“Don’t, don’t…don’t,” is all Bumbling Joe Biden can say while he does absolutely nothing about the many attacks on U.S. forces recently resulting in the unnecessary deaths of three U.S. Army service members in Jordan in an area in which I operated extensively in 2005 in Iraq and Jordan.
As I write this, our republic and much of the world including the Iranians are waiting to hear if and when the U.S. will militarily respond by attacking Iran. Such an attack in a variety of options and extents has been well planned based on detailed intelligence for weeks with constant updates. Still, Biden does nothing!
Our badly led and managed armed forces still have extraordinarily motivated, well-trained and capable men and women who have planned, coordinated and are well-prepared to execute the attacks needed and are so essential. Still, Biden does nothing.
The longer this absolutely ignorant Commander-in-Chief constrains our military, the better prepared, protected, well-defended is the enemy who is preparing countermeasures and counterstrikes in detail as Biden procrastinates.
Scores of military experts retired esteemed experts such as Gens. Jack Kean, Keith Kellog, and Robert Spalding as well as well-informed, experienced combat leaders of lower ranks have advocated for immediate, significant and devastating attacks against Iran. The longer we wait to attack, the more prepared Iran will be to protect the intended targets and to strike back in return. We must act now to totally obliterate Iran’s navy, ports, oil facilities along the Persian Gulf, and air assets, Most important, we need to totally destroy Iran’s nuclear weapons production capability. Again, I know from my 42 years of military experience in peace and war, that we have the targeting intelligence for these strikes, the methodology and weapons systems to make those strikes horrendously effective, and decisive. We must also selectively eliminate Iranian military leadership and key governmental officials.
All this is quite simple, historically based, intelligence resourced, application of the Principles of War guided by the national element of power Ends, Ways and Means as I studied and later taught at the Army War College and any graduate can attest and apply. Unfortunately for our military, the politicians who actually make the decisions as to use of Ends, Ways and Means, including military force, are as horribly and catastrophically ignorant as Biden and his political handlers who know absolutely nothing about the proper and timely application of the national and international elements of power.
To date, Biden has not only taken no action to protect our national interests while Iran has continually attacked us for decades, but he has also significantly encouraged and aided our Persian enemies by providing them with over $100 billion in aid, returned funds, and failed to enforce oil sanctions during his administration. Biden paid a $6 billion ransom demand and a further $10 billion in a waiver of previously enforced oil sanctions against Iran just last November. Biden has repeatedly ignored stated U.S. “red lines” for Iranian naval attacks against U.S. warships as well as lifted and ignored stated nuclear prohibitions for Iran.
When the Iranian people rise up again against their current Muslim oppressors, we must aid them and not ignore them as we have in the past.
Iran attacks with impunity our military bases in Syria and Iraq more than 160 times over the last three months. Their Republican Guard, Quds Forces trained, supplied and in some cases, surely led the Oct 7th attacks. Iranian-backed surrogate force Houthis have attacked international shipping and U.S. Navy forces in the Persian Gulf more than 30 times in recent weeks. Iran has been our active enemy since the Shah Pahluvi was overthrown in 1979, and still Biden does nothing.
Tactically, for our forces in the Middle East danger zone, Biden’s restrictive and absurdly unrealistic Rules of Engagement for our forces so limits their ability to pro-actively protect themselves and their bases that they are extremely vulnerable and without the proper tools to defend themselves as evidenced in the deadly attacks on Tower 22 on January 28th.
To date the message sent with abundant clarity to Iran by our deadly ignorant Commander-in-Chief is NOT “Don’t...,” but rather you (Iran and your many surrogates) are quite free to continue to attack our military on land and sea, continue to develop your nuclear weapons capability and delivery systems, continue to fund, support, train advise and lead terrorist groups in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen much of North Africa, continue to send your military age militants from the Middle East you have trained and prepared to form sleeper cells and serve as suicide teams and lone wolf attackers to our U.S. southern border where we will welcome them into our country, feed, clothe, house, educated, provide medical care and allow them to infest our nation while preparing for eminent destructive attacks on our populous.
“Don’t, don’t…don’t,” seems more of an internal cowardly affirmation for Biden and his Diversity, Equity and Inclusion cabinet, staff and particularly his senior military leadership. If he “won’t, won’t, won’t” get off the dime, gather his withered courage and act decisively, more U.S. citizens will surely die.
Bill Wenger is a retired commercial real estate executive, college professor, and U.S. Army Infantry Airborne Ranger Colonel. He voluntarily served four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan after initial military retirement. He served 42 years commissioned service. He earned five Master’s Degrees and has taught National Strategic Planning, the Operational Level of Warfare, business and U.S. History. His latest book is on Amazon: The Key to American Independence: Quantifying Foreign Assistance to the American Revolution.