School of War How the War in Iran Actually Works with Mark Montgomery
37 snips
Mar 9, 2026 Mark Montgomery, retired U.S. Navy rear admiral and senior director at FDD, offers frontline perspective on the Iran conflict. He breaks down naval operations in the Strait of Hormuz. He digs into drone warfare, missile defense, radar vulnerabilities, and how Russia and Ukraine shape the fight. He also explains challenges of reopening maritime transit and life at sea.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Six Lines Of Effort To Degrade Iran
- The campaign against Iran uses six concurrent lines of effort targeting leadership, air defenses, nuclear program, missiles, drones, and maritime threats.
- Mark Montgomery estimates ~7,000 combined strikes so far and argues another 18–20k strikes over weeks are needed to fully degrade Iran's war-making capacity.
Radar Hits Hurt Less Than Personnel Losses
- Iranian strikes that hit radars or a THAAD are tactically annoying but operationally replaceable; personnel losses are far more consequential.
- THAAD is mobile over weeks, not hours, so losing one radar imposes temporary costs but not strategic collapse.
Ernest Will Lessons And Hormuz Realities
- Montgomery recounts 1980s Ernest Will operations and describes the Strait of Hormuz as narrow with easily observed transit lanes.
- He warns Iran can threaten passage via small boats, cruise missiles, and thousands of mines that are hard to detect and clear.