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Defense officials said they will examine whether a senator violated rules by discussing weapons inventories drawn down during the Iran conflict. The senator stated the information came from an open congressional hearing where the defense secretary testified that replenishment would take months and years.
The GuardianDefense officials announced they will review remarks by a senator about U.S. weapons stockpiles, citing concerns the comments disclosed details from a classified briefing. The senator appeared on a Sunday television program and detailed significant drawdowns of Tomahawk cruise missiles, Army Tactical Missile Systems, SM-3 interceptors, THAAD rounds and Patriot missiles during the Iran conflict.
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Officials warned that replenishment could take years and leave the United States exposed in any future confrontation with China. The defense secretary responded on social media, accusing the senator of blabbing about a classified Pentagon briefing and asking whether the lawmaker had violated an oath.
The senator countered that the information was not classified and came directly from the defense secretary's own statements during an open Senate hearing on April 30. " The exchange is the latest in a dispute between the two men that dates to last fall.
At that time the senator joined five other Democratic lawmakers, all veterans or former intelligence officials, in a video reminding military personnel they must refuse unlawful orders. Officials responded by censuring the senator, opening a Pentagon investigation and seeking to strip the retired captain of his rank.
A federal court temporarily blocked those actions, ruling that officials had probably violated the senator's First Amendment rights and those of millions of military retirees. Officials appealed the ruling. Last week a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit heard oral arguments and appeared unreceptive to the government's position.
The confrontation traces back to the video featuring the senator and five colleagues including two other senators and three House members. President Trump called the six lawmakers traitors who had committed sedition and suggested they should face execution, a comment he later attempted to retract.
Days afterward one of the senators, a former CIA officer, received a bomb threat. A grand jury declined to bring charges in February. Officials have not commented on the scope of the current legal review of the senator's television appearance, the potential consequences or whether an investigation has formally begun.
Separately, President Trump told reporters that Iranians had initially offered to let the United States remove enriched uranium from the country but later rescinded the invitation. "They said you're going to have to take it. We were going to go with them.
But they changed their mind," Trump stated. He added that Iran lacks the equipment to remove nuclear dust. Trump also said he is seriously considering renewing Project Freedom, an operation that involved U.S.-flagged merchant vessels transiting certain waters.
The comments came amid ongoing discussions about the costs and goals of the Iran conflict.
In a related development, President Trump announced last week that the United States will remove 5,000 troops from Germany, possibly as the start of a larger drawdown. Pentagon planners anticipate a phased reduction over the next 12 months that could significantly reduce the total U.S. presence in the country.
Some officials favor rotating troops rather than maintaining permanent bases. Americans have been stationed in Germany by the tens of thousands since the end of World War II. Roughly 50,000 Americans, including military personnel, civilian employees and families, live in the Kaiserslautern Military Community that includes Ramstein Air Base.
The initial troop reduction is expected to come primarily from forces near training grounds in Bavaria. Local German communities near the bases face economic disruption. Thousands of German nationals work directly for the U.S. military, and many more jobs depend on American personnel.
Businesses that have served American tastes for generations may close as the troop presence shrinks. The administration has suggested the withdrawal punishes Germany for criticizing U.S. Iran policy. The move has prompted debate about the future of transatlantic relations and whether it signals a broader pivot toward the Indo-Pacific.
>"That’s not classified, it’s a quote from you. " — Sen. Mark Kelly (The Guardian) >"Now he’s blabbing on TV (falsely & dumbly) about a CLASSIFIED Pentagon briefing he received.
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