Posted on 09/06/2013 10:07:23 AM PDT by Jim Robinson
(CBS News) The Pentagon has expanded the list of potential targets for a U.S. military strike on Syria, based on intelligence indicating that the Assad regime has moved around equipment used to deploy chemical weapons in anticipation of a potential attack.
A Pentagon official insisted to CBS News correspondent David Martin that the scope of the operation has not changed, which President Obama has described as limited and tailored. The military began adding new targets to the list as Syrian troops started moving equipment "they think might be targeted and hiding some of it so the U.S. cannot find it again," Martin reports.
The widening list of targets is part of an effort to guarantee that the U.S. can do enough damage to make this strike worthwhile and to truly disincentivize the Syrian regime from using chemical weapons in the future.
"They have to keep adding targets so they have a sufficient target list to accomplish two missions," Martin said, "One is to damage Syria's ability to use chemical weapons again and two, is to discourage the Syrian military from thinking that whatever advantage they get out of using chemical weapons is worth the damage they're going to suffer from a retaliatory strike from the U.S."
Despite the Pentagon official's insistence that the scale of the operation remains the same, Martin reports that adding targets, the possibility of using an aircraft to strike these new locations comes into play and raises the stakes of U.S. involvement. "Aircraft carry bigger weapons than [are] carried on cruise missiles," Martin said.
"Once you add aircraft, you vastly increase the complexity of this operation. You put pilots up in the air and that means you need aerial refueling ... you need search and rescue...
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
When WWIII starts who’s going to sign up to fight for Obama?
Obozo’s dithering and playing politics with this will endanger American servicemembers’ lives.
Somebody take those satellite photos away from Zero...and that Sharpie too.
Apparently, the potential number of deaths wasn’t large enough for Caliph Hussein.
Scary, useless activity. The Affirmative Action president hasn't even heard of Clausewitz, Sun Tzu, Napoleon, Jomini, etc., and American Military leadership experienced experts shameless patronize the "movin' on up" president.
Our Hussein telegraphs his intent constantly (as commander-in-chief,) repeats over and over that he will not attack weapons and storehouses in heavily civilian areas (D'OH!) setting the enemy target's strategy for him.
Is there a word for inept delusional military leadership?
Kudos!
I can't think of a more apt and appropriate comparison.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.