It used to be the Secretary of Defense, but the high-T Pete Hegseth – the US Secretary of War – is going to Congress for urgent funds needed to replace equipment lost or damaged in combat. He is requesting $2 billion. The Senate must pass a $67 billion supplemental package.
President Trump and senior administration officials have repeatedly argued that U.S. military operations have severely degraded Iran’s conventional military capabilities. Their comments have focused on several themes:
Missile forces: Trump said the U.S. was “destroying Iran’s missile capabilities” and its ability to manufacture new missiles.
Navy: Trump has repeatedly claimed the Iranian navy has been “annihilated” or effectively destroyed. In one statement, he said the U.S. had destroyed nearly all of Iran’s naval forces, including mine-laying vessels, leaving only a handful of small fast-attack boats.
Air defenses: Trump has asserted that Iranian air defenses and radar networks were “100% annihilated,” saying Iran no longer had meaningful anti-aircraft capabilities.
Military infrastructure: He has described strikes on facilities such as Kharg Island as having “totally obliterated” military targets, including missile bunkers, naval mine storage, and other military infrastructure.
Nuclear program: Trump has said one objective was to ensure Iran “can never obtain a nuclear weapon,” while more recently indicating additional strikes could target deeply buried sites such as Pickaxe Mountain.
Regional proxy network: The administration has also said its goal is to prevent Iran from continuing to arm and direct proxy groups throughout the Middle East.
Secretary of War, Hegseth has echoed the President’s assessment, saying U.S. operations have:
Severely degraded Iran’s ballistic missile force.
Destroyed or crippled key naval assets.
Reduced Iran’s ability to threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Weakened Iran’s military infrastructure to the point that it would take years to rebuild.
Sec. of State Rubio has said the campaign is intended to:
Degrade Iran’s military capabilities.
Prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Make the world safer by reducing Iran’s ability to threaten U.S. allies and international shipping.
He has also emphasized that the administration’s issue is with the Iranian regime rather than the Iranian people.
While the administration has characterized the campaign as having devastated Iran’s military, outside analysts generally assess that Iran has suffered extensive losses—particularly to its navy, air defenses, missile sites, and military infrastructure—but retains the capability to launch missiles and drones and to conduct retaliatory attacks. Recent attacks on U.S. forces and continued disruptions to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz have been cited as evidence that Iran’s military capability has been significantly degraded but not eliminated.
In addition to the damage to equipment, it was reported that two officers have died recently, and the hundred injured. W
This article was written by Greg Michalowski at investinglive.com.