Hirono: Congress Needs To Hear More On Broader Strategy To Defeat ISIL & Stabilize Syria

Senator Mazie K. Hirono released the following statement on the Obama Administration’s announcement of additional military commitments in the Middle East:

“Congress and the American people need to hear more details from the Administration about how the deployment of a team of approximately 50 Special Operations Forces to Syria and other additional resources being provided to our regional partners fit into a broader strategy to defeat ISIL and stabilize Syria.

“The President’s latest decision, which follows a number of other instances where Special Operations Forces have been on the ground in Syria, raises the question of whether a prolonged military campaign against ISIL requires the need for specific Congressional authority.

“The civil war in Syria and our coalition fight against ISIL there add layers of complexity in a country and region where there are no easy answers. These two complicating factors in Syria require a multi-pronged approach. I support Secretary Kerry’s efforts to bring parties, including Russia and Iran, to the table to begin to find a diplomatic path forward to end the Syrian civil war.

“In our effort to degrade and destroy ISIL, the President has reiterated that it is not in our national interest to send U.S. combat troops into yet another ground war in the Middle East. I agree, and as a member of the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, I will hold the Administration to that commitment.”