Iran’s constant firing of drones and missiles has clearly challenged the United States’ ability to reach its military objectives in the country and its capability to defend allies and assets in West Asia, an analysis by the Wall Street Journal shows.
The analysis, published on Tuesday, said US military and diplomatic resources in West Asia are under mounting pressure as Iran conducts back-to-back waves of drone and missile assaults on the Israeli regime as well as on the assets of the United States in the region.
The analysis comes a day after officials at US Central Command confirmed that six service members lost their lives following a drone strike against a facility in Kuwait.
In a separate incident on the same day, three American F-15 fighters were downed over Kuwait.
Additional Iranian strikes have targeted American positions in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain, while the US Embassy in Riyadh sustained damage from a drone attack early Tuesday.
The WSJ analysis said the incidents show that the difficulty for American forces lies in countering widespread Iranian attacks across a broad geographic area while simultaneously synchronizing air defense strategies with partner nations.
Beyond safeguarding the tens of thousands of American personnel stationed regionally, the US must also secure numerous embassies and governmental facilities, the analysis said.
It quoted Ravi Chaudhary, a former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force responsible for installations, as saying that Iran's substantial arsenal of ballistic missiles, coupled with explosive-laden Shahed drones and electronic warfare capabilities, presents a serious danger to American bases.
Chaudhary said these installations are facing an unprecedented level of threat in this conflict, as Iran has clearly shown both the intention and means to target vital infrastructure and hinder America's ability to project air power.Furthermore, Iranian actions have effectively halted maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical passage for global oil shipment, the analysis said.
The it said the scale of Iran's weapons inventory, particularly its ability to manufacture vast numbers of low-cost drones, suggests a strategy to outlast US forces, which are confronting a depletion of interceptor missiles for systems like Patriot and THAAD.
US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is preparing to leave the Trump administration after what a new report has described as months of tension with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, potentially triggering another change at the army’s top echelons.
According to the Friday report by The Wall Street Journal, Driscoll is expected to step down before the end of the year and could leave his post earlier. The newspaper cited people familiar with discussions over his departure.
The Journal reported that Driscoll and his family vacated the official residence assigned to the army secretary at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall this summer, a move that could indicate he was preparing to leave the position.
The reported departure would come at a time of continuing uncertainty at the top echelons of the army.
Hegseth abruptly removed Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George in April, while Trump has not yet nominated a permanent successo....more below
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The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warns the enemies that any act of aggression against the Islamic Republic will not go unanswered.
In a statement on Thursday, the IRGC issued a “stern warning” to the enemies after US forces launched strikes against the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.
Following the US military attack on a point on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas Airport with aerial projectiles, the IRGC carried out new strikes targeting the US air base from which the attack originated in the wee hours of Thursday, it added.
“This response is a serious warning to the enemy that they should know the act of aggression will not go unanswered,” the IRGC emphasized.
The elite military force warned of a “more decisive” response if the enemy repeated any act of aggression.
It also said the responsibility for the consequences of any IRGC response lies with the aggressor.
The statement comes after the IRGC Navy on Thursday forced an American tanker to turn back. The tanker ...
