1. As a senior military operator, it was my job to take higher intent from the Chiefs, and turn that into a Concept of Operations (ConOps) on the ground, that worked towards their political/strategic military direction.
•- his Mission was.
•- what the military end state was.
•- what were his critical vulnerabilities.
•- his risks.
•- and if these had changed since the order to withdraw in Oct 2019
•- secure an expanse of oil fields across eastern Syria.
apnews.com/251062e322ab4b…
•- deny Assad a crucial source of income?
•- guarantee Syrian Kurds and the SDF a valuable source of income?
•- deny Iran a land corridor from the Persian Gulf to the Med? (Most Likely)
apnews.com/d11a96e9210845…
And if ISIS is defeated, why is the Pentagon spox saying they need to provide the SDF w/ a source of revenue to keep fighting ISIS?
And if Trump is secretly concerned about ISIS, why did he hand the SDF out to dry!
•- calling in airstrikes risk U.S collateral.
•- civilian collateral could also escalate the contact.
•- gradually escalate? Show of Force?
•- what Quick Reaction Force reinforcements are available to the commander & how far away are they?