Despite Iran’s weaknesses U.S. must watch for radicalization at home, former CENTCOM chief warns

A top national security official is warning that even as Iran’s military stumbles the threat to the United States may come from much closer to home.

In a new interview for the McCrary Institute’s Cyber Focus podcast, retired Marine Corps Gen. Frank McKenzie – former commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and now executive director of the Global and National Security Institute at the University of South Florida – described Iran as “historically weakened” following a series of military setbacks and senior leadership losses.

“Iran badly needs a ceasefire,” McKenzie said, pointing to the country’s failed offensives against Israel, ineffective missile strikes and the erosion of support from key regional allies such as Hezbollah and the Assad regime. “They need to stop the bombardment because they’re losing.”

McKenzie also underscored the fragile nature of Iran’s internal command structure, calling it “rickety” and emphasizing that many of the country’s top decision-makers are now gone. “It’s not like our command and control,” he said. “A lot of their senior leaders are dead.”

Despite these weaknesses, McKenzie cautioned that the U.S. remains vulnerable – particularly to radicalized individuals inspired by global conflicts but acting independently.

“I think self-radicalization is probably more of a threat … than a highly organized Iranian attack in the United States or through one of their proxies,” he said. “But you can’t rule it out.”

The takeaway, he suggested, isn’t just about managing today’s threats – it’s about preparing for tomorrow’s. With adversaries pursuing advanced missiles and cyber capabilities, McKenzie argued that defending the homeland will increasingly depend on early detection and space-based systems capable of intercepting threats before they arrive.