A recent Pentagon assessment warned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that maintaining the current level of military operations against Iran could leave the U.S. less able to respond to threats elsewhere and protect the homeland, according to a new report. The warning appeared this month in the Secretary of Defense Orders Book, which details the availability of U.S. military resources around the world and includes input from service chiefs and other senior officials, The Washington Post reported. The book is usually published twice a month.
Military leaders were prompted to speak out after the book said some U.S. troops would remain in the Middle East into 2027, sources told the newspaper. European Command and U.S. Southern Command responded with a “non-concur,” meaning they opposed the order to keep forces in the region but would carry it out nonetheless.
Commanders overseeing operations in Latin America, Europe and Asia have seen resources, including aircraft and ships, diverted to support the war with Iran, which has dragged on for six months with no clear end in sight. The moves have hampered their missions and training operations, with the general feeling being that the military has faced “too much for too long,” one source told the Post. Specifically, the leaders overseeing operations in Latin America and Europe warned that sending their ships and aircraft to the Middle East “has degraded their ability to fulfill homeland-defense obligations,” the outlet reported.
The chief of Naval operations also wrote that roughly one-quarter of the destroyer fleet is currently prepared to deploy, marking a steep decrease from levels before the war. He added that – should the war continue at its current pace — the fleet’s capacity to respond to other conflicts would be jeopardized. However, the Department of War does not discuss internal operational processes...” The war, which began in February when the U.S. and Israel jointly attacked Iran, has settled into a prolonged stalemate, with several rounds of negotiations having failed.
The Strait of Hormuz, a vital trade route, has proved a source of contention. The Pentagon itself has acknowledged the high cost of the conflict. Hegseth told Congress last month that the conflict had cost $37.5 billion, while arguing that an additional $67 billion was needed.
The first six days of the war alone cost more than $11.3 billion, Pentagon officials reportedly told lawmakers in March. The U.S. military has expended nearly all of its stockpiled, long-range precision missiles, CBS News reported this month. President Donald Trump, though, has insisted that the U.S. still maintains “massive amounts” of weapons.
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