On January 3rd, 2020, a United States MQ-9 Reaper Drone fired missiles at the Baghdad International Airport, killing 10 individuals. One of the 10 killed was Iranian general Quasem Soleimani, a man known for leading Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Kuds force, which is considered a foreign terrorist organization by the United States. Immediately following the airstrike, tensions began to flare between the US and Iran, sparking fears of deadly retaliation by Iran that could lead to a war.
Just 5 days later, on January 8th, Iran retaliated, by firing ballistic missiles at the Al Asad and Erbil bases in Iraq that house US troops. While no US troops were killed in the retaliatory attack, the amount and extent of injuries suffered by US troops has been debated. While the President Trump initially announced that no US personnel were injured, military personnel later said that 11 troops were evacuated due to concussions caused by the intense blast of rockets. While many troops recover from explosion-related concussions in the battlefield with proper medical treatment, those who suffer multiple concussions can suffer permanent brain damage and vision loss.
While it is certainly great that no US troops were killed in the retaliatory attacks, the reality is that it could have been a lot worse. What would have happened if US personnel were killed in the retaliatory attacks? Well, according to the military strategy that President Trump has already pursued throughout his presidency, a retaliatory attack would occur. The extent of this imaginary (and thankfully unnecessary as of now) retaliatory attack would likely be larger than the strike that killed General Soleimani. Who knows if this attack would be strong enough to silence Iran’s military or provoke further violent conflict?
While having a strong military can act as a deterrent against weaker powers that threaten us, using the military’s powers in non-urgent situations like the airstrike that killed the murderous General Soleimani can push us into tit for tat conflicts that have the potential to lead to US lives lost. Twice the US has gotten involved in wars that were either lost or ended in stalemate, with the lives of many soldiers gone forever. These failures include the Vietnam War and the US Invasion of Iraq. History has told us that an effective military is one that is used only when it is truly necessary, not on a whim and to make a statement that puts our men and women in uniform in danger.
Fig1. nytimes.com. Aftermath of US drone strike on Baghdad Airport.
Fig2. cnn.com. Quasem Soleimani.