A former senior official in the George W. Bush administration has delivered a scathing critique of President Trump’s military strategy, claiming that the administration has committed a stunning strategic error despite America's considerable military superiority.
Eliot A. Cohen, who served as counselor to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, argued in an essay for The Atlantic on Tuesday that the administration had significantly underestimated its adversary and had not adequately prepared for the predictable challenges that would arise in the Persian Gulf.
"Rather, America's battlefield reversals represent a strategic failure of an acutely embarrassing kind," Cohen wrote.
His criticism centers on Iran's continued ability to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important waterways, despite U.S. military superiority and U.S.-Israeli cooperation.
Cohen argued that the administration went into the war without properly coordinating with European governments whose assistance would be required to protect shipping. It also failed to prepare Gulf allies for Iranian retaliation and underestimated the amount of military support flowing to Tehran from Russia and China.
He also mentioned Trump's frustration at being unable to identify Iran's actual decision-makers.
The former State Department official was clear about the deficiencies in U.S. military readiness: insufficient mine-clearing capabilities, limited stockpiles of advanced weapons and inadequate protection for American aircraft stationed in the region.
He pointed to years of underinvestment as the cause of those vulnerabilities and made it clear that not all of the deficiencies were Trump's doing.
But Cohen insisted that the president and his advisers had overstated what airstrikes could achieve, particularly if the aim was to replace the Iranian government.
He acknowledged that U.S. attacks had done some damage to Iran's nuclear program and military industries. The problem with Trump's narrative, he argued, was that it made it difficult to tell the difference between limited success and total victory.
The administration also failed to prioritize a key defensive objective: making sure the Strait of Hormuz remained open.
He argued that securing the waterway was never really a top priority, given the operations Washington had decided not to carry out.
Cohen's criticism went well beyond operational issues. It was also about Trump's personal approach to leadership.
While discussing the empathy, humility, and moral courage required to make sound judgments during wartime, the former State Department official was blunt.
"The president is singularly deficient in all of these aspects," Cohen wrote.
He argued that Trump struggled to grasp an adversary's point of view, showed little interest in operational details, and was reluctant to admit when he was wrong.
Cohen also pointed out that lapses in strategic judgment are by no means unique to this administration, citing past wars in which major powers badly miscalculated their opponents.
His essay was adapted from his new book, The Strategist: How to Think About War & Politics.
