Hegseth Extends Mideast Deployments Into 2027

“When the U.S. launched its campaign against Iran six months ago, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth promised a quick, decisive blow that would avoid a long entanglement. Now, he is quietly extending troop deployments in a sign that the conflict could drag well into next year,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“It is part of an open-ended military strategy designed to give President Trump options in the war… But the deployment of 19 warships, air-defense units, fighter squadrons and paratroopers across the region is straining servicemembers and their families and creating a maintenance backlog that could take years to unwind.”