Joint Chiefs Chairman Dunford Cancels NATO Trip

We are still getting wildly divergent reports.

See: Pentagon Declares Victory In Non-War: Iran Forced To Put Attacks "On Hold"

Joint Chiefs Chairman Cancels NATO Trip; Middle East/Iran Situation "on-Edge"

Hal Turner,

21 May, 2019

General Joseph F. Dunford, Jr. is the 19th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation's highest-ranking military officer, and the principal military adviser to the President, Secretary of Defense, and National Security Council.  He has cancelled his planned visit with NATO because the situation in the Middle East with Iran is deteriorating and something "grave" is believed to be coming.

In the meantime, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Acting Secretary of Defense Shanahan are on Capital Hill today, and will be briefing lawmakers on developments. At 1:30 PM, the full membership of the US House of Representatives will receive a closed-door (Classified) Briefing.  At 2:45, the full membership of the UNited STates Senate will receive its closed-door (Classified) Briefing. 

When any Presidential Administration gives a classified briefing to the full membership of Congress, it indicates the matter is extremely serious.   Congress only gets such briefings if there are indications it may be called upon to grant Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) or (worse) make a declaration of war.   THAT is how serious things are right now with Iran.

Another indication of exactly how serious the threats are coming out of Iran: Acting Secretary Shanahan made known to lawmakers today that the United Kingdom is "ready to help its allies against Iran."

CYBER THREATS: U.S. INFRASTRUCTURE

One item to be disclosed to Congress this afternoon is Covert Intelligence about Iranian plans to launch cyber attacks against U.S. Infrastructure here at home!  Without disclosing the nature of the intelligence, this web site URGES Americans to have at least one month supply of emergency food, water, and any medicines that folks may need to SURVIVE should there be a disruption to our supply chain here at home.   Other suggested "Preps" can be found on this list (HERE).

DIRECT THREATS

As most of you know, for 15 years I worked with the FBI, my final five years (2003-2008) with the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF).   I was granted full operational authority by the Office of Intelligence at FBI Headquarters in Washington, to engage in "extra-territorial" operations, and was tasked to engage in operations involving National Security, battling Terrorism,  and Foreign Counter-Intelligence overseas.   When my work took me outside the US, it was coordinated with the CIA and other agencies, but I did NOT work for the CIA.  

In that role, I developed relationships with Intelligence people from foreign governments,  Some were in the military of their country, others in their country's version of our CIA.  Most were in their country's law enforcement.   I maintain those relationships to this very day and as such, I get information that others do not.

From those relationships, I am able to tell you that in the very recent past (days) the US intercepted communications in which Iran ordered Hezbollah to launch attacks against Americans.

The United States has made it explicitly clear to Iran that if they -- or their Proxies -- engage in actions harmful to Americans, our Interests, or to our Allies, the US will respond with severe measures.

ECHO CHAMBER

Alas, Iran is suffering from its own echo chamber about how tough and powerful they are. They have no clue at all what they face. They cannot even IMAGINE what they face.

A U.S. strike against Iran is simply a matter of math. How many missiles do they have that ***MAY*** intercept ours? Once those interceptors are fired, how long does it take to reload the Iranian launch tubes?

Then all we have to do is fire more missiles than they can intercept, and fire a whole slew of additional missiles once their initial launch tubes are empty.

A first strike done along these lines could take out a number of painful targets - like civilian power grid, TV, Radio stations, plus some crucial infrastructure to make life miserable like certain railway and/or highway interchanges, key economic targets like certain oil/gas pipelines or storage facilities and, of course, certain military assets -- and be over and done in less than 30 minutes.

Just select the targets and do the math. Need 500 inbound missiles at the same time? Send fifty Destroyers/Guided Missile cruisers to all launch ten each. Need 1,000 inbound? Have those ships fire twenty missiles each.

Need more than that? No problem, send twenty five B-52's or B-1b Lancers to fire air-launched cruise missiles as the ships fire.

It's just math. We have the delivery ability. They do not have the defensive ability to overcome our delivery ability. It's that simple.

Of course, much of Iran's missile ability is presently deep underground and many people seem to think this is somehow a soruprise to the US.   It is not.

We know where all their underground bases are. ALL OF THEM. 

You see, the one thing that Iranians have in common with all other people is . . . . they can be bought. And we have the cash to buy them.

We have infiltrators in EVERY branch of the Iranian military and on EVERY base. ALL OF THEM!

Iran has no secrets from us. None at all.

As for them firing thousands of missiles at our ships, those missiles are useless because we know how to jam them. ALL of them.

"Powerful" Iran had to fight Iraq for eight years before both sides called it a stalemate and stopped.

We in the U.S. are not an Iraq. We have one-hundred-thousand times the firepower. Never mind the technology.

Can Iran inflict some harm?  Yes.  Will it matter in the big picture? No.

Must we here in the USA prepare to encounter some of that harm?  Yes. 

Are most of us prepared?  NO.   This is a problem.