Sen. Mark Warner stopped in Norfolk and Virginia Beach over the weekend, where he heard behind closed doors from families who have sailors in the Middle East, including on USS Gerald R. Ford, as the U.S. continues operations against Iran.
President Donald Trump has not provided a clear rationale for striking Iran, Warner said.
“He says he respects our military if he doesn't make that explanation clear,” he said. “And you think of all the families here in Hampton Roads who are worried about their loved ones, this is not an option. He has to do that.”
Democratic lawmakers in the House and Senate plan to press for a vote on a war powers resolution this week.
U.S. Central Command said four U.S. troops were killed in the region over the weekend. The Pentagon has not released details, including who was killed and where the strike happened. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that a fortified tactical operations center was struck.
“In moments like that, as we remember them, and we take care of them and take care of their families, only stiffen our resolve to ensure that we do this properly,” Hegseth said.
Three Air Force F-15 fighters were also mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses, though the pilots and crew ejected safely. Since the U.S. attack began on Saturday, Iran has been targeting U.S. and allied bases throughout the region.
Many of the troops in the region have ties to Hampton Roads and Virginia. Since last year, the Virginia National Guard 229th Military Police Company has taken command of a customs inspection mission, based at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. The unit has 150 members currently mobilized, according to Mike Vrabel, spokesman for the Virginia National Guard.
The Virginia Air National Guard works closely with the 1st Fighter Wing at Joint Base Langley-Fort Eustis. There are 11 F-22 fighters from the airwing working out of Ovda Airbase, Israel. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said the Virginia Air National Guard was one of several guard units operating in the region. Vrabel said Virginia would not provide further details on how many were deployed.
USS Ford Carrier Strike Group is off the coast of southern Israel, near the port of Haifa. USS Ford left Norfolk in June. It was at the center of the U.S. operation in the Caribbean that included the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicholas Maduro. According to families of sailors on the carrier, they were scheduled to come home in March, before being abruptly shifted from the Caribbean back to the eastern Mediterranean. The carrier has had problems with the sewage system.
Along with the carrier, there are four Norfolk-based destroyers in the region, which took part in the strikes — USS Bainbridge, USS Mahan, USS McFaul and USS Mitscher.
Trump said Monday that the strikes could go on for four to five weeks and that more U.S. forces are headed to the region. He has predicted the United States will see more deaths as the bombing campaign continues in Iran.
