A Poisoned Chalice - by Stephen P Phillips (Hardcover)

About the Book

Stephen P. Phillips discusses Operation Earnest Will, the U.S. intervention in the Iran-Iraq War and what it taught us about the U.S. Navy's presence in the Persian Gulf; the strategic uses of mine warfare; and how Earnest Will influences America's relationship with the Middle East today.

Book Synopsis

In the 1980s, Iraq and Iran attacked each other's petroleum industry in the Persian Gulf in what became known as the Tanker War. In an effort to restore stability to the world's oil markets, the United States deployed a U.S. Navy flotilla to escort convoys of oil tankers in an operation dubbed Earnest Will. Although U.S. leaders imagined the Navy's presence would deter hostile action, the United States instead found itself embroiled in a secret war with Iran.

During Operation Earnest Will, U.S. Navy minesweepers and Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians kept commerce lanes clear of Iranian mines. U.S. Navy Special Boat Units and U.S. Army Special Operations helicopters interdicted the Iranian fleet of gunboats and minelayers. At a time when U.S. Navy planning focused on carrier battle group operations against the Soviet Navy, surface combatants and minesweepers found themselves taking the leading role against a regional power. As the conflict escalated, the U.S. Navy decimated the Iranian fleet in a one-day war called Operation Praying Mantis.

Though the United States would triumph over Iran, great tragedy came first. On July 3, 1988, USS Vincennes mistakenly shot down an Iranian commercial flight, and all 290 passengers perished. Though gravely tragic, this event provided Iran's religious leader a face-saving means to end the Iran-Iraq War. Even as Ayatollah Khomeini accepted a peace treaty, he stated, "Taking this decision is more deadly than drinking from a poisoned chalice."

Although the Iran-Iraq War ended, Operation Earnest Will led to all the American conflicts in the modern era--the wars in Iraq, the Global War on Terrorism, and the attacks brewing today between the U.S. Navy and Iran's Houthi proxies in Yemen. In A Poisoned Chalice, former U.S. Navy Commander Stephen P. Phillips discusses the Iran-Iraq War's strategic implications, what happened at operational and tactical levels of warfare, and what the war teaches us about the United States' relationship with the Middle East today.

Review Quotes

"Considering events taking place between the United States and Iran in 2026, the publication of the book is timely to say the least . . . it's a must read for military personnel and defence civilians in the US and beyond."--James W. E. Smith, Naval Review

"A Poisoned Chalice includes previously unknown details of the [Iran-Iraq War], especially an unsurpassed discussion of mine warfare. Stephen Phillips's operational experience in surface warfare and Explosive Ordnance Disposal combined with his exhaustive research to include candid interviews with those who served in the conflict, supported by his detailed analysis, has created a tome that should be on the shelf of every naval officer and student of military operations."--Adm. James Stavridis, former NATO supreme Allied commander and author of Sailing True North and The Accidental Admiral

"A Poisoned Chalice is a striking example of how to conduct contemporary historical research and an impressive demonstration of how to turn the lessons of the past into policy and practice recommendations. The book combines hard won insights from veterans with the latest academic scholarship and will be a standard text in staff colleges and warfare schools for many years."--Andrew Lambert, Laughton Professor of Naval History in the Department of War Studies at King's College and author of No More Napoleons: How Britain Managed Europe from Waterloo to World War One

"I was fascinated by this engaging and extremely timely account of one of America's forgotten wars. If you want to understand the backstory of America's long conflict with Iran, this book is an excellent place to start. And for those of us Explosive Ordnance Disposal techs who fought against improvised explosive devices in our generation's war, this book is a great reminder of how complex and dangerous conventional counter-mine operations can be."--Brian Castner, author of The Long Walk and All the Ways We Kill and Die

About the Author

Stephen P. Phillips served in the U.S. Navy as a surface warfare officer and Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician. During his naval career he deployed to Haiti, Somalia, the Balkans, and the Persian Gulf and served in the Global War on Terrorism. Phillips is currently a design strategist and scientific diver at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. He is also a host of Preble Hall, a naval history podcast from the U.S. Naval Academy Museum, and host of Talk a Little, Learn a Lot, the podcast of the American Society of Naval Engineers.