EXCLUSIVE: Military families CONFRONT Navy leaders over Iran war

MSNOW HAS EXCLUSIVELY OBTAINED AUD. OF A COMBATIVE TOWN HALL WITH NAVY leaders. and 500 family members of sailors. on the USS H .W. Bush Strike Carrier Group. Those families were informed. their deployment has been extended. for a second time, and their loved ones will. not be home. for the holidays. At times, family members yelled at. Navy leaders. saying they were not answering their. questions and were giving them the run around. One family member asked what the Navy. was doing to push back on Donald Trump. so the conflict would not become another forever war.

The family's also telling us now. sailors are dealing with the same kinds. of supply shortages that struck the USS Lincoln. One spouse told us her husband, quote, saw an apple for the first time after. like three months and almost cried on the phone. MSNOW Pentagon reporter Priya Sridhar has. that exclusive reporting. Also with us, retired U .S. Army Lieutenant General Mark Hertling is. a former commanding general of the U .S. Army Europe. And MSNOW Military Analysts. Priya, the transcripts from this were pretty.

heated. What more did you learn from the town hall? Yeah, that's right, Alicia. Well, we know that the 7 ,000 service members. who were deployed on the USS. WERE TOLD EARLIER THIS WEEK THAT THEY WERE GOING TO BE. EXTENDED. AT LEAST THROUGH THE HOLIDAYS, BUT THE NAVY LEADERS TOLD THEM. TO PREPARE FOR THE WORST CASE SCENARIO. THAT THEY COULD. BE AT SEA FOR A YEAR. AND JUST REMEMBER, THESE CARRIER DEPLOYMENTS. ARE TYPICALLY.

SUPPOSED TO BE ANYWHERE FROM SIX TO SEVEN MONTHS. AND JUST LIKE THE. IN THE MIDDLE EAST, IT WENT FOR. 187 DAYS WITHOUT A PORT CALL. UNTIL IT WAS FINALLY ABLE TO STOP JUST. LIKE THE LINCOLN IN THAILAND. THE FAMILY MEMBERS BROUGHT UP A LOT. OF THOSE SAME CONCERNS. THAT WE HEARD FROM THE LINCOLN. FAMILIES REGARDING THEIR PHYSICAL EXHAUSTTION, THE MORALE BEING INCREDIBLY LOW. AND THE TOLL THIS IS HAVING THEIR MENTAL HEALTH,

BUT EVEN MORE INTERESTINGLY, I WOULD SAY ALICIA WAS HEARING FROM THE. NAVY'S TOP BRASS ABOUT WHAT. THEY'RE PREPARING FOR IN THIS. NEXT STAGE OF THE IRAN WAR. ACTING SECRETARY OF THE HE SAID THIS. MISSION WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THEY CAN ENSURE. THAT IRAN DOES NOT HAVE ANY NUCLEAR-ENRICHED URANIUM. HE SAID. I THINK IT IS A LONG-TERM BLOCKADE OF IRAN AND. BASICALLY.

DEFENDING VESSELS THAT ARE GOING. THROUGH THE STRAIGHT OF HORMUZ. WHICH THEY SAID ARE STILL THESE ARE PEOPLE BEING. PEPPERED BY IRANIAN DRONES. SO I THINK THIS IS INCREDIBLY. INTERESTING BECAUSE RIGHT NOW. THEY NEED TWO CARRIER STRIKE. GROUPS TO MAINTAIN THAT BLOCKADE. THAT'S AT LEAST 10. POTENTIALLY FOR ABOUT 10 ,000 SERVICE MEMBERS. FAMILIES ASKED THE NAVY, LISTEN, THIS IS UNSUSTAINABLE AND. UNAFFORDABLE AND COULD GO ON. POTENTIALLY FOR ABOUT 10. THEIR RESPONSE TO THAT IS WE. ARE PREPARING FOR POTENTIALLY. UNMANNED VESSELS TO BE ABLE TO.

REPLACE AT LEAST ONE OF THOSE. CARRIER STRIKE GROUPS SO THEY. CAN REDUCE THE FOOTPRINT IN. THE MIDDLE EAST DOWN TO ONE. BUT IT WAS JUST INCREDIBLY INTERESTING. ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE FACT THAT FROM THE. ADMINISTRATION WE'RE HEARING. THAT THIS WAR IS EFFECTIVELY OVER. But that's not what's happening when. it comes to the military planning. To put a finer point on that, this is what President Trump posted today. on social media. We don't need a deal with Iran. Those days have long since passed. We've got their money, hundreds of billions of. dollars. WE'VE GOT THEIR STRAIGHT.

TRY TO HELP ME SQUARE, GENERAL, WHAT WE'RE HEARING FROM PRIYA, HER REPORTING AND WHAT THIS ADMINISTRATION IS SAYING. YOU CAN'T SQUARE IT, ALICIA. IT'S CONFOUNDING AND And it's opposite. of what we know as logical. and rational approaches to this. You can't say one thing, that you're in control of. the straits, and another time saying you're going to. need two carrier strike groups. with the associated ships. It just doesn't make sense. So we're being told one thing by the president. and hearing quite another from the sailors.

who are extending their deployments. I've got to tell you too, you know I'm listening to. Priya talk. and unfortunately I've got some real deja vu. on this because in 2003 and 2004 I was part. of the first armored division that was. extended for three months. We were told as we were coming home. that we had to go remain in theater in Iraq. And I've said this multiple times, it's different on the ground as a soldier. than it is at sea for these sailors. That's a long time.

And those things, those those times turn into. dog years. And when you're told when you're in the middle. of a deployment that you're going to remain. for an extended period of time. and you're not giving an end state, I can tell you from personal experiences, the military personnel under your command are. not going to like that. And I had to go back to Germany. to tell our spouses. and children what was happening. And I had multiple experiences. like the Navy brass are having right now. at the port where the bush is coming from. It is not easy and it just shows very poor.

planning even though you have the kind. of elements that cause for these extensions, you got to tell the people what's going on. and it's even tougher on the ships. Yeah, that is what we've heard over. and over again, that this is never easy. But this is where leadership. and clear communications becomes. absolutely critical. I'm sure you both saw this yesterday. at Arlington National Cemetery. There was a military sentinel on duty, who had to admonish Secretary Hegseth. and a group for breaking decorum. The incident was caught on tape.

Let's all just take a watch. All visitors will maintain an atmosphere. of silence and respect at all. of your viewers have been to Arlington. National Cemetery in the Tomb of the Unknowns.

But I've been there dozens of times, and I got to tell you, it is sacred ground. When you go in there, you know what the dynamics. are. There are signs posted all over that say silence. and respect the guards are trained to do. exactly what that young specialist did which was. uphold the standard this this is an area. that everyone knows when they come. in you are struck with awe not only. at the facility but what the guard is doing. the 21 steps the pausing.

of 21 seconds every time he or she turns. around it is an unbelievable sight. and it overlooks the city of washington it's. awe-inspiring and to have people taking selfies. and laughing during that period when the rest. of the crowd leaves that specialist did exactly. the right thing and i think we should. comment too that secretary hexa gave. that young specialist a joint service. commendation medal this morning. and i got to tell you that's the only.

thing he can do because it was caught. on tape it was proven to be wrong. and that young soldier showed him what. right looks like and there's no other. way to get outside of this and kudos to. that young specialist as part. of the the old guard that does those tomb. guard missions priya am i right to. I THOUGHT IT WAS INTERESTING THAT CHIEF. PENTAGON SPOKESPERSON SEAN PARNELL PUT. OUT THE STATEMENT THAT SAID WHILE. COMMEMORATING THE SOLEMN DAY,

A SOLDIER CORRECTLY AND RESPECTFULLY. REMINDED EVERYONE TO MAINTAIN. DECORUM AND THEN AS GENERAL. HURTLING RIGHTLY MENTIONED. THERE TODAY THAT SAME ARMY SENTINEL WAS INVITED INSIDE. TO. THE PENTAGON AND WAS HE WAS AWARDED THIS JOINT. SERVICE COMMENDATION MEDAL FOR. THE EXECUTION OF HIS DUTIES AT. THE TOOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER ON NOVEMBER SO, YEAH, INCREDIBLY, INCREDIBLE DEVELOPMENT RIGHT. THERE BECAUSE THERE WAS A LOT OF. CONCERN THAT PERHAPS COULD THAT. SOLDIER BE REPRIMANDED HIMSELF FOR.

SORT OF TELLING SECRETARY HEGSETH. OF ALL people to maintain decorum. at this sacred war memorial. Yeah, and Alicia, if I can add to that, I turned to my wife yesterday. when we first saw the scene and said, boy, he better give a coin. or a medal to that guy because that's the only way. he's. going to get out of it. But the truth is, it's a photo op now. It's no longer a correction of a wrong. It's a photo op. And that's just. the photo ops or the pictures from that op,

the ones you just showed. Which is why it's so important. that we have the two of you to put it. in context for us. Lieutenant General Mark Hurtling, thank you. Priya Schreeder, as always, thank you.