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Senior U.S. military commanders have warned Secretary of War Pete Hegseth that the six-month conflict with Iran is placing an unsustainable strain on American forces and potentially weakening defenses elsewhere, according to a report by The Washington Post.

The concerns were detailed in the Aug. 14 edition of the Secretary of War Orders Book by the leaders of the Army, Navy and Air Force, as well as four-star commanders responsible for American military operations in Europe, Asia and Latin America.

The classified document, produced twice each month, provides an accounting of the worldwide availability of U.S. military personnel, warships, aircraft and weapons systems, according to individuals familiar with the assessment who spoke to the Post on condition of anonymity.

One source summarized the broader message from military leaders as “too much for too long.”

The commanders of U.S. European Command, U.S. Pacific Command and U.S. Southern Command, together with Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle, registered a formal “non-concur” with the document. The designation indicates that they oppose the deployment extensions even though they will carry out the orders.

Army and Air Force officials approved the extensions while simultaneously warning of substantial risks associated with them.

President Donald Trump has maintained more than 50,000 U.S. Central Command troops on alert for months while seeking to pressure Tehran into reopening the Strait of Hormuz and agreeing to American terms for bringing the war to an end. The conflict began Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli airstrikes against Iran.

The United States reinstated its naval blockade of Iranian ports in early August after Iranian attacks against commercial shipping caused a June memorandum of understanding to collapse, according to a Congressional Research Service report released this month.

Under the Aug. 14 orders, some American forces deployed to the Middle East are expected to remain there through September, while others could stay in the region into 2027.

Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, objected to the continuing requirement that his command provide an aircraft carrier strike group and destroyers for operations against Iran. Leaders of European Command and Southern Command similarly warned Hegseth that transferring ships and surveillance aircraft to CENTCOM has diminished their ability to carry out homeland-defense missions.

Caudle warned Hegseth that the Navy cannot maintain its current operational tempo indefinitely without a clear end date. He also reported that only about one-quarter of the Navy’s destroyer fleet is currently ready for deployment, representing a steep decline from readiness levels before the war.

Speaking recently at an event in Norfolk, Virginia, Caudle publicly described the deployment extensions as “very challenging for our sailors,” adding that he pushes back hard on them, “but the enemy gets a vote.”

The Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, which mobilized 2,000 soldiers in March and would be expected to play a central role in any U.S. ground invasion of Iran, is anticipated to remain in the region through at least September, with additional extensions considered likely.

Army Patriot air-defense units are also expected to have their deployments extended. Supplies of Patriot interceptors have been reduced by their extensive use during the Iran conflict as well as earlier transfers to Ukraine.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told the Post that decisions about where and how long U.S. forces are deployed are based on current threat assessments, President Trump’s priorities and recommendations from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and combatant commanders.

Parnell added that the Department of War “does not discuss internal operational processes,” including the orders book or “specific concurrences, non-concurrences, or risk assessments.”

The Trump administration, meanwhile, has disputed reports that the U.S. military is facing shortages of munitions.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump announced Sunday that oil obtained through his administration’s newly reached agreement with Venezuela will be directed toward replenishing the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which has fallen to levels not seen in decades following major drawdowns in recent years.

In a social media post, Trump said the process of “topping out” the reserve would begin soon, calling the Venezuelan crude a “Gift from Venezuela to the People of the United States.”

Questions remain over how quickly oil supplied under the Venezuelan agreement could begin flowing into the U.S. reserve or whether the arrangement will have an immediate impact on fuel costs for American consumers. The broader deal unveiled by Trump on Friday is intended to rebuild Venezuela’s struggling petroleum industry, an undertaking expected to require substantial investment and improvements to the country’s energy infrastructure before production can increase significantly.

As of August 21, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve contained approximately 290 million barrels, putting the emergency stockpile near its lowest level in 44 years. Oil has been released from the reserve under both the Biden and Trump administrations amid international supply disruptions, including those stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the conflict with Iran.

The announcement came a day after Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez disclosed additional details about the energy agreement with Washington, saying the arrangement would run for 25 years and seek to increase crude production to 1.5 million barrels per day while maintaining Venezuelan sovereignty over the country’s natural resources.

In an address Saturday night, Rodriguez characterized the agreement as “historic,” saying it could play a major role in reviving Venezuela’s economy, expanding government revenues and determining the country’s economic direction in the years ahead.

“This 25-year bilateral project envisages the development of 17 strategic oilfields with a production target of more ⁠than 1.5 million barrels per day,” Rodriguez said on state broadcaster VTV.

“That figure relates solely to the bilateral agreement between Venezuela and the United States.”

Rodriguez said the planned 1.5 million barrels per day represents an initial production objective. The wider initiative also calls for developing eight previously undeveloped oil blocks as Venezuela seeks a broader expansion of its energy industry.

President Trump first unveiled the arrangement Friday, announcing plans for the United States to obtain partial control over Venezuela’s enormous petroleum reserves. The administration is betting that American companies can help rehabilitate the country’s badly weakened oil sector while creating an additional source of crude that could contribute to lower fuel prices in the United States.

Trump offered relatively few specifics about the structure of the agreement, saying the United States had obtained majority control over more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuela’s proven petroleum reserves through a partnership involving private industry.

Although Venezuela possesses the largest proven oil reserves in the world, its current output stands at only about 1.25 million barrels per day, considerably below its potential. Years of inadequate investment, poor management and international sanctions have taken a heavy toll on the country’s oil industry.

Rodriguez estimated that the agreement could ultimately produce approximately $209 billion in revenue for the Venezuelan government if oil averages $65 per barrel, while acknowledging that petroleum prices could change. She said Venezuela would receive approximately $19 from every barrel produced and sold through the agreement, potentially providing a major new source of government income.

The Venezuelan leader insisted that the arrangement does not surrender the country’s control over its petroleum resources. She said Venezuela would retain “ownership of and sovereignty” over its natural resources, “while leveraging capital, technology and operational expertise to support the recovery of a strategic industry that has been severely affected by sanctions.”

The agreement has nevertheless encountered opposition inside Venezuela. Earlier Saturday, dozens of groups supportive of the government assembled in central Caracas to demonstrate against the U.S. presence in the country.

Despite those protests, Rodriguez publicly embraced the energy arrangement following Trump’s announcement, arguing that it would stimulate Venezuela’s economy while generating additional revenue for the government.

Venezuelan authorities are now preparing to finalize agreements as early as next week that would award new exploration and production rights to several energy companies, including firms based in the United States.

Two people familiar with the negotiations said Friday that Chevron is among the companies expected to complete discussions aimed at moving its existing Venezuelan joint ventures into the new energy framework.

White House border czar Tom Homan said Sunday that federal immigration agents will pursue illegal immigrants wherever necessary, stressing that criminals and national security threats will find “no safe harbor” as the Trump administration expands immigration enforcement efforts across the country.

“President Trump is the president of the United States because he promised to enforce immigration law, and that’s exactly what we’re doing,” Homan said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“We’re sending a message to the world: The borders are no longer open. You can’t come here for a free pass and expect to stay forever,” he added.

During the interview, Homan mounted a broad defense of President Donald Trump’s deportation policies, addressing controversies involving arrests near school bus stops, the deportation of Haitians who have lost Temporary Protected Status, and accusations that ICE officers mistreated individuals being deported.

One issue involved reports from Connecticut that ICE agents arrested parents in the vicinity of school bus stops. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., has accused immigration authorities of targeting parents who were waiting with their children in Danbury.

Homan said he had not been informed about the specific incidents but pledged to raise the matter with the Department of Homeland Security.

“ICE is out there to enforce the law against those that have been ordered removed by a federal judge,” Homan said. “And especially if they’re a criminal or if they’re a national security threat, there’s no safe harbor for them in this country. We’ll go where we need to go.”

Homan pushed back against claims that ICE agents were deliberately attempting to intimidate children, describing those allegations as political rhetoric that has helped fuel threats against federal immigration personnel.

The border czar also defended the administration’s decision to deport Haitians after their Temporary Protected Status was terminated, despite the violence and instability that continue to plague Haiti.

“They lost their TPS status. They’re ordered removed. They got to go home,” Homan said. “They have no status here anymore. They can’t stay here.”

Pressed on whether he was comfortable with people being sent back to Haiti in light of the country’s dangerous security conditions, Homan said he was not familiar with the current situation there but insisted that ICE has an obligation to carry out lawful removal orders.

“The bottom line is they’ve been ordered removed,” he said. “The judge has made a decision. They must go home.”

Homan also discussed Sunday the deportation of Milo Yiannopoulos, the British right-wing provocateur and Trump supporter who was taken into custody Thursday and deported to the United Kingdom the next day.

According to Homan, his understanding of the case was that Yiannopoulos had remained in the United States beyond the expiration of his visa, failed to appear for immigration court proceedings, and subsequently was ordered deported by a judge.

“He had his due process, ordered removed by a federal judge, and ICE removed him. It’s that simple,” Homan said.

Homan rejected suggestions that Yiannopoulos received special treatment because he was removed from the country only a day after his arrest. He said the Department of Homeland Security has been working more broadly to reduce the amount of time individuals spend in detention and to carry out deportation orders more rapidly.

The interview also touched on a New York Times report alleging that deportees who resisted leaving a U.S. deportation flight after it arrived in Liberia were subjected to abusive treatment. Homan said he did not believe the alleged conduct had taken place, while emphasizing that the accusations would nevertheless be investigated.

“We use minimum force required to make a detainee comply,” Homan said. “If someone acted out of line, it would be investigated by internal affairs.”

Homan additionally renewed his support for outfitting ICE field officers with body cameras, although he said he could not verify whether the agency had achieved its goal of providing cameras to every officer by the end of August.

“I’m a big proponent of cameras because I want the American people to see what the officer sees when he makes a decision,” Homan said.

Homan said the rollout of the cameras was underway but acknowledged that he did not know whether implementation had been completed across the agency.

“Are they 100% deployed today? I’m not sure,” he said.

{Matzav.com}