Jerry Gordon, a Senior Editor of The New English Review, invited retired U.S. Army Brigadier General John Adams (Ret.) for this fourth in a series of discussions on Israel Defense Force military doctrine and strategic options in the conduct of the Jewish state’s civilizational war with Iran-backed Hamas terrorist group in Gaza. He addresses the conflict given his extensive background as a 30-year veteran of combat, staff and international military diplomatic assignments and post-service informal analysis and discussions with former Senior IDF commanders.

Among the issues covered in this wide-ranging discussion are:

1. Biden Administration attempts to force Israel to “scale down” Gaza operations conflicts with IDF objective of destroying and displacing jihadist Hamas.
2. Biden Administration “day after” two state solution, modeled on failed 1993 Oslo Accords, is rejected by the Netanyahu government because of national security concerns. PLO – Fatah was routed by Hamas in 2006 Gaza elections and both groups share same objective: destruction of Jewish state.
3. Discovery of massive Hamas tunnel near Israeli Erez Gaza crossings and failure of border high tech Iron Wall in Hamas breach on October 7^th – Israel’s “Maginot Line” – are priorities to be investigated in post-conflict intelligence failures investigation.
4. Hamas discussions with Egyptian intelligence on new round of pauses include release of 40 to 50 of remaining Israeli captive in exchange for longer pause and increased humanitarian aid and release of Israeli Palestinian security prisoners.
5. Other “Day After” solutions reviewed include “One State” proposal by noted Israeli geo-political commentator Caroline Glick based on Arab Clan governance of municipalities and pathway to Israeli citizenship and New State proposal of former Senior IDF officers- an expansion of Gaza into Egyptian Sinai – “Singapore” on Mediterranean Coast.
6. Iran is behind proxy Yemen’s Houthi rebel drone and ballistic missile attacks in support of Hamas in Gaza threaten global war and maritime risks in Red Sea and transit via Suez Canal. USS Destroyer Carney successfully repulsed Houthi drone and missile attacks.  Defense Secretary Austin announced formation of international maritime task force in Operation Prosperity Guardians composed of US, Britain, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain.
7. Iran is also behind Hizballah as it threatens rocket and precision guided missile barrages to northern and central Israel. Hizballah has an inventory of upwards of 150,00 rickets and missiles. The IDF has conducted air attacks, in response to rocket and mortar attacks. Israel has evacuated an estimated 200,000 from both northern and southern communities. Defense Minister Gallant announced possible limited incursion of 18 kilometers to Litani river in Southern Lebanon to destroy Hizballah positions. The Biden Administration maintains one US Navy Carrier Battle Group offshore Lebanon (another CBG is in the Persian Gulf) to prevent a widening war in the Middle East.
8. Israel needs to complete its mission of destroying or displacing Hamas without significant delays to avoid rising costs to its economy.

WATCH: Will Biden Administration continue support or obstruct Israel victory over Hamas in Gaza War?

About BG John Adams, USA (Ret.)

Brigadier General John Adams retired from the US Army in September 2007. Currently an independent defense consultant, he is also studying toward a PhD in Political Science at the University of Arizona, with a research focus on European security institutions. His final military assignment was as Deputy United States Military Representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Military Committee in Brussels, Belgium, the highest military authority of NATO. He worked closely with military representatives of NATO and Partnership for Peace member nations to develop policy recommendations for the political authorities of the Alliance, and helped coordinate the transfer of authority in Afghanistan from US to NATO control.

Born and raised in the Washington, DC, area, General Adams was a Distinguished Military Graduate and received a Regular Army commission from North Carolina State University Army ROTC in 1976. As a Foreign Area Officer, Military Intelligence Officer, and Army Aviator, his more than thirty years of service in command and staff assignments includes nearly eighteen years in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, including assignments with US Embassies in Belgium (1994-1997), Rwanda (1996), Croatia (1998-2001), and South Korea (2002-2003), where as an Army Foreign Area Officer and military attaché, he provided political-military advice to US Ambassadors, combatant commanders, US Government authorities in Washington, visiting US Government delegations, and represented the United States with foreign government officials regarding national and regional issues. As an Army Aviator, he has more than 700 hours as pilot-in-command in fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft including the UH-1D, OV/RV-1D Mohawk, and RU-21 Guardrail Special Electronic Mission Aircraft.

On September 11, 2001, he was stationed at the Pentagon as Deputy Director for European Policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and directly participated in immediate disaster recovery operations at the crash site as well as coordinated international support for the US diplomatic and military response. He is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm (1991), Operation Guardian Assistance in Rwanda (1996), and served and traveled extensively on official business throughout the Balkans from 1998-2003. He traveled on temporary duty to both Iraq and Afghanistan in 2004.

General Adams holds Masters in International Relations (Boston University), English (University of Massachusetts), and Strategic Studies (US Army War College). He taught English at West Point from 1988-90. He is proficient in French, Dutch, German, and Croatian.

John and his wife, Laura Magan MD, make their home in Tucson. They enjoy sailing, hiking, and cooking. He has two daughters, the oldest who graduated from the College of William and Mary in 2008 and now works as a program coordinator with Operation Smile in Norfolk, Virginia, and the youngest who is a senior at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

©2023. Jerry Gordon. All rights reserved.