Retired US air force colonel says Iran be better positioned to sustain prolonged war
He added that the prolonged conflict was now testing which of the two strategic approaches could prove more sustainable over time.
A retired United States Air Force colonel, Cedric Leighton, has reportedly told CNN that Iran may be in a stronger position than the United States to sustain a prolonged military conflict, citing differences in the two countries’ weapons stockpiles and ability to replenish them.
According to international affairs analyst Lim Tean, who reported the comments, Leighton suggested that the United States had been expending large quantities of precision-guided munitions, many of which could take years to replace.
Tean further claimed that Iran still retains approximately two-thirds of its original stockpile of missiles, drones and rockets despite months of military strikes.
The analyst argued that the situation highlighted a fundamental difference in the military strategies of the two countries.
“Precision beats mass in a short war. Mass beats precision in a long one,” Tean said, describing the development as a test of the strategic assumptions underpinning the conflict.
He argued that while Washington had built its military doctrine around the effectiveness of advanced precision weapons, Iran had developed a strategy centred on maintaining large quantities of relatively cheaper missiles, drones and rockets.
“Washington built its doctrine around the first. Iran built its doctrine around the second, because it had no choice,” Tean said.
He added that the prolonged conflict was now testing which of the two strategic approaches could prove more sustainable over time.
The claims attributed to Leighton and Tean could not be independently verified from the information available, while the precise status of the respective military stockpiles remains difficult to establish publicly.
