Caution is needed when discussing situations where the United States military has forces deployed. The last thing any of us want to do is to say something that would put our military personnel at greater risk than they already are.
We are, therefore, conflicted when we notice situations that expose our troops, airmen, and sailors to greater risk than they need to be. It seems that the responsible thing to do is to try to speak out, while being careful not to put our people in jeopardy.
Our military personnel are exposed and under fire in the Middle East. In Iraq and Syria, they have been under attack from groups that are funded, supplied and operationally controlled by Iran. In the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, Houthi terrorists are attacking our naval vessels and the merchant ships of various nations attempting to use recognized commercial sea lanes.
The Biden Administration has finally begun to launch retaliatory air and missile strikes. These appear to be too little and too late. In fact, they are perfunctory, face-saving measures that have not been successful in stopping the attacks on Americans. In short, President Biden’s response has fallen far, far short of “shock and awe.”
If we are not going to protect our forces in Iraq and Syria, it would seem to make sense to remove them to areas where they are not subject to hostile fire almost daily. They were originally deployed to stop ISIS from taking over. In 2018, President Trump declared that mission had been accomplished. Apparently, President Trump very reluctantly agreed to keep some of our military there to thwart efforts by Iran to become the dominant power in the region. [1] Whether that has been successful is open to question. Perhaps it is time to find different ways to contain Iran.
The ongoing conflict in Syria and Iraq has been made worse by land-based attacks on shipping by the Houthi terrorists in Yemen. Of course, the Houthis are also an Iranian proxy. To date, our navy and coalition warships have been very successful in shooting down the Houthi’s missiles and drones. No defensive system is foolproof. Sooner or later a US Navy ship will be hit. Are you confident that President Biden will respond in a meaningful way then?
The government has not disclosed the number of US Navy vessels stationed in the Red Sea. The warships of nations participating in an American led coalition are on station as well and participate in defensive operations. It is a matter of grave concern that, at times, a lot of surface warships and elements of a US Marines expeditionary force have been concentrated in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.
The Red Sea in particular is a confined area that has limited egress. On the north end, the Suez Canal is a choke point; as is the Bab al-Mandab strait at the southern end. Surface ships are vulnerable to various kinds of attack and could find themselves trapped between choke points. Although it may be necessary to have a limited number of ships stationed where they are close enough to protect merchant vessels from Houthi missiles and drones, the more warships on station in that area the greater the chance that one of them will be hit. It may be prudent to move excess forces to less vulnerable positions.
Pointing this out should not expose our naval forces to greater risk than they are in already. The problem sticks out like a sore thumb. Our adversaries can’t have failed to notice it.
From the George W. Bush Administration until the present, we have taken the finest military in the world and deployed it to dangerous and desolate places where we have let every underhanded terrorist with a gun or IED use them for target practice. It has been frustrating to watch. One reason for our limited success is that we keep making the same mistake over and over. That is, we use limited responses with strict rules of engagement, or we allow our enemy a safe sanctuary in neighboring countries … for fear of starting a bigger war. Thus, we fail to deal with the source of their ability to fight. We failed in Vietnam for the same reason. We were afraid of starting a wider war.
It is incumbent upon our leaders not to put our military in harm's way unless they are willing to do whatever is necessary to resolve the conflict in our favor. If we are so afraid of expanding the hostilities in the Middle East that we can’t use our power effectively, then we need to get our people out of exposed and indefensible areas. It would be best to fight and get it over with, but all our leaders in Washington DC seem to be able to do is dither, wring their hands, and argue over money.
Iran is sponsoring attacks on Americans in the Middle East. It is well past the time when the Ayatollahs should be made to pay for it.
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