Ex-Pentagon advisor warns against US military buildup in Mideast
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Douglas Macgregor warns the US against escalating military presence in the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran and continued strikes on Yemen.
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This image taken from a video provided by the US Navy shows an aircraft launching from the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea before airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Saturday, March 15, 2025 (US Navy via AP)
Retired US Army Colonel and former Pentagon advisor Douglas Macgregor issued a warning on Sunday against Washington’s continued military buildup in the Middle East.
“New conflicts are brewing in the Middle East," Macgregor wrote on X.
"Yet as the buildup of American military power in the region signals the coming of a new war with Iran, how many Americans remember the consequences of previous military fiascos in Afghanistan, Korea, and Vietnam?” he added.
New conflicts are brewing in the Middle East. Yet as the buildup of American military power in the region signals the coming of a new war with Iran, how many Americans remember the consequences of previous military fiascos in Afghanistan, Korea, and Vietnam?
— Douglas Macgregor (@DougAMacgregor) April 6, 2025
Since March 15, the United States has carried out numerous airstrikes on northern and central Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa. The strikes followed orders from President Donald Trump after the Yemeni Armed Forces resumed their military operations against US- and Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea, in response to the ongoing Israeli war and blockade on the Gaza Strip.
On Wednesday, The Daily Mail, citing unnamed senior Israeli officials, reported that the United States and "Israel" were preparing a potential strike on suspected Iranian nuclear sites in an effort to neutralize the alleged threat posed by Tehran’s nuclear program.
On March 30, Trump issued Iran a two-month ultimatum to reach a nuclear agreement with Washington. Speaking to NBC News’ Kristen Welker, Trump warned, “If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing. It will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before.”
Tehran has rejected direct talks, citing ongoing US threats and Trump's “maximum pressure” policy. However, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that indirect negotiations remain possible.
In response to Trump’s threats, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Sayyed Ali Khamenei, has vowed that the US would "certainly receive a heavy blow" in the event of a strike against Iran.
US moves Patriot, THAAD systems to Middle East amid tensions in region
Most recently, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency cited unnamed sources as saying that the US and South Korea agreed last month to a “months-long” deployment of the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) system from South Korea to the Middle East.
Previously, NBC News reported that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had approved the relocation of at least two Patriot batteries and a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system from Asia to the Middle East.
Last month, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson to leave the Indo-Pacific and head to the Middle East, while the deployment of the USS Harry S. Truman in the region was extended. The US has also stationed multiple aerial refueling tankers, transport aircraft, and at least six B-2 stealth bombers at its base on Diego Garcia, a British territory in the Indian Ocean.
Dubbed “ghosts of the sky,” these stealth bombers are capable of breaching advanced air defenses and delivering precise, high-impact strikes. While these military assets were initially thought to be directed at escalating operations against the Yemeni Armed Forces, they now appear to be part of a strategy aimed at Iran.
EurAsian Times cited Iranian media reports suggesting the country’s missile forces have been placed on high alert, with launch-ready weapons housed in underground facilities. Iran’s General Staff has also affirmed that Tehran "has achieved a level of active deterrence in which any violation of its sovereignty will be met with a severe response.”
The news website suggested that there is growing speculation that Iran and its allies could target US bomber assets at Diego Garcia if conflict erupts.
It also pointed out that it remains unclear whether the US intends to initiate large-scale military action against Iran or if this is a strategy of "brinkmanship" designed to pressure Tehran, adding that either way, the stakes are high, and enhancing US air defense capabilities in the Middle East appears to be a precautionary response to potential conflict.
