As detailed by The Washington Post, Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned that any potential strike on Iran carries “acute risks” for U.S. personnel. The report says his concerns focus less on Tehran itself and more on depleted munitions stockpiles and limited allied support.
Caine reportedly raised the issue during a White House meeting last week with President Donald Trump and senior aides, describing how U.S. weapons reserves have been strained by support for Israel and Ukraine. He also emphasized the complexity of a large-scale operation against Iran and the possibility of U.S. casualties.
The general has also made similar points in Pentagon meetings this month, according to the report. His office said he provides civilian leaders with a range of military options and related risks confidentially as part of his role as the president’s top military adviser.
The limits are in stockpiles and basing, not just the target list
Trump later said on social media it was “100% incorrect” that Caine was “against us going to War with Iran,” and claimed the general believed a confrontation would be “easily won.” The report says sources familiar with Caine’s views described a more cautious stance than the president’s public comments.
The Washington Post reported that two key defenses against Iranian ballistic missiles, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors and Patriot missile systems, have been used extensively across the Middle East. Patriot missiles are also a priority request from Ukraine, and the report notes the U.S. produces only a few hundred annually, below what would be needed for a major conflict. Separate federal funding pressure has also kept Washington focused on competing demands.
The Navy is facing similar constraints with standard missiles such as the SM-2, SM-3, and SM-6, which have been used to defend vessels in the Red Sea from Iranian-proxy forces and to help protect Israel from ballistic missile attacks. The report notes that replacing those missiles can take two years or more due to production limits, and that the U.S. manages its missile supply globally, leaving commanders short of what they want.
The Defense Department requested nearly $30 billion from Congress last year to restock, but the report says it was only partially fulfilled. Katherine Thompson, a recently departed Pentagon official cited in the report, said the U.S. “is not currently prepared to resource simultaneous conflicts.” Another Iran-linked tech case also surfaced in recent reporting.
The report also says allied support remains a major concern, with Arab countries signaling they would not allow their bases to be used for a strike and Iran threatening retaliation against countries that support a U.S. operation. Regional partners have also warned that a limited strike could push Iran away from negotiations, complicating Washington’s planning.
The potential scope of an Iran campaign could vary depending on Trump’s objectives, the report says. Striking Iran’s missile program would involve hundreds of targets across a country more than three times the size of Iraq, while pursuing regime change would expand the list to thousands and could take weeks or months, increasing the risk to U.S. forces.
The report says the Trump administration has assembled its largest Middle East strike force since the 2003 invasion of Iraq and ordered the departure of non-emergency personnel and family members from the U.S. embassy in Lebanon amid concerns Hezbollah could be drawn into a conflict. Talks between U.S. and Iranian negotiators are set to resume this week in Geneva, and the report notes a recent exchange on social media between Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi.
Published: Feb 24, 2026 05:15 am