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On Carl Higbie FRONTLINE this week former undersecretary of defense Robert Wilkie cut through the usual Washington spin and bluntly warned that the Iranian regime openly expresses murderous intent toward the United States and its allies. His appearance underscored what too many in the national security apparatus have been reluctant to say plainly: Iran is not a rational, status‑quo actor but an ideologically driven regime that celebrates America’s weakness.
Wilkie, a seasoned Pentagon hand, reminded viewers that the threat from Tehran is not abstract; it is concrete, cultivated over decades through proxies, terror networks, and repeated threats against Western civilization. He has long argued that the military needs an overhaul—rearming, rebuilding munitions stockpiles, and restoring training and readiness—because rhetoric from Tehran cannot be met with hollow diplomacy alone.
This is the moment for clarity, not equivocation. For years the political class flirted with appeasement while Iran quietly expanded its arsenal and influence, emboldening militias and plotting attacks beyond its borders. Conservatives should stop pretending that careful language and incremental sanctions will deter an enemy that openly chants death to its adversaries and sponsors assassination plots abroad.
Wilkie’s prescription is simple and muscular: rebuild deterrence, surge production of artillery and precision munitions, and restore a fighting force that can impose consequences. Those are not warmongering demands but commonsense measures to ensure that threats remain threats on paper and not on our streets or in our skies.
We also cannot forget the regional reality: leaders from Israel to Gulf partners have warned for years that Tehran’s program and proxies imperil the whole neighborhood and, eventually, American interests far from the Middle East. When foreign leaders say the same thing our own Pentagon veterans are saying, it’s reckless to shrug and hope the problem goes away.
Policy must match the rhetoric Wilkie and others offer. That means a robust defense industrial base, unambiguous backing for allied self‑defense, and a readiness to use all tools—including military options—if diplomacy and sanctions fail to change behavior. Weakness invites aggression; strength secures peace, and any responsible leadership must put security first.
If Washington has learned anything, let it be this: so‑called restraint that ignores existential threats is not prudence but paralysis. Wilkie’s appearance on a show like Carl Higbie FRONTLINE was a necessary wake‑up call—one that should propel lawmakers to act before rhetoric becomes reality and freedom pays the price.
