Hegseth Failed the Iran War. Trump Should Fire Him — SkimNews
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- Pete Hegseth failed to advise President Trump that no viable air-only military strategy could bring the Iranian regime 'to its knees,' violating the author's pre-nomination condition that he not be a yes-man on winnable wars.
- Hegseth ignored warnings that the war would dangerously deplete U.S. stockpiles of JASSM long-range cruise missiles, Tomahawk missiles, PAC-3 interceptors, and THAAD interceptors, jeopardizing broader global security requirements.
- Trump publicly threw Hegseth under the bus in late March, saying 'Pete, I think you were the first one to speak up' in favor of the war — contradicting the secretary's claim of sober counsel.
- On March 4, Hegseth declared 'America is winning decisively, devastatingly and without mercy' in Operation Epic Fury — a claim the author calls contradicted by any objective assessment.
- Six months in, Hegseth insists 'we've got no shortage of munitions' and that stockpiles can sustain the campaign, even as Trump reportedly blasted him at a Camp David meeting for running low on ammunition.
- Hegseth dismissed reports of poor morale aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln as 'fake news,' with sailors and their families directly contradicting his account of conditions on the carrier.
Why it matters: Trump is six months deep in a war he cannot win without an unapproved ground invasion, with his defense secretary still publicly cheerleading while privately being blamed for ammunition shortages — a midterms-level liability the president may need to jettison to distance himself from a failing campaign.
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