Military commanders like Kurilla have expertise in battlefield wins but not in long-term strategy or managing domestic political outcomes of particular national security choices, noted Rosemary Kelanic, the Middle East program director at the Defense Priorities think tank.
“Kurilla seems very interested in the U.S. getting more engaged in the region… and seems to be interested in military solutions that take a long time to come to fruition and involve a lot of resources, none of which I think is something President Trump is particularly interested in,” Kelanic said. “I worry about civil-military relations and what the appropriateness is of military commanders pushing for certain policy outcomes.”
“It’s always hard for a president to stand up to the military… that’s especially hard for Trump because he sort of views the military as this almighty power that the United States has,” Kelanic said. “If the military comes in with the stars and badges, it’s hard not to be swayed by them. I think the military is doing it because they have the U.S.’s best interest at heart, but they only have part of the picture.”
“If we can get Israel to stop even temporarily and the U.S. stays out itself, then the U.S. and Israel can go to Iran and say… let’s go to the table,” Kelanic said. Still, reestablishing trust with Iranians for talks will be challenging, she said, and before even getting there, the U.S. will need to restrain Israel.
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