Pentagon Pulls Decades of Classified Orders Off Its Secret Network Days After the Post Reported Generals' Iran Objections

The Washington Post reported on Sept. 2, 2026 that the Pentagon removed decades of Secretary of Defense Orders Book documents from an internal portal on the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network, the "secret"-level system used widely by defense officials and troops. Three people familiar with the matter described the removal. It came days after the Post reported that four senior military leaders - Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, Gen. Francis Donovan, Adm. Samuel Paparo and Adm. Daryl Caudle - had warned Pete Hegseth about prolonging operations against Iran. The Orders Book is where commanders formally register objections, or "non-concur."

Narrowing access to the record where dissent is logged reduces the number of officers who can see what was ordered and who objected; a former defense official told the Post it could slow time-sensitive planning.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell declined to discuss the move but did not deny it, saying the department "does not publicly discuss internal operational deliberative processes." Whether the documents moved to a more restricted network is unclear.