War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine appeared Tuesday before the Senate Appropriations Committee to defend the Trump administration’s supplemental funding request for military operations against Iran.

Hegseth confirmed the U.S. military can reach Iran’s heavily fortified underground Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site, stating that while specifics are classified, “if anybody in the world can reach anything on God’s green earth, it’s the United States military, the most powerful military in the world.” He emphasized options and trade-offs in any potential strike.

Hegseth revealed the Iran conflict has already cost an estimated $37.5 billion, covering current operations and projected expenses through September 30. He praised President Trump’s courage in striking Iran to prevent “crazy Islamists” from obtaining a nuclear weapon, noting the administration fully understood escalation risks.

The secretary described Iran as now at its “weakest point militarily” in decades after U.S. strikes destroyed thousands of ballistic missiles, though he warned the threat remains.

Gen. Dan Caine warned that “the character of war is changing,” citing advances in artificial intelligence, coordinated adversaries sharing technology, and simultaneous challenges across domains from seabed to cyberspace. He urged Congress to fully fund the military while the U.S. still holds a window of opportunity to maintain its edge against global threats. 

The testimony came as Trump highlighted short, low-casualty operations in Iran and Venezuela compared to past prolonged wars.