More than 1,100 veterans have signed a letter supporting Iraq War veteran and Army Reserve Lt. Col. Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence in the incoming administration, according to the Trump transition team.

“There are now 1,100+ veterans who have signed the letter supporting @TulsiGabbard as President Trump’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence — up from 250 veterans last week,” an X account for the transition team posted Tuesday.

The 1,100-plus signatures are more than quadruple the number last week, which was 250 signatures.

The letter, published last week, reads:

We, the undersigned Veterans of the United States Armed Forces, strongly and unequivocally endorse Tulsi Gabbard to serve as President Trump’s Director of National Intelligence.

…

While most Americans know Tulsi as a fearless and principled Congresswoman who stood up to entrenched political systems, we know her as a fellow veteran—one whose worldview was forged through the crucible of serving in combat zones and a lifelong devotion to service.

Because of the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks, Tulsi answered the call of duty, enlisted in the Army, and stepped away from her position as a Hawaii State Representative when she volunteered to deploy to Iraq with her unit. Instead of using her political status to avoid deployment, Tulsi volunteered to serve in a medical unit in Iraq, directly facing the harsh realities, costs, and traumas of war.

Her commitment to service did not end there.

For nearly twenty-two years, Tulsi has continued to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with her fellow servicemembers. Most recently, she deployed with a Special Operations Task Force in Africa, combating Islamist terrorist cell threats. As a Member of Congress and as a civilian, Tulsi has been a stalwart advocate for veterans’ health concerning toxic exposures and cancer care as a result of our fellow veterans’ military service. Tulsi’s life exemplifies a rare blend of selflessness, courage, and leadership—qualities desperately needed to reform and strengthen our intelligence community.

Signatories include members of Congress and military veterans Reps. Eli Crane (R-AZ) and Brian Mast (R-FL), as well as Representative-elect Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ).

Gabbard responded to the letter in an X post: “I am truly honored and humbled.”

Gabbard is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army National Guard and Reserves, and has served for more than 20 years. She enlisted in 2003, after the September 11, 2001, attacks, and deployed to Iraq as a combat medic, and later to Kuwait as a military police officer and to the Horn of Africa as a civil affairs officer in support of a special operations mission.

She is currently the commander of the Army Reserve’s 1st Battalion, 354th Regiment, based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Gabbard has been smeared by critics and members of the national security establishment as a “Russian asset” — despite her two decades of military service. The letter called those attacks appalling.

“We are appalled by the baseless attacks questioning Tulsi’s loyalty to our great nation. For over 20 years and across multiple combat deployments, Tulsi has risked her life to defend the safety, security and freedom of the American people,” it said. “These attacks insult not only her, but every one of us Veterans who have served our country.”

“Unable and unwilling to challenge the substance of her views, her critics resort to baseless lies and smears, exposing the weakness of their arguments,” it added. “Tulsi’s patriotism, shaped on the battlefield, mirrors the values and aspirations of the American people far more than the failed policies of so-called ‘experts’ in Washington, who have been part of the problem for too long.”

“As Director of National Intelligence, she will be a fearless reformer and a true patriot, ensuring that the intelligence apparatus serves the American people and protects our Republic,” it reads.

“We are deeply grateful to President Trump for appointing Tulsi Gabbard to this critical role and proud to stand beside her—a leader whose courage and convictions we know firsthand. A warrior whose vote cannot be bought, and whose integrity cannot be folded. We are honored to call her one of our own.”

Follow Breitbart News’s Kristina Wong on ”X”, Truth Social, or on Facebook.