The Patriot Post® · Pentagon, Congress Keep Boots on Ground an Option

The White House wants another Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) from Congress to give Barack Obama the legal permission to continue degrading ISIL. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-CA) says the AUMF must not rule out American boots on the ground, or it won’t pass the committee. While Obama wants to wage a war from 30,000 feet, some members of Congress seek to give the U.S. military more options in the fight – something more in line with what the Pentagon says is needed. Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Congress, “We’re going to need about 80,000 competent Iraqi security forces to recapture territory lost, and eventually the city of Mosul, to restore the border.” And if competence is not found in the Iraqi Army, then Dempsey doesn’t rule out American troops. He also said Thursday, “I’m not predicting at this point that I would recommend that those forces in Mosul and along the border would need to be accompanied by U.S. forces, but we’re certainly considering it.”