OPINION:
I’m a pro-military, pro-Israel American who worked for the secretary of the U.S. Navy and who now, as CEO of a national security firm, continues to advocate for stronger defense.
That is why I find the incompetence and strategic incoherence of President Trump’s Iran “excursion” unforgivable.
Our commander in chief failed to set clear, achievable objectives or prepare Americans to accept any pain. His failures leave America materially worse off and give Iran’s evil regime more resources to threaten our interests.
The U.S. military performed remarkably well; it decapitated Iranian leadership, hit 38,000 military targets and rapidly achieved air superiority. It destroyed 33% of Iran’s missiles. Iran’s navy now decorates the sea floor.
Still, the military is a tool, and even the best tool is useless in an incompetent mechanic’s hands. The military’s tactical successes didn’t achieve much because Mr. Trump’s objectives were indecipherable.
He said the U.S. was and was not trying to topple the regime. He claimed that ending Iran’s nuclear program was the objective even as he ruled out steps needed to do so.
Now, ships will likely have to pay Iran a toll to traverse the Strait of Hormuz. Iran will collect billions of dollars for its nuclear program and terrorist proxies. Tolls will force Americans to pay more for every energy-dependent product (i.e., almost everything). Iran’s nuclear program continues. Worst of all, at least 13 American service members have perished.
Even the decapitation strike was a double-edged sword. By killing 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, we enabled a transition to Khamenei’s son, effectively restarting the clock on the supreme leader’s rule.
America will have to swallow this because Mr. Trump never prepared us to sacrifice for the war. He made the case for war a month after it began.
He never explained how the threat was imminent. The American public started out against the war, and its opinion just soured thereafter. Iran’s leaders can read polls; they know the president’s position weakens as the conflict continues.
I hope I am wrong, but as this weekend’s failed negotiations proved, this incoherence has undermined America’s leverage.
As President Eisenhower (who knew how to win wars) said, “Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.”
Mr. Trump’s failure to plan something so important emboldened an archnemesis and kneecapped the military and nation that I love.
NEAL URWITZ
Chevy Chase, Maryland
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