U.S. Army Command Warns Hegseth Against Expanding Operations Against Iran

U.S. military leadership is warning Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth against further expanding military operations against Iran.

The Washington Post reports that in a recent classified assessment, U.S. military officials warned that a prolonged large-scale operation in the Middle East could weaken U.S. military capabilities in other regions of the world.

These warnings to Hegseth came from the leaders of the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as four-star commanders responsible for U.S. operations in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. They are contained in the August 14 edition of the Secretary of Defense’s Orders Book (SDOB).

The SDOB is typically published twice a month. The document contains information on the global readiness of U.S. ships, aircraft, personnel, and weapons systems.

The compilation reflects the president’s priorities for the armed forces, as implemented by the secretary of defense, and also includes assessments from senior generals and admirals. Based on these assessments, the Pentagon develops further directives.

According to the document, some U.S. forces deployed to the Middle East are expected to remain in the region through the end of September, while other units will remain through 2027. According to sources familiar with the document, the possibility of further extending the deployment is a cause for concern.

The heads of U.S. European Command, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and U.S. Southern Command, as well as the Chief of Naval Operations, oppose such plans.

To support operations in the vicinity of Iran, U.S. geographic combatant commands have been forced to redeploy their ships, aircraft, and other equipment to the region.

This is already limiting the U.S. military’s ability to carry out its missions in other regions and maintain the necessary level of combat readiness.

As previously reported, the Pentagon is preparing at least four options for potentially reducing the U.S. military presence in Europe.

However, European officials remain skeptical about the review and suggest that a decision to reduce the U.S. military presence in Europe may have already been made.