Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Top U.S. General Responds To Critics On The U.S. War Strategy Against The Islamic State

Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, listens to a local Iraqi Army commander at al-Asad Air Base on Jan. 8. (Dominique A. Pineiro/ Defense Department)

Washington Post: Top general rejects notion that Pentagon is ‘putting Band-Aids’ on the ISIS problem

ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT — Flying home from Brussels last week in a silver trailer fastened to the inside of a C-17 cargo jet, the U.S. military’s top general appeared in an easygoing mood. He had just spent two days meeting with his counterparts from other NATO nations, and was travelling to a submarine base in Kings Bay, Ga.

So when Marine Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was asked about the state of operations against the Islamic State terrorist group, he was blunt. He rejected the notion that he, Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter and other U.S. officials have adopted a strategy that is too reactive — gradually increasing the number of U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria whenever bad news dictates.

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WNU Editor: Gen. Joseph F. Dunford is obviously feeling the heat from critics who are wondering why it is taking so long to push back (and defeat) the Islamic State.

1 comment:

B.Poster said...

We do have more than our share of arm chair critics, as some would call them arm chair quarterbacks but this is no game!!

Why is it taking so long to push back and defeat Islamic State? That question is very easy to answer. This a VERY tough and EXTREMELY capable enemy. As such, it is going to take a long time and at great cost to defeat this enemy. After all it took six years to defeat Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. ISIS poses a far greater threat than those WWII era enemies ever did or ever could have. As such, it should come as no real surprise that this enemy is taking a long time to defeat.

There definitely are things we could do better but I'm starting to think some people really are spoiled brats who want instant gratification while at the same time understanding nothing about the real world or how it actually works.