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Michael Cianchette is a Navy reservist who served in Afghanistan. He is in-house counsel to a number of businesses in southern Maine and was a chief counsel to former Gov. Paul LePage.
A metaphorical canary is dead. What now?
The “canary in a coal mine” was a pretty crude early warning system. The build up of dangerous gasses — like carbon monoxide — was a significant danger for those working inside the Earth. Birds are smaller than people, so when the bird stopped singing, it was a warning for miners to get fresh air.
The sudden outbreak of open warfare between Iranian-backed Hamas and Israel should serve as a warning to those of us in the United States. The thousands of lives snuffed out are not a metaphor.
“How could this happen?” is a question being asked throughout the world. After all, Israel’s security apparatus — both military and intelligence — is regarded as one of the most capable on the planet.
Finding the answer will likely take years. And it will likely be either incomplete or controversial. Yet there are some corollaries between the United States and Israel that we should heed. Consider it a canary of national security.
Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu has long been on the Israeli political scene. Upon retaking the top office in 2022, he enabled a push to overhaul major aspects of Israel’s judicial system. It led to massive protests nationwide, as well as upheaval in the military and intelligence community.
You can draw an analogy to Republican Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s ongoing protest severely restricting President Joe Biden’s senior military appointments. Tuberville apparently does not have any issue with the actual nominees, but is using the tactic to try and force abortion-related policy changes in the Department of Defense.
It is foolish. Tuberville is a lawmaker. If he wants to change rules governing military members, then do the job and make a law. His roundabout effort to get his way leaves several important seats vacant.
The Navy is sending numerous ships to the crisis area. Others could station within range of allies like Kuwait in the vicinity of Iran. One of the appointments Tuberville is delaying is the Commander of the Fifth Fleet, which controls naval forces in the Middle East.
If politics continue to create uncertainty and vacancies in senior military leadership positions, the United States will be poorly positioned to respond to a broadening of the situation. It isn’t hard to believe that Israel’s internal political strife was a weak link in preparing for — or preventing — the recent horrific attacks.
Yet the conflict is here; Israel must act. Following the outbreak of war, Netanyahu has led a return to unity. He announced Wednesday that his governing coalition would welcome in critics and opponents to create a unified national government to direct the conduct of hostilities.
Again, the United States could learn a lesson from the Israelis.
The challenges we face are not nearly as grave as the imminent life-or-death situation present in the Levant. Yet it should not take terrorist violence to force politicians to attempt to work together.
In just over a month, major parts of the federal government will stop operating if Congress does not act. Step one is electing a new speaker of the House. In the next few years, the amount we pay in interest on the national debt will exceed our annual defense spending. Our unsustainable debt is a security issue.
Our immigration system is a wreck and our borders are chaotic. Fentanyl is killing tens of thousands of Americans annually. Lives are literally at stake.
Congressional Democrats could make amends for siding with the Matt Gaetz eight to throw the House into chaos. Help a majority of the majority GOP pick a new speaker. Call it a unity play.
Senate Republicans and Democrats alike could come together to overcome Tuberville’s intransigence preventing military appointments. If a nominee is actually objectionable, have the debate. Otherwise, move it along. Call it unity.
Internal dysfunction creates opportunities for enemies to exploit. That is one warning we should take from Hamas’ attack on Israel. We don’t need to wait for our own canary to stop singing.
