The former Commanding General of Fort Benning retired Major General Paul Eaton is sounding off on the potential for ground troops in Iran. MG Eaton also served as an Army Commander during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He released the following statement:
“The notion from Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth this morning that we may engage in ground operations in Iran, with ground troops, is the clearest signal yet that the purpose of this war is regime change. They naively hoped air forces alone would cause the regime to collapse, but they are not getting their intended effect. The regime still stands, and protests have been largely limited. Air power can achieve the other stated goals of destroying Iran’s capability to project force. What Air power cannot do is force regime change.
I was in Iraq. We all witnessed thousands of brave young Americans die in a ground war for regime change, and countless more Iraqi deaths. And this does not include the forever maimed. I can tell you what happens if we do that in Iran. There will be an insurgency. Our troops will be much easier targets for extremists. Many will be killed in action or wounded. It will become more and more difficult to get out. If you think Iraq was bad, Iraq 2.0 in Iran will be so much worse. And consider this: the Trump administration has dismantled our aid organizations and capacity to assist the citizens of Iran to influence a better future, while Hegseth disparages that very notion and insults our allies and potential allies.
The Republican Congress is absent from all of this. Even though the Constitution demands they hold a vote, too many Republicans are too scared to do so. Their cowardice stands in stark contrast to the brave servicemembers who will pay the cost of their inaction.”
