A Look At How The U.S. Military Could Carry Out Military Strikes In Syria

Map by The Washington Post, Sept. 10, 2014.

Here’s How The U.S. Military Could Carry Out Strikes In Syria -- Washington Post

Thirteen months ago, the United States sent Navy ships toward Syria as it prepared to launch strikes against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime following its use of chemical weapons. Four destroyers carrying about three dozen Tomahawk missiles each made up the bulk of the force, but the Pentagon also could have launched airstrikes from bases in Turkey or Europe or submarines that quietly patrol the sea.

President Obama backed off hitting Assad’s regime then, saying he wanted Congress to vote on the plan. Two weeks later on Sept. 14, 2013, Russia and the United States agreed to a deal that allowed Syria’s declared chemical weapons to be destroyed at sea this summer by a U.S. crew on the MV Cape Ray, a container ship specifically outfitted for the mission.

The aborted Syria strikes last year are instructive in considering the options at the Pentagon’s disposal now, as Obama prepares for a speech Wednesday night in which he is expected to make the case for expanding action against the Islamic State. The militant group has taken control of portions of both Syria and Iraq, seized weapons from both Syrian and Iraqi government forces and killed hundreds of civilians, if not more, across the two countries.

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My Comment: U.S. firepower  is in the region .... and all targets can be hit by U.S. forces throughout  Syria and Iraq .... the question that needs to be answered is .... how large of a U.S. military operation is this going to be. We may find out later tonight.