Pentagon Tightens Classified Access as Iran War Exposes US Military Strains
By Staff, Agencies
The Pentagon has tightened access to decades of classified military planning records after The Washington Post reported that senior US commanders had raised concerns over Washington’s ability to sustain its prolonged war on Iran.
According to three people familiar with the matter, documents linked to the Secretary of Defense Orders Book [SDOB] were removed from an internal portal on SIPRNet, the classified network widely used by US military and War Department personnel. It remains unclear whether the records are available elsewhere or have been moved to more restricted networks.
Meanwhile, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell declined to detail the changes but did not deny that access had been altered.
He said the War Department does not publicly discuss internal operational procedures, arguing that decisions on force posture and operational processes are handled through security channels to protect mission integrity.
The SDOB contains information on the positioning and availability of US forces, including warships, military units and weapons systems. It also allows senior officers to formally register objections to Pentagon directives through a process known as “non-concur.”
Significantly, The Post reported that Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, Gen. Francis Donovan, Adm. Samuel Paparo and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle were among senior commanders who formally registered objections to continuing extensive operations against Iran, warning that doing so could impose serious costs elsewhere.
At the same time, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach and acting Army Chief of Staff Gen. Christopher LaNeve reportedly backed extending some deployments but cautioned that the decision carried considerable risks.
Although Parnell later described the newspaper’s report as largely “inaccurate,” he did not identify specific errors. He maintained that “non-concurs are standard,” adding that the US military was “in great shape around the world.”
However, the disclosures come as the war on Iran enters its seventh month, despite President Donald Trump initially suggesting it would last only weeks.
US officials have increasingly raised concerns over the consumption of key weapons, including Patriot interceptors and Tomahawk cruise missiles, while prolonged deployments continue to strain personnel and equipment.
Moreover, the US Navy faces mounting operational demands as it maintains the maritime blockade imposed on Iran. The commanders’ warnings indicate growing concern that concentrating forces and munitions in the Iran theater could weaken Washington’s ability to sustain operations or respond to developments elsewhere.
Against this backdrop, removing SDOB records from SIPRNet could sharply reduce the number of personnel able to consult them.
A former War Department official said transferring the material to a more restricted system would “dramatically reduce” direct access and could complicate time-sensitive coordination involving deployments, weapons transfers and aircraft movements between commands.
While such a move would not make the records completely inaccessible, the former official said obtaining them would become considerably more difficult, potentially slowing logistical coordination across different operational theaters.
Finally, the restriction comes amid a broader Trump administration campaign against unauthorized disclosures to the press, including polygraph examinations, subpoenas targeting journalists and the seizure of electronic devices during a search of a Washington Post journalist’s home.
