Crowdsourcing the (non-)war : US military asks troops for ‘creative and unconventional’ ideas to punish Iran

essentialsaltes · Monday at 9:06 AM

The request from a senior officer at the US military command carrying out President Donald Trump’s war with Iran came in an email: We need ideas.

“We are looking for new creative and unconventional ways to pressure and punish Iran,” an officer in US Central Command’s intelligence branch wrote in a message sent Wednesday to a broad group of military analysts, according to a source familiar with the message. A second source also said that a senior US military officer sent the message last week soliciting new ideas for how to deal with Iran.

The crowdsourcing-style query, which military officials said was unusual over email, is one sign of the limited — and potentially unpalatable —options available to Trump to force Iran into a deal on his terms. Hoping to find an alternative, the official at CENTCOM kicked off the brainstorming session via email to see if anyone had a better idea. The second source said CENTCOM is looking at everything, acknowledging it needs to reevaluate the strategy.

“U.S. Central Command has a long history of thinking and working in innovative ways,” Capt. Timothy Hawkins, a spokesperson for CENTCOM, said in a statement. “Admiral Cooper, in particular, reaches out to members of our great team, regardless of rank, to achieve the highest levels of operational performance possible.”

Have they tried asking MechaHitler? I know the Pentagon has a license.

Belk · Monday at 1:14 PM

They should revive some of the ideas from WWII. Bat bombs are a favourite.

BPPLEE · Monday at 2:20 PM

Belk said:
They should revive some of the ideas from WWII. Bat bombs are a favourite.

It's not going to end until we send troops on the ground

durangodawood · Monday at 2:27 PM

If we're blue sky brainstorming..... have they tried showering Iran with love?

Belk · Monday at 2:43 PM

BPPLEE said:
It's not going to end until we send troops on the ground

I hope not, but I can certainly see that argument.

essentialsaltes · Monday at 3:14 PM

durangodawood said:
If we're blue sky brainstorming..... have they tried showering Iran with love?

Maybe negotiating in good faith, without fingers hovering over the Smite button?

Nithavela · Monday at 3:19 PM

BPPLEE said:
It's not going to end until we send troops on the ground

Perhaps not even then.

Desk trauma · Monday at 3:21 PM

Nithavela said:
Perhaps not even then.

Not for a decade or two at least.

durangodawood · Monday at 3:50 PM

essentialsaltes said:
Maybe negotiating in good faith, without fingers hovering over the Smite button?

I dont believe Iran is negotiating in good faith. I think they are using "negotiations" to play for time rather than for a stable solution - so they can improve their position down the road via ongoing economic (oil shock) leverage.

Tinker Grey · Monday at 3:53 PM

durangodawood said:
If we're blue sky brainstorming..... have they tried showering Iran with love?

"No, no, no! That's not what love bombing means!"

durangodawood · Monday at 5:02 PM

Tinker Grey said:
"No, no, no! That's not what love bombing means!"

Love drones are the new tactic.

High Fidelity · Monday at 6:46 PM

BPPLEE said:
It's not going to end until we send troops on the ground

That will not end well. I am glad that Khomenei is gone, but the U.S. has played its hand and Iran has more chips at the end of it.

Any appetite that Iranians had for a revolution has dissipated as they had the momentum and opportunity but didn't take it. As that has dragged on, the more the U.S. attacks Iran, the more unifying it becomes against the U.S. and back towards the government they were critical of.

This situation is perfect for the Iranian regime. They're no different to Hamas. Happy to let the civilians they hide behind die for propaganda, because they know the world's cameras will be more effective than munitions. It also allows Iran to punish people and dissidents more freely under the guise of the war and self-defence.

Iran is the best equipped adversary the U.S. has faced in decades. In an actual on-the-ground conventional fight, it will almost certainly result in hundreds if not thousands of deaths of U.S. servicemen and billions more in additional munitions and potentially damaged or destroyed vehicles.

It begs the question whether or not it's worth it. The people didn't take advantage of revolution despite the administration being convinced it was poised for it. Israel also need to be more self-sufficient. They need to realise that any action they take needs to be fully risk assessed because their enemies have allies and Iran can't just be outsourced to big brother to bully into submission after they've had their hand forced by Israel.

It's a mess, and it's not worth losing American lives over. Either way Iran will be gloating that they won, and Trump can't allow his ego to spend American lives to save face himself.

Bradskii · Monday at 9:24 PM

High Fidelity said:
It's a mess, and it's not worth losing American lives over. Either way Iran will be gloating that they won, and Trump can't allow his ego to spend American lives to save face himself.

There's the crux of the problem. Trump's ego. The solution? Enact the 25th.

MarcusGregor · 2026-08-04T09:17:28-0500

durangodawood said:
If we're blue sky brainstorming..... have they tried showering Iran with love?

Perhaps offer them a shrubbery?

Vanellus · 2026-08-04T15:28:21-0500

Crowdsourcing the (non-)war : US military asks troops for ‘creative and unconventional’ ideas to punish Iran

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