General Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has outlined a number of possible military strategies that the US would be able to employ inside Syria. As evidenced by his testimony, Dempsey is reluctant to engage in an open ended military commitment in that country. That's understandable. Hampered by the military's sequester cuts (which, if left in effect for more than a few years would be catastrophic), Dempsey appears anxious to caution Congress away from major military action that would drain US capabilities even further. But at the same time, Dempsey was honest and unequivocal in his military judgement - if the President so desires, the US can destroy Assad's regime. In my opinion President Obama is deeply cautious about further US engagement in Syria. My concern is that every other actor is overtly engaged.
I'll be writing more on this issue later in the week. In the interim, check out some of my related writings. And... have a read about one of Dempsey's greatest moments in battle against the Mahdi Army in Iraq.
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