Publisher's Synopsis
The President has sent forward a request for the authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) against ISIL. This hearing is an opportunity to probe the dynamics of the current anti-ISIL strategy that will inform the discussion of an AUMF, and specifically whether a strategy that relies on U.S. air power and logistics, intelligence, and training support, but not on U.S. troops on the ground, would be successful in achieving the ultimate goal to end the barbaric rampage of ISIL. There are those who believe that it is up to our local partners on the ground to ultimately take this war across the finish line. Others believe that ISIL cannot be defeated without a significant U.S. ground commitment. Large-scale U.S. ground forces in this complex political and military atmosphere would at the end of the day decisively increase the prospect of losing a long war.
