By LISA MASCARO and BEN FINLEY<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Tensions are mounting between the Pentagon and Congress over the flow of information to lawmakers about the U.S. military\u2019s priorities<\/a>, with both Democrats and Republicans accusing a Defense Department leader of being frustratingly opaque.<\/p>\n Some senators from both parties say they were left deeply unsettled Thursday after the Pentagon\u2019s top policy adviser, Defense Undersecretary Elbridge Colby<\/a>, failed to provide an expected update on the Trump administration\u2019s National Defense Strategy<\/a> at a classified briefing.<\/p>\n The lawmakers also say they were unsatisfied with Colby\u2019s answers to questions ranging from inquiries about the Iran war<\/a> to growing concerns that President Donald Trump could deploy troops<\/a> to polling places during November\u2019s midterm congressional elections. Colby acknowledged that discussions about deploying the National Guard were taking place.<\/p>\n Sen. Jacky Rosen, a Nevada Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Colby \u201cwas not forthcoming\u201d and \u201cdid not really address our concerns or issues.\u201d<\/p>\n Sen. Kevin Cramer, a North Dakota Republican also on the committee, described the classified briefing as \u201cjust sort of dodge and punt.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very peculiar to have somebody come in for a congressionally mandated update and not have a statement,\u201d Cramer said.<\/p>\n Colby, who has supporters and detractors on Capitol Hill, was expected to provide a required briefing on the National Defense Strategy, a comprehensive document that provides guidance for the military. Released in January, the blueprint reinforces<\/a> Trump\u2019s \u201cAmerica First\u201d philosophy of favoring nonintervention overseas and questioning decades of strategic relationships with allies in Europe.<\/p>\n Under the annual National Defense Authorization Act approved by Congress, he was required to provide the Senate Armed Services Committee with the classified briefing on implementation of the strategy no later than Sept. 15.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was not what we had expected,\u201d said Sen. Mike Rounds, a South Dakota Republican on the committee.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s just put it that way,\u201d he said. \u201cThey owe us a report, and we did not get the report.\u201d<\/p>\n Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona said he was able to ask about the strategy for the Iran war in Iran and the decision-making that has left the U.S. with what he described as a \u201cmunitions deficit.\u201d Experts say military contractors will need about three years<\/a> to replenish stockpiles of certain advanced weapons, such as defensive missile interceptors.<\/p>\n \u201cYou walk out with more questions than when you went in, and for me, that was the case today,\u201d Kelly said.<\/p>\n At one point, Colby was asked directly if he ever had any discussions about deploying the National Guard for voter security on Election Day. He told senators that he had heard about some of those discussions taking place but that he wasn\u2019t leading on the issue.<\/p>\n \u201cNever once said \u2018yes\u2019 or \u2018no,\u2019\u201d Cramer said.<\/p>\n The idea of deploying troops has been gaining attention as the midterms draw closer. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., recently pressed<\/a> Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to confirm that they won\u2019t send troops to polling places.<\/p>\n