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By Ellie Cook
Senior Defense Reporter
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U.S. forces deployed in the Middle East have a "long history of thinking and working in innovative ways," according to Captain Timothy Hawkins, a spokesperson for the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees all U.S. troops in the region.
Admiral Brad Cooper, CENTCOM's top commander, listens to suggestions from all ranks, Hawkins said.
In this case, it appears the U.S. military is collecting proposals for how to beat Iran as war against Tehran enters its sixth month.
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"We are looking for new creative and unconventional ways to pressure and punish Iran," an unspecified intelligence officer working for CENTCOM said in a message to military analysts, according to a CNN report this week.
The network cited a source familiar with the email and reported the message was sent on July 29, but did not specify the sender nor the recipients. Newsweek could not independently verify the information.
But the wording quickly raised eyebrows with some, who saw it as a sign the White House sent the U.S. military into a major war without enough of a thought-through plan for a quick win, or an exit strategy.
Others theorize that it could be a business-as-usual request, similar to the communications often circulated by commanders in different branches of the U.S. military.
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What New Tactics Could the U.S. Be Looking At?
It's difficult to tell what type of responses were being fished for with the request. Beyond Hawkins' statement, CENTCOM declined to elaborate on the report, and didn't confirm—nor deny—the message in the CNN article.
But as the war drags on and the costs go up, the CENTCOM sender may have been hoping to come across a "silver bullet" strategy, or new tactics that pack the same punch Ukraine has dealt Russia with its drone war, said Jim Townsend, a former Pentagon official who spent more than three decades in the Department of Defense.
The likely question behind the request, he told Newsweek, was: "How can we be the Ukrainians? Give us something creative, like Ukraine does."
Kyiv has, particularly in recent months, menaced Russia's largest online retailer with at least 17 drone strikes on its warehouses and homed in on the oil refineries and export sites Moscow leans on for a vital revenue stream.
Observers say the choice of targets, going beyond attacking purely military sites, has brought the impact of the war home to ordinary Russians and put Kyiv in a stronger negotiating position for when peace talks restart.
In the Middle East, despite the U.S.' heavy strike campaign and the economic slap of sanctions against Tehran, Washington hasn't been able to break Iran's hold on the vital Strait of Hormuz waterway and restore free shipping.
U.S. officials have suggested simply doubling down on bombing Iranian targets is unlikely to move Tehran, and while President Donald Trump said on Sunday he had paused a plan to carry out "by far the biggest attack since World War II" on Iran to make way for talks, Iranian officials have denied they're negotiating with the U.S. and instead turned to conversations with Oman.
Unusual Request
Because the context of the message reported by CNN isn't clear, it's hard to work out how extraordinary an appeal it may be, and what else may have been included.
Active-duty U.S. military personnel can—and do—publish articles in the media or academic journals, suggesting new ways of doing things, whether it be how to use drones or ideas for how to pump out more interceptor missiles for air defense systems.
The U.S. military also runs contests and challenges to shake loose new strategies, including from serving personnel, as well as civilians and think tanks.
In previous conflicts, including in the Middle East, the U.S.' intelligence community and the Defense Secretary's office and other officials came up with and presented possible courses of action (COAs) to the National Security Council, said Townsend. These would wind up on the president's desk for judgment, he said.
One serving U.S. military official told Newsweek that the "wording may sound blunt" in the CNN message, but it's hard to extrapolate the intentions behind it.
They said intelligence officers often weigh up where their enemy may be vulnerable and help commanders work out what options are available to them.
Others are more scathing in their assessments.
"It telegraphs that they don't have a plan," said Townsend.
Current and former officials say that while asking for suggestions from up and down the military chain of command isn't itself remarkable, a written call-out is much more unexpected.
Several serving U.S. and European military officials said this type of email would be a bizarre way to solicit advice on fighting an ongoing war, and brainstorming would typically take place during classified discussions.
It's "unusual as f***, to be precise," one European defense official remarked to Newsweek. They were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record.
"I can't think of any precedent for an action like this," said Mark Cancian, a retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel now with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank in Washington.
During previous conflicts, like the Iraq War, some new suggestions broke through, he told Newsweek.
"However, that was not in response to any formal call," he said.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Frances Mao and Tony Phillips
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