US military readiness strains under sustained Iran campaign
Senior officials warn Hegseth the campaign is unsustainable as Navy readiness declines.
US military readiness strains under sustained Iran campaign — Senior US military officials warned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that the continued large-scale military campaign against Iran is unsustainable, according to an assessment dated August 14 prepared for the Secretary of Defense's Orders Book.[^1] The warning comes as the US military struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island on Sunday after IRGC forces were seen preparing to fire toward the Strait of Hormuz.[^2] The assessment highlights a deepening dilemma: the Navy commander reported that barely a quarter of the destroyer fleet is fit for deployment, a sharp decline from pre-war levels.[^1] Senior commanders in European Command and Southern Command warned that transferring ships and intelligence aircraft to Central Command is harming their ability to defend the US.[^1] US Central Command has maintained over 50,000 troops on alert for many months.[^1] Photos of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from the Brooklyn detention facility were published today, stamped with the date June 25, 2026.[^3] Maduro, 63, was captured on January 3 in a Delta Force raid on his hideout in Caracas. The release of the images, after eight months, offers a rare glimpse into the conditions of a high-profile detainee whose case has drawn international attention. Shas ultimatum, Bennett pardon, and security committee: Israeli politics churns — Shas is making the exemption from conscription for Haredim an exclusive precondition for forming the next government, Rabbi Moshe Maya, the eldest member of the party's Council of Torah Sages, revealed in recordings obtained by i24NEWS.[^5] Maya admitted that the law advanced in the current term was not intended to meet its goals: "That's because there was no choice - we didn't intend to comply with it, the law is not good."[^5] He expressed complete distrust of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's promises on the issue, a dilemma that could fracture coalition talks before they begin.[^5] Former prime minister Naftali Bennett told the Jerusalem Post on Sunday, August 30, 2026, that he supports a presidential pardon for Benjamin Netanyahu.[^3] Bennett also blamed Netanyahu f