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DOD brass long urged caution on Syria
The White Houses plan to step up American involvement in Syria might be the very thing its top military commanders has been warning against for months a foray into a long, messy war.In hearings, speeches and interviews, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey have been deeply skeptical every time theyve been asked about potential U.S. involvement in Syria. What kind of weapons would the United States provide to the rebels and what happens if they fall into the wrong hands? Will the U.S. and its allies establish a no-fly zone and if so, how robust would it be? Would U.S. intervention just create a proxy war in the region? Since the White House announced Thursday that the United States would begin providing lethal aid to the rebels but did not specify any details for military operations, military leaders remain in planning mode. Defense officials told POLITICO on Friday that they have a wide range of options for military action in Syria, and President Barack Obama has not asked the Pentagon for any specific plan yet. The bottom line, Micah Zenko, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, said is that although military commanders will always execute their orders, theres a reason the top brass from the O-6 colonels and captains to their generals and admirals has been so reluctant to get involved. Ive never spoken to any at the O-5 level or above who thinks intervening in Syria is a good idea, Zenko said. But, yes, theyll develop options forever until the president authorizes them to execute one of them, and then they will, faithfully. The administration may be listening: The no-fly zone is one option the White House seems to be willing to discard officials downplayed it both in briefings on Thursday and Friday. People need to understand that a no-fly zone is not some type of silver bullet, Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters at a briefing. We havent ruled out options, but I think people need to understand they dont solve the problem necessarily. Separately U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, set to become Obamas national security adviser, also downplayed a no-fly zone to reporters at the United Nations. Gen. Dempsey also has said that the Syrian rebels already have plenty of weapons from their other sponsors, raising a question about how much a difference American assistance might make. In April, Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed asked Dempsey specifically whether the rebels access to weapons had been a decisive issue in the civil war. No, not in my military judgment, Dempsey answered. There is no shortage of arms in Syria. And dont expect the Syrians to take an intervention lying down, Dempsey warned. I have to assume, as the military member with responsibility for these kind of activities, that the potential adversary isnt just going to sit back and allow us to impose our will on them, that they could in fact take exception and act outside of their borders with long-range rockets and missiles and artillery and even asymmetrical threats, he said. In other words, Syria could lash out and escalate the war whether the U.S. was prepared or not. Posted by: Pappy 2013-06-17 |
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