Iran war: Why US military may ban cell phones for some troops in Middle East? Report says Tehran ‘benefiting’ from..
Some deployed personnel in the Middle East could soon be ordered to surrender their phones, sources told Reuters, as a top US commander for the
Some deployed personnel in the Middle East could soon be ordered to surrender their phones, sources told Reuters, as a top US commander for the region reportedly warned troops that cellphone videos shared online can help Iran target American bases. As many soldiers still rely on phones to periodically message loved ones and assure them they are well, any crackdown on mobile communications would add a new dimension to the conflict. 'Iran was benefiting' Admiral Brad Cooper, in a previously unreported letter, said Iran was benefiting from being able to see the success or failure of its strikes in near real-time by searching news reports or online posts by journalists referencing "reactions, photos, and footage from the cellphones of our troops," Reuters reported. "The direct, unavoidable cost of this open-source intelligence could be measured in the lives of American service members and civilian residents in targeted Gulf countries," Cooper, head of US Central Command, wrote in his July 28 letter, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters. He called on troops to "redouble our focus on operational security," without prescribing specific steps in the memo. The warning underscored the mounting tensions between real-time news reporting on the war, often aided by satellite imagery and first-person accounts, and the desire by the US military to restrict any information that could aid Iran as it tries to kill and wound US troops.
'Phones will be confiscated' In Jordan, which has been a frequent target of Iranian strikes, some troops have been told their phones will be confiscated in the coming days, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. A third source said such a move was being considered in the region due to operational security concerns but did not present the confiscation as a certainty. US Central Command spokesperson Captain Timothy Hawkins was quoted as saying: "The message is a general reminder to our service members on the importance of maintaining operational security. This is one of many opportunities Admiral Cooper has used to convey operational priorities." Videos captured using Meta glasses In a video posted online this month, a US service member recorded a video as soldiers ran for shelter during a deadly Iranian attack on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on July 17. Cooper appeared to reference the footage in his letter, saying it had been recorded on Meta smart glasses with a built-in camera. "Video captured from a service member's Meta glasses was posted on Instagram showing where and how the individual had evacuated to a bunker during an Iranian missile and drone attack," Cooper wrote. Iran would normally have a tough time determining the success or failure of its strikes, were it not for such accounts, Cooper said, thanks to the US military's electronic jamming or other tactics used in war zones.
The BriefWire