Former Army Leader Says Iran Misread Trump As Conflict Continues

Now everything has changed…

PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) – Retired four-star Army Gen. Jack Keane said the Iranian government, yet again, “fundamentally miscalculated” Trump as conflict in Middle East persists.

A worst-case scenario for the war with Iran. The war with Iran has prompted many questions about what comes next. Will the Islamic Republic regime survive? What could replace it? Will Iran dissolve into chaos?

‘The mother of all commando raids’: U.S. special operations forces may be needed to secure Iran’s uranium stockpiles, as uncertainty over missing nuclear material persists.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here’s a roundup of today’s other top defense news from conservative national security expert PAUL CRESPO.

THE PDB – Not the President’s Daily Briefing, but almost as good – PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF:    

DEFENSE POLITICS

We were right about Havana Syndrome. The CIA was wrong. In late 2017, while in Moscow on official duty, I experienced a sudden, debilitating health incident. After a long and arduous battle with CIA to get treatment, military doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center ultimately diagnosed and treated me for a “line-of-duty” traumatic brain injury.

Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., sons of President Trump, invested in newly formed company that aims to produce autonomous drones for U.S. military.

NSA, Cyber Command get permanent leader as Senate confirmed Trump’s pick to lead both agencies in dual-hatted capacity, giving signals intelligence and hacking titans their first permanent leader in almost a year.

US POWER OVERSEAS

Navy conducts under-ice operations in Arctic. It started Operation ICE CAMP Boarfish in Arctic Ocean on Saturday in latest U.S. exercise to train service members for operations in the strategically important region.

IRAN CAMPAIGN

War Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that Tuesday “will be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran: The most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes, intelligence more refined and better than ever.”

Joint Chiefs Chairman: Strategic bombers dropped ‘dozens’ of 2,000-pound bombs on Iranian targets and more than 5,000 targets have been struck in Operation Epic Fury so far.

Pentagon burned through about $5.6 billion of munitions during first two days of war with Iran.

CENTCOM releases video of THAAD surface-to-air missile interceptor hitting a target.

U.S. military using M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) to strike Iranian ships with ballistic missiles. Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) short-range ballistic missiles made their combat debut against Iran, but now an anti-ship version may have been fielded.

U.S. destroys 16 Iranian mine-laying boats near Strait of Hormuz. This, amid mounting concern that Islamic Republic was preparing to deploy mines in crucial waterway.

Roughly 140 U.S. troops have been wounded — eight severely, most only slightly — in first 10 days of Operation Epic Fury.

With war against Iran in its second week, U.S. military’s focus now includes destroying factories that build one-way attack drones and preventing Iranian military from using sea mines.

REGIONAL IMPACT OF IRAN CONFLICT

What are the challenges in securing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz? U.S. analyzing how to protect shipping in Strait of Hormuz – through which around 20% of world’s oil and gas travel, after three cargo vessels were hit by missiles. 

Strait of Hormuz: What happens if Iran shuts global oil corridor?

Israel hits Lebanon, Hormuz fears rise, Gulf states attacked. Iranian security hunts down “spies and media operatives” amid U.S. and Israeli attacks.

How many people have been killed in the US-Israel war on Iran?

Friction between U.S. and U.K. over U.S. using Diego Garcia military base for U.S. military operations against Iran has elevated attention to the underexamined topic of U.S. security interests in bustling Indian Ocean region.

Two Iranian warships have docked in India and Sri Lanka seeking sanctuary after a U.S. submarine torpedoed an Iranian warship in Indian Ocean just off Sri Lanka’s coast last week.

Israel says Iran has been firing cluster munitions throughout their 10-day war — adding complicated and deadly challenge to Israel’s already-stretched air defenses.

CHINA THREAT

China amps up 2026 defense budget by only 7% amid purge of generals, less of a rise than in recent years.

China eyeing all-nuclear submarine fleet. Will Japan follow suit?

For years, China has flown military jets near Taiwan almost daily, in increasing numbers. They suddenly stopped, leaving analysts to wonder why.

RUSSIA THREAT/UKRAINE WAR

Kyiv says it hit ‘key’ Russian military factory in Bryansk missile strike, Russia says six dead.

EUROPEAN DEFENSE BUILDUP

Meeting post-9/11 military demands of U.S. cost Europe the tanks it needs now. For over two decades NATO allies reshaped their ground forces in image of U.S. Army focused on lower intensity combat operations in Middle East not war with Russia in Europe.

SPACE THREATS

Space Force has cleared major design hurdle in its Resilient Missile Warning and Tracking program, completing preliminary design review for 10-satellite Epoch 2 medium Earth orbit constellation.

US MILITARY

Pentagon task force published back-to-back guidelines about anti-drone technology this week, illustrating military’s attempt at quickly delivering such capabilities. The guidance is to follow standardized rules on testing while heeding federal laws prohibiting domestic surveillance.

Pentagon says employees can create their own ‘custom AI assistants’ with new tech, as it unveiled new “Agent Designer” tool that will run on its GenAI.mil platform.

After decades of relying on Vietnam-era designs, Army has approved first ‘offensive’ hand grenade, shaped like a coffee drink, to enter service since 1968.

New Air Force ‘Battle lab’ is searching for counter-drone firms to participate in dozen or more exercises to help create standard operating plans by the end of this year to defend U.S. air bases.

Marine Corps plans to combine water survival training with underwater egress training, change that will result in more demanding swim tests.

Veteran who survived missile strike on U.S. base in Iraq from Iran in 2020, told Congress that majority of traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs, are “easily missed” in field screening during combat scenarios.

VA to launch automated fraud detection tool to scan more than million disability benefits questionnaires for evidence of fabrication or other problems that could force new medical exams and impact compensation.

END of PDB

FOR MORE DETAILED, UNCENSORED, INTELLIGENCE, AND ANALYSIS FROM PAUL CRESPO, SUBSCRIBE TO HIS SUBSTACK.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.

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