WASHINGTON— Congressman Mac Thornberry, (R-TX) Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, made the following comments in response to President Obama’s announcement that he has authorized the Pentagon to send up to 450 additional troops to Iraq to train, advise, and assist Iraqi Security Forces in their fight against ISIL:
Congressman Mac Thornberry, (R-TX) Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, made the following comments in response to President Obama’s announcement that he has authorized the Pentagon to send up to 450 additional troops to Iraq to train, advise, and assist Iraqi Security Forces in their fight against ISIL:
"The need for additional U.S. forces to help our Iraqi allies defeat ISIL has been apparent for some time. As far as it goes, I support this effort. However, disconnected from a broader coherent strategy, it is not likely to be any more successful than our previous efforts. Just this week, the President conceded that he did not have a complete strategy to defeat ISIL, and I applaud his candor on that point. How our forces, whatever their numbers, can meet the President’s goal of degrading and defeating ISIL without that comprehensive strategy is beyond me. Next week, Secretary Carter and General Dempsey will appear before the Armed Services Committee to answer that question.”
At 10:00 AM on Wednesday, June 17th, Secretary of Defense, Ashton Carter, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, will testify to the House Armed Services Committee on “U.S. Policy and Strategy in the Middle East."
