JD questions Pete claims on success

Washington: US Vice President JD Vance is reportedly sceptical of Pentagon claims the US has inflicted a “severe blow” to the military of Iran in the current eight-week conflict. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth (L) and General Dan Caine have portrayed the war as a major success, claiming American weapons stockpiles remain high. However, reports indicate Vance has questioned the assertions in meetings with President Donald Trump.

Vance is concerned the Pentagon may be understating the depletion of US missile reserves, which could weaken the American position in future conflicts with Russia or China. While Hegseth maintains the Iranian military is decimated, US intelligence suggests Tehran has retained two-thirds of its air force and most of its missile-launching capabilities. The Strait of Hormuz remains a flashpoint where Iranian boats continue to stall maritime commerce.

The vice president, who reportedly spoke out against Operation Epic Fury before it began on Feb 28, has sought to avoid creating divisions with­in the war cabinet. Despite his private concerns, he has publicly praised Hegseth. Vance reportedly believes the outcome of the Iran conflict will be a defining factor in his own political future as he eyes a potential presidential run in 2028.

war cost: $25bn & counting

Pentagon provided its first public estimate of the cost of the war so far, $25 billion, during testimony by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, before the House Armed Services Committee. Democrats pressed Hegseth over the Iran war, with Representative Adam Smith of Washington questioning what it has accomplished. Hegseth assailed the critics, saying the biggest adversary is not Iran’s military, but the “feckless and defeatist words” of Democrats and some Republicans in Congress. The Pentagon’s $1.45 trillion budget request, a 40% rise over this year, is the subject of the hearing.

Hegseth insisted the spending was necessary to put the Pentagon’s industrial base on a “wartime footing.” Further, Hegseth criticised the Biden administration for giving “hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of munitions” to Ukraine, but according to Pentagon records, the previous administration gave Kyiv weapons worth $33.8 billion from Defence Dept stockpiles and $33.2 billion cash to buy weapons directly from US defence firms. Following the last disbursement of weapons from the Pentagon’s stockpile on Jan 9, 2025, $3.85 billion in Congressionally-authorised funds remains unspent for such drawdowns of existing arms for Ukraine, NYT reported.