Op-Ed |

America First Policy Institute

Op-Ed: Escalation control: Lessons from the Soleimani strike

Lt. General (Ret.) Keith Kellogg ,  January 3, 2023

This article originally appeared in Washington Times on January 3, 2023

Three years ago, on Jan. 3, 2020, the United States launched a military drone strike that killed  Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian Quds Force commander.

I was in the White House Situation Room as the strike progressed. With Soleimani considered by most the senior military commander in Iran based on his role in external military affairs and pure charisma, the attack was designed to send a clear message. It did. Looking back, the lead-up to that moment offers leadership lessons for how to deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions today in Ukraine.

In any conflict involving presidential decision-making, there is a time and a place to escalate a response. The key is when to do so with a clear end-state objective. There is a time for super escalation.

 

Read full op-ed in Washington Times

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