The Pentagon said Wednesday that President Trump’s tweet to “shoot down and destroy” Iranian gunboats if they harass Navy vessels was a welcome warning but does not constitute a change to the military’s rules of engagement.
“I like that the president warned an adversary,” Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. John Hyten told Pentagon reporters at a briefing.
“He’s providing a warning: If you want to go down that path, we will come, and we will come large. So, don’t go down that path,” he said. “I think the president’s message was crystal clear.”
Deputy Secretary of Defense David Norquist said the tweet was “a very useful thing that he put out.”
Wednesday morning, Trump tweeted, “I have instructed the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea.”
The order stems from an incident last week in which 11 Iranian Revolutionary Guard fast boats harassed six U.S. Navy vessels as they conducted integration operations with U.S. Army Apache helicopters in international waters off the north Persian Gulf.
Norquist said the president’s tweet emphasized that commanders have the “right of self-defense” to respond with lethal force when there is hostile intent.
Pentagon reporters pushed back, drawing a distinction between the president’s use of the word “harass,” which is far short of the military’s need for “hostile intent” to justify firing on the vessels.
Norquist declined to discuss rules of engagement but said: “You can’t let a fast boat get into a position where they can threaten your ship.”
Hyten went further, emphasizing that commanders ultimately make decisions as to when lethal force is warranted.
“We in the military have to apply that clear direction from the commander in chief into lawful orders that we execute, and we know what that means. We have no doubt what that means,” he said.
The Navy responded to the Iranian navy’s harassment last week through communication and by blowing warning horns as the boats crisscrossed the U.S. Navy vessels’ sterns and bows.
Hyten said the maritime incident and an Iranian satellite launch Tuesday were examples of “malign behavior and misbehavior.”
The deputy secretary of defense would not characterize the success of the satellite launch but noted that it “went a very long way,” indicating its potential application for ballistic missiles that can threaten the region and U.S. allies.
