The US military leadership expects that the war with Iran could last several months — until around September. About this reported the Politico.
According to the publication, US Central Command has asked the Pentagon to send more military intelligence officers to its headquarters in Tampa, Florida, to support operations against Iran for at least 100 days — likely until September.
The publication notes that the hasty involvement of people and resources, which are usually planned long before the start of US military operations, may indicate that Donald Trump's team did not fully foresee the scale of the consequences of the war it launched together with Israel.
"We are seeing a completely spontaneous operation where it seems no one really understood or believed that military action was inevitable. It seems like they woke up on a Saturday morning and decided to start a war," said Gerald Feierstein, a former senior American diplomat who dealt with Middle East issues.
According to one US official, the Pentagon is also trying to deploy more air defense assets to the region, including compact and relatively inexpensive anti-drone systems that the agency has been developing for the past few years.
Of particular concern to military planners are attacks by Shahed suicide drones, one of which resulted in the deaths of American service members. These drones are relatively cheap and can often fly below the detection level of existing radars.
Currently, the US is forced to use missiles worth several million dollars to destroy drones, which cost many times less.
At the same time, many American drones that could be used in response have not yet been used in combat conditions, since American troops have not previously faced such a large-scale threat.
Recall that a large-scale military operation by the US and Israel against Iran began on February 28. The White House stated that the goal of the operation is to neutralize Tehran's nuclear and missile programs, as well as eliminate threats to American bases and allies in the region.
