The ongoing conflict has highlighted the importance of continued U.S. support, in terms of both military aid and diplomatic backing.
By Yaakov Lappin, JNS
U.S.-led security cooperation between Israel and Arab states must be central to counter the growing Iranian threat in the Middle East, according to a report published authored by seven former senior American military officers.
The former commanders prepared the report on behalf of the Washington-based Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA).
“The centerpiece strategy should be expanding regional cooperation, particularly between Arab states and Israel, and building out a regional security architecture that empowers regional U.S. partners to work together to address the Iranian threat,” the report states.
Its authors include Lt. Gen (ret.) Charles Hooper, USA , former director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency; Lt. Gen. (ret.) John Jansen, United States Marine Corps, former deputy commandant for programs and resources; and Lt. Gen. (ret.) Charles Moore, United States Air Force, who was also former deputy commander of the U.S. Cyber Command.
They also included Lt. Gen. (ret.) Steven Rudder, former commanding general of the United States Marine Corps Forces in the Pacific; and Rear Adm. (ret.) Paul Becker, United States Navy, former director for intelligence, Joint Staff.
“This was a unique opportunity to visit wartime Israel with access to the nation’s senior most leaders, which left us with several major impressions,” Becker told JNS.
He listed those impressions as “the world may have moved on from Oct. 7 but Israel has not, the conflict is multi-front and not just confined to a southern and northern border, and the Israeli spirit remains strong. However, public disagreements between Washington and Jerusalem only emboldens the war’s principal antagonist, Iran, and it’s vicious proxies’ malign activities, which makes Israel’s fight more difficult.”
In the document, the authors state, “We have prepared this report to present to our active-duty colleagues, U.S. policymakers and the American public what we saw and heard in Israel—including that which surprised us or which we had not known before.”
In late June, the delegation of retired U.S. officers traveled to Israel under the auspices of JINSA and engaged with Israel’s top political, military and intelligence leaders, covering Israel’s strategic challenges and the role of U.S.-Israel military cooperation.
The delegation viewed the Bear Witness video, a 47-minute compilation of footage from Oct. 7’s Hamas-led mass murder attack on the western Negev, which vividly captured the atrocities.
As noted by the delegation, “The brutality we witnessed in that video, and its remnants that we saw at one of the communities that was attacked, exceeds anything we have previously seen.”
The report adds, regarding post-war Gaza, that “reconstruction without deradicalization in Gaza will be a prescription for failure.”
The delegation’s discussions with Israeli leaders revealed that the conflict is far more complex than a single-front war in Gaza, the report states.
Israeli officials emphasized that Israel is facing a seven-front war, with threats emanating from Gaza, Lebanon, Judea and Samaria, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Iran itself.
This “ring of fire” around Israel is the result of Iran’s strategic investment in regional proxies—totaling $7 billion annually—and its broader ambitions in the Middle East, the report notes.
One of the most significant revelations was the extent to which Iran’s actions in the region are part of a global conflict involving the Iran-Russia-China-North Korea axis, the authors write.
Israeli officials argued that this axis is not just targeting Israel but is waging a broader war against the West, with Israel being a key front in this global struggle.”
The report notes that “Iranian-made or -designed drones are now an important part of Russia’s aerial arsenal. Much as Iran and its proxies did during the April 13 attack, Russia frequently launches barrages of Iranian one-way attack drones at Ukrainian military and civilian sites, both to inflict damage and to confuse Ukrainian air defenses so that larger, more destructive missiles can successfully reach their targets.”
Iran’s war against Israel, meanwhile, is made possible in part by funds that Tehran earns by selling its oil to China, said the authors.
The strength of the U.S.-Israel military partnership was highlighted throughout the delegation’s visit.
Israeli leaders expressed deep gratitude for U.S. military support, particularly in the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack.
The quick deployment of U.S. military assets, including two carrier strike groups in the Eastern Mediterranean, sent a powerful deterrent message to Hezbollah and Iran, helping to prevent a broader regional escalation, the authors assessed.
A key development in military cooperation has been Israel’s inclusion in U.S. Central Command’s (CENTCOM) Area of Responsibility (AOR), as well as the Abraham Accords.
This shift has significantly enhanced operational coordination between the U.S. and Israeli militaries, particularly in defending against Iranian threats.
For instance, during Iran’s April 13 attack on Israel, CENTCOM forces played a crucial role in intercepting more than 80 drones and six ballistic missiles, according to the report.
However, the delegation also noted concerns about potential rifts in the U.S.-Israel relationship, particularly regarding the timely delivery of American weapons.
Delays in munitions deliveries have raised alarms among Israeli military leaders, who stressed that such holdups could embolden Hezbollah and other adversaries by creating perceptions of Israeli vulnerability.
The officers reported that “every Israeli leader we met with, political and military alike, warned us that such visible widening differences between Washington and Jerusalem embolden Iran and its proxies.”
The delegation shared that it was told by Israeli officials that “publicly aired disagreements between the United States and Israel increase the risks of further escalation by our common adversaries.”
The delegation concluded that the military relationship is vital not only for Israel’s security but also for broader U.S. strategic interests in the Middle East.
The ongoing conflict has highlighted the importance of continued U.S. support, in terms of both military aid and diplomatic backing.
Moreover, it stressed the need for enhanced technological cooperation between the two countries.
Israel’s role as a technological innovator in areas such as missile defense, unmanned systems and artificial intelligence presents significant opportunities for joint development and deployment of cutting-edge military technologies, the delegation said.