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Report: Securing Syrian Chemical Weapons Would Take 75,000 Ground Troops
Townhall.com ^ | September 5, 2013 | Katie Pavlich

Posted on 09/05/2013 1:00:46 PM PDT by Kaslin

During a hearing in front of the House Foreign Relations Committee Thursday, Secretary of State John Kerry suggested the United States would eventually need to put boots on the ground in Syria in order to secure stockpiles of chemical weapons. When pressed on the issue, Kerry quickly walked back the troops on the ground option and stated he was simply "thinking out loud" when he made the statement. A resolution passed by the Senate Armed Service Committee yesterday, leaving wiggle room for troops to be eventually placed on the ground in Syria.

Now, the Daily Mail is reporting the Pentagon knew a year ago that in order to effectively secure chemical weapons, at least 75,000 ground troops would need to be deployed.

Securing Syria's chemical weapons stockpiles and the facilities that produced them would likely require the U.S. to send more than 75,000 ground troops into the Middle Eastern country, MailOnline learned Wednesday.

That estimate comes from a secret memorandum the U.S. Department of Defense prepared for President Obama in early 2012.

U.S. Central Command arrived at the figure of 75,000 ground troops as part of a written series of military options for dealing with Bashar al-Assad more than 18 months ago, long before the U.S. confirmed internally that the Syrian dictator was using the weapons against rebel factions within his borders.

'The report exists, and it was prepared at the request of the National Security Advisor's staff,' a Department of Defense official with knowledge of the inquiry told MailOnline Wednesday on condition of anonymity.

'DoD spent lots of time and resources on it. Everyone understood that this wasn't a pointless exercise, and that eventually we would be tasked with going and getting the VX and sarin, so there was lots of due diligence.'


For some perspective, at the beginning of the Iraq war in 2003, just 63,000 troops were deployed.

So, what exactly is going to happen? President Obama has clearly indicated he's interested in a minor strike against Syria with no plan B should Bashir al-Assad be taken out of power. Senator John McCain wants to arm rebels in order to shift power away from Assad on the battlefield. Secretary of State John Kerry wants troops on the ground because realistically, that's the only way intervening in the civil war will be at least somewhat effective. He also wants the Saudis to bank roll for the whole thing.

The American people don't want intervention at all according to multiple polls.

 photo Screenshot2013-09-05at21231PM_zps135782f0.png

The question now is this: What is the goal of the United States? To secure chemical weapons or to destroy them.



TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: 0bama; bootsontheground; johnkerry; obamasyriaattack; syria; syriachemicalweapons
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To: bayliving

Exactly! Nothing good can come of this and everything that CAN go wrong, WILL go wrong and will, again, cost American blood and treasure, and then be swept under the rug.

What next? All the AQ Sleeper Cells in the US get the OK to wake up?

Does ANYONE in this Administration realize we are six days out from 9/11? Do they realize how we are HATED by radical lunatics?

*SHUDDER*


21 posted on 09/05/2013 1:23:03 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set...)
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To: foundedonpurpose

I don’t know a single person who approves, not one.


22 posted on 09/05/2013 1:23:50 PM PDT by EEGator
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To: EQAndyBuzz

Only after Hell freezes over, not before


23 posted on 09/05/2013 1:27:01 PM PDT by Kaslin (He needed the ignorant to reelect him, and he got them. Now we all have to pay the consequenses)
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To: SUSSA

What do you mean airhead Dana Perino? She is very smart, as is Katie Pavlich. I like them both. You don’t need to watch, no one forces you to


24 posted on 09/05/2013 1:30:59 PM PDT by Kaslin (He needed the ignorant to reelect him, and he got them. Now we all have to pay the consequenses)
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To: Gaffer

You’re right.


25 posted on 09/05/2013 1:31:15 PM PDT by SUSSA
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To: Jim Robinson

Exactly.


26 posted on 09/05/2013 1:32:36 PM PDT by Kaslin (He needed the ignorant to reelect him, and he got them. Now we all have to pay the consequenses)
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To: Gaffer

You are wrong, her political affiliation is Republican and that is a fact. Do a search, I just did


27 posted on 09/05/2013 1:38:48 PM PDT by Kaslin (He needed the ignorant to reelect him, and he got them. Now we all have to pay the consequenses)
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To: Kaslin

I KNOW that. She was Bush’s press secretary or something at the end, but I HAVE WATCHED HER ON THE FIVE, and she is a closet liberal. IMO you can’t trust her. If you get her in a position that goes against her basic grain, she’ll hemhaw and stall, trying to remain cloaked, but she is a LIBERAL! No doubt in my mind.


28 posted on 09/05/2013 1:41:29 PM PDT by Gaffer
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To: Kaslin

—— What do you mean airhead Dana Perino? ——

Don’t know what he/she means, but I find her to be an insufferable, patronizing, milquetoast, cold, passionless, blueblood-wannabee.

There, I said it.

Can’t knock PeRINO enough.


29 posted on 09/05/2013 1:42:33 PM PDT by St_Thomas_Aquinas (Isaiah 22:22, Matthew 16:19, Revelation 3:7)
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To: Mouton
but the bright light planners put a few companies of the 101st on airplanes with 150 rds of ammo in case they were needed in Europe.

That would have changed everything

30 posted on 09/05/2013 1:46:27 PM PDT by GeronL
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To: EEGator

Even my Liberal family members want nothing to do with it.

It appears ears might be some kind of great uniter after all.


31 posted on 09/05/2013 1:48:21 PM PDT by foundedonpurpose (It's time for a fundamental restoration, of our country's principles!)
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To: Kaslin

That’s why they shoulda MOABed ‘em when they were still in storage prior to Sept. 2012.

>http://e-ring.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/09/28/panetta_we_ve_lost_track_of_syrian_chemical_weapons<

Panetta: We’ve Lost Track of Some Syrian Chemical Weapons


32 posted on 09/05/2013 2:04:26 PM PDT by G Larry (Let his days be few; and let another take his office. Psalms 109:8)
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To: foundedonpurpose

It’s amazing that he’s that awful.


33 posted on 09/05/2013 2:35:44 PM PDT by EEGator
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To: Kaslin

But I thought the goal was more or less, for Obama to wag his finger at Assad to make sure he didn’t do that again. If he in fact did it.

Now they’re talking about this. America, we’ve been down a tough road with these clowns since 2006. Got even worse in 2009. Lord only knows what we’re in for, if he does something.


34 posted on 09/05/2013 2:50:10 PM PDT by qaz123
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To: Kaslin

35 posted on 09/05/2013 2:56:05 PM PDT by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
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To: Gaffer

Definition of “Secure a building”

Marines - Level the building and kill everyone in it.
Army - Surround the building and prohibit anyone from entering or leaving.
Navy - Lock all the doors and windows.
Air Force - buy it at the highest possible price.

Source: I don’t remember


36 posted on 09/05/2013 3:24:29 PM PDT by Makana (.)
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To: Kaslin

Re: “Securing Syrian Chemical Weapons Would Take 75,000 Ground Troops.”

More like 25,000.

Trying to secure Syria, however, would take 750,000.


37 posted on 09/05/2013 3:31:18 PM PDT by zeestephen
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To: Kaslin
Securing Syria's chemical weapons stockpiles and the facilities that produced them would likely require the U.S. to send more than 75,000 ground troops into the Middle Eastern country, MailOnline learned Wednesday.

How many U.S. and coalition ground troops went into Iraq in 2003? There were approximately 195,000 troops in the initial invasion. We were unable to secure the WMD's with the force size used in that war. We will not be able to secure WMD's in Syria with only 75,000 ground troops. This is another lie being propagated by the liberal idiots who are out to destroy America.

38 posted on 09/05/2013 3:42:43 PM PDT by SoldierDad (Proud dad of an Army Soldier who has survived 24 months of Combat deployment.)
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To: US Navy Vet

I have an even better idea - let’s send in the new combat regiment known as the fighting 69th!


39 posted on 09/05/2013 3:49:44 PM PDT by SoldierDad (Proud dad of an Army Soldier who has survived 24 months of Combat deployment.)
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To: LeoWindhorse

From orbit. Just to be sure.


40 posted on 09/05/2013 3:53:15 PM PDT by Cyber Liberty (Uncle Miltie: Obama poisoned race relations for a generation. Everything is racial now.)
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