Several senior military commanders of the United States forewarned Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over expanding war against Iran. They have pointed out that war with Iran is becoming unsustainable. The Washington Post newspaper reported this development citing sources.
Warnings raise concerns
The concerns appeared in the August 14 edition of the Secretary of Defense Orders Book, a classified document guiding military deployments.
According to people familiar with the assessment, some Middle East personnel must remain there through September. Meanwhile, other units face deployment extensions into 2027.
Army, Navy and Air Force leaders described the six-month conflict as “too much for too long”. Several senior commanders also formally opposed extending Middle East deployments.
Military faces growing strain
The commanders still agreed to carry out the missions despite their objections. However, they warned that prolonged deployments could create significant risks.
The reassignment of ships and surveillance aircraft to US Central Command has reduced training capacity and homeland defence resources.
Moreover, the Navy has stretched its forces to meet wartime demands. Officials fear inadequate maintenance could cause fleet shortages during another major conflict.
More than 50,000 US troops remain stationed across the region. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell declined to discuss the internal disagreements.
Parnell said that deployment decisions follow presidential priorities and advice from senior US military leaders.
