Iran Rescue Mission Underscores Hegseth’s Predecessors’ Incompetence

An American airman found himself stuck behind enemy lines on Saturday in the “treacherous mountains of Iran,” after his aircraft was shot down and Iranian forces were closing in, according to the president. But in a daring rescue mission, the CIA managed to pick up his distress signal and fed false information through multiple channels to confuse the enemy, Fox News reported. In the meantime, MQ9 Reaper drones established a secure perimeter and U.S. forces were able to rescue him. 

In a Truth Social post, President Donald Trump said the airman “was never truly alone because his Commander in Chief, Secretary of War, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and fellow Warfighters were monitoring his location 24 hours a day, and diligently planning for his rescue.”

Americans can and will continue to debate the war in Iran. But what is not debatable is the competence on display of our military and its leaders during Saturday’s rescue mission. This rescue mission stands as a stark indictment of the generation of top brass who preceded it — the same admirals and generals who spent decades losing wars and abandoning Americans in times of need — all the while retaining their Washington, D.C. accolades.

On September 11, 2012, Islamist militants attacked the US embassy in Benghazi. The attack lasted hours, during which Ambassador Christopher Stevens, Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glen Doherty were killed. Investigations from the House Select Committee on Benghazi found that the U.S. military response was slow and inadequate. Available special operations and air forces were not deployed with anything remotely suggesting urgency, and there was poor coordination between the Pentagon, State Department, and intelligence community. 

Despite the deadly eight-hour attack that claimed four American lives and the House’s investigative report documenting a slow and unprepared military, none of the Pentagon’s highest ranked officers were relieved of command as punishment.

Less than a decade later, when President Joe Biden attempted to withdraw from Afghanistan, the Taliban killed 13 U.S. service members at Abbey Gate during a suicide bombing. Then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley and CENTCOM commander Gen. Kenneth McKenzie presided over the disastrous operation. Both Milley and McKenzie retired with their reputations largely intact. 

These failures have become expected and institutionalized. Nowhere is that more apparent than in Sen. Tim Kaine’s reaction to the mission as it was ongoing on Saturday. In a post on X, Kaine wrote: “We are trying to rescue a downed American in Iran. Hegseth’s boasts about ‘no quarter,’ ‘no mercy,’ and axing ‘stupid rules of engagement’ mean we have to hope that Iran follows the humanitarian laws that US leaders now dismiss.”

After decades of failed operations that cost American lives, time, and money, D.C. is still concerned with process over results even when it comes to rescuing a stranded American. 

The successful rescue mission of America’s finest did not occur simply because the military rediscovered competence. It occurred because of decisive action by Hegseth and other leaders, proving failure has been a choice for decades.