Don’t call it a ‘quagmire’: defense secretary refuses to speculate on length of Iran war

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth deflected questions from Congress Wednesday on the future of the Iran war and attacked lawmakers who questioned the conflict’s purpose and goals, calling them “reckless, feckless and defeatist.”

A hearing on the Pentagon’s $1.45 trillion budget request for fiscal 2027 became a hotly contested debate on Iran, with House Armed Services Committee members asking how long the secretary expected the operation to last and Hegseth bristling at those who questioned the administration’s decision to go to war.

Committee members praised the work of the U.S. service members currently deployed to the Middle East, but they also wanted Hegseth to address the ultimate outcome.

Ranking committee member Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., asked Hegseth where the war was going. Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., said the military had executed the war with “tactical success” but called the administration’s strategy an example of “incompetence.”

The comments struck a nerve with Hegseth, who argued that President Donald Trump is the only U.S. leader to decide to physically stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

“The biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless, feckless and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans,” Hegseth said, addressing Garamendi and others who have opposed the operation.

“Shame on you calling this a quagmire two months in the effort,” Hegseth added.

When the U.S. and Israel launched combat operations in Iran on Feb. 28, Trump said the goals were three-fold: destroy Iran’s missile capability; “annihilate” their navy; and ensure that the country would never have nuclear weapons.

The operation killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and several key leaders, destroyed Iran’s navy and wiped out key military installations. In retaliation, Iran launched missiles and air assaults on U.S. military facilities, killing 13 and damaging U.S. bases across the region, as well as civilian targets in Meddle East countries.

Hegseth noted that the Iranian navy has been destroyed, but Iran continues to have nuclear ambitions despite losing capabilities as a result of Operation Midnight Hammer last summer that Hegseth said “obliterated” facilities.

“You have to stare down this kind of enemy who’s hell bent on getting a nuclear weapon and get them to a point where they’re at the table giving it up,” Hegseth said.

The questions over the war’s future come as a 60-day deadline approaches Thursday under the War Powers Act. The legislation requires the president to seek congressional authorization to continue the operation or withdraw troops.

The law allows Trump to request an extension if the time is needed to safely withdraw U.S. troops.

According to testimony, the Iran war has cost $25 billion to date, with the highest costs coming at the beginning of the conflict as a result of the use of thousands of bombs and missiles.

The Defense Department’s $1.45 trillion budget request for fiscal 2027 is 44% higher than the Pentagon’s current budget — the highest in modern history. It would fund an increase in military end-strength of 44,000 service members, provide a 5% to 7% pay raise to troops depending on rank and boost procurement funding by 76%.

“Under the leadership of President Trump our builder-in-chief, we are reversing … systemic decay and putting our defense industrial base back on a war-time footing,” Hegseth said.

During the hearing, lawmakers raised concerns about the firing of former Army Chief of Staff Randy George and the decision to remove general officers from promotion lists, with several praising the former’s 40-years of service and dedication to soldiers.

“Let’s talk about a guy who is a patriot. Someone who everyone on this dais has huge admiration for,” said Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Penn., an Air Force veteran, referring to George.

In his response to Houlahan, Hegseth hinted that he fired George as part of a war on “woke” — Hegseth’s efforts to eliminate diversity or equity initiatives in the services.

“Out of respect for these officers, we never talk about the nature of their removal, but every one of them, including myself, knows that they serve at the pleasure of the president,” Hegseth said.

But, he added, “it’s very difficult to change the culture of a department that has been destroyed by the wrong perspective.”

During testimony, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine remained above the political fray, declining to answer questions he perceived as political.

“My duty is to ensure our civilian leadership has a comprehensive range of military options and the associated risks that to those leaders who make the nation’s hardest decisions and offer my military advice privately,” Caine said.

“My blueprint for this role is Gen. George C. Marshall. His commitment to civilian control of the military and nonpartisan military remains a constant standard, and something I borrow from often,” he added.

Patricia Kime is a senior writer covering military and veterans health care, medicine and personnel issues.

国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯周三回避了国会关于伊朗战争未来的问题，并抨击了质疑这场冲突的目的和目标的议员，称他们“鲁莽、无能、失败主义”。

五角大楼就 2027 财年 1.45 万亿美元的预算申请举行的听证会，演变成一场关于伊朗问题的激烈辩论。众议院军事委员会成员询问国防部长预计这场行动会持续多久，而赫格塞斯则对那些质疑政府发动战争决定的人感到愤怒。

委员会成员赞扬了目前部署在中东的美国军人的工作，但他们也希望赫格塞斯能够谈谈最终结果。

众议院司法委员会资深成员、华盛顿州民主党众议员亚当·史密斯询问赫格塞斯，战争的走向如何。加利福尼亚州民主党众议员约翰·加拉门迪表示，军方在执行战争时取得了“战术上的成功”，但他称政府的战略是“无能”的例证。

这些言论触动了赫格塞斯的神经，他认为唐纳德·特朗普总统是唯一一位决定采取实际行动阻止伊朗发展核武器的美国领导人。

“我们目前面临的最大敌人是国会民主党人和一些共和党人鲁莽、无能和失败主义的言论，”赫格塞斯在对加拉门迪和其他反对此次行动的人讲话时说道。

“花了两个月时间才把这件事说成是泥潭，真是可耻，”赫格塞斯补充道。

2月28日，美国和以色列对伊朗发动军事行动时，特朗普表示，其目标有三：摧毁伊朗的导弹能力；“消灭”其海军；并确保该国永远不会拥有核武器。

此次行动导致伊朗最高领袖阿亚图拉·阿里·哈梅内伊及数名重要领导人身亡，伊朗海军被摧毁，关键军事设施遭到夷为平地。作为报复，伊朗向美国军事设施发射导弹并发动空袭，造成13人死亡，美国在该地区的多个基地以及中东国家的民用目标遭到破坏。

赫格塞斯指出，伊朗海军已被摧毁，但尽管伊朗在去年夏天的“午夜铁锤行动”中失去了核能力（赫格塞斯称该行动“摧毁”了伊朗的核设施），伊朗仍然怀有核野心。

“你必须直面这种一心想要获得核武器的敌人，让他们坐到谈判桌前放弃核武器，”赫格塞斯说。

随着《战争权力法》规定的60天最后期限临近（周四），关于这场战争未来走向的疑问也随之而来。该法案要求总统必须获得国会授权才能继续作战或撤军。

如果需要时间安全撤出美军，法律允许特朗普请求延长撤军期限。

据证词显示，伊朗战争迄今已耗资 250 亿美元，其中冲突初期耗资最大，因为使用了数千枚炸弹和导弹。

美国国防部2027财年的预算申请高达1.45万亿美元，比五角大楼目前的预算高出44%，创下现代史上新高。该预算将用于增加4.4万名军人，根据军衔为士兵加薪5%至7%，并将采购经费提高76%。

“在我们的总建设者特朗普总统的领导下，我们正在扭转……系统性衰败的局面，使我们的国防工业基础重新回到战时状态，”赫格塞斯说。

在听证会上，议员们对解雇前陆军参谋长兰迪·乔治以及将将军从晋升名单中除名的决定表示关切，其中几位议员赞扬了前陆军参谋长40年的服务和对士兵的奉献。

“让我们来谈谈一位爱国者。在座各位都非常钦佩他，”宾夕法尼亚州民主党众议员、空军退伍军人克里西·霍拉汉在谈到乔治时说道。

在回应霍拉汉时，赫格塞斯暗示他解雇乔治是为了打击“觉醒”——赫格塞斯试图消除军队中的多元化或公平倡议。

“出于对这些官员的尊重，我们从不谈论他们被免职的性质，但他们每个人，包括我自己，都知道他们的去留取决于总统的意愿，”赫格塞斯说。

但他补充说，“要改变一个被错误观念摧毁的部门的文化是非常困难的。”

在作证期间，参谋长联席会议主席丹·凯恩将军始终置身于政治纷争之外，拒绝回答他认为带有政治色彩的问题。

凯恩说：“我的职责是确保我们的文职领导层拥有全面的军事选择以及相关的风险，这对那些做出国家最艰难决定的领导人来说至关重要，我也会私下提供我的军事建议。”

“我担任这一角色的榜样是乔治·C·马歇尔将军。他对文官控制军队和军队保持非党派性的坚持始终是我奉行的标准，也是我经常借鉴的原则，”他补充道。

Patricia Kime 是一位资深撰稿人，主要报道军事和退伍军人的医疗保健、医药和人事问题。