Rod Reuven Dovid Bryant and Jerry Gordon bring back Dr. Stephen Bryen to discuss the clash between the US and Iran over the downing in international waters of a US Navy MQ 4 Triton surveillance drone by Iranian air defense missiles. He questions the wisdom of disclosing the US retaliatory cyber-attack against Iranian air defense missile control systems. We review Trump’s tough sanctions against Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei and Revolutionary Guard military officials. We switch the focus of the interview to discuss Bryen’s new e-book published on-line, Security for Holy Places: How to develop a Security Plan and get Financial Help. Bryen’s book was triggered by rising concerns in the US over attacks and threats to synagogues, churches, mosques, schools, NGOs and summer camps. These attacks, Bryen notes are often perpetrated by persons not known to local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. The leading examples are attacks against the Chabad Center in Poway, California, Etz Chayim Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Churches in South Carolina and Texas. Bryen suggests that the US needs to ramp up a 3 to five-year $1 billion program to protect religious institutions, NGO’s, summer camps and schools.
Bryen reveals that the US Navy MQ4 Triton drone was shot down by a US Navy SM 1 missile originally sold Iran during the Shah era. It was integrated with the Iranian copy of the Russian BUK missile launch control system called “Raad “or thunder in Farsi. The BUK is the same missile platform allegedly used to take down the MH-17 flight over Ukraine with a loss of 298 lives. While the Iranian SM 1 has a ceiling of 88,000, Bryen thinks that the unarmed MQ4 drone and the armed P-8 Anti-Submarine warfare aircraft (a modified Boeing 737) were flying at a lower altitude because of the Gulf atmospheric conditions. Both the US Navy MQ4 drone and P-8 have sophisticated surveillance technology and typically partner in such missions. The MQ4 drone and P-8 may very well have been flying in international air space, denying Iranian allegations that it was taken down in their air space.
While Trump cancelled US strikes against the Iranian missile sites, an alleged ‘leak’ revealed a long planned cyber attack that may have ‘crippled’ several IRGC missile control sites. Bryen thinks this unfortunately disclosed US capabilities. Further, he contends that the US military might have followed Israeli examples of a pinpoint missile strike against the Iranian air defense site that launched the missile that took down the MQ4 drone.
Bryen cited the newly announced stringent sanctions directed at Supreme Ruler Ayatollah Khamenei whose office controls upwards of $200 billion in assets, and several IRGC military and Navy officials, including Quds Force commander Soleimani, the missile force commander, the ground force commander and naval units involved in mining the Persian Gulf. The next target is Iran Foreign Minister Javid Zarif.
In the discussion of Bryen’s e-book Security for Holy Places, the vulnerability of summer camps was exemplified by the 2011 attack by Norwegian Brevik on an Island offshore. US summer camps are isolated in open rural areas and are very vulnerable. Bryen finds fault with the FBI active shooter paradigm “Run, Hide, Fight” as witnessed by what happened when the Pittsburgh shooter opened a closet and shot the innocent victims. He contends that religious institutions need armed guards to intercept possible perpetrators- the best ones are off duty police. He emphasizes perimeter and barrier security, bullet proof windows, CCTV cameras, alarms and evacuation drills. He considers the annual FEMA budget grants for non -profit security too small at $70 million. $1 billion spread over 3 to 5 years is required to meet these threats. Bryen’s how to, step by step e-book can be downloaded free at his website www.securityforholyplaces.org.