Former Pentagon official Dan Caldwell (who was ousted from his post in the wake of the “Signalgate Caper") gave an interview on the Tucker Carlson Network on June 20, raising cautious alarm about potential unforeseen consequences of the United States joining Israel in unprovoked military aggression against Iran.
Caldwell addressed the strategic incoherence of the current military posture of the United States in the “Middle East,” and elaborated how U.S. military bases in Iraq and elsewhere in the region serve as “tripwires” for escalation to a broader conflict.
Asked what he thought would occur if the United States were to enter the Israeli war of aggression with a missile strike into Iran, Caldwell replied: “I think the event to look back to that could show us what could happen, is what happened after the Soleimani [assassination] strike. … Iran launched a salvo of ballistic missiles at Al-Asad Airbase [which] is in western Iraq, in Al Anbar province. And one thing to note about that base, is that we do a lot of joint training with the Iraqi army, and the Iraqi army is part of the same government that has another security force called the Popular Mobilization Force, which is a group of militias that are loyal to Iran. They were funded, initially supported and trained by Quds Force, led by [General Qasem] Soleimani at the time. And so, we are at that base, training allies to the people that are likely going to be trying to kill us in this [hypothetical] war. So that’s important to remember.”
Caldwell voiced concern that many military officials and politicians are not thinking through such basic considerations in their drive for escalation against Iran.
