George Casey, top commander in Iraq, was replaced recently with David Petraeus, and General Abizaid was replaced at Central Command with William Fallon. Central Command is in charge of the Middle East and the Indian Ocean so why did Bush place an Admiral in the position? Lt. Colonel Ralph Peters has an op-ed in The New York Post that says that answer is Iran.
Assigning a Navy aviator and combat veteran to oversee our military operations in the Persian Gulf makes perfect sense when seen as a preparatory step for striking Iran's nuclear-weapons facilities - if that becomes necessary.
While the Air Force would deliver the heaviest tonnage of ordnance in a campaign to frustrate Tehran's quest for nukes, the toughest strategic missions would fall to our Navy. Iran would seek to retaliate asymmetrically by attacking oil platforms and tankers, closing the Strait of Hormuz - and trying to hit oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf emirates.
Only the U.S. Navy - hopefully, with Royal Navy and Aussie vessels underway beside us - could keep the oil flowing to a thirsty world.
Peters is worried about the threats that the Iranians have made about closing the Strait just as Arthur Herman is from the article I posted from Commentary magazine. There's no doubt that Iran will ignore the feckless United Nations and their recent Security Council resolutions and sanctions so if it comes to a place where Iran is close to having a bomb we will act. Having fanatical theocrats with nukes is not something the West will allow.
Add into the mix Israel, who floated the idea that they have "contingency plans to destroy Iran's uranium enrichment facilities with tactical nuclear weapons" and went on to elaborate that "the nuclear-tipped bunker-busters would be used only if a conventional attack was ruled out and if the United States decline to intervene." Israel is sending the U.S. a clear warning to act and if we do need to we will require a naval force to control the Strait of Hormuz.
If Peters is correct about Fallon this is a step in the right direction for the Bush administration regarding the long-term strategic thinking in pursuing this long war (as Abizaid has called it).
