Conway has been the most vociferous in expressing the concerns he shares with the other chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force about engaging in social experimentation that risks breaking the only armed forces we have during wartime.
His enthusiasm for this idea goes back at least to 2004 when he co-chaired with Zbigniew Bzrezinski a task force of the Council on Foreign Relations that endorsed "engaging" Iran.
"We cannot secure safer communities on our own and I will also be engaging with a range of partners to increase our capability to protect everyone in our force area, " he said.
He argued that the congressional authorization to use military force allows such surveillance since intercepting an enemy's communications is a key part of engaging in war.
"MSF is currently engaging with all relevant actors to seek the safe and swift release of our colleagues and any use of force could endanger this, " Mr Bastos said.