Sean Parnell calls Pentagon leak a “crime” amid readiness warnings
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell is blasting the release of a classified military assessment, escalating a political and national‑security fight over the U.S. war in Iran.
The clash comes as new reporting from The Washington Post revealed top commanders warned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that prolonged operations in the Middle East are straining the force.
The dispute now raises questions about transparency, readiness, and the administration’s management of a six‑month conflict that has already stretched the U.S. military across multiple theaters.
The Post’s reporting, based on the August 14 Secretary of Defense Orders Book (SDOB), detailed internal warnings from the heads of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as multiple four‑star combatant commanders. They cautioned that extending deployments and diverting ships, aircraft, and personnel to the Iran war is degrading their ability to defend other regions—including the U.S. homeland.
Sean Parnell Calls Leak a ‘Crime’ and a ‘Betrayal’
In a statement to Newsweek on Sunday afternoon, Parnell wrote: “This fake news, poorly sourced reporting is full of inaccuracies, which is typical for the Washington Post. Secretary Hegseth is actively engaged with the Services, the Joint Staff, and Combatant Commanders to ensure that U.S. forces are postured to deter conflict, respond effectively when required, and maintain acceptable levels of readiness.”
He added: “Decisions regarding the scope and duration of specific force commitments to any Combatant Command are made based on the current threat assessment, strategic priorities established by the President, and the advice of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Combatant Commanders. However, the Department of War does not discuss internal operational processes, including the Secretary of War Orders Book (SWOB), or specific concurrences, non-concurrences, or risk assessments provided by the Services or Combatant Commands during force allocation deliberations.”
On X, the chief Pentagon spokesman wrote that “publishing highly classified assessments from the Secretary’s orders book is a crime” and “a betrayal of the force.”
He added: “And much of what they’re publishing is inaccurate. Of course, we demand candid military advice. Non-concurs are standard. The Secretary sees them constantly. That’s how you run a real military. We are in great shape around the world.”
Is Publishing Classified Pentagon Assessments Illegal?
Post reporter Dan Lamothe rebutted Parnell’s claim, writing on X: “Fact check: Independent journalism is not a crime.”
Lamothe said reporting on government decisions—especially during an active war—is essential when officials are “withholding key details and concerns about a war being fought on behalf of the American people with their taxpayer dollars.”
In late July, Hegseth told senators that the Iran war has cost an estimated $37.5 billion since fighting began in late February, a figure that includes current spending and projected needs through the end of the fiscal year on September 30. The amount had not previously been disclosed by the Pentagon.
The SDOB itself is classified, but the Post did not publish the document; instead, it reported on its contents based on interviews with individuals who described the assessment.
Legal experts have noted that publishing classified information is generally protected under the First Amendment unless it directly reveals sensitive operational details that could cause immediate harm.
What Did the Leaked Assessment Actually Warn About?
The SDOB warned that the Iran war is draining U.S. military capacity across multiple commands. Leaders of European Command, Pacific Command, and Southern Command issued formal non‑concurs, saying the continued diversion of ships, surveillance aircraft, and other assets has degraded their ability to fulfill homeland‑defense obligations.
The Navy’s top admiral, Daryl Caudle, reportedly provided the starkest warning, telling Hegseth the service “cannot sustain its current level of support” because there is no end date to the conflict.
He said barely one‑fourth of the Navy’s destroyer fleet is ready to deploy—a sharp decline from prewar levels—and that maintenance backlogs could jeopardize the fleet’s ability to respond to other crises.
Army and Air Force leaders reportedly concurred with extending deployments but stressed the risks. Elements of the 82nd Airborne Division will see their mobilization extended to a year, and Patriot missile units—already strained by losses and donations to Ukraine—are expected to remain in the region longer.
The depletion of Patriot and THAAD interceptors, along with long‑range Tomahawk missiles and Reaper drones, has limited the administration’s ability to escalate the war.
Trump Threatens Leakers Amid Reports of Depleted Missile Stockpiles
President Donald Trump recently threatened those who “leak” information about U.S. munitions supplies with jail time after reports emerged suggesting the U.S. was running low on several types of missiles.
The White House has denied the war against Iran—now in its sixth month—has drained U.S. stockpiles of important weapons, such as ground-launched missiles used to strike targets deep inside Iran, and expensive interceptor missiles needed to shoot down Iranian ballistic missiles across the Middle East.
Despite surging military spending and new factories popping up across the globe, air defense missiles and top-shelf weapons still have long lead times, meaning it could be several years before they are replaced once they are used up.
The U.S. has burned through most of its available long-range, highly accurate missiles, several outlets reported this month, raising concerns the U.S. would not be able to effectively fight Russia or China in a potential conflict in the near future.
Specifically, the U.S. Army has used up “virtually all” of two types of sophisticated long-range weapons, namely the Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), Reuters reported earlier this month.
This came shortly after Trump was said to have called off a planned two-week strike campaign on Iran in late July, partly because of anxieties over munitions stocks.
Trump previously said the U.S. had “massive amounts” of munitions and would be receiving “large” quantities of newly-produced missiles.
“The ‘leakers’ of these treasonous statements are being hunted down,” he said in a post to Truth Social. “Long term jail sentences will be sought!”
The U.S., Israel and other militaries allied with Washington in the Middle East used up nearly 11,300 munitions in just the first 16 days of the war from February 28, according to the Payne Institute for Public Policy.
The U.S. had roughly 452 THAAD interceptors before the war but had as few as 234 left by the end of July, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said last month. Before the start of the conflict, the U.S. had approximately 2,330 interceptors for its Patriot air defense systems, according to the CSIS estimates. By July 27, this had dipped as low as 759.
What Happens Next
Congress is already weighing additional funding requests, including an $88 billion supplemental and a Pentagon budget exceeding $200 billion for the war in Iran.
Whether lawmakers demand more transparency—or whether additional leaks emerge—could shape how the conflict is managed in the months ahead.
Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Hollie Silverman and Anthony Murray.
