During a meeting at the Council on Foreign Relations think tank, the politician answered questions including: regarding the US-Israeli operation against Iran.
What countries did Colby mention as model partners for the US?
What threat does Colby think Iran poses?
What did Colby say about American defense strategy?
What information was provided about the deployment of American troops in Europe?
Referring to the missile intercepted by NATO air defense over Turkey on Wednesday, he noted: – I don't know the exact details, so I don't want to go out of my way. (…) But I think we see it clearly, that the Islamic Republic is ready to strike at a wide range of countries, not only in the Middle East, but also potentially in NATO. — We are observing the movements of many NATO countries to take action (on this matter), he added.
He noted the “broad consensus that the Islamic Republic is a disruptive threat.” “It's not like Americans are inventing anything,” he continued.
Politician on US defense strategy
— The strategy emphasizes that it is the duty and necessity to provide the president with credible and rational military options that will enable him to pursue his goals around the world, and in particular enable him to benefit from our aviation and maritime programs, he added.
“That's why I think it's critically important that the United States, and particularly the United States armed forces, can take decisive action around the world,” Colby continued. — Secondly, the strategy emphasizes how important it is to share the burden, he noted.
Elbridge Colby praises Poland
He mentioned Israel, South Korea and Poland among the US's model partners in this context. He admitted that in terms of defense spending, “Germany is also making a step forward.” — We also see this to a large extent in the Middle East. And the strategy is designed in such a way as to allow the president (Donald Trump) to conduct such operations, he calculated.
In response to PAP's question about whether any changes are planned regarding the number or deployment of American soldiers and equipment in Europe in the context of the operation against Iran, the Pentagon replied: – Today we have no changes to announce regarding the deployment of forces.
