 Defense &
National Security |
Defense &
National Security |
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Hegseth promises increased attacks in Iran as US reveals 140 troops wounded |
The Pentagon said on Tuesday that about 140 U.S. service members have been wounded since the U.S. war with Iran kicked off late last month. |
AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein |
The "vast majority" of these injuries have been "minor" and 108 service members have returned to duty, said Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell in a statement, adding that eight service members remain listed as severely injured and are getting the "highest level of medical care." The injury toll comes as over the weekend, the U.S. Central Command (Centcom) announced that a seventh U.S. service member has died in combat from serious injuries following the Iranian attack on U.S. forces in Saudi Arabia. Six other service members were killed in an attack on a makeshift U.S. military operations center in Kuwait. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. attacks on Iran would intensify during a Tuesday press briefing and that the U.S. is "winning" the battle. "Today will be, yet again, our most intense day of strikes inside Iran. The most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes. Intelligence more refined and better than ever," the Pentagon chief told reporters. Hegseth also insisted the war is "quite contained," even as the U.S. continues to reduce staff at embassies and consulates in the Gulf region. The State Department on Monday drew down personnel in Saudi Arabia and the U.S. consulate in Adana, Turkey, ordering the departure of nonessential staff and families in response to threats from Iranian retaliation. The war has also come with a hefty price tag as the Pentagon has churned throught around $5.6 billion worth of munitions during the first two days of the conflict. Read the full report at thehill.com. |
Welcome to The Hill's Defense & National Security newsletter, I'm Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. |
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How policy will affect defense and national security now and in
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President Trump on Tuesday threatened to escalate U.S. attacks on Iran if it has put mines in the Strait of Hormuz amid reporting that it has done so. Trump, in a post on Truth Social, made the threat but also indicated that the U.S. doesn't have evidence of such activity. "If Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait, and we have no reports of them doing so, we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY!" Trump wrote. … |
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President Trump is betting on his “fire and fury” rhetoric to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and avoid an oil crisis prompted by his war with Iran. But the strategy, which includes the possibility of Navy warships escorting tankers through the critical waterway or even a U.S. takeover of the area, has not prompted any real results thus far, with just two ships passing through in the past 24 hours and gas prices continuing … |
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Podcaster Joe Rogan said supporters of President Trump "feel betrayed" by what he called the "insane" conflict with Iran. "Well, it just seems so insane, based on what he ran on. I mean, this is why a lot of people feel betrayed, right?" Rogan said during the latest episode of his podcast. "He ran on, ‘No more wars,' 'End these stupid, senseless wars,' and then we have one that we can't even really clearly define why … |
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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Tuesday expressed uncertainty about President Trump banning all federal agencies from using Anthropic after the AI company and the Pentagon traded blows in recent weeks. "I'll confess, I have not seen a basis laid out for why the government would be prohibited from using Anthropic," Cruz told host Andrew Ross Sorkin on CNBC's "Squawk Box." "Claude is one the many AI tools that can be very helpful." … |
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Upcoming things we're watching on our beat: |
- The Stimson Center will have a virtual discussion on "The Re-Making of International Security: Arms Transfer Trends in a Changing Global Order," tomorrow at 9:30 a.m
- The Defense Forum Foundation and Free North Korea Radio will have a Congressional Defense and Foreign Policy Lunch Forum: "Envisioning North Korea's Future: Women Leading the Way," at 12 p.m.
- Jews United for Democracy and Justice will have an online talk on "What is the Endgame? U.S. Policy and the Future of Venezuela and Beyond," with former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, at 8 p.m. tomorrow.
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Branch out with a different read from The Hill: |
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Newsom calls on DHS to direct Noem ad campaign funding to Los Angeles fire recovery |
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Friday called on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to direct the more than $220 million that went to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s ad campaign that led to her firing toward the Los Angeles fire recovery. “While Kristi Noem poured … |
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News we've flagged from other outlets: |
- Veteran who survived missile strike says field screenings 'easily miss' TBIs (Task and Purpose)
- Two Iranian warships take sanctuary in India and Sri Lanka (Defense News)
- Iranian military shows it knows how to adapt, U.S. officials say (The New York Times)
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Two key stories on The Hill right now: |
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President Trump has appointed Erika Kirk, the widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, to the Air Force Academy's Board of Visitors, having her … Read more |
| DORAL, Fla. – Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Tuesday floated the idea of passing a sweeping spending package aimed at targeting what he described … Read more |
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Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill: |
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