During a combative press conference at the NATO summit in the Netherlands, President Donald Trump—who campaigned on ending “forever wars” and delivering world peace—surprised reporters by saying the United States might now need a “Secretary of War.”
Trump floated the idea while addressing the deteriorating situation in the Middle East. He even suggested that current Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth might be given the more militaristic title of “Secretary of War.”
The comment came in the wake of controversial U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, an operation that is already drawing scrutiny for its rushed intelligence basis and potentially far-reaching consequences.
Trump issues warning about Iran and hints at 'Secretary of War' https://t.co/yntYFAmjja via @MailOnline
— Heather Venter (@heather_venter) June 25, 2025
According to a U.S. official speaking to the Daily Mail, the classified Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) report on the strikes was based on only “one day’s worth of intelligence reporting.”
The strikes were carried out between 6 and 7 p.m. EST on Saturday, but the preliminary report was compiled using data collected up to 9 p.m. on Sunday. Officials claim more intelligence has since been gathered through undisclosed “sources and methods.”
The DIA report, however, was delivered with “low confidence” and was “not coordinated” with other U.S. intelligence agencies. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is expected to compile a more thorough assessment, drawing from all 17 U.S. intelligence services.
That final report could take “days to weeks,” according to DIA analysts, who say more time is needed to “accumulate necessary data to assess the effects” of the operation.
Trump compared Saturday’s precision strikes to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which ended World War II.
“I don’t want to use an example of Hiroshima. I don’t want to use an example of Nagasaki. But that was essentially the same thing. That ended that war,” Trump said during remarks at The Hague, underscoring the severity of the operation.
Earlier in the day, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte likened Trump’s approach to the Iran-Israel conflict to that of a “daddy” using strong language to stop two schoolchildren from fighting.
In a show of loyalty, Rutte called Trump’s intervention “decisive,” describing him as “a man of strength but also a man of peace.”