Sen. Ossoff Questions Secretary Hegseth on Iran War in a Senate Appropriations Committee Hearing.

[00:00:00]General Kaine, let me just begin by expressing on behalf of all Georgians our immense gratitude and admiration for the service members uh who are making tremendous sacrifices and conducting themselves with extraordinary selflessness and professionalism on behalf of the United States uh and our state's unified condolences and grief for the families of the four killed in action uh and our hope for a swift recovery for the the nearly 100 wounded over the last two weeks. and thank you to you for your service to the nation.

[00:00:31]Um, Mr. Hexf, you're requesting roughly 68 billion for the department through the supplemental, correct?

[00:00:42]>> 67. Yes.

[00:00:44]And yesterday, your department stated publicly, quote, "US forces struck Iranian military command centers, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and air defense systems to degrade Iran's ability to continue attacking commercial vessels." That was a press release from your department. Is that a broadly accurate characterization of ongoing operations?

[00:01:08]>> That sounds broadly accurate. Yes. On day 14 of this conflict, Mr. Secretary, day 14, nearly 5 months ago, you stated that Iran's military had been quote destroyed and quote made combat ineffective. That was on day 14 of the war. Was that an accurate statement?

[00:01:26]>> Um, they didn't have a navy any longer.

[00:01:28]It was completely sunk. Uh, their missiles were buried underneath a lot of their underground facilities and their defense industrial base has been almost completely destroyed. So as far as a a military assessment of Iran's capabilities, it doesn't didn't mean by any stretch of the imagination absolute zero. But there came the lowest level on day 14 of this conflict. In the second week of the conflict, you stated that Iran's military had been quote destroyed and quote made combat ineffective. Was that an accurate statement? Yes or no?

[00:02:00]>> Iran's ability to challenge the United States of America at the level at which we're capable of.

[00:02:04]>> That's not what I asked you, Mr. Secretary. You said on day 14 Iran's military had been quote destroyed and quote made combat ineffective. Yes or no? Was that an accurate statement?

[00:02:17]>> What the American military has the Iranian military is a historic military ineffective in that context.

[00:02:25]>> Three weeks later you declared victory.

[00:02:28]>> That was now nearly four months ago.

[00:02:32]Three weeks after you'd already said Iran's military was destroyed and combat ineffective. You said, quote, "Operation Epic Fury was a historic and overwhelming victory." You said Iran's military had been rendered quote combat ineffective for years to come. And you stated we had quote achieved every single objective. Were those accurate statements?

[00:02:55]>> Uh, it certainly was on behalf of the men and women in uniform a historic military victory over Iran. Had Iran's military been rendered quote combat ineffective for years to come? That was a statement that you made 4 months ago.

[00:03:06]They had 160 naval vessels questions.

[00:03:09]Mr. Secretary, their air force is completely combat ineffective and they don't have a defense industrial base. So describe to me a country that doesn't have an air force, a navy or a defense industrial base. Describe to you a company that country that does not have an effective secretary can lob missiles.

[00:03:25]>> Mr. Secretary, you stated four months ago that Iran's military had been rendered quote combat ineffective for years to come. Has Iran's military been for the last four months combat ineffective?

[00:03:38]>> It's been set back not just years, but likely decades can't build at the level it did before and not even close.

[00:03:45]Doesn't mean it doesn't have capabilities.

[00:03:46]>> Mr. Secretary, you stated we had quote achieved every single objective. Was that an accurate statement four months ago? The main objective of this was to ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon. Their main sites were obliterated. We're watching over them and we're holding that issue. If they don't give them up at the table, there's other ways we can take >> Early in the Mr. Secretary, early in the conflict, day three, you said one of those core objectives was to quote destroy the missile threat. And as you restated on day five to quote, obliterate Iran's missiles and drones. Those were clearly and repeatedly stated core objectives of the campaign which four months ago you declared had been completed victoriously with every single objective achieved.

[00:04:29]Were those objectives achieved four months ago?

[00:04:32]>> No one ever stated that every single missile was gone. Ultimately combat ineffective means they're not able to dig them out of their UFS and shoot. It doesn't mean they don't have underground facilities where they put missiles in them and hold on to them because they're the the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism. We never expected they would stop having capabilities to shoot. The question is at scale against opponent like the United States of America which went toe-to-toe with them and Iran couldn't.

[00:04:56]>> You stated on March 8th, day nine of the war on 60 Minutes, you assured the American people of Iranian surrender.

[00:05:03]Does that remain your prediction?

[00:05:06]>> Ultimately, Iran will never have a nuclear weapon to threaten the United States of America. That has been the objective and it remains so. So just to review, you will not answer whether your statement made on the 14th day of the war that Iran's military had been quote destroyed and made combat ineffective was a truthful statement to the American people. as you sit here and ask for tens of billions more for the >> senator's time has had a historic and effective military campaign against the largest state sponsor of terrorism weapons Senator.