White House warns Iran of escalating violence
Foreign correspondent Trey Yingst reports as the White House confirms that the US and Iranian forces have agreed to a temporary standoff ahead of talks in Qatar. Retired Navy fighter pilot Matthew ‘Whiz’ Buckley discusses CENTCOM strikes.
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War is on everyone’s mind as tensions with Iran continue. It definitely keeps me up at night. After spending 22 years in the Army and serving all over the world, it still consumes a lot of my attention.
Europe and America fought the “War to End All Wars” more than 100 years ago in the trenches of World War I. Of course, it did not really end wars, and went directly into World War II, which left millions dead and reestablished national sovereignty around the world. In the book “1984,” George Orwell wrote that “there is no more war going on.” When we become accustomed to war, it becomes a constant in our lives, like an incurable disease that we try to treat but cannot completely cure.
That’s why one of the proudest votes I took in my first year in Congress was to repeal the 2002 authorization for the use of military force in Iraq – almost 17 years to the day after I came home from that war. This was the first time in my lifetime that Congress successfully deauthorized the use of military force.
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Earlier this year I introduced my bipartisan reform plan to eliminate another outdated authorization and require future authorizations to be reauthorized at least every five years. The package would also give Congress more tools to quickly and clearly define future travel after the president uses the power to deal with immediate threats.
US military training with drones, as the US military works hard to catch up. (Fox Stories)
Our Constitution is clear: Only Congress can declare war and decide to engage in the use of military force. In 1973, Congress passed the War Powers Act, which delegated some authority to the president for up to 60 days before Congress gave permission for the effort to continue.
When that timeline expired on the Iran conflict, I felt compelled to use it for one simple reason – the decision of when and how to go to war is perhaps the most consequential a government can make. It literally involves life and death.
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Decisions like these require a high level of constitutional scrutiny. Iran must never get a nuclear weapon, but the people’s representatives must have a voice when American lives and taxpayer dollars are on the line.
Decisions about war cannot be taken lightly. Sadly, I have come across what sounds like a growing sense that some Americans think we can fight wars using other people’s sons and daughters with technology that keeps us off the battlefield. We haven’t had a draft for over 50 years, so it’s easy to feel immune to the effects of war.
But every generation of Global War on Terror-era veterans sees it differently. We have lost friends and comrades who did not make it home or came back physically or mentally injured, and thousands who lost their lives to suicide instead of fighting. By the end of my twenties, it was easy to wonder if it was all worth it or not.
Staff Sergeant Duane Dreasky was my friend and roommate when deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, during Operation Enduring Freedom. He was hit by an IED in Iraq and buried in Arlington National Cemetery, just three miles from where I now vote as a member of the United States Congress.
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Some friends are lost to suicide or overdose. I think about the total human cost of war as I carry their memories and the thousands of other War on Terror veterans with me as I make these decisions.
Sadly, I have come across what sounds like a growing sense that some Americans think we can fight wars using other people’s sons and daughters with technology that keeps us off the battlefield.
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While my time in the military has passed, I owe it to this generation of soldiers to set clear, clear goals, to prevent the escalation of equipment and protection from endless conflicts and nation building.
If we need to use military force, a clearly defined mission allows a larger force to defeat the enemy quickly and clearly. It is time for Congress to step up and have a debate about the use of force and avoid the terrible mistakes of the past.
