Senior US military commanders have warned Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth that the continuing war against Iran is “unsustainable” and threatens the country’s ability to respond to global crises and defend the homeland, The Washington Post reported.
The warnings appeared in the August 14 edition of the Secretary of Defense Orders Book, a classified internal document used to direct military movements.
People familiar with the assessment said the latest edition requires certain personnel currently in the Middle East to remain there through September, while other units have been ordered to continue their deployments into 2027.
The heads of the army, navy and air force, along with four-star commanders responsible for operations in Europe, Asia and Latin America, characterised the six-month war as “too much for too long”.
The leaders of US European Command, US Indo-Pacific Command and US Southern Command, as well as the Navy’s top admiral, formally registered their “non-concurrence” with orders extending the deployment of their forces in the Middle East.
Although the move signals formal disagreement with the defence secretary’s directive, the commanders confirmed that they would still carry out the mission.
The report said the reassignment of ships and surveillance aircraft to US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, had reduced the military’s capacity for training and homeland defence.
The navy has reportedly stretched its resources to meet wartime demands, raising concerns that insufficient ship maintenance could result in fleet shortages if other conflicts emerge.
Although the Army and Air Force leadership formally concurred with the deployment extensions, they warned that the decision carried “significant risk”.
More than 50,000 US troops are currently stationed in the region.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell declined to discuss the orders book or specific internal disagreements.
He said force allocation decisions were based on “strategic priorities established by the president and the advice of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Combatant Commanders”.
It remains unclear when the overstretched units will be allowed to return to their original areas of operation.
