Joint Chief Gen. Dempsey:"Once we take action...Deeper involvement is hard to avoid."

[Faryn Balyncd]

General Dempsey's warnings could go unheeded if Obama opts to strike


A multi-tour command veteran of the Iraq war, Dempsey has repeatedly highlighted the risks of US involvement in Syria
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Spencer Ackerman in Washington
The Guaudian



General Martin Dempsey
'It's not about: can we do it? It's: should we do it and what are the opportunity costs,' Dempsey testified in March 2012.



There is already a casualty of Barack Obama's anticipated strike against Syria: repeated warnings about the dangers of intervention voiced by his most senior military adviser...General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and former top army officer, has highlighted the risks of US involvement in Syria's bloody civil war for over two years.

Dempsey, a multi-tour command veteran of the Iraq war, has never openly opposed a strike on Syria, something that would risk undermining civilian control of the military. But when asked for his views, in press conferences and testimony, Dempsey has tended to focus on the risks and costs of intervention. . . . Dempsey's nomination for a new term as chairman was even briefly delayed in the Senate last month after pro-war senators demanded fuller advice about Syria...In response, Dempsey listed nearly every military option mooted, from limited strikes to full-blown US intervention, and found them fraught with risk and expense. He emphasized the difficulty of staying out of the Syrian civil war once Washington launches any military action.

"Once we take action, we should be prepared for what comes next," Dempsey wrote to the committee on 19 July. "Deeper involvement is hard to avoid." . . . Even the "limited stand-off strikes" of the sort the Obama administration is now considering would require "hundreds of aircraft, ships submarines and other enablers." The impact on Assad would be felt "over time" in the form of a "significant degradation of regime capabilities," but there is a risk that "the regime could withstand limited strikes by dispersing its assets." . . .

Dempsey's reluctance to intervene in Syria is likely "the opinion of all the chiefs" of the armed services, Killebrew added, as the service chiefs are more attuned to the dangers and uncertainties of war than civilians often are....."I rather suspect that's the concern about being drawn in that he has, aside from any chairman's natural predisposition to be cautious." Thomas, Dempsey's spokesman, said the chairman simply provided his best professional advice about the available Syria military options. "The chairman provides military options to our elected leaders based on desired outcomes. He articulates the risk to both the mission and to our force, balancing our global responsibilities," Thomas said."And as the principal military adviser, he contributes to discussions about the use of the military instrument of power."


http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/29/general-martin-dempsey-obama-syria