Four four-star commanders reportedly objected to keeping 50,000-plus troops in the Middle East

Four four-star commanders reportedly filed formal objections to a plan holding more than 50,000 U.S. troops in the Middle East through September. They are the Navy's top admiral, Adm. Daryl Caudle, plus the heads of U.S. European, Southern and Indo-Pacific commands. Some deployments run into 2027. Caudle warned the Navy cannot sustain the commitment without an end date. The Pentagon did not deny the objections were filed. Spokesman Sean Parnell disputed unspecified parts of the reporting and condemned the leak of the classified orders book. He said "non-concurs are standard" and that the Secretary "sees them constantly."