Iranian activity on the water has become increasingly aggressive and the US needs to adapt to this new reality, write two former heads of US Naval Forces Central Command and two experts from the Jewish Institute for National Security of America.
By Kevin Donegan, John W. Miller, Jonathan Ruhe and Ari CicurelA pair of retired top American officers say Israel did not respond quickly or effectively enough to the information war waged by Hamas earlier this year.
By Charles Wald, Robert Ashley and Blaise MisztalIf you thought the recently concluded Gaza conflict was bad, a war with Lebanese Hezbollah would be much worse, involving 100,000 more rockets, many with longer ranges.
By Richard Natonski and Jonathan RuheOverused and overstretched in the “global war on terror” since 9/11, Special Operations Forces need Biden to give them a break so they can refocus on Russia, China, and the “grey zone.”
By Stewart Parker and Ari CicurelA growing arms race in the Eastern Mediterranean pits several U.S. allies against each other, raising the risks of confrontation between two NATO allies. The Turkish Ministry of Defense has tweeted pictures of the Turkish Navy escorting the research ship Oruç Reis to waters that it disputes with Greece. After a phone call with Greek…
By Ari Cicurel‘Lead from behind’ has failed in Libya. The US must lead from the front to prevent a destabilizing deal between rival factions dominated by Russia and Turkey.
By Jonathan RuheTurkey’s recent intervention in Libya is intensifying a proxy war and regional energy competition that threaten vital U.S. interests, while Washington mostly observes from the sidelines. As fighting grows in the Mediterranean country, the United States urgently needs to assume an overdue leadership role to end or mitigate this spiraling conflict. The time…
By Eric Edelman and Charles WaldWe offer this opinion piece about increasing US responses to Iranian aggression just as President Trump has this morning “instructed the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea.” Of course, we don’t know the crucial rules of engagement that will guide Navy…
By Mick BednarekUS-Turkish relations seem to be trending in a more positive direction because Turkey has been forced to seek help from NATO and Washington against its Syrian and Russian foes in the fighting around Idlib. Diplomatic tensions between the United States and Turkey reached a high point last year when Ankara launched a military invasion into…
By Charles WaldIt has become increasingly apparent that Turkey has operated against U.S. interests in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean. It hindered American military operations against ISIS in Syria, set back progress in the long-running Cypriot peace negotiations in 2014 and 2017, and purchased Russia’s S-400 air defense system.
By Charles WaldThe United States can reduce its Middle Eastern footprint and secure its vital regional interests.
By Ram YavneAs the Trump Administration tries to force Palestinians to the bargaining table by cutting funding to the UN relief agency that serves them, closes the PLO’s offices here and continues to tout its forthcoming “deal of the century,” few in national security circles are discussing the chances of Peace in the Middle East. In this…
By Kenneth GlueckAs ISIS goes down to military defeat, the United States requires a longer-range plan and an enduring force presence to deny Iran total victory in Syria. Otherwise, the United States risks losing influence as a new Middle Eastern order is being forged. The last ISIS-occupied towns in Syria and Iraq fell recently, but not to…
By Michael Makovsky, Eric Edelman and Charles Wald
Two senior commanders of US naval forces in the Middle East as well as an expert from JINSA argue the US must hit Houthi targets in Yemen to deter that group and other Iran-backed forces from widening the current conflict.
By Mark I. Fox, John W. Miller and Ari Cicurel