Trump's Top General Issues Chilling Warning To US Troops Overseas
The top U.S. commander in the Middle East is warning American troops that their own cellphone videos could help Iran kill U.S. service members.
Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command, issued the stark warning in a July 28 letter as the military moves to crack down on troops posting footage from bases targeted by Iranian missiles and drones.
Cooper said Iran is watching videos, photos and news reports in near real time to figure out whether its strikes are hitting American positions.
Personnel deployed across the Middle East could soon be ordered to surrender their phones, according to Reuters, even as thousands of troops rely on mobile devices to communicate with spouses, children and other family members back home.
‘The direct, unavoidable cost of this open-source intelligence could be measured in the lives of American service members and civilian residents in targeted Gulf countries,’ Cooper wrote to the troops in letter dated July 28.
The warning comes as U.S. forces remain under pressure across the region following the collapse of President Donald Trump’s ceasefire with Iran.
Sources told Reuters that troops stationed in Jordan, which has been targeted by Iranian drone and missile attacks, could have their phones confiscated within days.
The military is trying to stop information from leaking into the open where Tehran can use it to refine future attacks.
A video posted online this month showed a service member filming as troops ran for cover during a deadly July 17 Iranian attack on a base in Jordan.
Cooper appeared to reference that clip in his letter, noting it was recorded on camera-equipped Meta smart glasses and posted to Instagram.
The footage revealed where and how the wearer evacuated to a bunker, according to the letter.
That kind of detail can matter on a battlefield where seconds, locations and damage assessments can shape the next strike.
Cooper said U.S. electronic jamming and other countermeasures can leave Iran largely unable to determine whether its attacks were effective.
But troops posting online can hand Tehran the answer for free.
‘Iran knows the weapons were fired; however, their forces do not know if they missed by 50 meters, hit an empty tarmac, or successfully struck a crowded facility,’ Cooper wrote in the letter.
He continued, ‘Detailed lists, descriptions, and analyses of what was hit, openly published by news outlets are essentially performing Iran’s Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) for them, free of charge.’
The warning lands after weeks of deadly attacks on U.S. forces in the Middle East.
Eighteen U.S. troops have been killed and more than 600 wounded since the conflict with Iran began in February.
The war has also become a growing political problem at home, with public support falling as American casualties rise.
Military commanders have long restricted phone use in sensitive environments, and troops on certain missions are often required to lock away devices.
Phones can be banned outright during special operations and other high-risk assignments.
But a broader phone crackdown in the Middle East would hit ordinary deployed personnel who use them to check in with loved ones during an increasingly dangerous mission.
That possibility has rattled some military families, especially as Iranian claims of attacks on U.S. bases continue to spread online.
Pentagon officials have warned for years that mobile apps, fitness trackers and location data can expose troop movements and military sites to foreign adversaries.
Commercially available smartphone location data has also been used to monitor and target U.S. forces abroad.
Now Cooper is making the threat plain for troops on the ground.
A quick video may look harmless to the person posting it.
To Iran, it could be a targeting report.
Cooper warned that if Tehran can determine whether its first strike worked, it could come back harder.
He concluded that allowing Iran to judge whether its attacks succeeded could prompt it to launch ‘a secondary, much more devastating wave of attacks.’
For U.S. troops in the region, the message was simple.
Put the phone away before the enemy uses it against you.
Blanche Confirmed As Attorney General With Fauci Criminal Referral Awaiting
A dramatic overnight vote in Washington has placed one of the most powerful positions in the federal government into new hands.
The outcome was decided by the narrowest of margins, and the official taking control could immediately inherit a politically explosive decision involving one of the most recognizable figures from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Senate confirmed Todd Blanche as attorney general early Saturday in a 50-49 vote, putting him in charge of the Justice Department as a congressional criminal referral involving Dr. Anthony Fauci awaits consideration by federal prosecutors.
The referral followed Fauci’s recent appearance before Senate investigators, where the former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination 111 times while testifying under subpoena.
A Senate committee subsequently referred Fauci to the Justice Department for possible criminal prosecution, meaning Blanche’s department will have to determine whether the evidence warrants further investigation or potential charges.
The referral does not establish that Fauci committed a crime, and invoking the Fifth Amendment cannot itself be treated as evidence of guilt.
Republican lawmakers have nevertheless argued that Fauci should face legal consequences stemming from their investigation into the federal government’s response to COVID-19, while Democrats have characterized the inquiry as politically motivated.
Blanche’s confirmation means responsibility for determining how DOJ handles that referral now rests with a department he formally leads after serving as acting attorney general since Pam Bondi’s departure in April.
His confirmation almost failed, with every Senate Democrat voting against him along with Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who has been absent from the Senate since mid-June, did not vote, leaving Republicans with virtually no margin for additional defections.
That placed Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., in the position of casting the decisive vote after he had remained the final Republican holdout on Blanche’s nomination.
Cassidy acknowledged his reservations about Blanche before announcing that he would nevertheless support his confirmation.
“Mr. Blanche is not perfect, and he will tell you this, but the choice is not between perfection and Mr. Blanche,” Cassidy said.
“It is between Mr. Blanche and another acting Attorney General who may not run the department effectively under President Trump,” Cassidy continued.
Cassidy also emphasized that his vote should not be interpreted as an endorsement of every action taken by President Donald Trump or his administration.
“This is not a referendum on President Trump,” Cassidy said.
“It is a decision regarding Mr. Blanche in very specific circumstances,” he added.
“All considered, I will vote for Mr. Blanche,” Cassidy concluded. “I’ll be criticized for this vote. What’s new?”
Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., sharply criticized the confirmation, calling the Senate’s decision “a grave mistake.”
Blanche previously served as Trump’s personal defense attorney before entering the administration and ultimately becoming acting attorney general following Bondi’s ouster.
His permanent confirmation now places him at the head of a Justice Department confronting several politically sensitive matters, with congressional Republicans certain to watch closely for what happens with their Fauci referral.
Fauci’s Senate testimony came as lawmakers continue examining pandemic-era government policies, federal funding connected to scientific research and questions surrounding the origins of COVID-19.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who subpoenaed Fauci to testify, has been among the most vocal lawmakers demanding accountability and has questioned whether the pardon Fauci received from former President Joe Biden would protect him from every potential avenue of prosecution.
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Paul also posted a photograph of Fauci sitting alone at the Senate hearing table following his testimony and wrote, “Accountability is coming.”
Any prosecution would require federal investigators and prosecutors to independently determine that sufficient admissible evidence exists to support criminal charges, regardless of what Congress recommended in its referral.
