Combat Role is Not Off Table Washington Post (09/17/14) Whitlock, Craig Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey testified before the Senate Armed Forces Committee on Tuesday, saying that U.S. troops may need to play a combat role in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq. President Obama has promised not deploy combat troops to the country, though Dempsey said the commander-in-chief has told him that he may consider doing so on a case-by-case basis. Dempsey added that he may at some point recommend that American advisers accompany Iraqi troops in attacks against the Islamic State, particularly if the Iraqis were to attempt retake the city of Mosul or some other type of complex mission. Dempsey noted that the American troops could be Special Forces or others who are embedded with Iraqi troops and call in U.S. airstrikes against Islamic State targets. However, Dempsey said he does not believe that American ground troops are necessary at this point, although they could be if the current strategy for fighting the Islamic State proves to be ineffective. That strategy currently involves U.S. airstrikes as well as American military advisers who are helping Iraqi and Kurdish troops in a non-combat role. Any plan to put American combat troops in Iraq could face resistance in Congress. A House resolution scheduled for a vote on Wednesday states that it does not support the use of American combat troops in Iraq.
Posted on: Sun, 21 Sep 2014 16:35:09 +0000
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