Posts

Posted on

Military leaders warn Hegseth against extending Iran war operations

A recent classified assessment advised that prolonged large-scale operations in the Middle East risk weakening U.S. capabilities elsewhere.

Several U.S. military leaders have advised Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that prolonging large-scale operations against Iran is unsustainable and risks weakening their ability to confront threats elsewhere, including the U.S. homeland, according to people familiar with a recent assessment prepared for the Pentagon chief.

The warnings — detailed for Hegseth 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 — appear in the Aug. 14 edition of the Secretary of Defense Orders Book (SDOB), these people said. They described the assessment to The Washington Post on the condition of anonymity because the document is classified.

The SDOB, typically produced twice monthly, outlines the worldwide availability of U.S. warships, aircraft, personnel and weapons systems. It reflects the president’s priorities for the force, which are carried out by the defense secretary, and includes insights from the military’s top generals and admirals that inform the directives the Pentagon issues.

As President Donald Trump has pressured Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and accept several U.S. provisions for ending the stalemated conflict, he has been adamant that all options remain available to him — including further military action. Consequently, U.S. Central Command, the headquarters responsible for prosecuting the Iran war, has kept a force of more than 50,000 troops on alert for months in case the president orders additional attacks.

The Aug. 14 orders book directs some troops deployed in the Middle East to remain there through September and some others into 2027, said those familiar with the document. The prospect of extending those forces further compelled military leaders to voice their concern, these people said.

Leaders of the U.S. European Command, the U.S. Pacific Command and the U.S. Southern Command, along with the Navy’s top admiral, responded with what is characterized in the SDOB as a “non-concur,” those familiar with the assessment said — meaning they disagree with the secretary’s order to extend their forces but will execute it nevertheless.

The geographic combatant commands overseeing U.S. operations in Europe, Asia and Latin America have had their ships, aircraft and other equipment pulled away to support the Iran conflict. This has limited their ability to conduct missions and ensure proper training, those familiar with the assessment said. The Navy, in particular, has had to stretch its capacity to keep up with wartime demands.

Army and Air Force leadership concurred with Hegseth’s desire to extend their deployed forces, but each emphasized that doing so would come with significant risk, these people said.

Overall, the tenor from the military leadership is that the ongoing Iran operation, having reached the six-month mark, has been “too much for too long,” said one person familiar with the assessment.

The military’s warning to Hegseth, which has not been previously reported, offers new insight into the administration’s dilemma as Trump seeks to end the conflict on terms favorable to the United States while Iran, cognizant of the war’s unpopularity with most Americans and its mounting toll on the U.S. arsenal, refuses to capitulate.

“Decisions regarding the scope and duration of specific force commitments to any Combatant Command are made based on the current threat assessment, strategic priorities established by the President, and the advice of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Combatant Commanders,” Sean Parnell, a spokesman for Hegseth, said in a statement to The Post.

The Pentagon “does not discuss internal operational processes,” including the Secretary of Defense Orders Book, “or specific concurrences, non-concurrences, or risk assessments provided by the Services or Combatant Commands during force allocation deliberations,” he added.

The Secretary of Defense Orders Book also is reviewed by Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. A spokesman for the chairman declined to comment and referred questions to Hegseth’s office.

The orders book is one avenue for senior military leaders to surface resource concerns and provide Hegseth with assessments on how gaining or losing assets will impact their objectives.

It’s common for commanders to discuss risk, said the one person familiar with the recent assessment. But the outlook now is “more dire” overall, this person explained, adding that certain generals and admirals were more expansive and frank than is usual in telling Hegseth they disagreed with orders to keep providing equipment and personnel when the operation’s trajectory remains uncertain.

The top military officials at European Command and Southern Command each cautioned Hegseth that lending their ships and surveillance aircraft to Central Command has degraded their ability to fulfill homeland-defense obligations, said those familiar with the assessment.

Adm. Samuel Paparo, the chief of Pacific Command, disagreed with the level of support he was ordered to continually provide, including an aircraft carrier strike group and naval destroyers, those familiar with the assessment said.

A spokesperson for European Command declined to comment. Spokespeople for Southern Command and Pacific Command did not respond to requests for comment.

Adm. Daryl Caudle, the chief of Naval Operations, provided Hegseth with the dimmest picture, saying in the SDOB that the Navy cannot sustain its current level of support for the Iran conflict because there is no anticipated end date, those familiar with the assessment said.

Caudle conveyed to Hegseth that barely one-fourth of the Navy’s destroyer fleet is ready to deploy, a sharp decline from prewar levels, said those familiar with the assessment.

More broadly, the document says that the impact on ship maintenance, if demands imposed by the Iran operation continue unchanged, jeopardizes the fleet’s availability should other conflicts arise, people familiar with the assessment said.

A spokesperson for Caudle did not respond to a request for comment.

At a recent event in Norfolk, he talked about the deployment extensions, calling them “very challenging for our sailors.”

“I typically am not a big fan of extensions, and I push back hard on that, but the enemy gets a vote,” Caudle said, according to a transcript of his remarks provided by the Navy.

Although Army and Air Force leadership concurred with Hegseth’s current path for the Iran conflict, they conceded the challenges it has imposed, said those familiar with the assessment.

Elements of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, which in March mobilized 2,000 soldiers in response to the Iran war, will see their deployment extended to a year, Maj. Gen. Brandon R. Tegtmeier, the division commander, said in a letter dated Sunday.

The letter to the division community, reviewed by The Post, acknowledges the difficulty of the unknowns throughout the mobilization and that leaders “understand that a longer tour weighs heavily on every household, including our own.”

Those troops would be central to any ground invasion of Iran.

Deployments for units operating the Army’s Patriot air defense systems, which shoot down missiles and drones targeting U.S. bases, also are expected to be extended, said those familiar with the assessment.

A spokesperson for the Army did not respond to a request for comment.

The depletion of Patriot interceptors — as a result of the Iran war and previous donations to Ukraine — has limited the Trump administration’s ability to reescalate the war, as Tehran retains the ability to successfully target U.S. facilities throughout the Middle East.

As The Post and others have reported previously, the Iran war also has drained U.S. supplies of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptors — vital not only to the protection of American assets in the Middle East but to regional allies as well — and long-range Tomahawk missiles. About 25 percent of the Pentagon’s Reaper drone fleet has been lost, and U.S. bases there have sustained billions of dollars in damage.

The Trump administration has maintained that reports of munitions shortages are inaccurate.

Many of the Air Force units sent to the Middle East to conduct bombing runs and other around-the-clock operations also are slated to stay in the region into 2027, those familiar with the assessment said.

The Air Force declined to comment, citing the classification of the orders book.

A spokesman for Central Command declined to comment and referred questions to Hegseth’s office.

The recent “non-concurs” from some uniformed leaders mark the latest warning from military leaders about the war.

As The Post and others reported previously, Caine advised the White House before hostilities began that the U.S. lacked sufficient munitions — and support from allies — to conduct an extended large-scale campaign.

More recently, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the head of European Command, privately warned the Pentagon that he lacked adequate naval forces to shield Israel and the U.S. homeland from missile attacks, as The Post reported this month.

In the Pacific, key U.S. allies have raised alarm that the Pentagon’s depletion of missiles and air defense interceptors leave them vulnerable to China. The Navy’s only dedicated aircraft carrier in the Pacific, a linchpin of the military’s plan to deter Beijing, was sent to the Middle East to relieve another carrier that has been deployed for more than 300 days.

Posted on

Republicans want to keep kids ignorant so they will become Republicans

Republicans this year quietly cut millions of dollars of funding for the late and beloved Dolly Parton’s children’s book charity, according to multiple reports.

Imagination Library, the nonprofit founded by Parton that sends free books to children across the world, faces an uncertain future in Indiana and Missouri as Republican lawmakers limit public funding, Newsweek reported Wednesday.

State funding for the program was removed from Indiana’s budget last year at a time when more than 125,000 local children were enrolled, according to Newsweek.

Missouri froze enrollment in the Imagination Library on July 1 after the program was subjected to a major budget cut, a local news outlet reported.

Meanwhile, John Pavlovitz nails it.

Posted on

Secretary of DEFENSE Pete Hegseth

Hegseth is a Christian nationalist who understands the culture wars as a religious crusade, modeled on the Crusades at the turn of the first millennium and described in his manifesto, “American Crusade” (2020).

Hegseth belongs to a virulently un-American, explicitly anti-Christian, and militantly anti-Catholic sect which he promotes in the chapel at the Pentagon.

His own military career stalled at the rank of major, and now, cosplaying as “Secretary of War,” he is taking revenge on women and men who are better, smarter, and braver than he.

He’s a very dangerous man, driven by insecurity, trapped in addiction, desperately trying to conceal intellectual and moral weaknesses that disqualify him for the position he holds or for any responsible position in government.

And so he thumps his chest, pounds his podium, and worries about his testosterone.

Posted on

Careful what you believe: Fox spreading its usual bullshit

Careful what you read: FOX News: Dozens of ships bound for “Lake America” have piled up at the entrance to the Welland — NOT TRUE

There are different accounts as to who is the culprit in posting this–but it is
NOT true.  I chuckled when I saw it was Fox news!!

FOX News: Dozens of ships bound for “Lake America” have piled up at the entrance to the Welland Canal. Canada is refusing to grant them permission to proceed. Ships that list “Lake Ontario” in their documents are passing through the canal without obstruction. 

NOT TRUE.

Image

MEANWHILE,  Canadians have a sense of humor that will drive Trump crazier.:

Image

 

 

 

 

Posted on

Pete Hegseth is a moron who is destroying the future Army

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is blocking the promotions of four Army officers selected for promotion to one-star rank, a highly unusual move that appears to be targeting officers who worked for generals he does not like, current and former defense officials said.

So far this year Mr. Hegseth has removed at least 45 officers, selected by boards made up of peers, from promotion lists. More than half of those officers have been female or Black.

Mr. Hegseth’s actions appear to violate the rules governing a promotion system that is meant to be apolitical and merit-based.

Some of the Army officers pulled from the latest list appear to have worked recently for Gen. Randy George, the former Army chief of staff, whom Mr. Hegseth fired without explanation in April. The others have ties to Gen. Christopher T. Donahue, the top U.S. Army commander in Europe, who was forced to leave the Army this summer, defense officials said.

Typically, Army one-star promotion lists consist of about three dozen officers.

General George and General Donahue led the Army’s push to adapt to a future battlefield dominated by drones and artificial intelligence and the officers pulled from the recent lists played important roles in shaping their modernization vision.

An officer whose promotion was blocked commanded one of the Army’s first “transformation in contact” brigades, officials said. These 3,000-soldier units were encouraged to experiment with new drone and artificial intelligence technology, even as they trained for war.

The officer developed a new formation that use drones, electronic warfare systems and traditional scouts to see and strike the enemy deep behind the front lines. His idea was adopted by all of the Army’s infantry brigades.

The officer was also targeted, in part, because of an essay he wrote in a graduate program on the implications of political polarization on the Army’s ability to recruit and retain talent, said officials familiar with the list. It is unclear why Mr. Hegseth or members of his team found the essay objectionable.

“Military promotions are given to those who have earned them,” Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, said in a statement. “This has always been the case under Secretary Hegseth and will not change.”

Beyond the blocking of officers for promotion to one-star rank and the firing of General George, Mr. Hegseth has fired or forced out a half-dozen senior officers — a generation of the Army’s most combat-hardened leaders — thinning the service’s top ranks for the next several years, officials said.

The personnel turmoil has also left a vacuum at the top of the Army at a moment when it is responsible for defending troops against the threat posed by cheap drones and missiles.

The Army has not had a chief of staff, the service’s top officer, since Mr. Hegseth fired General George in April, and there are no signs that he is close to filling the position, said current and former officials. Mr. Hegseth’s choice to take over as Army chief, Gen. Christopher LaNeve, does not currently have enough support in the Senate to be confirmed, officials said.

General LaNeve, who previously served as Mr. Hegseth’s senior military aide, has expressed frustration with Mr. Hegseth’s decision to block qualified officers for promotions and is concerned this will dilute the Army’s pool of experienced leaders, defense officials said.

Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll, the service’s top civilian leader, could leave the administration as soon as next week, officials said. Mr. Hegseth has indicated that he would like to nominate Mr. Parnell to take over for Mr. Driscoll.

Mr. Parnell served as an officer in Afghanistan, but his tenure as the Pentagon’s chief spokesman has been buffeted by controversy. Mr. Parnell recently fired three journalists at Stars and Stripes, a federally funded but independent news organization. The journalists sued the government on Thursday, claiming that the Pentagon fired them in retaliation for writing about the worsening conditions on a Navy aircraft carrier deployed to the Middle East.

Mr. Parnell also led an effort to restrict reporters’ access within the Pentagon. The moves prompted The New York Times to sue the Pentagon on the grounds that the policy violated the First Amendment.

Mr. Parnell withdrew from a Senate race in November 2021 after a judge ruled that his estranged wife should have primary custody of their three children in a case in which she accused him of spousal and child abuse. The order was later vacated and Mr. Parnell has shared custody with his wife for several years, a Pentagon official said.

Mr. Hegseth’s interest in nominating Mr. Parnell was first reported by The Hill.

White House officials are concerned that if Mr. Driscoll leaves that Mr. Parnell will not be able to garner enough Senate votes for confirmation, leaving the Army’s top civilian and uniform military jobs open.

Many of the senior Army officers fired or forced out by Mr. Hegseth gathered Thursday at Fort Bragg, N.C., for General Donahue’s retirement ceremony. The tone at the gathering was somber — one former military official in attendance described it as a “state funeral.”

In what could be one of his last acts as Army secretary, Mr. Driscoll joined the fired officers, all of them combat-tested leaders who had been groomed to lead the Army. Together they said goodbye to General Donahue.

Posted on

NASA greets Trump with silence

There are times when silence speaks very, very loudly.

Donald Trump was met with total silence by NASA scientists as he bragged about his non-existent accomplishments in the space sector.

The president visited the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston on Friday to award the Artemis II space crew with the Space Medal of Honor, but he also used the trip to fish for approval from the crowd of NASA scientists. President Trump claimed the agency was “crawling” just before he made it to the White House, claiming that he achieved a lot for them and the nation.

“We had an interlude for four years and it was limping along, and now I’m back. And we’re doing more than limping. Eight years later, these dreams are really coming through at a level that nobody ever imagined,” he said to a completely silent and stone-faced audience.

 

Dolly Parton died at age 80.  She was the wrong 80-yr-old to die.