Jon Ossoff Tears Into Pete Hegseth Over Iran Strategy

[00:00:00]Order, Senator Ossoff.

[00:00:02]>> I'll yield my time to Senator Ossoff.

[00:00:03]>> Thank you.

[00:00:05]>> Uh thank you, Madam Chair, and uh thank you all for your testimony. And uh General Keane, 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 states. 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 2 weeks. And thank you to you for your service to the nation.

[00:00:40]Um Mr. Hecksef, you're requesting roughly $68 billion for the department through the supplemental, correct?

[00:00:51]>> 67, yes.

[00:00:54]>> 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?

[00:01:17]>> That sounds broadly accurate, yes.

[00:01:20]>> 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?

[00:01:36]>> Um they didn't have a navy any longer.

[00:01:38]It's 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 military assessment of Iran's capabilities, it doesn't didn't mean by any stretch of the imagination absolute zero, but their capabilities are at the lowest level they >> stated that 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?

[00:02:10]>> Iran's ability to challenge the United States of America at the level at which we're capable of.

[00:02:14]>> 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?

[00:02:27]>> What the American military has done to the Iranian military is a historic military and they're ineffective in that context.

[00:02:35]>> Three weeks later you declared victory.

[00:02:38]That was now nearly four months ago.

[00:02:42]Three weeks after you'd already said Iran's military was a 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?

[00:03:04]>> Uh it certainly was on behalf of the men and women in uniform a historic military victory over Iran.

[00:03:09]>> Had Iran's military been rendered {quote} combat ineffective for years to come? That was a statement that you made four months ago.

[00:03:16]>> had 160 naval vessels >> to answer the questions, Mr. Secretary.

[00:03:20]You said You said four months ago You said four months ago >> Excuse me, Mr. Secretary. So describe to me a country that doesn't have an air force, a navy or a defense industrial base >> Mr. Secretary >> and I will describe to you a company that the country that does not have an effective military.

[00:03:33]>> you stated 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?

[00:03:48]>> It's been set back not just years but likely decades.

[00:03:51]>> You stated we had {quote} You stated You stated It doesn't mean it doesn't have capabilities.

[00:03:56]>> Mr. Secretary, you stated we had, quote, achieved every single objective. Was that an accurate statement 4 months ago?

[00:04:04]>> The main objective of this was to ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon.

[00:04:07]Their main sites were obliterated. We're watching over them, and we're holding them at issue. If they don't give them up at the table, there's other ways we can take them away.

[00:04:14]>> Early in the conflict on day three, 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 4 months ago you declared had been completed victoriously with every single objective achieved.

[00:04:39]Were those objectives achieved 4 months ago?

[00:04:42]>> No one ever stated that every single missile was gone. Ultimately, combat ineffective means they're not able to dig them out of their UGFs and shoot them.

[00:04:49]>> Had the missiles >> It doesn't mean they don't have underground facilities where they put missiles in them and hold onto them cuz they're the the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism. So, 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 and cannot >> on March 8th, day nine of the war on 60 Minutes, you assured the American people of Iranian surrender. Does that remain your prediction?

[00:05:16]>> Ultimately, Iran will never have a nuclear weapon to threaten the United States of America. That has been the objective, and it remains so.

[00:05:23]>> 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 conflict.

[00:05:39]>> time has expired.

[00:05:41]>> and effective military campaign against the largest state sponsor of terrorism.

[00:05:45]>> Won't answer the question.

[00:05:46]>> get any nuclear weapons, Senator.

[00:05:47]>> Is recognized.

[00:05:50]>> about the destruction of missiles, and yet the missiles that we saw hit recent targets are actually somehow more lethal, more deadly, more maneuverable than what we have seen in the past. So, they're obviously improving uh their munitions. The Strait of Hormuz is uh still closed, reminding everybody it was open before the war.

[00:06:11]Prices were lower for everybody until the war, and it still remains uh closed.

[00:06:16]And of course uh tragically, people, service members, our warfighters who we care deeply about, are still dying.

[00:06:24]So, what's different?

[00:06:27]Mr. Sec- Secretary Hagel.

[00:06:28]>> I think your characterization of this incredible effort as a failure is reckless.

[00:06:32]Uh and I think it's irresponsible. And I think it smears the sacrifice of the troops that are out there making on behalf of the American people to ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon.

[00:06:41]Shame on you and others who call this a quagmire and a failure, and then you want to turn around and say you support the warfighter. Either you do or you don't.

[00:06:48]>> new commander of CENTCOM still there, sir?

[00:06:49]>> I can get you a ticket out to CENTCOM and talk to what those Americans are doing, and how committed they are to this effort, and how they want to ensure that Iran never threatens their families with a nuclear weapon. It's a It is that That's the kind of intensity that our warfighters have about making sure that Iran isn't capable of doing that.

[00:07:04]>> Secretary Hagel, did you If you listened to my comments, you told you would have heard me say how amazing our warfighters are.

[00:07:10]>> failure. The word heard I I heard exactly what you said. I heard failure.

[00:07:13]I heard exactly what you >> the word failure to their leaders. You, sir, are the failure, not the men and women who are on that front line, not the the men and women who hold up their honor with distinction.

[00:07:26]But if there's a lack of a winning strategy, they're in harm's way. Their leaders have failed them. And that's what's happening. We have political leadership. You, you don't have a strategy. You don't have a long-term plan to actually win this war. Win the war. The The and women are going to be able to do it, but they need to have leadership.

[00:07:43]>> Of course we have leadership. Of course we have leadership.

[00:07:45]>> When will you show leadership?

[00:07:46]>> Why don't you show some leadership and stand up to your fellow Democrats who won't fund the troops? Who stand and play partisan politics while you don't give us the money. You want to stand up here and talk about the troops? You won't show any political courage to actually fund our department because you have Trump Trump derangement syndrome and can't actually commit to anything meaningful. So I put this on you, Senator.

[00:08:04]>> Sergeant Major Hefner, you have trillions you have a over a trillion dollars you're asking for one and a half trillion dollars. It's not a question of money, it's a question of leadership and understanding what it takes to actually win.

[00:08:16]>> Political cowardice of Democrats who won't fund the troops.