Senior US military leaders have warned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that continuing large-scale operations against Iran risks weakening the military's ability to respond to threats elsewhere, including threats to the US homeland, The Washington Post reported.
According to the report, the warnings were included in the August 14 edition of the Secretary of Defense Orders Book, a classified Pentagon document detailing the availability and allocation of US forces and military equipment around the world.
The assessment included input from the leadership of the Army, Navy and Air Force, as well as senior commanders responsible for US military operations in Europe, Asia and Latin America.
President Donald Trump has continued to press Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and accept US conditions for ending the conflict, while maintaining that further military action remains an option. US Central Command has consequently kept more than 50,000 troops on alert in case additional strikes are ordered.
The August 14 document calls for some US forces currently stationed in the Middle East to remain there through September, while other deployments are expected to continue into 2027.
According to people familiar with the assessment cited in the report, the heads of US European Command, US Pacific Command and US Southern Command, together with the Navy's senior leadership, formally disagreed with requirements to continue supplying forces for the Iran operation, while indicating that they would nevertheless carry out the orders.
Ships, aircraft and other military assets assigned to commands in Europe, Asia and Latin America have been redirected to support operations involving Iran, affecting those commands' ability to carry out missions and training.
Army and Air Force leaders agreed to continue their deployments but warned that doing so involved substantial risks, according to the report.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said decisions concerning the scale and duration of forces assigned to combatant commands are based on current threats, priorities established by the President and recommendations from senior military commanders.
Parnell added that the Pentagon does not discuss its internal operational procedures or the assessments provided during deliberations over the allocation of military forces.
The Navy has faced particularly heavy demands during the conflict, providing numerous vessels for operations against Iran, defense against Iranian attacks and the blockade of Iranian ports.
Adm. Daryl Caudle, the chief of Naval Operations, warned that the Navy could not indefinitely maintain its present contribution to the Iran operation without a defined end point, according to people familiar with the assessment.
Caudle also reportedly told Hegseth that only about one-quarter of the Navy's destroyer fleet was currently prepared for deployment. The assessment warned that continued demands could disrupt ship maintenance and reduce the fleet's readiness for other potential conflicts.
The Army's 82nd Airborne Division, which mobilized 2,000 soldiers in March in response to the war, is expected to remain in the Middle East at least through September. Units operating Patriot air-defense systems are also expected to have their deployments extended.
The report said the conflict has placed pressure on US stocks of Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptors and Tomahawk missiles. It also said approximately one-quarter of the Pentagon's Reaper drone fleet has been lost and US bases in the region have sustained billions of dollars in damage.
The Trump administration has disputed reports that the US is facing shortages of munitions.
Numerous Air Force units deployed to the Middle East for bombing missions and other operations are also expected to remain in the region into 2027, according to the report.
The concerns raised in the latest assessment follow earlier warnings from senior military officials regarding the resources required for an extended campaign.
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reportedly warned the White House before the fighting began that the US lacked sufficient munitions and allied support for a prolonged large-scale operation.
Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, commander of US European Command, has also warned that insufficient naval resources could affect the military's ability to protect Israel and the US homeland from missile attacks.
In the Pacific, US allies have raised concerns that the diversion of missiles and air-defense systems could leave the region more vulnerable to China. The Navy's dedicated Pacific aircraft carrier was also transferred to the Middle East to replace another carrier that had been deployed for more than 300 days.