Doc7505
Diamond Member
- Feb 16, 2016
- 23,562
- 41,938
- 2,430
President Trump Made a Courageous and Correct Call on Hormuz and Iran's Actions Prove It
President Trump Made a Courageous and Correct Call on Hormuz and Iran's Actions Prove It
Analysis of President Trump's strategic decision on the Strait of Hormuz amid Iran conflict.
redstate.com
One thing the Iran War has demonstrated is that the overwhelming majority of journalists and commentators on the war are blindingly ignorant of the basics of military operations, they are unacquainted with the staff process, and they are so eaten alive by the all-devouring TDS virus that they have lost the ability to reason when Trump is involved.
The purpose of this post is not to declare victory, but to demonstrate that President Trump is leading a top-shelf strategic team put together by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. He is getting good advice, he's listening, and he's making good decisions.
Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported what I think is a blindingly obvious example of how command and staff relationships work and how the commander-in-chief handles those relationships, and tried to portray it as a scandal or an example of recklessness.
Before the U.S. went to war, Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told President Trump that an American attack could prompt Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz.
Caine said in several briefings that U.S. officials had long believed Iran would deploy mines, drones and missiles to close the world’s most vital shipping lane, according to people with knowledge of the discussions.
Trump acknowledged the risk, these people said, but moved forward with the most consequential foreign-policy decision of his two presidencies. He told his team that Tehran would likely capitulate before closing the strait—and even if Iran tried, the U.S. military could handle it.
Now, two weeks into the war, Iran’s leaders have refused to back down, and the Strait of Hormuz has emerged as Tehran’s most potent leverage point.
~Snip~Indeed, the WSJ says, "Caine provided the president with 'a full spectrum of military options, along with precise and thoughtful consideration of the secondary effects, implications and risks associated with each option,' said Joe Holstead, Caine’s spokesman." That is as it should be. They informed Trump of the risk, and he said, "I hear you, but we're doing it anyway."
The self-beclowning of the WSJ took place shortly after when Iran announced Hormuz was open to all but American and Israeli ships (see Here's What Iran Just Said About the Strait of Hormuz - It Sounds Like a Huge Cave After Trump Threat – RedState), and not closed as the WSJ repeatedly claimed.
~Snip~
The bottom line is that the decision to demolish Iran's navy, air force, and missile forces first was a solid decision. As China gets 65 percent of its oil and Iran gets nearly 100 percent of its revenue from the Persian Gulf, the odds of Iran mining or totally blockading Hormuz approached zero. There was always some risk, but the solid bet was that they would threaten to block the waterway and find some way not to carry out the threat. Trump knew that, in fact, truth me known, that was probably the JCS assessment. He made the right call in the right way.
Commentary:
John Paul Jones: "He who will not risk cannot win."
Take in all the information you can. Decide a course of action.
The phrase taught early in the plebe year at USNA.
How long did it take Harry S. Truman to make the decision to drop the first nuke on Hiroshima and why?
