Votel; More American troops may be needed in Syria
The New York Times reports that General Joseph L. Votel, commander of the United States Central Command, told reporters that more US troops might be needed in the war against ISIS;
But one option being considered is for American troops to step up their support of the fighters by firing artillery, shooting mortars, helping with logistics and significantly expanding efforts to advise them, much as the United States is doing for Iraqi forces in the battle for Mosul
In late January, President Trump gave the defense secretary, Jim Mattis, 30 days to develop a “preliminary plan” to defeat the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. That deadline is fast approaching.
Mr. Trump has not said what steps he is prepared to take to make good on his campaign vow to hasten the defeat of the Islamic State. But he has a high regard for American generals and for Mr. Mattis, and he is likely to be receptive to their recommendations.
Well, we’ve always known that was true and that the Obama Administration was kicking that can down the road for the next administration.
The United States has about 500 Special Operations troops in Syria. If the American military presence were to be expanded, additional personnel could come from conventional combat units, though General Votel stressed that he would not recommend deploying large combat formations.
“We want to bring the right capabilities forward,” he said. “Not all of those are necessarily resident in the Special Operations community. If we need additional artillery or things like that, I want to be able to bring those forward to augment our operations.”
Category: Terror War
Sounds to me like a judicious application of plutonium would be a better solution.
Actually, deuterium would be a much better choice.
Last time I checked, SEA, you typically need both (Ulam-Teller). Plus some tritium and/or lithium.
You can, of course, substitute weapons-grade HEU for the Pu, provided appropriate other changes are made in the in design.
Today Syria, tomorrow Sweden.
Step away from the bong. BUI is very dangerous.
I would un-retire for that invasion though.
The Sweden on of course.
Hopefully, ROE will be changed first. The number one problem, in my opinion and that of those who have been there (Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.) who shared their frustrations with me, is sending in troops to be bullet-and IED-bait. Our boots on the ground knew who the foreign fighters were, knew who didn’t belong, but had to catch them in the act of shooting to be able to shoot them.
Others here have said it before, and better and with more authority than I…this is a collection of peoples who will not respect anything but raw power expressed with strength. We, the US, undeniably have the best, most badass military power in the world but we are weak for not using it. Want to win the hearts and minds of the locals? Don’t talk softly and carry a big stick, just silently use the stick.
Kinda like I was told as a young boot, “When you have them by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow.”
Kill ’em all and let allah sort them out? Does the paedophile prophet get first choice for his haram?
Gray, you dropped the “e” in harem. Haram is the Arabic word for forbidden. Although, contact with another muzzie’s harem is haram, unless you are a eunuch.
Just send in the colonial Marines. (The guy playing Apone was USMC.)
https://youtu.be/Yn45pl8yXzk
Nah. Nuke the sites from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.
This is the right approach, leave a radiated wasteland for now….
Game over, man! Game over!
New ROE:
“TROOPS!! THIS IS YOUR DIVISION COMMANDER. ON MY COMMAND, YOU WILL FORM TWO RANKS, AT SINGLE ARM INTERVAL, DRESS RIGHT DRESS. THE FRONT RANK WILL LOCK AND LOAD WEAPONS WITH A FULLY LOADED 30 ROUND MAGAZINE, AND CARRY SIX MORE FULLY LOADED MAGAZINES IN THEIR LBE.
THE SECOND RANK WILL ASSIST THE FIRST RANK WITH AMMUNITION RESUPPLY AS NEEDED.
AS YOU MARCH FORWARD, THERE IS ONLY ONE SIMPLE COMMAND. IF IT MOVES, SHOOT IT UNTIL IT COLLAPSES OR CATCHES FIRE.
GOOD LUCK TROOPS, AND MAY GOD BE WITH YOU.
DIVISION!! ATTENTION!! FORWARRRD…..MARCH!
Hey. A guy can dream, can’t he?
I read somewhere that Cole’s Charge began with the man himself telling his paratroopers “If it moves, shoot it. If it screams in German, shoot it again!”
Why are more troops needed exactly? Why do we care what goes on in the middle east again? So ISIS kills a lot of people, so did Stalin, so did Mao, so have many other dictators and we’ve done nothing to stem that killing.
Why now? What makes Syria so fucking important that we should get more of our young soldiers killed? Do we think we will stabilize the region after ISIS is gone? The Taliban, Al Qaeda, ISIS, the fundamentalists group du jour might change its name but it doesn’t disappear permanently.
Unless we are determined to kill most of the muslims in the middle east and leave so few that they can’t do anything anywhere else in the world all we are doing is putting a finger in the dike. Getting good people killed for no benefit.
I’m with Graybeard on this, either we plan on killing every man, woman, and child until the sands and hills are red with blood or we should start rethinking what our fucking end game is supposed to be in the middle east. Because so far it’s been a goat fuck all around. Even Bushie didn’t realize he might need more men until the surge became inevitable to maintain progress…5,000 men, 10,000 men….that’s not going to get it done…so either do it right or get the fuck out and let them slaughter each other until one of three groups gets it sorted out….then kill the fuckers that are left…
Kill enough of them that the only ones left are the goat herders, then kill all the goats.
Hey, you can’t kill the goats until after the goat herders and the ISIS boys have had their way with them. And if goats could talk, there wouldn’t be many goats left in the ME.
What is so important about Syria is a pipeline route favored by certain politically connected people. Their political play toys know that Assad must go for the money to flow.
The ‘pipeline’ may have been important, but I think it’s less important now. The Saudis have started dumping more oil on the commodities market, and Putin has sold 50% of the drilling rights in his Rosneft platform to Qatar and Glencore. His reserves are far bigger than theirs.
The warfare in Syria has less to to do pipelines and oil than it does with who comes out on top of the heap.
The Iraqi army took control of the airport near Mosul yesterday. If they continue, they may retake the city itself but it will be a dreadfully destructive affair.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-mosul-latest-iraq-fighting-defeat-airport-a7596506.html
Perhaps, but with the genie out of the bottle, it no longer matters.
That Obama/Clinton axis of weevils was bag of anvils stupid
No.No.No.
We have not even come close to destroying the Taliban after 15 years, so what makes these “experts” think they can destroy ISIS with even fewer resources? I will bet they don’t even have a definition of “destroy”, or any defined objective at all.
We have enough quagmires already.
We have adopted the French beret, placement of insignia on BDUs, etc. Now we seem to have adopted the traditional French military strategy of “debrouillez-vous”. And we have been just as successful with it.
How to tell if any US decision is bone headed.
If:
McCain supports it.
Then:
It is bone headed
Therefore:
McCain is a leading indicator of stupid, destructive ideas.
Why not reactivate our inventory of Neutron Bombs and use a few on where they’re concentrated? That or NUKE ‘EM until what’s left glows in the dark.