Small Wars Journal

Austin to Brief Obama on Islamic State Battle Plans

Wed, 09/17/2014 - 5:29am

Austin to Brief Obama on Islamic State Battle Plans by Howard Altman, Tampa Tribune

U.S. Central Command leadership will brief President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel this morning at MacDill Air Force Base on a wide range of efforts to degrade and defeat the Sunni insurgent group Islamic State, including plans to train vetted Syrian fighters in Saudi Arabia, top military leaders told senators Tuesday.

Obama arrived in Tampa Tuesday evening and will meet with Centcom commander Gen. Lloyd Austin III and other leaders at MacDill, including members of the Centcom international coalition.

But even before the briefing he requested from Austin, Obama had to contend with statements made to the Senate by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that he would recommend using special operations forces for closer support if needed. Obama has frequently said U.S. troops will not play any ground combat role in Iraq or Syria…

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