CHAIRMAN OF JOINT CHIEFS TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS ABOUT U.S. RESPONSE TO SYRIAN GAS ATTACKS

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Forces Ready for Syria Contingencies, Dempsey Says
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10, 2013 - U.S. forces are positioned and plans are in place for a range of military options against Bashar Assad's regime in Syria, America's top general testified today before the House Armed Services Committee.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke before the committee along with Secretary of State John F. Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on authorization to use military force in Syria, which President Barack Obama has asked Congress to grant.

The general noted that Obama has determined that a limited military response to Assad's use of chemical weapons -- in one instance killing 1,400 Syrians, including some 400 children -- is in America's national security interest. Chemical weapons have long been outlawed under international agreements, one dating back to 1925, that prohibit their assembly, stockpiling or use.

"We've reached the point at which Assad views chemical weapons as just another military tool in his arsenal, a tool he's willing to use indiscriminately," Dempsey said. "And that's what makes this so dangerous -- dangerous for Syria, dangerous for the region, and dangerous for the world."

Dempsey said he has prepared at the president's request a list of target packages to meet the objectives of deterring the Assad regime's further use of chemical weapons and degrading its military capability to deliver chemical weapons.

"We have both an initial target set and subsequent target sets, should they become necessary," the chairman said. "The planned strikes will disrupt those parts of Assad's forces directly related to the chemical attack of 21 August, degrade his means of chemical weapons delivery, and finally, degrade the assets that Assad uses to threaten his neighbors and to defend his regime."

Dempsey added the strikes will send Assad a deterrent message that the United States can "hold at risk the capabilities he values most."

U.S. forces are ready to carry out the orders of the commander in chief, he said. Dempsey acknowledged that because of sequestration-mandated spending cuts, "the force that sits behind the forward-deployed force" faces readiness issues. But a limited operation in Syria to defend the nation's security interests is feasible, he said.

"I am concerned not about [funding] this operation, but in general that unforeseen contingencies will be impacted in the future if sequestration continues," he said.

Dempsey noted the limited nature of the planned strikes should decrease the potential for miscalculation and escalation, as well as minimize collateral damage. "However, we are postured to address a range of contingencies and we're prepared to support our friends in the region should Assad choose to retaliate," he added.

U.S. troops are exceptionally well trained and prepared, the general told the panel. "I'm honored to represent them," he said. "If called to execute, your military will respond."

U.S. AND BRITAIN TO STRENGTHEN ALLIANCE

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
U.S., Britain Look to Strengthen Already Strong Alliance
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 2, 2013 - The United States and the United Kingdom are looking for ways to deepen an already close military-to-military relationship, American and British defense leaders said following a Pentagon meeting today.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond told Pentagon reporters that they discussed the situations in Syria, Iran and Afghanistan.

The two men also discussed shared acquisition programs and ways to operate in fiscally constrained times.

With respect to Syria, the U.S. military continues to examine all options, including arming those opposed to the regime of Bashar Assad. "That's an option," Hagel said.

The international community's objective in Syria is to stop the violence, promote stability and help the Syrian people transition to a post-Assad government, Hagel noted.

"Any country, any power, any international coalition, any partnership is going to continue to look at options, how best to accomplish those objectives," he said. "This is not a static situation."

U.S. officials constantly are evaluating the fast-changing situation in Syria and one of those options -- among many -- is arming the rebels, Hagel said.

The two men agreed that a diplomatic solution in Syria is preferred.

"We continue to believe that a diplomatic solution is needed to end the bloodshed and that Assad and his close associates can have no place in the future of Syria," Hammond said. "We in the U.K. are stepping up our support to the national coalition and remind the regime that nothing has been taken off the table in the light of the continuing bloodshed."

There is some evidence that someone in Syria used a nerve agent, and both men said they are concerned about this.

"We remain increasingly concerned at the emerging evidence of the use of chemical weapons, and we demand that the regime allow the U.N. to investigate these allegations," Hammond said. "Assad should be in no doubt that the world is watching and will hold him ... and anyone else to account who is found responsible for the use of chemical weapons."

Hagel voiced his sympathy to the British people for the loss of three soldiers in Afghanistan's Helmand province yesterday. He and Hammond discussed the ways the United States and the United Kingdom will work together through the end of the combat mission in Afghanistan in December 2014 and the way the two countries will support Afghanistan after that.

Hammond got a chance yesterday to see a British pilot flying the F-35B joint strike fighter being tested at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md.

"The United Kingdom's continued commitment to this program, and our growing cooperation in new priority areas like cyber, is helping ensure this alliance has the kind of [cutting-edge] capabilities needed for the future," Hagel said.

"The U.K. and the U.S. remain in lock step on these projects, and as we take them forward, we will ensure the continuity of those vital capabilities," Hammond said.

The two men will continue discussions here tonight and will meet at NATO next month.