Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) has criticized the Pentagon's National Defense Strategy (NDS) blueprint, stating it ignores the implications of the Russia-Ukraine war and does not adequately represent Washington's interests in the Middle East. Wicker also noted that the NDS lacks a clear assessment of the situation in Europe and that it seems inconsistent with military actions against Iran. Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby defended the strategy, arguing that the U.S. military is not "infinite in its application and resources." Democrats on the committee also accused Colby of diverging from the strategy. During the hearing, Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who caucuses with Democrats, called Secretary of State Marco Rubio's statement that the US military preemptively struck Iran because Israel hit first as "breathtaking."