 Defense &
National Security |
Defense &
National Security |
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Democrats press Republican chair to hold hearings on Iran War |
All Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee pressed the top Republican on the panel, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), to hold a hearing on the war against Iran. |
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite |
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were not pleased with the amount of information during classified briefings earlier this week.
"We believe the military action against Iran necessitates that the Department of Defense immediately testify, in an open setting, before the House Armed Services Committee," All HASC Democrats wrote in a Friday letter to Rogers, who rebuked the Defense Department officials for not sharing more information about the conflict in the Middle East on Wednesday following the classified briefing.
"We are deeply troubled by the lack of transparency from the Trump Administration and the Department of Defense and its failure to keep the Congress and the American people informed," the Democrats wrote in the four-page letter. "We remain concerned by the ever-shifting strategic and operational objectives of the conflict and lack of clarity regarding the possible use of U.S. ground forces in the region." Rodgers himself said after the classified briefing on Wednesday that he was unsatisfied with information coming from the Trump administration as it reportedly mulls deploying ground troops four week into the conflict. "We want to know more about what's going on, what the options are and why they're being considered. And we're just not getting enough answers on those questions," Rogers told reporters. Rogers, in a new statement on Friday, praised the president for authorizing strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, commended the U.S. service members involved in the conflict and said that Pentagon officials have given him and other lawmakers "multiple high-level, classified briefings in the last few days, and I appreciate their responsiveness and transparency."
"As Chairman, I'm committed to working with the Administration to pass a supplemental and ensure our warfighters have the resources needed to deter and defeat our adversaries," Rogers said Friday on social platform X.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio played down the prospect of troops on the ground, telling reporters in France that the U.S. "can achieve all our objectives without deploying ground troops" in Iran.
Since the war broke out, over 300 U.S. service members have been wounded, with majority of the injuries being minor, U.S. Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, spokesperson for the U.S. Central Command (Centcom), told The Hill on Friday. Hawkins said 273 troops have returned to duty. |
Welcome to The Hill's Defense & National Security newsletter, I'm Filip Timotija — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. |
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President Trump, appearing before a Saudi business forum in Miami on Friday, touted what he said were U.S. wins in its war against Iran and warned Cuba would be "next." Trump's remarks touched on a range of issues, largely centered on the Middle East but he also brought up the island nation as his next target while continuing to be harshly critical of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for what he deems as … |
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All Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee pressed the chair of the panel, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), to call for a public hearing from Department of Defense (DOD) officials on the ongoing Iran war after lawmakers in both parties were left unsatisfied with information shared during classified briefings on the conflict earlier this week. "We believe the military action against Iran necessitates that the Department … |
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has reportedly blocked the promotion of two Black and two female Army officers to be one-star generals. The New York Times reported Friday that Hegseth for months pressed senior Army leaders, including Secretary Dan Driscoll, to remove the officers' names but was repeatedly refused. Then earlier this month, Hegseth struck the names from the list, which is being reviewed by the White … |
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Former U.S. Navy Secretary Kenneth Braithwaite said Friday there is "no doubt" that the U.S. Navy could run the Strait of Hormuz, a key passageway for the transport of oil. "There's no doubt that the United States Navy could run those straits," Braithwaite, also the former U.S. ambassador to Norway, said in an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper. "But it’s, you know, political intent and national will,” he added. … |
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Branch out with a different read from The Hill: |
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Freedom Caucus slams Senate DHS deal, complicating path to swift passage |
The House Freedom Caucus is expressing strong opposition to a Senate deal to fund the bulk of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), complicating the path for the bill to pass swiftly in the House. Members of the hard-line conservative caucus said they want a bill that includes a voter ID measure … |
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Events in and around the defense world: |
- The Hudson Institute is holding a discussion on Monday morning at 8 a.m. ET on "The Three Seas Initiative: Europe's New Geography of Power."
- The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is hosting a discussion at 10:15 a.m. ET Monday morning on "Winners and losers: Russia, China, and Europe respond to the Iran war."
- The Atlantic Council is hosting a discussion on Monday, 2 p.m. ET on the report "Russian Illusions: How the West Lost the Post-Cold War Era."
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News we've flagged from other outlets: |
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Two key stories on The Hill right now: |
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A long-shot Libertarian candidate running for Senate in Montana pledged to introduce legislation to draft Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) into the military … Read more |
| Senate Democrats on Thursday defeated an amendment sponsored by Sen. Jon Husted (R), Ohio's former secretary of state, to require voters to show photo … Read more |
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