A sailor stands guard as an oil tanker makes its way toward Bahrain during a joint U.S.-U.K. anti-mine exercise in the Arabian Sea in September. (Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters)
Washington Post: Citing Iran, military officials are alarmed by shrinking U.S. footprint in Middle East
Military officials are expressing alarm that a shrinking U.S. military presence in the Middle East has undermined their ability to respond to Iranian threats just as the Trump administration’s imposition of oil sanctions increases the potential for confrontation.
Concern about the Pentagon’s decision to move ships, combat aircraft and missile defense systems out of the region has intensified in the run-up to Monday’s deadline for reimposing energy sanctions on Iran, the White House’s latest move to pressure Iran and curtail its support for armed proxy groups.
Although officials don’t think Iran is capable of sustaining a prolonged large-scale attack on U.S. forces in the region, they are worried that it could lash out by employing its robust arsenal of ballistic missiles or using mines to shut down waterways crucial to global commerce.
The U.S. footprint in the region has shrunk as the Pentagon, under President Trump’s strategy for reorienting national security priorities, seeks to direct the military toward competition with China and Russia rather than the insurgent groups that have been the focus of the post-9/11 period.
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WNU Editor: You cannot be everywhere at the same time.
8 comments:
Long story short: "We must be in position to protect the commerce that we are strangling through increased sanctions on Iran."
Iran is not much of a military threat to us at the moment. They have garbage military with antiquated systems and tactics. They are still basically doing the same things they did in the Iran-Iraq war of the 80's and they didn't do that well.
Iran did something well during then Iran-Iraq War.
The fired up the printing presses and printed hundreds of thousands of tickets to paradise to hand out to poorly trained soldiers, mine detectors and bullet sponges.
One should never sneer at the logistics it takes to get a printing press to work. Kudos to the Ayatollahs.
Long story short We are protecting Gulf State commerce. We are not strangling that.
Also, if an embargo was legit against Japan in 1940 in principle, then using an embargo or similar means against an aggressor is also legit.
An embargo against NAZI Germany in 1938 after Neville gave Czechoslovakia to Germany might have been the cheapest way to dethrone The Corporal and avoid WW2.
That is a good question. Why was there an embargo against Japan but not Germany?
Was the embargo against Japan in 1940 legit?
- Ask the Chinese
- Ask the Koreans
I assert that it was.
Why are certain people upset over Kashoggi but not Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni?
That is why are people down on Saudi Arabia but not Iran? Are they anti-termite?
I am sure that in practice English professors are almost uniformly anti-termite.
It was announced last week that the USA is the worlds most prolific producer of oil in the world. Our natural gas production is near the top as well.
That is why the USA is drawing down in the Middle East, a long time coming. Let the countries most in need of middle eastern oil and gas protect the shipping lanes. With China heavily dependent upon Middle East O&G there is no way Iran does anything to drive up the price China pays. Russia would be happy but China would face economic ruin. So Iran is just huffing and puffing like a cartoon character.
Anon 11:58AM,
You forgot one job well done; clearing Iraqi minefields without scratching their mine detecting equipment. Instead, they used kids. Basiji, they were called, and they advanced through the minefields blowing themselves and the mines up by personal contact.
Roger,
Shhhhhh! Don't tell Fred. He is mad over Kashoggi.
Imagine the gut check he would have to do if he counted the Basiji.
Worse yet, they tied Children into groups with Ropes and had them approach enemy lines to draw fire.
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