US Vice President Vance gathered commanders’ assessments of war in Iran — NYT
In the United States, Vice President J.D. Vance contacted U.S. military commanders in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia during the spring and summer to obtain their own assessments of the war in Iran. As Anadolu Agency reports, citing The New York Times, these private assessments differed significantly from the public picture presented by senior U.S. administration officials, including President Donald Trump.
Commanders’ assessments
According to the NYT, Vance asked commanders to express their individual judgments in their own words before they were included in the Pentagon’s consolidated assessment. The discussions covered the goals and tactics of the war, casualty estimates, Iran’s actions in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as the ability of Iranian forces to adapt to circumstances.
The vice president also asked about the remaining weapons in commanders’ stockpiles and how transferring weapons to the Middle East could affect the United States’ ability to deter China, Russia, and North Korea. According to the publication, commanders were particularly concerned about the depletion of Patriot interceptor missile stockpiles. Some of them warned that stocks of critically important munitions had fallen to their lowest level ever.
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Access to intelligence
NYT sources also expressed concern about the administration’s overall strategy and prospects for success. At the same time, according to the publication, Vance’s calls took place with the knowledge of President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said that the defense secretary had provided the vice president and other senior White House officials with direct access to combat commanders so that the president’s team could receive all available data on operations in the Middle East.
In addition, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, the NYT claims, gave Vance direct access to the agency’s analysts. According to the publication, Vance called some analysts to ask about raw intelligence and information from morning briefings. Hegseth also instructed the Office of Naval Intelligence to prepare daily reports for the vice president on the Strait of Hormuz, listing ships passing through the strait, their flags, and cargoes.
