US commanders warn that a prolonged war with Iran would weaken the military

US military commanders have warned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that continuing large-scale operations against Iran could become unsustainable and weaken the armed forces’ readiness for other crises, according to The Washington Post.

The warning appeared in an Aug. 14 Secretary of Defense Orders Book, a regular document describing the availability of US forces around the world. President Donald Trump has called for “all possible options” to remain available in the war with Iran, keeping more than 50,000 US troops on high alert for months.

The document ordered some forces to remain at that readiness level through the end of September and others through 2027. Commanders responsible for US forces in Europe, the Indo-Pacific and South America, along with the Navy’s commander, signaled objections to continuing to use their forces for the Iran war. They nevertheless said they would continue carrying out orders.

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all possible options

Officials cited concerns about worn equipment and exhausted personnel. The Navy faced particular pressure because it was required to maintain, among other missions, a blockade of Iranian ports. The Army and Air Force accepted Hegseth’s preference to extend their readiness for the conflict, but each warned that doing so would carry substantial risks.

The Post described Navy Adm. Daryl Caudle as the most outspoken commander. He reportedly said his forces could not sustain their current level of support for the Iran mission because there was no clear prospect of its ending. He also assessed that only about one-quarter of the destroyer fleet was ready for deployment, a sharp decline from before the war, according to the newspaper’s sources.

A Pentagon spokesman, Sean Parnell, strongly rejected the publication. “Publishing classified assessments from the secretary’s order book is a crime. It is a betrayal of the armed forces. And much of what they publish is inaccurate,” he wrote on X. He also said the military was “in great” condition, although the quoted material ends before the statement is completed.

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Publishing classified assessments from the secretary’s order book is a crime. It is a betrayal of the armed forces. And much of what they publish is inaccurate.