Syrian Ops Mean DoD ‘Budget Problems:’ CJCS Dempsey

Syrian Ops Mean DoD ‘Budget Problems:’ CJCS Dempsey
Syrian Ops Mean DoD ‘Budget Problems:’ CJCS Dempsey

PENTAGON: The services’ draft budgets delivered to the Office of Secretary of Defense early this month are probably being shredded in light of the campaign in Iraq and Syria against the terrorist group known as ISIL. “If you’re asking me, are we going to have budget problems, the answer is yes,” the president’s top military advisor told reporters this…

F-22s Used In Syria Strikes; Right Force, Right Time, Say Analysts

F-22s Used In Syria Strikes; Right Force, Right Time, Say Analysts
F-22s Used In Syria Strikes; Right Force, Right Time, Say Analysts

UPDATED: Official Confirmation F-22s Were Used. Flew From Regional Base.  WASHINGTON: While we don’t yet have much detail on how many were used, what munitions were used or what targets they hit, F-22s were used in last night’s air strikes in Syria against ISIL and al Qaeda. F-22s flew in the second of three waves…

Obama To World: We’re Back

Obama To World: We’re Back
Obama To World: We’re Back

WASHINGTON: While the talkerati focused intently on the fairly narrow issue of the presidential strategy to degrade and destroy ISIL, they may have missed the larger message President Obama sent: America is preeminent economically and militarily and has not backed away from the world stage. For almost two years — from the time he declared a…

ISIL Operation Costs Hit $563M; About $225M A Month

ISIL Operation Costs Hit $563M; About $225M A Month
ISIL Operation Costs Hit $563M; About $225M A Month

WASHINGTON: We got a much better feel today for the overall costs of the operations against ISIL in Iraq: a daily average of $7.5 million since we got reengaged in Iraq on June 16. Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby unveiled the figure during a pre-Labor Day news conference. Kirby stressed that the figure varied…

USDI Vickers’ Top Threats: Terrorists, Syria, Russian ‘Revanchism’

USDI Vickers’ Top Threats: Terrorists, Syria, Russian ‘Revanchism’
USDI Vickers’ Top Threats: Terrorists, Syria, Russian ‘Revanchism’

WASHINGTON: If you want to understand why President Obama spoke so much about terrorism in his widely panned West Point speech, the head of Pentagon intelligence explained it pretty well today. Terrorism is and remains the top threat to the United States, Defense Undersecretary for Intelligence Mike Vickers said this morning at the Center for…

With Public Skepticism Still Strong About Syria, DoD Stresses Limited Engagement

With Public Skepticism Still Strong About Syria, DoD Stresses Limited Engagement
With Public Skepticism Still Strong About Syria, DoD Stresses Limited Engagement

  THE PENTAGON: As Congress continues to receive thousands of letters and email expressing opposition to any American military action against Syria, the Pentagon and the rest of the Obama administration keeps hammering away at the idea that any strikes will be limited and won’t involve any “boots on the ground.” Here are some of…

White House Sez ‘High Confidence’ Syria Used Chemical Weapons — Nerve Agent

White House Sez ‘High Confidence’ Syria Used Chemical Weapons — Nerve Agent
White House Sez ‘High Confidence’ Syria Used Chemical Weapons — Nerve Agent

  UPDATES WITH OBAMA WHITE HOUSE COMMENTS, HASC REACT TO KERRY REMARKS WASHINGTON: One hour before House Armed Services Committee members were to receive a White House briefing on last week’s Syrian massacre of more than 1,400 civilians, the White House released an unclassified summary of intelligence about the attack concluding with “high confidence” that…

GOP’s War On Terror 2.0: More Drones, More Missiles, More Boots On Ground

GOP’s War On Terror 2.0: More Drones, More Missiles, More Boots On Ground
GOP’s War On Terror 2.0: More Drones, More Missiles, More Boots On Ground

President Barack Obama says he wants to end the 12-year-old war on terror. Not so fast, said Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and Armed Services Committee member. Not only does Graham warn against declaring victory over al Qaeda, he wants more drones, more deployed missile defenses and more U.S. troops on the ground…

US Options For Syrian Operations: Institute for the Study of War

Given all the talk in recent days about whether America should impose a No Fly Zone in Syria, I thought readers would find this presentation by the folks at the Institute for the Study of War a useful guide to what is possible and might work. Just click on the link below. Updated Syrian Air…