The Washington Post reported that top military leaders recently warned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth against extending large-scale Iran war operations. People familiar with a classified assessment prepared for Hegseth told the newspaper that several combatant commanders advised him that prolonging operations against Iran is unsustainable. They said it also risks weakening the U.S. ability to address threats elsewhere, including on U.S. soil.
The warnings appear in the Aug. 14 edition of the Secretary of Defense Orders Book, the Post reported Sunday. The assessment was detailed by the heads of the Army, Navy, and Air Force and the four-star commanders overseeing U.S. operations throughout Europe, Asia, and Latin America.
Defense Department spokesperson Sean Parnell criticized the report in a post on X. “Publishing highly classified assessments from the Secretary’s orders book is a crime. It’s a betrayal of the force,” he said. “And much of what they’re publishing is inaccurate.”
Pentagon-linked accounts said the published assessment gives adversaries information they can exploit
Parnell said the Pentagon wants “candid” advice and that disagreements are common. “The Secretary sees them constantly. That’s how you run a real military. We are in great shape around the world. This story isn’t about readiness,” he said. He alleged the story is about “TDS.”
Washington Post military affairs reporter Dan Lamothe responded to Parnell on X. “Fact check: Independent journalism is not a crime,” he said. “It’s also especially important at a time when government officials are withholding key details and concerns about a war being fought on behalf of the American people with their taxpayer dollars.”
Those familiar with the document told the Post that the Aug. 14 orders book directs some U.S. forces currently deployed in the Middle East to remain through September, and others to remain into 2027. The heads of U.S. European, Pacific, and Southern Commands, along with the Navy’s top admiral, responded with a “non-concur.” That apparently signaled their disagreement with Hegseth’s order to extend their forces.
The Hill reported that the Post story comes as the U.S. and Iran traded fire for the first time in almost a month. The war is now in its sixth month. Sources told the Post that the conflict has drained the Navy’s budget and significantly depleted U.S. stockpiles of missile interceptors and long-range precision missiles. The report details the strain on military resources, such as when Trump confronted Hegseth over depleted missile stockpiles at Camp David.
Throughout the conflict, U.S. ships, personnel, aircraft and equipment have been redirected from various parts of the world to the Middle East, according to the report. Sources told the Post that this has limited the military’s ability to conduct missions and ensure proper training.
Other accounts on X with links to the Pentagon also criticized the Post. The account DataRepublican, run by Utah software engineer Jennica Pounds, a special government employee at the Defense Department, responded to Lamothe.
“This is one of the most serious leaks I have ever seen, and you are using this to score partisan points against Hegseth,” the account posted on X. “The one without ethics here is the entire staff of the Washington Post who did not immediately turn in this traitor as soon as they received the material,” Pounds continued.
Adam D’Ortona, an active-duty Army lieutenant colonel who runs the account InfantryDort, accused the Post of working for the “enemies of the United States.” “Worse, this isn’t gossip. Revealing where senior commanders believe forces are stretched, where they perceive risk, and which commitments they consider unsustainable gives an adversary information it can immediately exploit,” he wrote on X. USA Today reported last year that D’Ortona works in Hegseth’s office.
In recent weeks, Trump has reportedly shifted from military threats to economic pressure against Iran. The article said the U.S. Navy has slowly expanded its control over the Strait of Hormuz, facilitating steady oil tanker traffic and keeping gas prices stable, though still high.
Centcom said last week that the U.S. had cleared the strait of all sea mines along internationally recognized transit routes. The U.S. forces late Sunday struck Iranian rocket launchers in the waterway. U.S. Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command, said two launchers were hit on Lark Island after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces were seen preparing to launch rockets with sea mines in the strait.
Iran retaliated for the attack by launching missiles toward U.S. military sites in Jordan. The United Arab Emirates said it also intercepted an Iranian drone over its territorial waters. The Pentagon’s response came as reports surfaced about U.S. missile stockpiles, a topic that has drawn public criticism from lawmakers.
Published: Sep 1, 2026 11:00 am