Benjamin Giltner and Jonathan Ellis Allen
On Wednesday, July 24, President Joe Biden delivered a speech in which he claimed he is the “first president of this century to report to the American people that the United States is not at war anywhere in the world.” Anyone following current events knows that this is, as Biden likes to say, pure “malarky.” The current president may not have initiated any new wars, but he ended only one of the many unnecessary conflicts he inherited and continues to support many others.
To Biden’s credit, he completed the withdrawal from Afghanistan and he has not started a new war or committed troops to the two highest casualty wars occurring right now: the war in Ukraine and the war in Gaza. However, that does not mean the United States is not involved in those conflicts. Using presidential drawdown authority, Biden has transferred billions of dollars’ worth of weapons to Ukraine and has considered sending additional American military advisors to the country. The Biden administration has approved over 100 weapons transfers to Israel worth more than $41 billion and $15 billion in military aid. Whether the public agrees or disagrees with the administration’s actions, both conflicts have the potential for escalation that could lead to direct US military involvement.
Despite not technically having officially declared war since World War II, the United States is engaged in numerous conflicts across the globe. The Pentagon’s Defense Casualty Analysis System reported the deaths of thirteen US service members from “hostile action” under the first two years of the Biden administration, for which data are available. While this is less than the sixty-five deaths from hostile action under the Trump administration, these casualty numbers cut against Biden’s claims.
In the Middle East, US forces remain in harm’s way despite the region’s declining strategic relevance to the United States. Today, a total of 900 troops are deployed in Syria and 2,500 military personnel remain in Iraq. These troops represent sitting ducks, serving no strategic purpose for the US.
Since October 2023, Iran-backed groups have launched more than 170 attacks on US troops in Iraq and Syria, as recently as yesterday. So far, these attacks have resulted in the tragic deaths of three US service members in Jordan and left at least 130 American troops with traumatic brain injuries. US support for the Saudi Arabia-led war in Yemen helped the Houthis consolidate power and align with Iran.
The Houthis have attacked over fifty shipping vessels since November 2023 in retaliation to Western support for Israel’s war in Gaza. US naval forces have launched numerous strikes against the Houthis, including the day of Biden’s Oval Office address. Pentagon officials and analysts alike have labeled these attacks as the toughest running sea battle that the US Navy has faced since World War II. So far, casualties include two Navy SEALS during an interdiction mission of a ship carrying Iranian weapons.
Involvement in Yemen also epitomizes how objectiveless the War on Terror has been. When asked about the strikes against the Houthis, Biden said, “When you say ‘working,’ are they stopping the Houthis? No. Are they going to continue? Yes.” Besides placing US troops in danger, this tit-for-tat between the US Navy and the Houthis has cost the United States around $1 billion in missiles and munitions.
Despite this, the Middle East is neither more stable nor secure.
Outside of the Middle East, the United States under Biden has been involved in active combat throughout the African continent, with most of these missions taking place under Operation Juniper Shield, a counterterrorism mission. Today, the United States has approximately 10,219 troops deployed throughout Africa at approximately twenty bases throughout the continent, including Somalia, Mali, Kenya, Chad, and Niger. Just as in the Middle East, the results of US troops in Africa have been lackluster at best. Somalia remains a failed state, and coups have upended Mali and Niger. Though plans to withdraw US troops from Niger and Chad are welcomed, a Pentagon spokesperson called this only a “temporary step.”
Biden’s speech presented an incomplete picture of Washington’s myriad military engagements abroad to the American public. The United States remains deeply involved in objective-less and counterproductive conflicts around the globe, endangering US troops and jeopardizing American security.