Former CENTCOM commander on recovery of U.S. airman in Iran and Strait of Hormuz
(CBS, KYMA) - Retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, the former Commander for U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), spoke with Ed O'Keefe on Face the Nation Sunday about the search and rescue operation for a U.S. airman shot in a remote mountainous area of southwestern Iran.
An F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down Friday and its pilot was located shortly after the crash while the weapons systems officer was found Saturday.
According to President Donald Trump, the airman, a colonel, was injured but not critically.
This prompted O'Keefe to ask retired Gen. McKenzie his assessment of how the search and rescue operation went, to which he said:
"I think I'd draw two lessons from it...First of all, the excellence of the joint force, our ability to rapidly pivot, to look for a downed air crewman. We train for this endlessly. It's a part of every time we send air crew over enemy territory, we have detailed, elaborate plans to go get them. It's a very basic part of who we are as American fighting men and women. So that plan swung into action. I think it was executed pretty effectively. As always, you've got somebody on the ground, may be injured. They got to get to a position where they can hide until you can get to them. All that seemed to work out very well. And you know, we did, in fact, lose a couple of aircraft in that in that mission. But I would just tell you, it takes a year to build an aircraft. It takes 200 years to build a military tradition where you don't leave anybody behind. You take the aircraft trade any day in a situation like this. The other lesson, I think, is a hard lesson for Iran. First of all, they were not able to find the missing air crewman. Second, you know, they put out a broad appeal to their people to turn him in reward, asking for all kinds of leads, that does not appear to have been successful. And that would, I think, that's maybe a sign of disaffection, don't know, but, you can't be happy with that if you're a senior leader in Tehran this morning."
They also discussed President Donald Trump's remarks on Fox News about arming Kurdish protesters.
"I think you want to put pressure on this regime in every way that you can. Arming Kurds certainly increases pressure on the Iranian regime. We know from history that leadership in Iran responds when existential pressure is applied to the regime. Arming the Kurds moves you a step closer toward that even if your ultimate aim is not regime change, getting the regime and Tehran to a place where they'll make a deal that's to our liking, is going to be the inevitable by product of intolerable pressure that's placed on them. And I think all of these add together to do that."
Gen. Frank McKenzie (Ret.), former CENTCOM Commander
During the interview, O'Keefe and McKenzie talked about President Trump's threats against Iran about reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
In a post to social media Sunday, the president issued a threat against Iran's energy infrastructure and bridges as his deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz nears.
When asked what's it going to take militarily to reopen the Strait if the U.S. launches its own military operation in the coming days, McKenzie said:
"First of all, we do have the ability to open the strait. Should we choose to do it in what you're seeing now are, what I would call, the precursor of the initial steps in such a campaign you want to reduce Iran's ability to fire short range rockets and missiles into the strait against warships. You want to take out their fast attack craft. Think of them as cigarette boats, large, powerful outboard engined boats that can race out and get among ships and cause direct damage that way. What we're doing is we're going after all those vessels. And that's where a 10s attack aircraft, attack helicopters and other slow moving, low altitude platforms are so very effective. So we're in the process of removing those right now. At the same time, we're working to get rid of Iran's mine stockpile. The mines are very dangerous. They had thousands when the war began...Of course, it doesn't take many mines to cause a significant blockage to world shipping. So all of that is underway right now, and you want to reduce those to a low level before you put your warships up there to actually sort of test the waters in that strait. I have no idea what Admiral Cooper's decision making process is going to be for that, but I think we're well on the way to achieving those goals."
O'Keefe followed up by asking McKenzie if the Strait can be reopened with an air and naval campaign, or if the U.S. is going to need ground troops, and McKenzie said:
"I think it could be opened with an air and naval campaign, and the use of ground troops would probably be along the line of raids. And remember, a raid is an attack with a planned withdrawal, where you don't plan to stay. The one exception might be Kharg Island. I know the president has talked about it. I think it has a unique place in Iranian culture, because of one thing, if you seize it, you're holding Iranian soil. Secondly, it is the critical mode through which all their oil supplies pass. By seizing it, you have the opportunity to cut that off, inflicting grievous damage on the Iranian economy, and yet with the opportunity, perhaps, to return it as part of a negotiation process. Further, you don't permanently damage the global economy by destroying the infrastructure. So I think Kharg Island is a very lucrative target. I'm sure we're looking at it hard right now. I have no idea if we're going to choose to go up there."
To watch more of O'Keefe's interview with McKenzie, click here.
