President Barack Obama called on Congress for an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) against Islamic State (IS) terrorist forces on Wednesday and he has the support of Floridas U.S. senators. Obama indicated he would continue to back air attacks on IS forces in Syria and Iraq.
The so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant poses a threat to the people and stability of Iraq, Syria, and the broader Middle East, and to U.S. national security, Obama wrote Congress on Wednesday. It threatens American personnel and facilities located in the region and is responsible for the deaths of U.S. citizens James Foley, Steven Sotloff, Abdul-Rahman Peter Kassig, and Kayla Mueller. If left unchecked, IS will pose a threat beyond the Middle East, including to the United States homeland.
I have directed a comprehensive and sustained strategy to degrade and defeat IS, Obama added. As part of this strategy, U.S. military forces are conducting a systematic campaign of airstrikes against IS in Iraq and Syria. Although existing statutes provide me with the authority I need to take these actions. I have repeatedly expressed my commitment to working with the Congress to pass a bipartisan authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) against IS. Consistent with this commitment, I am submitting a draft AUMF that would authorize the continued use of military force to degrade and defeat IS.
Obama insisted his call to action against IS would not lead to large-scale ground combat operations like those our nation conducted in Iraq and Afghanistan, a point he made in 2008 as he opposed then-President George W. Bush, Republican opponent U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Democratic rival then-U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., in the primaries. Clinton later joined Obamas team as secretary of state.
Local forces, rather than U.S. military forces, should be deployed to conduct such operations, Obama insisted. The authorization I propose would provide the flexibility to conduct ground combat operations in other, more limited circumstances, such as rescue operations involving U.S. or coalition personnel or the use of special operations forces to take military action against IS leadership. It would also authorize the use of U.S. forces in situations where ground combat operations are not expected or intended, such as intelligence collection and sharing, missions to enable kinetic strikes, or the provision of operational planning and other forms of advice and assistance to partner forces.
I can think of no better way for the Congress to join me in supporting our nation's security than by enacting this legislation, which would show the world we are united in our resolve to counter the threat posed by IS, Obama concluded.
Obama appears to have the support of a key Republican when it comes to international issues. Appearing on the Kelly File" on Fox News on Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., a member of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee and a possible Republican presidential hopeful in 2016, called for a wide-ranging AUMF against IS forces.
I think we need to authorize not just the use of force, we need to authorize to defeat IS, Rubio said. It continues to develop. What the president needs to come up with is a strategy, militarily, to defeat them. Which I think involves, for example, an anti-IS ground force made up of Arab armies, combined with U.S. special forces, particularly for tactical support, an increase in the air strikes.
But we need to authorize the use of force, Rubio added. But more importantly, we need to authorize the use of force sufficient to defeat them, to destroy them.
Megyn Kelly from Fox News noted that U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., another potential Republican presidential candidate, called for a more restricted AUMF -- something Rubio said he disagreed with.
If you put a geographic limit on the authorization of the use of force, youve basically told IS where they can go to hide, Rubio said. If you say, for example, you can only hit them in Iraq and Syria, they have every incentive now to move their operations and their training facilities to some other place thats not included within it.
We need to understand whats the goal here?" Rubio continued. The goal here is to defeat ISIL. If your goal is to defeat them, your goal is to defeat them no matter how long it takes, or how many places you have to go after them.
Do you think this AUMF thats going to get submitted tomorrow is going to go through, is going to pass? Kelly asked.
Well, we need to see the details of it, as I said. I hope that it is an authorization sufficient that allows us to win, to defeat IS, Rubio answered. And I think when you limit it geographically, when you limit it with time constraints, youre basically telling the enemy, Were going to fight you for five years, and if in five years we havent succeeded, then were going to stop, or Were not going to hit you if you move to Libya, or if you move to Afghanistan. I dont think thats going to work if our objective here is to defeat this very dangerous group.
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., one of the senior Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee met with White House officials on Tuesday, noted his press secretary Ryan Brown.
Sen. Nelson had a briefing with White House officials today, Brown wrote in a memo sent to the media. Hes still reviewing the presidents proposal. But at first glance, it looks similar in several ways to legislation Nelson proposed just last year. For example, both authorize force against IS, allow the U.S. to hunt IS down wherever they might seek safe haven and both would need to be reviewed in three years.
On the issue of boots on the ground, Nelsons legislation said no to rotational ground forces leaving open the possibility of special forces-led strikes, Brown added. The presidents proposal says yes to the use of special forces and advisers for defensive purposes, and no to the use of enduring, offensive ground forces.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
