Former US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Mike Mullen said the United States did not expect Iran could destroy US bases in the Middle East. The remarks were reported on August 17, 2026, after Mullen spoke on ABC News' “This Week” on Sunday night about Iran's military capabilities and its defensive operations against what the report described as US and Israeli aggression.

Mullen said Washington had not clearly expected bases in the region, where US troops had previously been stationed, to be destroyed and wiped out. He also discussed the extended deployment of aircraft carriers. Responding to President Donald Trump's comment that carrier deployments had not yet lasted long enough, Mullen said deployments of that length negatively affect ship personnel.

The report also said several members of the US House of Representatives sought explanations following reports of critical supply conditions aboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and reports concerning suicides among its personnel. The carrier has about 5,000 sailors and Marines. Its mission began on November 21 and was extended to support what the report described as the US aggressive war against Iran in West Asia.