Hegseth rocked by secret Pentagon revolt as generals break ranks on Iran war with chilling US homeland warning and Trump shares chilling ‘bombing’ video
Top US military generals warned Pete Hegseth that continuing war operations against Iran will endanger the Pentagon’s ability to confront threats at home.
The commanders overseeing US forces in Europe, Asia and Latin America, along with the navy’s top admiral, formally ‘non-concurred’ with the Defense Secretary’s push to keep more than 50,000 troops in the Middle East on alert, according to the Washington Post.
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.
Army and air force leaders backed the extended deployments, but warned they would carry significant risks as the Pentagon struggles to keep pace with wartime demands.
The navy, in particular, has been stretched thin since Trump launched the war, with the USS Abraham Lincoln deployed for more than nine months and spending a record 250 consecutive days at sea.
Food and hygiene shortages, broken toilets and mouldy showers have fueled a mental health crisis aboard the carrier as there have been reports of sailors attempting to jump overboard.
Amid the dissent, President Trump went on his social media platform Truth Social early Monday to share an AI-generated video purporting to show Iran’s energy hub of Kharg Island being bombed.
In a one-line post accompanied by the AI clip showing the hub in flames, the President wrote: ‘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 mouldy showers have fueled a mental health crisis aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln with reports of sailors attempting to jump overboard
In private, US general have warned Hegseth that their outlook on the Iran war had grown ‘more dire’ because the conflict’s trajectory appears uncertain
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.
‘This fake news, poorly sourced reporting is full of inaccuracies, which is typical for the Washington Post,’ Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement.
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, left, has been at sea for a record amount of months due to Trump’s war with Iran
Parnell added, ‘Secretary Hegseth is actively engaged with the Services, the Joint Staff and Combatant Commanders to ensure that US forces are postured to deter conflict, respond effectively when required and maintain acceptable levels of readiness.’
America struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island on Sunday in its first attack in a month, claiming Revolutionary Guard troops were preparing to launch sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz.
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 attack at Larak Island.
Trump has consistently emphasised that the US and Israel campaign has been devastating for Iran’s navy and air force. Iranian officials have said the country has suffered $270billion 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.
