Washington Post: Pentagon commanders warned Hegseth on Iran war strain

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Top Pentagon commanders have warned U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that the months-long war with Iran is eroding the American military's ability to defend the country, The Washington Post reported. Citing people familiar with the internal exchanges, the newspaper said military leaders told the secretary that the protracted conflict has degraded U.S. armed forces' readiness. The warnings, delivered directly to Hegseth, reflect senior officers' concerns that the duration of the fighting is producing long-term damage to force preparation, according to the Post. The paper said the account aligns with earlier leaks that reached several U.S. media outlets, in which military leaders raised similar worries about the conflict's cumulative toll. The Post's reporting places those concerns squarely within the top military leadership, indicating that senior Pentagon officials have shared them with the civilian head of the Defense Department. No further details on the specific exchanges or the secretary's response were immediately available.