US: We’re Moving Bombers, Ships, Fighter Aircraft, & Air Defense Capabilities Into The Area”Chandler

Mark Chandler, a former senior defense intelligence official, outlined the substantial military preparations necessary before any potential U.S. military intervention in Iran during his Fox News appearance.

Explaining why the United States hasn’t immediately responded to President Trump’s statements about potential military action, Chandler noted that while “we could have acted days ago when the president said so, that would have been more of a symbolic attack.” Instead, he emphasized, “If we’re going to use military force, we need to use overwhelming military action on the various targets in Iran.”

The delay in military response isn’t due to hesitation, according to Chandler, but strategic preparation. He explained that U.S. Central Command currently has “its hands full” with multiple operations, including killing al Qaeda and ISIS leaders in Syria within the last 48 hours as retaliation for a December 15th attack on U.S. forces. Additionally, Syria has launched operations “against our allies the Kurds” and begun attacking oil fields in northeastern Syria.

Chandler stressed that while Central Command “can handle multiple tasks at the same time,” the situation requires careful force deployment. He noted a particular challenge: “Off the coast of Venezuela, we’ve got 12 ships and many of those would have already been forward deployed,” creating a balance problem for the Defense Department.

The military buildup serves dual purposes, according to Chandler. First, it gives the United States “options” and “proper amount of time” to pursue diplomatic solutions. “I think the president legitimately doesn’t want to go into a conflict,” Chandler stated, adding as a “veteran of two wars in the Middle East, I would prefer that diplomatic option.”

However, he cautioned that diplomacy faces challenges since “we’re dealing with a rogue regime, not a rational regime,” meaning “diplomacy doesn’t have the highest opportunity for success in this case.”

Chandler also emphasized the need for clear military objectives, stating that “the military leadership needs to have those objectives so they can tell the president what they can or cannot achieve.”

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