US President Donald Trump’s illegal war in Iran continues to fail, while costing American taxpayers an alarming amount of money. The government never has money for healthcare, childcare or education, but they always find money for war.
In fact, on Friday, Trump and US Secretary of War Peter Hegseth asked US Congress to approve a new Department of War budget totaling $1.5 trillion. This comes as gas, grocery and housing prices continue to rise across America.
Even if you’ve been following the war with Iran closely, you might be wondering what is real and what is propaganda. One minute, Trump claims we are not at war with Iran. In the next, he claims victory. Then, he will say we must open the Strait of Hormuz. In the next minute, he will say the Strait was never closed.
Trump and Hegseth must know the war is not going well, however. Peter is firing military generals left and right. On Thursday, he fired the Army’s top General, likely due to their clashes over Hegseth blocking promotions for Black and female senior officers. Many of the firings, however, are likely because of the war with Iran or a general lack of loyalty, which is essential for our fascist regime to continue in its current form.
I will discuss some quick facts, before diving further into my own perspective on the war, as a former US and NATO war planner in US Army Europe.
Trump’s war with Iran, by the numbers
2 - The number of US warplanes Iran downed on April 3rd.
15 - The number of US service members who have died because of Donald Trump’s warmongering and greed.
Over 300 - The number of US service members injured because of the US and Israel’s illegal war.
$5 billion - The estimated cost of the damage done to American military facilities and equipment since the start of this war.
$35 billion - The estimated cost of the war thus far. That’s enough to entirely reverse Trump’s healthcare cuts for 20 million Americans.
$200 billion - The amount of additional funds Donald Trump and Peter Hegseth asked Congress to approve.
$1.5 trillion - The new proposed budget for the Department of War.
Remember: US taxpayers have already paid billions to fund Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Did anyone see this coming? I did.
I deployed to Afghanistan in July 2019 and returned to Illinois in May 2020. What happened on deployment changed me forever. During our tour, I served as the Medical Operations Officer and Medical Platoon Leader for the 1-178 Infantry Battalion. I advised Afghan medical planners and commanders and worked alongside a Golden Hour Offset Surgical Team (GHOST) to save as many lives as possible.
During the deployment, we treated at least 24 combat casualties, including civilian children. I returned with post traumatic stress disorder and a completely different outlook on US military operations around the world.
In late 2021, I mobilized to Germany to support US Army Europe. For the first year, I served as a Training Liaison Officer for 7th Army Training Command. I then spent two years as a Medical Operations Officer and Medical Plans Officer in the Office of the Command Surgeon. There, I worked to improve Ukrainian medical systems. I also worked as the lead medical planner, contributing to US and NATO war plans.
As the lead medical planner, I conducted thorough research of military medical personnel, equipment and capabilities. I had to know everything - movement and maneuver, fires, sustainment, protection, command and control - not just medical.
I know how long it should take for things to happen in an ideal scenario. I know how long it could take for the US military industrial base to transition to being fully able to support large scale combat operations. When things happen too quickly, I know how many corners were cut.
This is not the United States military of World War II. My senior officers told me for years that we are not a Superpower, because we are not. We are not properly manned, trained or equipped to fight this war.
Additionally, drone warfare makes military planning incredibly difficult. We don’t know how much they can do in sustainment, but we do know Iran’s drones continue to damage US equipment. Last week, Iran damaged a US F-35 (our most expensive war plane) with a drone.
I’ve spoken many times on the illegality of this war. Beyond that, I personally knew we were not ready to fight in a war like this. We’re out of our depth. Donald Trump is leading us into a new era, whether he knows it or not. An era where US military imperialism and hegemony are no more.
What’s next?
Many of you will find this scary, but I see it as an opportunity - an opportunity to reshape America into a land that’s truly for the working class. We have a lot of work to do to get there, but I believe we can use this moment to build a better nation.
Please join me in calling for an end to this illegal war, an end to this fascist regime, and an end to American oligarchy.
In Solidarity,
Dylan Blaha
Writer & Creator, Democratic Reformation
Veteran · Scientist · Organizer