in the Middle East on alert
Donald Trump resumed attacks against Iran over the weekend, striking IRGC outposts near the Strait of Hormuz
Food and hygiene shortages, broken toilets and moldy showers have fueled a mental health crisis aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln as sailors reportedly attempt to jump overboard
US Ships, aircraft and other equipment have been pulled from around the world to sustain the Iran war, limiting missions and disrupting military training across three continents
Commanders normally flag risks in classified assessments, but the generals were unusually blunt in privately warning Hegseth that their outlook had grown ‘more dire’ because the conflict’s trajectory appears uncertain.
One source familiar with the assessment told the Washington Post that military leaders view the six-month Iran war as ‘too much for too long.’
The high command’s ‘non-concur’ response means they oppose Hegseth’s orders, but will ultimately carry them out.
Their classified dissent over his handling of the war comes as Trump resumes military attacks against Iran.
However, some Army and Air Force leaders concurred with Hegseth’s decision to extend troop deployments.
Their split was recorded in the Secretary of Defense Orders Book, or SDOB, a classified Pentagon document typically produced twice a month.
The file tracks the worldwide availability of US military forces while also translating the President’s military priorities into orders issued by the Pentagon.
Moreover, America struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island Sunday in its first attack in a month, claiming Revolutionary Guard troops were preparing to launch sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump went on Truth Social early Monday to share an AI-generated video purporting to show Iran’s energy hub of Kharg Island being bombed
The USS Abraham Lincoln pictured above has been at sea for a record amount of months due to Trump’s war with Iran
Iran retaliated by launching ballistic missiles at two US military bases in Jordan, but the projectiles were reportedly intercepted before they could cause any damage.
The increase in tensions and recent military attacks with Iran have caused oil prices to spike over the last 24 hours.
Brent futures climbed 2.7 percent to $90.51 a barrel after US forces struck two of Iran’s launchers on Larak Island in the strait on Sunday.
Trump has consistently emphasized that the US and Israel campaign has been devastating for Iran’s navy and air force. Iranian officials have said the country has suffered $270 billion in direct and indirect damage.
Israeli military strikes in the first weeks of the war wiped out much of the theocratic government’s leadership structure.
But Iran has found leverage through its own strikes in the critical Strait of Hormuz, where relatively few vessels carrying oil and liquefied natural gas are risking passage.
Iran still has enough drones and missiles to fire at vessels transiting the vital energy waterway, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil normally flows, effectively controlling much of the traffic in the strait.
Trump has repeatedly declared that the ‘Strait of Hormuz is open’, saying 24 vessels passed through last week.
