By Phil Stewart — US President Donald Trump’s call for a military plan to defeat IS is likely to see the Pentagon revisiting options for a more aggressive use of firepower and American troops. But US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, doubt the country’s military will advocate fundamentally changing a key strategy refined during the Obama administration: relying on local forces to do most of the fighting, and dying, in Syria and Iraq. “I think it’s going to be very successful. That’s big stuff,” said Trump as he signed an executive order on Saturday requesting the Pentagon, joint chiefs of staff and other agencies to submit a preliminary plan in 30 days for defeating IS, fulfilling one of his campaign trail pledges.
The order calls for experts to recommend any changes needed to US rules of engagement or other policy restrictions, to identify new coalition partners and to suggest mechanisms for choking off IS funding sources. It also seeks a detailed strategy for funding the plan.
Trump made defeating IS one of the key themes in his campaign. But he avoided talking about specifics to combat the radical group.
Any shifts by the US military would have broad repercussions for US relationships across the Middle East, which were strained by former president Barack Obama’s effort throughout his administration to limit US military involvement in Iraq and Syria.
Trump’s Defence Secretary James Mattis has advocated a more forceful approach against IS, but how he will pursue that is unclear.
US military officials have long acknowledged the United States could more quickly defeat IS by using its own forces, instead of local fighters, on the battlefield.
But victory, many US military officials have argued, would come at the expense of more US lives lost.
David Barno, a retired lieutenant general who once led US forces in Afghanistan, said it would be a major escalation if Trump’s administration opted to rely on US troops by putting them into a direct combat role and effectively substitute them for local forces.
“We’ve been down that road, and I don’t think the American people are excited about that idea,” said Barno.
Experts said the Pentagon could still request additional forces, helping the US military to go further and do more in the fight.
But they also said the Pentagon may focus on smaller scale options like increasing the number of attack helicopters and air strikes as well as bringing in more artillery. The military may also seek more authority to make battlefield decisions. — Reuters
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