Former CENTCOM Commander: U.S. Military Has Been Working on Iran Ground Raid Plans for Years

JINSA Hertog Distinguished Fellow Retired Gen Frank McKenzie, the former commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), said Sunday that the U.S. military has been working on plans for a ground raid in Iran for years, as President Trump is reportedly considering sending troops into the war.

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“First of all, it would be profoundly humiliating for Iran and would give us great weight in negotiations. The second, the example of Kharg Island, which everyone talks about, if you seize Kharg Island, you really can shut down the Iranian oil economy completely. And the beauty of seizing it is, you’re not destroying it,” he said.

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McKenzie said the U.S. could achieve some level of success without a ground component to its operations in Iran.

“I think a success looks like the Strait of Hormuz is open. We get some kind of deal on the ballistic missile program, some kind of deal on the nuclear program. That’s probably about as much as you could hope for,” he said.

“I believe all of those things are actually within our grasp. We just need to continue. Iran will ultimately respond to the use of force,” he added.