Iran War Has Cost US $37.5bn So Far, Pete Hegseth Says, As Pentagon Seeks Billions More | N18G

[00:00:00]Terry Hegzoff, did you if you listen to my comments, you told you would have heard me say how amazing our war fighters are.

[00:00:05]>> I heard failure. The word heard I I heard exactly.

[00:00:08]>> I will tell you how I use the word failure because I use the word failure to their leaders. You sir are the failure, not the men and women who are on that front line. You don't have a strategy. You don't have a long-term plan to actually win this war. Win the war. The men and women are going to be able to do it, but they need to have leadership. When will you show leadership leadership? And will you show >> why don't you show some leadership and stand up for your fellow Democrats who won't fund the troops who stand and play partisan politics while you don't give us the money.

[00:00:35]>> Moments ago, a fiery hearing wrapping up where both Republicans and Democrats said some tough questions for Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General John Raisen Kaine and the Secretary of Defense Pete Hgsth. You just heard Democratic Senator Gary Peters of Michigan calling Hegsth a failure.

[00:00:51]Hegath said that the senator had Trump derangement syndrome. Kate and Haggath appeared in front of the appropriations committee there requesting 87 billion additional dollars. 67 billion of that is for the Department of Defense and the ongoing Iran war. Pegsmith also revealed that the American taxpayer has already spent nearly $ 38 billion on the war so far, which Trump continues to call a conflict. Earlier today, Trump also reiterated his plans to destroy Iran's Pickax Mountain. That's an underground facility south of Thrron and where Israeli intelligence, we're told, believes Iran has moved part of its nuclear stockpile. Take a listen to Louisiana Republican Senator John Kennedy earlier today.

[00:01:35]>> Now, what happens if we come home and end the blockade to the world?

[00:01:43]>> Sir, Iran uh has the potential to continue to be a threat. We need some hard answers and some straight talk.

[00:01:53]What'll happen, Pete?

[00:01:56]>> Senator, I would I would agree with the chairman, but the likely outcome is they would try to impose their will on the on the waterways and answers.

[00:02:04]>> We need straight answers.

[00:02:08]>> Do we have the ability to destroy whatever is underneath pickaxe mountain?

[00:02:18]A lot of Senator, a lot of our capabilities are classified, but if anybody in the world can reach anything on this on God's given God's green earth, it's the United States military, the most powerful military in the world.

[00:02:27]It's all about options and trade-offs.

[00:02:30]>> New York Democratic Senator Kirstston Gillibrand when it was her turn at the mic pressed Secretary Hegth on his request for tens of billions of dollars to fund the ongoing war.

[00:02:42]>> You are asking for unlimited money for bombs when people can't feed their families. And I don't know how this administration intends to defend those decisions to the American people.

[00:02:52]>> Um, not unlimited bombs, Senator. I'm asking for the right bombs at the right time.

[00:02:56]>> The hearing started with General Kaine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recognizing the US service members killed in recent days. Secretary Higgs did not mention the dead in his opening comments. Today, the Pentagon released the identity of the soldier killed during the disposal of an Iranian drone in Iraq. He was 30-year-old Sergeant Michael Emanuel Swinton. He died on Sunday. General, thank you so much for joining us. I want to play another exchange from the hearing and get your thoughts on it. Take a listen.

[00:03:25]>> Are Russia and China uh helping Iran?

[00:03:30]And if so, how?

[00:03:33]>> Well, Senator, as the chairman alluded to, there's definitely adversary alignment uh attempts to do so. uh and there are many ways that we deter that.

[00:03:43]Some of which are and and the depth and extent of it ought to remain classified and it should but there are ways in which both of those countries are at limiting at different levels uh enabling some of the things Iran is doing. Yes.

[00:03:58]>> Does that surprise you at all? And what do you think China is doing to enable Iran?

[00:04:04]>> Well, thanks Jake. It's great to be with you again. Uh no, I'm not surprised by this. I mean, I think we should expect that these two principal competitors to us, Russia and China, are going to take advantage of the situation and for their own purposes try to cast us in the best light or make things as difficult as they as they can. Um, Russia certainly has a relationship with Iran linked to their operations in um in the Ukraine and uh and uh I think that uh China is primarily motivated by their economic objectives and they see that the challenge that this war has presented uh not just us but you know a variety of the globe here. uh and uh they are they are going to make things as difficult as they as they can for us of trying to extricate ourselves from this or accomplish our objectives.

[00:04:54]>> Israel believes that Iran moved advanced centrifuges and part of its stockpile of highlyenriched uranium to pickaxe mountain after the 12-day war last June.

[00:05:05]Uh President Trump said this today. Take a listen.

[00:05:09]That's where the action is and uh we'll be hitting that area very probably pretty soon and there's not not a thing they can do about it. You know, normally I wouldn't say that. If I thought they could do something about it, I would never say that. But we'll be hitting that area pretty soon. Uh and and very heavily.

[00:05:30]>> Trump insisted that the US had obliterated for last summer and with it Iran's nuclear stockpile. You know, pickaxe is a facility deep underground and it's in central Iran. So, a ground invasion would be quite difficult. What do you think is the military's the US military's best chance to destroy that that site pickaxe?

[00:05:51]>> Well, yeah, thanks. You know, the uh certainly the way that we went out to Fort with our massive ordinance penetrators, that's uh that's a capability was developed specifically for this threat. Of course, we used a lot of those last summer. I don't know exactly what the inventory might be, but we've got to be judicious with the employment of those weapons. So, I would imagine with this reporting, uh, we're going to want to confirm everything that we can before we take action. But uh but certainly we have to be concerned about Iran and their commitment to a nuclear weapons program and the time that they had after the strikes last summer to reposition resources and and try to reconstitute portions of their of their program.

[00:06:34]>> Last night, uh the Pentagon spokesperson acknowledged after lots of media reports and questions that nearly 100 service members have been injured just since July 7th. There are dozens of unrecorded injuries in the military database. It's called the defense casualty analysis system. I know you knew that. That's for our viewers. Some are questioning why it seems the Pentagon is slow rolling this reporting, slow rolling acknowledging the WIA, those who are wounded in action. What What do you think? Do you find it odd at all?

[00:07:08]Well, I I again I think it's it's important for uh the American public to appreciate the cost that we're that is being paid in these conflicts we're we're involved with and the system that you just identified is one that is been designed for that. It should be updated when the numbers change and it should be publicly available so American citizens do that. I I can't begin to explain why the Pentagon would be doing what they're doing. I mean certainly there probably are some concerns here about trying trying to prevent Iran from understanding the damage that they may be inflicting on our service men and women or on our on our facilities. That may be a reason for it. But I in in my view I think transparency here is is really really critical for the American people to appreciate what's at stake here with with this conflict that we're involved in.

[00:07:59]>> Former Scom commander General Joseph Hotel. Always good to have you sir.

[00:08:03]Thank you so much and as always, thank you so much for your service to this country.