“Targets of Opportunity” → Iran and 7th CISM Military World Games – 18–27 October 2019. Location> Hubei Province. Wuhan. China

Like the “fog of war” the shadow of a world pandemic has lingered, manifesting itself shortly before China’s “Full Harvest Moon” in October 2019, redirecting its aim towards Iran in January. Did the West look towards the East responding “by any means necessary”? In a twist of irony and blowback the threatened Iranian “52 different sites” turned out to be 50 US states and a cultural icon.

Thought Experiment: I find out that one of my neighbors whom I’ve had disputes with will be judging a pie contest. I enter my name into the contest. I genetically engineer a pie. On the day of the contest, I box it and take with me placing it on the judges table alongside other pies. After the judges finish the pie tasting, I learn the pie I entered did not win. I return home. Several days later, I learn that my neighbor along with the other judges become ill due to a virus. Later, their family, friends and coworkers also take ill.

Source and origin?  Scientists may agree with me and conclude that the source of the virus was one of the pies. The origin of the outbreak was the pie contest ceremony. Information can be collected of all the contestants and where they reportedly baked their pies and ingredients used, but unless the “Spiemaker” admits specifically what pie was contaminated, it all amounts to a pile of data.

Nature or man-made? Origin and source?

“There are two possible outcomes: if the result confirms the hypothesis, then you’ve made a measurement. If the result is contrary to the hypothesis, then you’ve made a discovery.” ― Enrico Fermi

In my June 2020 paper, Iran-China-America: “Targets of Opportunity” and Experiments,” I point to the sky. Hunter’s Moon in October 2019 shined bright red as China reportedly hosted the “World Games” event with dozens of nations participating. Naturally, theories were presented where athletes representing the U.S. took part in bio-warfare given their reported proximity to the “hotspot,” Wuhan.

Scientists initially agreed that the origin of COVID-19 was China. But does origin = source? Take for example the “Great Influenza” of 1918. According to Lawrence Gostin, Director O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, the “Great Influenza’ erroneously named the ‘Spanish Flu’ “originated in the U.S.”

Remember that in “The Great War,” America’s first mass conscripted army base was built in Kansas, Camp Funstor.  It appears the source of the virus were the infected soldiers and origin was US.

On the recent withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, some citizens ask “For what purpose they come? For what purpose they’re going?  Did not build anything.” Right. But did they leave anything? Where were they transferred?

Francis J. “Bing” West says it best. West is a Marine combat veteran and former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, author of The Wrong War: Grit, Strategy, and the Way Out of Afghanistan:

“The United States possessed precision firepower, with sensors that tracked any individual out of doors. In theory, the U.S. military claimed that “rule of law” was a guiding principle in combating any insurgency. In practice, the U.S. military applied no systemic rules of law.”

A century later, the wars that followed have not been “Great” but the bloodied soil has attracted more birds to swarm making it a perfect feeding ground for a wilderness of deception.

Key question, ‘Who stood to gain’? According to The Economist, “China’s rulers see the coronavirus as a chance to tighten their grip. Officials are playing politics with the viral outbreak.” Given the actions and inactions of the rest of the world, e-commerce and Wall Street shareholders stood to benefit. And governments agencies.

In my October 2019 paper, “Risk of Being Open and Transparent with Old and New Enemies” it is pointed out that transparency hinders counterintelligence and poses risks. James R. Clapper, former Director of National Intelligence stated the “nature of intelligence is to deal with uncertainty.” Interesting that Clapper mentioned intelligence and uncertainty.

On February 26, 2020, the Former National Intelligence Council Chair Gregory Treverton spoke on the “Future of Intelligence.” Treverton stated, “I don’t see a lot of interesting things going on with respect to what seems to be this very difficult espionage problem. Everybody likes spies. Right. Cause it feels like that’s something special. I don’t always remind people that spying is a kind of a “target of opportunity…”

Former U.S. President used similar phrases two months earlier explaining his order for a drone strike. Perhaps he was having an “espionage problem” with China and Iran. And this was his way of dealing with uncertainty or as he explained, “target of opportunity.”

“Target of opportunity” → Iran: Right, Wrong, or Absurd?

The U.S. President striking down Iranian General arguing that it was the “right thing to do” speaks in terms of morality. Sir, executing Generals and Leaders is not about right or wrong. In the words of a great physicist, Wolfgang Pauli, “Das ist nicht nur nicht richtig, es ist nicht einmal falsch!“  Such an action was neither right nor wrong. It was absurd.    

Sun Tzu writes of Eastern Warriors, “Indirect tactics, efficiently applied, are inexhaustible as Heaven and Earth.” But Tzu also said that “The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.” 

It appears the “bad fighters” of today put themselves at a distance looking for or creating a crisis and opportunity to defeat who they perceive is the enemy. Still, targeting a General emboldens the enemy.

New Rules of Engagement: “The enemy of my friend is my team player”

Gentlemen, when engaging with friends, enemies, or competitors, I’ve learned that it’s how one thinks. One needs to “have a feel for the game.” Predators know their position of power. Eagles have visual vantage point. Hawks have power. Falcons capitalize on speed, element of surprise.

The deer looks straight ahead as his known enemy dwells in his physical space. It is the rabbit who needs to look up and guard from the unknown enemy in flight. – Leticia Matlock

Sir, Mr. President Trump, on your watch, you targeted a powerful and brilliant general but lost your own. I am reminded of a tale “Where Eagles Dare” when “Allied agents lead commandos sent to free a general from a castle in Bavaria.”

Turning fiction on its head, the fact remains that in the case of Soleimani, a command was ordered to take out the general. Or was the fact based on fiction, turned to accrued intelligence to program a hit, targeting a General?

U.S. having presence across the globe needs to be reminded that they need to “sleep in the same bed they made,” unstable and bloody.  Nabeel Khoury, author of “Bunker Diplomacy,” and non-resident senior fellow with the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East at the Atlantic Council argues that killing Soleimani was “political assassination.”

Khoury points to Soleimani’s importance: politically, militarily, and strategically.” Such a decision he argues will “generate acts of revenge…” Once again, I am reminded by my mentors that Iran “moves very strategically and very quietly.”

Mr. President, as the leader of the free world, how will you eliminate the responsible party, a virus, with its “ground zero” in the U.S.?  Right, like hypersonic aircrafts and missiles, the virus is a moving target.

Theory and practice brings us back to physicist Enrico Fermi and the question posed at the beginning of this investigation. Of the “two possible outcomes” which was revealed, “measurement” or “discovery”? Based on available evidence and testimonials, I would argue both. Governments measured how far they could go to control people and discovered new forms of “invasion” of privacy and rights.

Fall, Winter, and Spring, once again, have come and pass leaving behind bodies in their wake. Summer approaches, yet there is a chill in the air. It had been declared in 2020 by American scientists that we are nearing the “darkest winter.” Yes, “revenge is best served cold.” 

I am reminded, happy belated birthday, Mr. President. I’m not one to bake cakes, though I have experimented with pies. Interested in a genetically engineered pie?

Iran and China:  U.S., a country divided, continues to face a cold deadly virus and social unrest. Reciprocity or “Target of Opportunity”?  No question, the “rules of engagement” changed, where now the “enemy of my friend is my team player.”

→ Let the Games begin!