Trump must learn from Yemen raid

During the Jan. 29 anti-terror raid into Yemen, Chief Special Warfare Operator William “Ryan” Owens became the first U.S. military combat death of Donald Trump’s presidency. Our condolences and our gratitude go to the Navy SEALS’ family, including his widow and three children. His father, Bill Owens, is a retired member of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department.

Despite the vigilance and sacrifices of those working to thwart terrorists, additional deadly attacks involving U.S. troops and civilians are likely during Trump’s presidency. How will we react? How should we react?

Begin at the top, where responsibility starts and ends. The Trump administration’s first impulse was to blame the Obama administration for the multitude of things that went fatally wrong during the operation, which targeted al-Qaeda affiliates in Yemen.

The raid killed about two dozen people, but roughly half were civilians, including women and children. Several U.S. service members were wounded. A $90 million airplane crippled in a crash landing had to be destroyed. A top terrorist reportedly targeted in the mission was not killed or apprehended.

Seeking to validate the raid’s success as an intelligence-gathering operation, the military posted online examples of the material seized. But that “proof ” quickly was exposed as 10-year-old material.

The Trump administration’s claim that Obama advisers had signed off on the raid also evaporated quickly. A raid had been discussed, but details and timing were left to the Trump team.

As commander-in-chief, it is Trump’s duty to see that military missions he orders are as well-planned as possible. And if he is to keep the respect of those he sends into harm’s way, he must accept responsibility for the consequences.

The attempt to blame Barack Obama made Trump look weak and even reckless. The claim he accepted an Obama plan makes no sense. Trump considers everything from the previous administration to be inferior, yet we are to believe he rubberstamped an Obama-planned commando raid?

Trump also engaged in a Twitter spat with Sen. John McCain, who said he hesitated to characterize as a success any operation “that results in the loss of American life.” Trump has bashed McCain, a war hero, before. It is not helpful for the commander-in-chief to appear petty and thinskinned. While Trump’s handling of the raid and its aftermath is alarming, the result does not necessarily foretell chronic disaster. Nearly every modern president has suffered some military failure.

President John Kennedy made the Soviets back down during the Cuban Missile Crisis, but he also bore blame for the Bay of Pigs. President Ronald Reagan prevailed over the Soviet Union, but the deadly bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut occurred on his watch. President Bill Clinton guided U.S. participation in NATO’s campaign against atrocities in the former Yugoslavia, but the “Black Hawk Down” disaster in Somalia haunts his presidency. President Obama ordered the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, but he also presided over Benghazi.

The military success or failure of any president is too complex to be judged on the outcome of a single event. Combat is inherently hazardous. Even meticulously planned missions can meet disaster.

Further, accurate judgments often require the passage of time. President George W. Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” degenerated into a terrorist-spawning quagmire. And think of the years required to fully realize the disaster of Vietnam, which ensnared multiple presidents.

We hope nothing on the scale of Vietnam or the second Iraq War happens under Trump. Given the world’s risks — Iran, Syria, Russia, North Korea, China — outright war is possible. Short of that, the Trump presidency might be defined by a string of confrontations in the battle against terror. Americans must be prepared for the likelihood that there will be successes and failures, potentially including attacks on American soil and foreign missions that go more wrong than the Yemen raid.

The Trump administration has a duty to protect Americans within the powers granted by the Constitution. Every American must hope for the administration’s success. In matters of defense, the commander-in-chief needs public support. But such support is not unquestioning. Trump must start earning it.