面对国会预计将提出的弹劾决议，国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯表示，他迫切希望就他和美国总统唐纳德·特朗普对伊朗、也门受伊朗支持的胡塞武装以及委内瑞拉前领导人采取的军事行动展开辩论。
Facing an expected impeachment resolution in Congress, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said he is eager to litigate the military actions that he and US President Donald Trump have taken against Iran, Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels and Venezuela’s previous leaders.
“如果你们想就我们在‘史诗之怒’或‘莽骑兵’行动中所做的事，或者抓捕尼古拉斯·马杜罗提出异议，你们就是在质疑部队以及他们所取得的成就，这些成就是历史性的，”赫格塞斯周一告诉记者。他使用了针对对伊战争和旨在阻止胡塞武装袭击中东航运的打击行动的军事代号。
“If you want to take issue with what we did in Epic Fury or Rough Rider or nabbing Nicolas Maduro, you’re taking issue with the troops and what they accomplished, which is historic,” Hegseth told reporters on Monday, using the military code names for the Iran war and campaign of strikes to halt the Houthis’ attacks on shipping in the Middle East.
赫格塞斯还宣布，他将于周二就弹劾威胁举行一场罕见的新闻发布会——这是他180多天来的首次。
Hegseth also announced that he would hold a rare news conference on Tuesday – his first in more than 180 days – on the impeachment threat.
他上一次简报会是在5月，自那以来，他没有就伊朗战争、对涉嫌毒品走私船只的打击行动或其他美国军事行动举行过简报会。
His last briefing was in May and he has not held one on the Iran war, strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats or other US military actions since then.
在伊朗战争及其经济影响助推共和党在中期选举中严重失利、使该党失去国会控制权之后，这位五角大楼负责人首当其冲地承受着愤怒和要求撤职的呼声。
The Pentagon chief is bearing the brunt of anger and calls for his removal after the Iran war and its economic impact contributed to severe Republican losses in the midterm elections that cost the party control of Congress.
共和党众议员托马斯·马西不顾众议院共和党领导层的反对，推动了一项弹劾决议。与此同时，要求赫格塞斯为这场冲突负责的势头越来越大。
Republican congressman Thomas Massie has pushed forward an impeachment resolution over the objections of House Republican leadership as momentum grows to hold Hegseth accountable for the conflict.
赫格塞斯在罗德岛海军战争学院发表演讲后，对可能的弹劾行动不予理会。
Hegseth, after giving a speech at the Naval War College in Rhode Island, brushed aside the possible impeachment push.
“有很多出于政治动机的人，他们可能有实质性的政策分歧，但他们的分歧针对的是成功，”他告诉记者。
“There’s a lot of politically motivated people who may have substantial policy disagreements but their disagreements are with success,” he told reporters.
他还说，“如果我们想就特朗普政府采取的军事行动展开辩论”，“我很乐意奉陪一整天”。
He added that “if we want to litigate” the military actions that the Trump administration has taken, “I’m happy to do it all day long”.
“我的团队，我们不担心这些噪音——这也是我告诉部队的话——不要担心噪音，”他说。
“My team, we’re not worried about the noise – it’s what I told the troops, too – don’t worry about the noise,” he said.
被问及副总统J.D.万斯将共和党在选举中的惨败归咎于伊朗战争一事时，赫格塞斯指出，特朗普说过他会再来一次，而“我同意”。
Asked about Vice-President J.D. Vance blaming the Iran war for the massive Republican losses in the election, Hegseth noted that Trump said he would do it again, and “I agree”.
他大体上重复了国务卿马尔科·卢比奥一天前对记者说过的一句话：“它不一定非得受欢迎，但可以是必要的。”赫格塞斯辩称这场战争是必要的，因为“总得有人去对抗伊朗政权谋求核武器的行为”，并说“选择要么是不采取行动、指望它自行消失，要么是采取大胆举措”。
He largely repeated a line that Secretary of State Marco Rubio said to reporters a day earlier: “It doesn’t have to be necessarily popular but it can be necessary.”Hegseth argued that the war was necessary because “someone had to confront the Iranian regime’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon” and said “the choice was don’t act and wish it away or take a bold move”.
伊朗长期以来一直坚称其核计划是和平性质的。据国际原子能机构称，伊朗拥有440.9公斤（972磅）丰度高达60%的浓缩铀，距离90%的武器级水平只差一小步技术工序。特朗普周日晚间向记者为赫格塞斯辩护。
Iran has long maintained that its nuclear programme is peaceful. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran has 440.9kg (972 pounds) of uranium that is enriched up to 60 per cent purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent. Trump defended Hegseth to reporters on Sunday night.
“他有两件事有罪，基本上就是赢了两场战争，”特朗普说。“我相信我们拯救了中东和以色列两者。要说弹劾一个做了这件事的人，那实在太难了。”赫格塞斯重申“伊朗已被摧毁”，尽管这个伊斯兰共和国一直能够继续打击美国在中东使用的军事基地，造成数十亿美元的损失，并袭击霍尔木兹海峡的商船。
“He’s guilty of two things, basically winning two wars,” Trump said. “I believe we saved the Middle East and Israel combined. And it’s awfully hard to say let’s impeach somebody who did that.”Hegseth reiterated that “Iran is devastated”, even though the Islamic Republic has been able to keep striking military bases in the Middle East that are used by the United States, causing billions of dollars in damage, as well as commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
战前全球五分之一的石油经由该水道运输，航运中断导致能源价格上涨，打击了选民的钱包。
Disruptions to shipping in the waterway, where one-fifth of the world’s oil passed before the war, have led to higher energy prices that hit voters’ pocketbooks.
他说，战争的下一步由特朗普决定，包括告诉伊朗：“嘿，我们结束了，我们要盯着你的核材料。你最好别动它。”据《美联社选民调查》对全美逾10万名选民的调查，约六成选民表示美国对伊朗采取军事行动是“错误决定”。赫格塞斯为战争辩护正是在此之后。
He said the next steps on the war are up to Trump, including telling Iran: “Hey, we’re done, and we’re going to watch your nuclear material. You better not move it.”Hegseth’s defence of the war comes after about 6 in 10 voters said the US made the “wrong decision” in taking military action against Iran, according to The AP Voter Poll, a survey of more than 100,000 voters in the United States.
随着国会内部的愤怒情绪升温，赫格塞斯在社交媒体上发起了一轮高强度攻势，上周发布了一段视频，承认面临弹劾威胁。
With anger in Congress rising, Hegseth has been on a social media blitz, posting a video last week acknowledging the threat of impeachment.
他说，这将“完全是人身毁灭式的政治打压”，并坚称“这对我不起作用。你们可以放心。”
He said it would be “all about the politics of personal destruction” and insisted that “won’t work with me. You can rest assured of that.”
自那以来，五角大楼内数十名政治任命官员在社交媒体上发布了印有“站立。战斗。捍卫共和国。”字样的赫格塞斯照片。白宫也在社交媒体上发布了一段视频，内容是特朗普对他的赞扬。
Since then, scores of political appointees within the Pentagon have posted images of Hegseth emblazoned with the words: “Stand. Fight. Defend the Republic.”The White House also posted a video to social media that featured praise from Trump.