Pentagon Is Now Taking The Lead On Decisions That Were Once Made By The White House Under President Obama

Defense Secretary James Mattis meets with Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work; Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Air Force Gen. Paul J. Selva, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the Pentagon.

The Australian/Wall Street Journal: Trump gives generals free rein in Islamic State fight

U.S. military commanders are stepping up their fight against Islamist extremism as President Donald Trump’s administration urges them to make more battlefield decisions on their own.

As the White House works on a broad strategy, America’s top military commanders are implementing the vision articulated by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis: Decimate Islamic State’s Middle East strongholds and ensure that the militants don’t establish new beachheads in places such as Afghanistan and Somalia.

“There’s nothing formal, but it is beginning to take shape,” a senior U.S. defence official said Friday. “There is a sense among these commanders that they are able to do a bit more — and so they are.”

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WNU Editor: With the recent rise of civilian casualties the Pentagon has responded by saying that the rules of engagement have not changed. But what has changed .... and this Australian/Wall Street Journal post points it out .... is the following ....

.... Military commanders around the world are being encouraged to stretch the limits of their existing authorities when needed, but to think seriously about the consequences of their decisions.