The Leaks from Hegseth’s ‘Book’ Are a Warning

Key Points:

• Senior U.S. military commanders have formally warned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that continuing current operations against Iran risks degrading the military's ability to respond to other global crises, as revealed in a highly classified Secretary of Defense Orders Book.
• Several commanders, including those of European, Pacific, and Southern Commands and the Navy, issued "non-concurs," indicating they will comply with orders but advise against continuing some deployments due to the risks posed to their areas of responsibility.
• The Book assesses global force allocation, highlighting the tradeoffs and risks involved in diverting scarce resources like missile-defense systems and naval forces to the Middle East, which impacts maintenance, training, and readiness for other contingencies.
• Non-concurrence signals concern over force sustainability rather than insubordination, reflecting uneven burdens across military branches and emphasizing the cumulative strain from extended deployments and munitions use after six months of war.
• The leak of this classified document is serious because it exposes U.S. military readiness vulnerabilities to adversaries, and it serves as a critical warning for the Secretary of Defense to weigh these risks carefully before making further operational decisions.