1
25 August, 2015
Hon
.
John A. Boehner
Speaker of the House
United States House of Representatives
1011 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
-
3508
Hon
.
Nancy Pelosi
Minority Leader
United States House of Representatives
233 Canno
n House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
-
0512
Hon
.
Mitch McConnell
Majority Leader
United States Senate
317 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
-
1702
Hon
.
Harry Reid
Minority Leader
United States Senate
522 Hart Senate Office Bui
lding
Washington, D.C. 20510
-
2803
Dear Representative
s
Boehner and Pelosi and Senators McConnell and Reid:
As you know, o
n July
14, 2015, the United States and
five
other nati
ons announced that a
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has
been reache
d with Iran to prevent it from
developing nuclear weapons
. In our judgment as former senior
military officers
,
the agreement
will not have that effect.
Removing sanctions on Iran and releasing billions of dollars to
its
regime
over the next ten years is
inimical to the security of Israel and the Middle East. There is
no credibility within JCPOA’s inspection process or the ability to snap back sanctions once
lifted, should Iran violate the agreement.
In this and other respects, the JCPOA
would threaten
th
e national security
and vital
interests
of the United States and
,
therefore
,
should be disapproved
by the Congress.
The agreement as constructed
does not
“
cut off every pathway
”
for Iran to acquire
nuclear weapon
s
. To the contrary
, it
actually provides
Iran with a
legitimate
path to
doing that
simply
by abiding
by the deal
.
JCPOA allows
all
the infrastructure
the Iranians need
for a
nuclear bomb
to
be pres
erved and enhanced.
Notably,
Iran
is allowed
to
: continue to enrich
uranium;
develop and test
ad
vanced centrifuges
;
and continue work on
its Arak heavy
-
water
plutonium
reactor
. Collectively, these concessions afford the Iranians, at worst, a ready breakout
option and, at best, an incipient nuclear weapons capability a decade from now.
2
The agreement
is unverifiable.
Under the terms of the JCPOA and a secret side
deal
(to
which the United States is
not privy
)
, the International Atomi
c Energy Agency (IAEA) will be
responsible for inspections under such
severe limitations
as to prevent them from
reliab
ly
detecting
Iranian cheating.
For example, i
f Iran and the inspectors
are unable to reach an
accommodation with respect to a given site, the result could be a
t least a 24
-
day delay in IAEA
access
.
T
he agreement
also
requires inspectors
to inform Iran in
writing as to the basis for its
concerns about an undeclared site
, thus further delaying access. Most importantly, these
inspections do not allow access to Iranian military facilities, the most likely location of their
nuclear weapons development efforts.
In the JCPOA process,
there is substantial
risk of
U.S.
intelligence being compromised, since the IAEA often relies on
our
sensitive data
with respect to
suspicious and/or
prohibited activity.
While
failing
to
assure prevention of
Iran’s nuclear
weapons
development capabilities,
the
agreement provides by some estimates $15
0 billion
dollars
or more
to Iran in the form of
sanctions relief.
As military officers, we find it
unconscionable
that such a windfall could be
given to
a regime that
even
the
Obama a
dministration has
acknowledged
will
use
a portion of
such
funds
to
continue to
support
terrorism
in Israel, throughout the Middle East and globally
,
whether directly or through proxies
. These actions
will be made all the more deadly
since
the
JCPOA will li
ft
international embargoes
on Iran’s access to advanced conventional weapons and
ballistic missile technology
.
In summary,
this agreement
will enable Iran to become far more dangerous
,
render
the
Mideast
still more unstable
and
introduce
new threats to A
merica
n interests as well as our allies.
In our professional opinion, f
ar from
being an alternative to war, the Joint Comprehensive Plan
of Action
makes it likely that the
war
the Iranian regime has waged against us since 1979
will
continue, with far highe
r risks
to our national security interests.
Accordingly, we urge the
Congress to reject
this
defective accord.
Sincerely,
1.
Admiral David Architzel, US Navy, Retired
2.
Admiral Stanley R. Arthur, US Navy, Retired
3.
General William Begert, US Air Force,
Retired
4.
General
J.B. Davis,
US Air Force, Retired
5.
Admiral
William A. Doughert,
US Navy, Retired
6.
Admiral Leon A. “Bud” Edney, US Navy, Retired
7.
General Alfred G. Hansen US Air Force, Retired
8.
Admiral Thomas Hayward, US Navy, Retired
9.
Admiral James Hogg, US Na
vy, Retired
10.
Admiral Jerome Johnson, US Navy, Retired
11.
Admiral Timothy J. Keating, US Navy, Retired
12.
Admiral Robert J. Kelly, US Navy, Retired
13.
Admiral Thomas Joseph Lopez, US Navy, Retired
3
14.
Admiral James A. “Ace” Lyons, US Navy, Retired
15.
Admiral
Richard Macke,
US Navy, Retired
16.
Admiral Henry Mauz, US Navy, Retired
17.
General
Lance Smith,
US Air Force, Retired
18.
Admiral Leighton Smith, US Navy, Retired
19.
Admiral William D. Smith, US Navy, Retired
20.
General Louis C. Wagner, Jr., US Army, Retired
21.
Admiral Steve White, US Navy
, Retired
22.
General Ronald W. Yates, US Air Force, Retired
23.
Lieutenant General Teddy G. Allen, US Army, Retired
24.
Lieutenant
General
Edward G. Anderson, III, US
Army, Retired
25.
Lieutenant General Marcus A. Anderson, US Air Force, Retired
26.
Lieutenant
General
Spe
nce M. Armstrong, US Air Force, Retired
27.
L
ieutenant
General Harold W. Blot, US Marine Corps, Retired
28.
Vice
Admiral
Michael Bowman,
US Navy, Retired
29.
Lieutenant
General William G. “Jerry” Boykin, US Army, Retired
30.
Vice
Admiral Edward S. Briggs, US Navy, Retired
31.
Lieutenant
General
Richard E. “Tex” Brown III, US Air Force, Retired
32.
Lieutenant
General
William J. Campbell,
US Air Force, Retired
33.
Vice
Admiral Edward Clexton, US Navy, Retired
34.
Vice
Admiral Daniel L. Cooper, US Navy, Retired
35.
Vice Admiral William A. Doughe
rty, US Navy, Retired
36.
Lieutenant
General
Brett Dula, US Air Force, Retired
37.
Lieutenant General Gordon E. Fornell, US Air Force, Retired
38.
Lieutenant General Thomas B. Goslin, US Air Force, Retired
39.
Lieutenant
General Earl Hailston, US Marine Corps, Retired
40.
Vic
e Admiral Bernard M. Kauderer, US Navy, Retired
41.
Lieutenant General Timothy A. Kinnan, US Air Force, Retired
42.
Vice Admiral J. B . LaPlante, US Navy, Retired
43.
Vice Admiral Tony Less, US Navy, Retired
44.
Lieutenant
General Bennett L. Lewis, US Army, Retired
45.
Vice
A
dmiral
Michael Malone,
US Navy, Retired
46.
Vice
Admiral John Mazach, US Navy, Retired
47.
Lieutenant
General
Thomas McInerney, US Air Force, Retired
48.
Lieutenant
General Fred McCorkle, US Marine Corps, Retired
49.
Vice
Admiral Robert Monroe, US Navy, Retired
50.
Vice
Admir
al Jimmy Pappas, US Navy, Retired
51.
Vice
Admiral
J. Theodore Parker,
US Navy, Retired
52.
Lieutenant
General
Garry L. Parks,
US Marine Corps, Retired
53.
Lieutenant
General
Everett Pratt, US Air Force, Retired
54.
Vice
Admiral John Poindexter, US Navy, Retired
4
55.
Lieutenan
t General Clifford "Ted" Rees, Jr., US Air Force, Retired
56.
Vice
Admiral William Rowden, US Navy, Retired
57.
Vice
Admiral Robert F. Schoultz, US Navy, Retired
58.
Lieutenant
General
E.G. “Buck” Shuler, Jr., US Air Force, Retired
59.
Lieutenant General Hubert 'Hugh" G.
Smith, US Army, Retired
60.
Vice
Admiral
Edward M. Straw,
US Navy, Retired
61.
Lieutenant
General
David J. Teal,
US Air Force, Retired
62.
Vice
Admiral
D.C. "Deese" Thompson,
US Coast Guard, Retired
63.
Lieutenant General William E. Thurman, US Air Force, Retired
64.
Lieuten
ant
General
Billy Tomas,
US Army, Retired
65.
Vice
Admiral
John Totushek,
US Navy, Retired
66.
Vice
Admiral Jerry Tuttle, US Navy, Retired
67.
Vice
Admiral Jerry Unruh, US Navy, Retired
68.
Vice
Admiral Timothy W. Wright, US Navy, Retired
69.
Rear Admiral William V. Alford,
Jr., US Navy, Retired
70.
Major General Thurman E. Anderson, US Army, Retired
71.
Major General
Joseph T. Anderson,
US Marine Corps, Retired
72.
Rear Admiral Philip Anselmo, US Navy, Retired
73.
Major General Joe Arbuckle, US Army, Retired
74.
Rear Admiral James W. Austin, US
Navy, Retired
75.
Rear Admiral John R. Batzler, US Navy, Retired
76.
Rear Admiral John Bayless, US Navy, Retired
77.
Major General
John Bianchi,
US Army, Retired
78.
Rear Admiral Donald Vaux Boecker, US Navy, Retired
79.
Rear Admiral Jerry C. Breast, US Navy, Retired
80.
Rear Ad
miral
Bruce B. Bremner,
US Navy, Retired
81.
Major General Edward M. Browne, US Army, Retired
82.
Rear Admiral Thomas F. Brown III, US Navy, Retired
83.
Rear Admiral Lyle Bull, US Navy, Retired
84.
Major General Bobby G. Butcher, US Marine Corps, Retired
85.
Rear Admiral
Jay
A. Campbell,
US Navy, Retired
86.
Major General
Henry D. Canterbury,
US Air Force, Retired
87.
Major General Carroll D. Childers, US Army, Retired
88.
Rear Admiral
Ronald L. Christenson,
US Navy, Retired
89.
Major General John R.D. Cleland, US Army, Retired
90.
Major General
Richard L. Comer, US Air Force, Retired
91.
Rear Admiral
Jack Dantone,
US Navy, Retired
92.
Major General William B. Davitte, US Air Force, Retired
93.
Major General
James D. Delk,
US Army, Retired
5
94.
Major General
Felix Dupre,
US Air Force, Retired
95.
Rear Admiral Philip A
. Dur, US Navy, Retired
96.
Major General Neil L. Eddins, US Air Force, Retired
97.
Rear Admiral Paul Engel, US Navy, Retired
98.
Major General Vince Falter, US Army, Retired
99.
Rear Admiral James H. Flatley, US Navy, Retired
100.
Major General
Bobby O. Floyd,
US Air Force, R
etired
101.
Major General Paul Fratarangelo, US Marine Corps, Retired
102.
Rear Admiral Veronica "Ronne" Froman, US Navy, Retired
103.
Rear Admiral R. Byron Fuller, US Navy, Retired
104.
Rear Admiral
Frank Gallo,
US Navy, Retired
105.
Rear Admiral Albert A. Gallotta, Jr., US Navy,
Retired
106.
Rear Admiral James Mac Gleim, US Navy, Retired
107.
Rear Admiral Robert H. Gormley, US Navy, Retired
108.
Rear Admiral William Gureck, US Navy, Retired
109.
Major General Gary L. Harrell, US Army, Retired
110.
Rear Admiral
Donald Hickman,
US Navy, Retired
111.
Major Gener
al
Geoffrey Higginbotham,
US Marine Corps, Retired
112.
M
ajor
Gen
eral
Kent H. Hillhouse, US
A
rmy,
Retired
113.
Rear Admiral Tim Hinkle, US Navy, Retired
114.
Major General Victor Joseph Hugo, US Army, Retired
115.
Major General James P. Hunt, US Air Force, Retired
116.
Rear Admiral Grady L. Jackson, US Navy, Retired
117.
Major General
William K. James, US Air Force, Retired
118.
Rear Admiral John M. “Carlos” Johnson, US Navy, Retired
119.
Rear Admiral Pierce J. Johnson, US Navy, Retired
120.
Rear Admiral Steven B. Kantrowitz, US Navy, Retired
121.
Major General Maurice W. Kendall, US Army, Retired
122.
Rear Ad
miral
Charles R. Kubic
, US Navy, Retired
123.
Rear Admiral Frederick L. Lewis, US Navy, Retired
124.
Major General
John D. Logeman, Jr.,
US Air Force, Retired
125.
Major General Homer S. Long, Jr., US Army, Retired
126.
Major General Robert M. Marquette, US Air Force, Retired
127.
Rear Admiral Robert B. McClinton, US Navy, Retired
128.
Rear Admiral
W. J. McDaniel, MD
,
US Navy, Retired
129.
Major General
Keith W. Meurlin,
US Air Force, Retired
130.
Rear Admiral Terrence McKnight, US Navy, Retired
131.
Major General John F. Miller, Jr., US Air Force, Re
tired
132.
Major General Burton R. Moore, US Air Force, Retired
133.
Rear Admiral David R. Morris, US Navy, Retired
134.
Rear Admiral Ed Nelson, Jr., US Coast Guard, Retired
135.
Major General George W. "Nordie" Norwood, US Air Force, Retired
136.
Major General Everett G. Odgers,
US Air Force, Retired
6
137.
Rear Admiral
Phillip R. Olson,
US Navy, Retired
138.
Rear Admiral Robert S. Owens, US Navy, Retired
139.
Rear Admiral Robert O. Passmore, US Navy, Retired
140.
Major General
Richard E. Perraut, Jr.,
US Air Force, Retired
141.
Rear Admiral W.W. Pickavance
, Jr., US Navy, Retired
142.
Rear Admiral L.F. Picotte, US Navy, Retired
143.
Rear Admiral Thomas J. Porter, US Navy, Retired
144.
Major General H. Douglas Robertson, US Army, Retired
145.
Rear Admiral W.J. Ryan, US Navy, Retired
146.
Rear Admiral Norman Saunders, US Coast Guard,
Retired
147.
Major General John P. Schoeppner, Jr., US Air Force, Retired
148.
Major General Edison E. Scholes, US Army, Retired
149.
Rear Admiral Hugh P. Scott, US Navy, Retired
150.
Major General Richard Secord, US Air Force, Retired
151.
Rear Admiral James M. Seely, US Navy, Re
tired
152.
Major General Sidney Shachnow, US Army, Retired
153.
Rear Admiral William H. Shawcross, US Navy, Retired
154.
Rear Admiral Bob Shumaker, US Navy, Retired
155.
Major General Willie Studer, US Air Force, Retired
156.
Major General Larry Taylor, US Marine Corps, Retired
157.
Re
ar Admiral Jeremy Taylor, US Navy, Retired
158.
Major General Richard L. Testa, US Air Force, Retired
159.
Rear Admiral Robert P. Tiernan, US Navy, Retired
160.
Major General Paul E. Vallely, US Army, Retired
161.
Major General Kenneth W. Weir, US Marine Corps, Retired
162.
Major
General
John Welde,
US Air Force, Retired
163.
Rear Admiral
James B. Whittaker,
US Navy, Retired
164.
Major General Geoffrey P. Wiedeman, Jr., MD, US Air Force, Retired
165.
Rear Admiral H. Denny Wisely, US Navy, Retired
166.
Brigadier General John R. Allen, Jr., US Air For
ce, Retired
167.
Brigadier General John C. Arick, US Marine Corps, Retired
168.
Brigadier General Loring R. Astorino,
US Air Force, Retired
169.
Rear Admiral Robert E. Besal, US Navy, Retired
170.
Brigadier General
William Bloomer, US Marine Corps, Retired
171.
Brigadier General
George P. Cole, Jr.,
US Air Force, Retired
172.
Brigadier General Richard A. Coleman, US Air Force, Retired
173.
Brigadier General James L. Crouch, US Air Force, Retired
174.
Rear Admiral Marianne B. Drew, US Navy, Retired
175.
Brigadier General
Philip M. Drew, US Air Force,
Retired
176.
Brigadier General
Larry K. Grundhauser, US Air Force, Retired
177.
Brigadier General Thomas W. Honeywill,
US Air Force, Retired
7
178.
Brigadier General
Gary M. Jones, US Army, Retired
179.
Brigadier General
Stephen Lanning, US Air Force, Retired
180.
Brigadier General
Thomas J. Lennon,
US Air Force, Retired
181.
Rear Admiral Bobby C. Lee, US Navy, Retired
182.
Brigadier General
Robert F. Peksens, US Air Force, Retired
183.
Brigadier General Joe Shaefer,
US Air Force, Retired
184.
Brigadier General Graham E. Shirley, US Air Force, Retired
185.
B
rigadier General
Stanley O. Smith, US Air Force, Retired
186.
Brigadier General
Hugh B. Tant III, US Army, Retired
187.
Brigadier General Michael Joseph Tashjian,
US Air Force, Retired
188.
Brigadier General
William Tiernan, US Marine Corps, Retired
189.
Brigadier General
Rog
er W. Scearce, US Army, Retired
190.
Brigadier General Robert V. Woods,
US Air Force, Retired
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