As the Pentagon reportedly presses ahead with preparations for a ground operation in Iran, a retired U.S. Army general is sounding the alarm, warning that the move would be a “terrible mistake.”
Retired Army Brig. Gen. Steve Anderson told MS NOW’s Nicolle Wallace on Monday’s “Deadline: White House” that he believes President Donald Trump and his advisers are caught up in “the greatest geopolitical disaster in the history of our country,” adding that the administration has “completely mismanaged this war.”
“And to even talk about putting boots on the ground in any capacity, be it Kharg Island, be it the Strait of Hormuz, or God help us, if they try to go into Isfahan or Fordo to try to retrieve nuclear material — I mean, it would be an absolute disaster,” he continued.
Anderson, who served for more than three decades, said that as part of his education and training at the U.S. Military Academy, he was taught to “know the enemy as yourself,” a strategy he argued the administration was failing to follow.
“We do not know this enemy,” he said, adding: “We have not recognized that they’re in the middle of an existential threat to them — it’s a kill-or-be-killed situation. They’re going to do everything possible to beat us and to outlast us.”
Anderson also said that sending troops into an unknown environment is a recipe for disaster. “What it means is Americans are going to die. … It is a very, very difficult fight,” he said. “This is going to be a contested assault.”
While he said he had “no doubt” that the U.S. military would eventually prevail, he said this was “an example of Trump once again using the Army and using the military as his own personal militia, versus Americans’ military.” “What he needs to do is be focused on conducting diplomacy,” Anderson added. “But instead he’s using the military because they’re acquiescent, because they have to, because they were raised like I was, to be responsive to civilian leadership — and he’s taking advantage of that.” The retired general warned: “This is going to be a terrible, terrible mistake if they do this.” You can watch Anderson’s full interview in the clip at the top of the page.
Allison Detzel is an editor/producer for MS NOW. She was previously a segment producer for “AYMAN” and “The Mehdi Hasan Show.”
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