Elbridge Colby, under secretary of defense for policy, testifies a Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Washington. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon’s top policy official on Tuesday faced bipartisan questions about the Trump administration’s homeland‑focused National Defense Strategy and how the recent attacks on Iran fit into those priorities.
“We understand from [President Donald Trump] and the goals of the military campaign, this is certainly not nation building. This is not going to be endless,” Elbridge Colby, the undersecretary of defense for policy, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.
The discussion of the 2026 National Defense Strategy, published in January, was split into two sessions, starting with an open hearing, then moving to a closed meeting.
The hearing offered senators the first public opportunity to question a senior administration official about the recent U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran.
Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the chairman of the committee, told Colby the strategy is silent on the role of nuclear weapons, gives less attention to threats posed by Russia and North Korea and says little about the country’s “vital interest in the Middle East.”
“The [National Defense Strategy] is a flawed proposal and it is now, in many cases, obsolete,” said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the ranking member of the committee. “In taking these offensive military actions, President Trump has unilaterally started a conflict that is rapidly spreading throughout the Middle East.”
Reed added the strategy states to “empower regional allies and partners” to defend against Iran and its proxies, even as the U.S. has launched the largest military campaign since 2003.
Colby said the country wants “allies and partners throughout to take general responsibility,” adding that this isn’t a “straitjacket” approach.
“I would say America first and peace through strength are served by rolling back, as the military campaign is designed to do, the threats posed by Iran’s very large and growing missile and one-way attack drone program, its navy and of course ensuring that it doesn’t have a nuclear weapon,” Colby said.
The U.S. and Israel launched extensive strikes against Iran on Saturday morning after months of stalled negotiations over the country’s nuclear program. Trump later that night announced the operation had resulted in the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader.
Six U.S. service members have died since the launch of Operation Epic Fury.
The toll has fueled questions about whether the campaign could widen further.
“I don’t have the yips with respect to boots on the ground — like every president says, ‘There will be no boots on the ground.’ I don’t say it,” Trump told the New York Post on Monday.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday, during his first news conference since Operation Epic Fury began, also did not rule out deploying ground troops.
Trump, during a Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House on Monday, said the U.S. military continues large-scale combat operations in Iran. He reiterated that the objectives are to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities, destroy Iran’s Navy and ensure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon.
Colby defended those goals when pressed by senators.
“I think the objectives of the military campaign against Iran are scoped and reasonable objectives that can be attained,” Colby said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to reporters a day earlier, told reporters following a closed-door hearing on Capitol Hill that Washington knew Israel’s planned attack would result in an attack on U.S. forces.
“We knew that if we didn’t preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties,” Rubio said.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., asked Colby if any efforts were made to dissuade Israel from striking. He answered by referring to comments Trump and other administration officials have made. Shaheen pressed him on what he thought.
“Well, I’m, you know, lieutenant of the president,” Colby replied.
Elsewhere in Washington, attention shifted back to the White House, where Trump offered his account of the decision-making.
During a meeting Tuesday with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, he was asked if Israel forced his hand to launch strikes against Iran.
“No. ... Based on the way the negotiation was going, I think [Iran] was going to attack first, and I didn’t want that to happen. So, if anything, I might’ve forced Israel’s hand,” Trump said.
“This is 100% correct,” Hegseth posted on X, regarding the president’s comment.
Those exchanges came as the administration reiterated its broader defense plans.
The Pentagon’s defense strategy lines up with the White House National Security Strategy released in December. It prioritizes border security, targeting drug traffickers and “fearlessly” defending “America’s interests across the hemisphere.”
“We will guarantee U.S. military and commercial access to key terrain, especially the Panama Canal, Gulf of America, and Greenland,” the document states. “We will provide President Trump with credible military options to use against narco-terrorists wherever they may be.”
The Pentagon said it will work with nearby allies and partners, such as neighbor and NATO ally Canada, and added “we will ensure that they respect and do their part to defend our shared interests.”
The heavy emphasis on military operations in the Western Hemisphere is a shift from previous defense strategies, which since 2018 have made China the focus.
Now, deterring China is second on the agenda. The approach calls for more diplomacy aimed at avoiding confrontation with Beijing while building up defenses in the Pacific to discourage Chinese aggression.
