US military chiefs face tough questioning on Islamic State | Zee News
“Then all the rest of that follows”, McCain, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, added, before quoting Otto Von Bismarck and saying “the issue will be decided by blood and steel”.
“The fact is the president came to the presidency to get us out of conflict no matter what”.
“But we know this program is essential”, he said.
In an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt on Monday, John McCain was asked to respond to President Obama’s speech on ISIS and the government’s approach to extremism, both domestic and overseas.
Carter ultimately said that fighters haven’t been told they’ll be defended. The revelation that a mere 60 fighters are being trained did little to assuage concerned lawmakers who, after some debate, approved the $500 million train-and-equip program last September. The training is being undertaken at bases in Jordan and Turkey.
Carter said he has been given assurances that the number of trainees will grow but provided no future estimates.
“When it comes to ISIL, President Obama’s comments… reveal the disturbing degree of self-delusion that characterizes the administration’s thinking”, he said.
Carter, speaking at a news conference with French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, said the air strikes were aimed at limiting Islamic State’s “freedom of movement and ability to counter those capable Kurdish forces” that have made advances in northern Syria. Iraqi commanders fled, pleas for more ammunition went unanswered, and in some cases soldiers stripped off their uniforms and ran.
McCain said the “reality” on the ground is that IS jihadists continue to gain territory in Iraq and Syria, while expanding their footprint across the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia.
“Our means and our current level of effort are not aligned with our ends. We’ll constantly affirm through words and deeds that we will never be at war with Islam”, the president said Thursday.
Carter’s admission highlights the increasing concern over the effectiveness of a program to train a local fighting force to combat ISIS in Syria.
He said the strategy is the right one and that IS will be defeated, but the execution of the military plan can and will be strengthened, especially on the ground.
“That’s why we’re bolstering Iraq’s security forces and building moderate vetted Syrian opposition forces”. The defense secretary explained that US law sets a high bar for the vetting, which includes counterintelligence screenings to ensure trainees won’t “pose a green-on-blue-threat to trainers”.
“The administration’s strategy to achieve [ISIL’s lasting defeat], as the Joint Chiefs’ doctrinal definition of strategy puts it, integrates all the nation’s strengths and instruments of power”, Carter said, describing nine synchronized lines of effort.
Carter said Ramadi needs to be retaken, but that it has to be done under competent Iraqi command and control, “which has been a challenge”.
In Iraq, the department is working to equip vetted local forces and expediting delivery of equipment and materiel to Iraqi security forces, Carter said.