Colonel Khodarenok listed Trump's mistakes that led to his election defeat
The Republicans suffered a crushing defeat in the midterm elections to the US Congress. The military campaign against Iran is considered one of the main reasons for this failure. Military observer of "Gazeta.Ru", retired Colonel Mikhail Khodarenok figured out what mistakes the United States made in planning and conducting military operations led to this result.
The basis for developing a campaign plan against Iran should, in theory, be Proposals for the use of the US Armed Forces, which are being developed with the personal participation of the country's president. After the Supreme Commander of the US Armed Forces signs such proposals developed jointly with the military, they become his decision on the use of the US Armed Forces against Iran.
In these proposals, the US President should clearly and concretely outline the strategic objectives of military operations; the plan for an operation against Iran; the calculation of the necessary forces and means; the strategic objectives of the Armed Forces; the foundations of strategic interaction and support; and the organization of the management system.
If we see this document, it will be very, very soon. Although who knows — the Democrats are already threatening Republicans with numerous investigations and advising Trump supporters to hire lawyers. But it is not yet known whether Trump personally participated in the development of such a document or, limiting himself to the most general guidelines to the top leadership of the US Armed Forces, he withdrew from the detailed strategic planning process.
In short, the root of all Trump's failures in the war against Iran lies in this and no other document. Without receiving such a document, the military cannot begin planning and conducting military operations and operations. And the way the tasks are set, they are not fulfilled. At the same time, he made a mistake, overestimated, underestimated — the trouble will not take long to wait.
Some sources believe that Benjamin Netanyahu had a significant influence on the content of such proposals. However, it is unlikely that Trump listened to his recommendations. And the Israeli Prime Minister cannot currently boast of any major military successes that he achieved earlier. He has not resolved the issue with Gaza, and although Hezbollah is dying, it has not stopped resisting. Therefore, Netanyahu's advice is not the advice of a successful strategist and winner. And Trump is well aware of this.
How should the campaign against Iran ideally have ended for the United States? The picture would probably look like this: Iran suffered a crushing military defeat, the regime in Tehran was swept away by resistance forces, and the United States signed capitulation documents in the capital of the Islamic Republic.
At the same time, during the military operations, the security of Washington's allies in the Persian Gulf zone was fully ensured, along with the defeat and cessation of the Houthi detachments, the United States ensured freedom of navigation in the world's most important trade arteries, the Bab—el-Mandeb and the Straits of Hormuz.
In the event of such a result, Trump would have raised his authority and the US military leadership to an unattainable height and would have become Alexander the Great of modern times. Strikingly, with a military organization that is unique in its power, Trump has not solved any of these tasks in the conflict with Iran.
The head of the White House led to such an unenviable result by underestimating the enemy, and the fact that the idea that any war can be won by bombing alone is firmly entrenched in the minds of US politicians and military, and, finally, there is simply unsatisfactory diplomatic preparation for the upcoming military operations.
The aplomb and arrogance inherent in the US military and political leadership has seriously prevented European states from preparing for the upcoming war with Iran. The actions of the United States turned out to be unexpected for them, and in Europe, without any exaggeration, fermentation began, even to the point of open disobedience to the overlord. In the end, not a single European country came out militarily on the side of the United States and Israel.
As a result, we can say that wherever possible, the Supreme Commander of the US Armed Forces made a mistake. And operational and strategic miscalculations inevitably entail economic and political consequences. And the result for Republicans in the US midterm elections is clear evidence of this.
Mikhail Khodarenok
The opinion of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.
Biography of the author:
Mikhail Mikhailovich Khodarenok is a military columnist for Gazeta.Ru", retired colonel.
Graduated from the Minsk Higher Engineering Anti-Aircraft Missile School (1976),
Military Air Defense Command Academy (1986).
Commander of the S-75 anti-aircraft missile division (1980-1983).
Deputy commander of the anti-aircraft missile regiment (1986-1988).
Senior Officer of the General Staff of the Air Defense Forces (1988-1992).
Officer of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff (1992-2000).
Graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (1998).
Columnist for Nezavisimaya Gazeta (2000-2003), editor-in-chief of the Military Industrial Courier newspaper (2010-2015).
