What Centcom officers were worried about is that they would take a back seat to the European and Pacific commands. In fact, there’s a clear, if unstated, pecking order among the commands, retired Col. Kevin Benson, a former director of the Army’s School of Advanced Military Studies, notes. ‘The three most important commands are in Europe, which is Eucom, the Pacific, which is Pacom and now, because of Iran, the Middle East – which is Centcom. Southcom, the Southern Command, is almost always last in priority.’
Archiv: Patrick Shanahan
….On Monday they shot down an unmanned drone flying in International Waters. We were cocked & loaded to retaliate last night on 3 different sights when I asked, how many will die. 150 people, sir, was the answer from a General. 10 minutes before the strike I stopped it, not….
….proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone. I am in no hurry, our Military is rebuilt, new, and ready to go, by far the best in the world. Sanctions are biting & more added last night. Iran can NEVER have Nuclear Weapons, not against the USA, and not against the WORLD!
Geplanter Vergeltungsschlag: Trump will Angriff auf Iran zehn Minuten vor Start gestoppt haben
Donald Trump hat einen Militärschlag gegen Iran nach eigenen Angaben kurzfristig abgesagt. Die Zahl der Todesopfer wäre im Vergleich zum Drohnen-Abschuss „unverhältnismäßig“ gewesen, sagte der US-Präsident.
Today, a group of us met with the President on Iran. We urged him to de-escalate tensions and avoid miscalculation. Iran wants to drive a wedge between the U.S. and our allies. We shouldn’t let them. I also reminded him: there’s no congressional authorization for war with Iran.
(20.06.2019)
Senior administration officials said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; John R. Bolton, the national security adviser; and Gina Haspel, the C.I.A. director, had favored a military response.
(20.06.2019)
Officials leave White House after Iran meeting
(20.06.2019)
The White House invited House and Senate leaders and Democrats and Republicans on the House and Senate intelligence and Armed Services committees to meet with President Donald Trump on Thursday.
US sending 1,000 additional troops to Middle East amid Iran tensions
„In response to a request from the US Central Command for additional forces, and with the advice of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and in consultation with the White House, I have authorized approximately 1,000 additional troops for defensive purposes to address air, naval, and ground-based threats in the Middle East,“ acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said in a statement.
Tensions erupt as US launch cyber attack on Russia but officials don‘t tell Trump
The New York Times, the US has increased the number of cyber attacks on Russia’s grid. Moreover, two administration officials had told the newspaper that Donald Trump had not been briefed on the attacks.
Pentagon officials have also described the “broad hesitation” to tell Trump about the details of the operations against Russia.
U.S. Escalates Online Attacks on Russia’s Power Grid
(15.06.2019)
But in a public appearance on Tuesday, President Trump’s national security adviser, John R. Bolton, said the United States was now taking a broader view of potential digital targets as part of an effort “to say to Russia, or anybody else that’s engaged in cyberoperations against us, ‘You will pay a price.’”
Power grids have been a low-intensity battleground for years.
CENTCOM corrects British general: US forces in Iraq and Syria on heightened alert for Iranian attacks
„There‘s been no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria,“ Maj. Gen. Chris Ghika, a deputy commander for the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, told reporters at a Pentagon news briefing. „We are monitoring the Shia militia groups carefully and if the threat level perceives to go up them we will raise our force protection levels accordingly.“
But after being pressed by reporters on the matter, Ghika engaged in verbal gymnastics to try to say he was on the same page as the White House by saying the coalition monitors a range of possible threats and it raises and lowers security levels appropriately.
Saudi crown prince holds quiet meeting with head of U.S. Central Command
(14.04.2019)
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met quietly Monday with the head of U.S. Central Command, Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie, and the two men discussed continued “cooperation” between the two nations in fighting terrorism, according to Riyadh’s state-run news agency.
Bomber task force completes first CENTCOM mission as Iran warns US forces to leave region
(13.05.2019)
B-52H Stratofortress aircraft assigned to the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron from Louisiana’s Barksdale Air Force Base took off from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, U.S. Air Forces Central Command said in a brief statement Monday. Additional bombers in the task force had been deployed to an unspecified base in the Middle East.
“They’re here to defend our forces and interests,” said Lt. Col. Christine Millette, a spokeswoman for Air Forces Central Command. Millette did not provide further mission details.
Bernie Sanders: John Bolton Wants To Lie Us Into War In Iran Like He Did In Iraq, Like They Did In Vietnam
„It is almost impossible to imagine that after the horror of the war in Iraq when we were lied to by the Bush administration and one of the leading architects was this very same, John Bolton,“ Sanders said.
Bolton Is Spinning Israeli ‘Intelligence’ to Push for War Against Iran
The Israeli delegation, led by national security adviser Meir Ben Shabbat, met with Bolton and other unnamed officials in the White House, according to Ravid, to discuss possible Iranian plans. Bolton himself tweeted on April 15 about his meeting with Shabbat:
Great meeting with Israeli National Security Advisor Meir Ben-Shabbat today. The close United States-Israel strategic partnership reflects the tremendous strength of the ties between our governments and the citizens of our two allied countries.
Good afternoon Mr. Amb. Bolton and Mr Meir Ben Shabbat .
(15.04.2019)
White House Reviews Military Plans Against Iran, in Echoes of Iraq War
As recently as late April, an American intelligence analysis indicated that Iran had no short-term desire to provoke a conflict. But new intelligence reports, including intercepts, imagery and other information, have since indicated that Iran was building up its proxy forces’ readiness to fight and was preparing them to attack American forces in the region.
NYT: Pentagon presented plan to deploy 120,000 troops in case of Iran escalation
Details: The plan was reportedly presented during a meeting about the Trump administration‘s broader Iran policy, attended — among others — by Bolton, CIA director Gina Haspel, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats. It‘s unclear if President Trump has been briefed on the details of the plan, which did not call for a land invasion of Iran, but requested a similar number of troops involved the U.S.‘ 2003 invasion of Iraq, per the Times.
Pentagon: 1,5 Milliarden Dollar werden im Wüstensand versenkt zulasten von Interkontinentalraketen
Auf Anordnung des Weissen Hauses hat U.S.-Verteidigungsminister Patrick Shanahan verschiedene Kassen des Pentagons „geplündert“ und zusätzlich 1,5 Milliarden U.S.-Dollar aus dem Etat für diese Mauer entnommen.
Trump‘s top intelligence and military advisers held unusual meeting at CIA on Iran, officials say
(09.05.2019)
Five former CIA operations officers and military officials said that in the past, such meetings have been held at CIA headquarters to brief top officials on highly sensitive covert actions, either the results of existing operations or options for new ones.
Shanahan soll Pentagon dauerhaft leiten
Trump wolle den 56-Jährigen aufgrund seiner „herausragenden Dienste am Land und seiner erwiesenen Führungsqualitäten“ für die Spitze des Pentagon nominieren, teilte das Weiße Haus mit. Shanahan sei mehr als qualifiziert für das Amt und werde weiter exzellente Arbeit leisten, sagte Trumps Sprecherin Sarah Sanders.
Der Senat muss der Personalie zustimmen.
US Marine Corps General McKenzie replaces retiring Votel as CENTCOM Commander
Newly promoted General Kenneth F. McKenzie on Thursday, March 28 took over the leadership of United States Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East including the conflicts in Syria and Afghanistan. At a ceremony led by Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, McKenzie pledged to continue the work done by his predecessor, General Joseph Votel, who is retiring.
Committed to Tel Aviv regime, US deploys THAAD to Israel for 1st time
The US has already supplied the advanced missile system to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Acting Pentagon chief: no orders to withdraw from Afghanistan
Acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan says there is no order to withdraw US forces from Afghanistan and the Afghan government should participate in peace talks with the Taliban, in remarks on a surprise trip to Afghanistan on Monday.
Shanahan met the US commander and troops and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in the unannounced one-day visit, his first in his new role.
Reports that Donald Trump, president of the United States wants to withdraw about half of the estimated 14,000 US forces in Afghanistan, has raised concerns among Afghan and regional officials about the effect it might have on security in the country.
The story in the New York Times regarding Jim Webb being considered as the next Secretary of Defense is FAKE NEWS.
I’m sure he is a fine man, but I don’t know Jim, and never met him. Patrick Shanahan, who is Acting Secretary of Defense, is doing a great job!
Dana White Out as Pentagon‘s Chief Spokeswoman
Charles E. „Charlie“ Summers, Jr., a former Maine Republican politician and Navy reserve captain, has been named as the new chief spokesman for the Pentagon, replacing Dana White, who held the post under outgoing Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.
Trump Presidency: New defense secretary starts role
A former defence contractor with no foreign policy experience has assumed the top job at the Pentagon.
Shanahan begins as Pentagon ‚CEO‘: ‚Doesn‘t have the moral and ethical constraints that Mattis has‘
Defense Department officials said the formal hand-off, done via phone call, took place just before the calendar turned to 2019.
In addition to the time-consuming role as budget point man, Mr. Shanahan also helped get the Pentagon’s first full audit in decades past the finish line. He’s taken the lead role in coordinating a host of competing — and occasionally feuding — interests across the military services in planning and implementing Mr. Trump’s new Space Force.
As Mattis exits, he tells U.S. military to keep ‚faith in our country‘
Mattis, a retired Marine general who has often shied from the spotlight, did not have any sort of departure ceremony when he left the Pentagon, leaving his farewell memo as his final public remarks as defense secretary. Historically, departing secretaries have had a major ceremony.
Who is Patrick Shanahan? Deputy defense secretary stepping up to replace Jim Mattis is a former Boeing executive nicknamed ‚Mr Fix-It‘
He earned the titled after being crediteed for getting the 787 Dreamliner on track after production problems in the program’s early years.
After holding senior positions in the 767 program and managing the 757 program he was awarded the position of vice president and general manager of Boeing’s Rotorcraft Systems in Philadelphia.
Shanahan also headed up U.S. Army Aviation programs, which included Boeing’s ballistic-missile defence program.
I am pleased to announce that our very talented Deputy Secretary of Defense, Patrick Shanahan, will assume the title of Acting Secretary of Defense starting January 1, 2019. Patrick has a long list of accomplishments while serving as Deputy, & previously Boeing. He will be great!
Trump, Angry Over Mattis’s Rebuke, Removes Him 2 Months Early
President Trump said on Sunday that he would remove Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who issued a stinging rebuke of the president when he announced his resignation last week, from his post by Jan. 1, two months before he had planned to depart.
Pentagon fails its first-ever audit, official says
The Pentagon has failed what is being called its first-ever comprehensive audit, a senior official said on Thursday, finding U.S. Defense Department accounting discrepancies that could take years to resolve.