Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt, Sunday on Newsmax, praised the high-risk rescue of a downed airman in Iran, noting that U.S. forces showed "our people matter to us" and reinforcing the military's commitment to bring service members home.
"I couldn't be more proud as an airman, and this airman did exactly what he was trained to do," Holt told Newsmax's "Sunday Report."
Holt pointed to elite survival training programs, saying the airman followed procedures "exactly textbook, exactly what they were supposed to do."
"You just can't imagine how many forces have to come together to make something like this happen," he said, citing intelligence teams, airborne personnel, paratroopers, and pararescue units. "But we sent a message: our people matter to us. We will leave no one behind."
Asked about survival training, Holt said pilots are prepared for precisely this scenario.
"The first thing that happens is you want to check yourself for injuries," he said. "You want to make sure you're in a good position to start to evade. And then you need to start to take heart. You need to know that we're coming for you, and we won't break our faith with you. We are coming to get you."
Holt also addressed broader military strategy as tensions with Iran continue, saying the U.S. faces a critical moment but has multiple options short of a prolonged ground war.
"We are at quite an inflection point," he said. "You don't make a decision about boots on the ground just because you lost some sheet metal."
He added that potential strategies could include "deception, network-centric warfare, effects-based operations," and possibly securing key infrastructure such as Kharg Island.
"I don't see another Iraq or Afghanistan out in front of us," Holt said. "I think that we're going to handle this a very different way."
Political science professor Robert Pape, who joined the segment, warned that while recent military actions have been tactically successful, they could lead to broader escalation and humanitarian consequences.
"This is a spectacular military success, a tactical success," Pape said. "But tactical success doesn't mean strategic success."
Pape said targeting infrastructure like Iran's electrical grid could have severe civilian impacts.
"This is going to produce tremendous harm on the civilian population," he said. "It means no dialysis. It means no heart surgeries. This means this will have tremendous consequences for millions and millions."
He said such actions could be part of preparation for potential ground operations, even if not explicitly stated.
"The reason you do this is because you really are moving steadily toward ground operations," Pape said.
Pape also described what he called an "escalation trap," where each round of military action provokes further retaliation.
"We're in a trap where tactically our military has been brilliant," he said. "But Iran is stronger today."
He added that broader regional risks could emerge, including attacks on desalination plants in Gulf countries.
"Within two weeks, there will be a humanitarian disaster as we've never seen," Pape said.
Both guests said President Donald Trump still has multiple strategic options, though Pape warned the trajectory points toward continued escalation.
"What I do is risk assessment, what happens down each branch," Pape said. "I don't think anybody knows that crystal ball."
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