To deter Houthi strikes in Red Sea, US must turn from defense to offense

To deter Houthi strikes in Red Sea, US must turn from defense to offense
To deter Houthi strikes in Red Sea, US must turn from defense to offense

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.

To counter Iran at sea, US must sell partners on doing more

To counter Iran at sea, US must sell partners on doing more
To counter Iran at sea, US must sell partners on doing more

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.

America’s lesson from Gaza: prepare for disinformation war

America’s lesson from Gaza: prepare for disinformation war
America’s lesson from Gaza: prepare for disinformation war

A 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.

Learn From Gaza, Prepare For Hezbollah

Learn From Gaza, Prepare For Hezbollah
Learn From Gaza, Prepare For Hezbollah

If 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.

Special Ops Aren’t A Substitute For Strategy

Special Ops Aren’t A Substitute For Strategy
Special Ops Aren’t A Substitute For Strategy

Overused 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.”

US Should Stop Weapons Flowing To Libya

US Should Stop Weapons Flowing To Libya
US Should Stop Weapons Flowing To Libya

A 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…

Don’t Let Turks & Russians Carve Up Libya

Don’t Let Turks & Russians Carve Up Libya
Don’t Let Turks & Russians Carve Up Libya

‘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.

America Must Act In Libya Against Turkey, Russia

America Must Act In Libya Against Turkey, Russia
America Must Act In Libya Against Turkey, Russia

    Turkey’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…

Change US Escalation Calculus With Iran

Change US Escalation Calculus With Iran
Change US Escalation Calculus With Iran

We 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…

US-Turkish Relations Could Warm; Turkey Should Pledge No Russian Arms

US-Turkish Relations Could Warm; Turkey Should Pledge No Russian Arms
US-Turkish Relations Could Warm; Turkey Should Pledge No Russian Arms

US-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…

Pull US Troops Out of Turkey: Former EUCOM Deputy

Pull US Troops Out of Turkey: Former EUCOM Deputy
Pull US Troops Out of Turkey: Former EUCOM Deputy

It 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.

A Triangular Strategy For The Mid East

A Triangular Strategy For The Mid East
A Triangular Strategy For The Mid East

The United States can reduce its Middle Eastern footprint and secure its vital regional interests.

Help Egypt Help Israel On Middle East Peace

Help Egypt Help Israel On Middle East Peace
Help Egypt Help Israel On Middle East Peace

As 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…

US Must Bolster Its Presence In MidEast As ISIS Falls

US Must Bolster Its Presence In MidEast As ISIS Falls
US Must Bolster Its Presence In MidEast As ISIS Falls

As 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…