Posted on 09/12/2014 5:01:30 AM PDT by Hojczyk
As he laid out his strategy to combat the Islamic State in both Iraq and Syria, President Obama rejected the “best military advice” of his top military commander in the Middle East.
Quoting two U.S. military officials, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday that Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), said “that his best military advice was to send a modest contingent of American troops, principally Special Operations forces, to advise and assist Iraqi army units in fighting the militants.”
Austin’s recommendation was taken to the White House by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey. The White House rejected CENTCOM’s “advise and assist” contingent due to concerns about placing U.S. ground forces in a frontline role. In a press briefing Thursday, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said that the president had rejected Austin’s recommendation because he believes “it is not in the best interest of American national security to send American combat troops in a combat operation to act on the ground in Iraq.”
In a nationally-televised speech on Wednesday evening, President Obama repeatedly emphasized that U.S. forces will not have a combat role in Iraq. “We will not get dragged into another ground war in Iraq,” the president said. He specifically underscored that “this effort will be different from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,” and will resemble U.S. counterterrorism campaigns in Yemen and Somalia.
Instead, President Obama opted for a more modest course, sending an additional 475 troops to assist Iraqi and ethnic Kurdish forces; 150 of those forces will form more than a dozen teams and embed with Iraqi Security Forces at the brigade level and above, according to the Pentagon. In other words, U.S. advisers are likely to remain inside
Well of course bammy went his own way. No-doubt he was relying on his long background in military operations and vast experience in international politics... You know, being a community organizer from some Chicago neighborhood and a carrier communist/liberal/fascist politician and all... ;-/
Of course he did. You don't really think nobama wants to destroy the Caliphate, do you?
If nobama was really serious, he would have followed the military's advice and, in addition, established new ROEs that have minimal requirements.
Until he does that, he's just playing around.
Don’t General Dempsey and the JCs realize that obama is smarter than they are? Why, he’s smarter than all subject-matter-experts, in all fields!
Our Glorious Leader is omniscient and has no need for the advice of mere mortals.
Yep.
modest contingent of American troops, principally Special Operations forces
If I recall correctly this is how we got started in Vietnam.
"Either restore the proper Allah — or get ready for a holy war."
"What's Islam got to do with it?" Obama
William F. Buckley ("So You Want a Holy War? We have now Islam to deal with." October 2, 2001)
Does anyone have the number of US military killed under the “leadership” of Clown Prince nobama?
OK as one uninitiate in the military I admit I’m unclear of the difference. General Austin wnats to send a contingent of Special Operations forces, size unknown, to advise and assist Iraqi army units in fighting the militants. Obama is sending another 475 soldiers to avise and assist Iraqi and ethnic Kurdish forces, some of which will be with Iraqi Security Forces at the command level. Sounds to me that both are proposing the same thing. Is the difference in the numbers? Or that the troops General Austin wants to send may wind up in combat while the troops Obama wants to send won’t be?
Sorry, any military advice that includes the word “modest” is poor military advice.
It indicates a basic denial of military facts established through the ages by those such as Sun Tzu and Von Clausewitz. Really not surprising from a community organizer...
Year US UK Other Total
2001 12 0 0 12
2002 49 3 18 70
2003 48 0 10 58
2004 52 1 7 60
2005 99 1 31 131
2006 98 39 54 191
2007 117 42 73 232
2008 155 51 89 295
2009 317 108 96 521
2010 499 103 109 711
2011 418 46 102 566
2012 310 44 48 402
2013 127 9 24 160
2014 43 6 11 60
Tot: 2344 453 672 3469
Source: http://icasualties.org/
I saw a pic of obw bama’s chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. No CIB whf is wrong?
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