New Iran Strategy Council Report in the Washington Examiner
Ex-Brass: Iran deal boosts Tehran’s war powers, U.S. losing control at ‘alarming rate’
By Paul Bedard – The Washington Examiner
President Obama’s rush to a nuclear deal with Iran has strengthened Tehran swiftly, and now it stands to destabilize the whole mideast region as the Obama administration turns to new projects and the president heads for the exit door, according to former top Pentagon brass.
Ex-Brass: Iran deal boosts Tehran’s war powers, U.S. losing control at ‘alarming rate’
By Paul Bedard – The Washington Examiner
President Obama’s rush to a nuclear deal with Iran has strengthened Tehran swiftly, and now it stands to destabilize the whole mideast region as the Obama administration turns to new projects and the president heads for the exit door, according to former top Pentagon brass.
To reverse course before it is too late, the former generals are calling on the White House to step up its moves in the region and nearly double U.S. aid to the nation most threatened by Iran’s saber rattling, Israel.
Citing recent militaristic moves by Iran, including the seizure of U.S. Navy personnel, the brass said, “U.S. policymakers should expect Tehran’s uptick in destabilizing behavior of the past few months to become ever more aggressive over the course of the nuclear agreement.”
The concerns laid out in a new report are the latest warning from the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs and JINSA co-chairs Retired Gen. James Conway, the 34th commandant of the Marine Corps, and retired Air Force Gen. Charles Wald, former deputy commander of U.S. European Command.
The generals said that they are concerned that Iran, now off the sanctions hook for agreeing to end its nuclear bomb making machine, is moving to become a conventional power, larded up with weapons from friendly nations. It has already challenged the U.S. Navy and moved to help Syria’s government opposed by the West.
“If these trajectories hold, the ability of the United States to influence events in the Middle East will continue eroding at an alarming rate. The moment at which U.S. power is no longer sufficient to protect our regional interests and allies might arrive sooner than expected. This outcome is only encouraged when the United States reacts piecemeal or not at all to Iran’s serial encroachments,” said their report seen here and titled “Mitigating the Strategic Consequences of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.”
Their goal: immediate action to put Iran on notice, not waiting for the next president.
“Waiting for a new administration and Congress in 2017 is an equally high risk approach. The United States urgently needs a coherent and comprehensive strategy to counter Iran’s unchecked and unabashed pursuit of its revisionist goals in the face of the JCPOA,” said Wald and Conway.
The recommendations from the report:
— Prevent a nuclear Iran, by ensuring compliance with the deal and the existence of credible military options to detect, deter and (if necessary) defeat Iranian cheating. This must include authorization for use of military force (AUMF) against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure under certain clearly defined breaches of the JCPOA.
— Actively confront Iranian aggression in the region, independent of Iran’s adherence to its nuclear obligations; Maintain our commitment to Israel’s “qualitative military edge” (QME) with a new, expanded memorandum of understanding (MoU) on defense assistance that raises the total from the current $30 billion to as much as $50 billion over ten years. Given the growing range of shared threats, both since the current ten-year agreement was signed in 2007 and going forward under the JCPOA, greater cooperation is vital as the current agreement ends late next year. While still less than Israel might need, this amount is vital to any realistic hope of maintaining Israel’s QME as Iran’s annual defense spending could grow by more than $30 billion over the same period.
— Collaborate closely with, and increase support to, our Arab allies. A coherent shared strategy and appropriate capabilities, including theater missile defenses, anti-surface and antisubmarine warfare platforms, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, are needed to deter or deny Iranian aggression. The United States must expedite the transfer of these capabilities.
— Preserve the United States’ military edge through recapitalization, investment and modernization of U.S. forces.
— Restore U.S. credibility – the bedrock of deterrence – with a clearer declaratory policy underscoring assurances of protection for our allies, and laying out penalties for Iranian nonadherence to the JCPOA and other forms of belligerence. This is fundamental to restoring U.S. credibility around the globe.