Pentagon Removes Internal Documents After Report on Military Leaders' Disagreement
The Department of Defense deleted certain records following a newspaper report that senior commanders had expressed opposition to an extension of troop deployments in the Middle East.
The Pentagon has deleted internal documents after a newspaper report revealed that senior military leaders had voiced concerns about an order to extend the deployment of some troops in the Middle East. The report said the Navy’s top admiral and the heads of U.S. European Command, U.S. Pacific Command and U.S. Southern Command entered non-concurring entries in the Service Data Operations Base (SDOB) regarding the extension.
A former defense official, who regularly accessed the SDOB, told the newspaper that the purge would "dramatically reduce the number of people who have direct access to it," potentially limiting the ability to make time-sensitive decisions. The official added that the database remains available but is now "certainly more difficult" to use.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell declined to confirm the removal of the documents. > "As we have previously stated, the Department of War does not publicly discuss internal operational deliberative processes," he said, adding that decisions about operational processes and force posture are handled through secure channels to protect mission integrity.
The action follows the resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who had reportedly warned senior officials about the impact of the defense secretary’s policies. The Pentagon has also increased restrictions on press access and tightened internal information controls in recent years.