U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of thousands of Marines to the Middle East for the war in Iran, but the troops he is counting on are increasingly fearful of the conflict. As HuffPost reports, in interviews, U.S. military personnel are reporting excessive stress, disappointment, and a loss of illusions to the extent that they are ready to leave the military.
One military official stated that U.S. troops are suffering from "inadequate protection and force planning" and are already reporting serious, destabilizing consequences from Iranian ballistic missile and drone strikes.
A ground operation would be an "absolute disaster... we have no plan for that. We can’t even fully protect any ground base in the theater of operations," he said.
A veteran who mentors young officers told HuffPost that her interlocutors are increasingly expressing a loss of faith.
"I hear from service members the words: 'We don’t want to die for Israel – we don’t want to be political pawns,'" she said.
Another reservist, who maintains contact with active-duty service members, separately reported similar comments.
"I have shared information about individuals refusing military service on moral grounds six times in the last two weeks, and I have served in the military for nearly 20 years – I have never been approached with such requests before," he said.
Mike Prisner, executive director of the Center on Conscience and War, said that in previous years his group received inquiries from 50 to 80 service members annually about refusing military service. In March, the number of inquiries increased by 1000%, he added, noting that now at least one new service member contacts the organization daily.
At the same time, there are no signs of mass departures from the U.S. military. Sources report anger, but also a sense of resignation among many service members, the publication notes:
"But discontent and morale issues could diminish Trump’s campaign chances for success – and lead to changes among service members that could have implications for America’s national security system."
The lack of clear, consistent justification for the war with Iran is a key source of discontent among service members, reservists said, demoralizing those who believe that a poorly planned conflict puts them in unnecessary danger without any apparent strategic benefit.
Earlier, media reported that the Trump Administration is considering plans to occupy or blockade the Iranian island of Khark to force Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Such an operation would require additional troops. Three different Marine Corps units are already being sent to the region. At the same time, the White House and Pentagon are considering sending even more troops in the near future.
Trump issued a new ultimatum to Iran, demanding the complete reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. He gave Iran 48 hours to comply, otherwise threatening Iran with strikes on its energy sector.
