A leading foreign-affairs-focused Democrat called Aug. 5 for more insight into the cost of possible U.S. military action in Syria.
Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, questioned Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey about his assertion that limited stand-off strikes would cost “billions” of dollars. Dempsey had told Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) in a July 19 letter that such strikes–targeting “high-value regime air defense, air, ground, missile, and naval forces,” along with support and command apparatus–would require “hundreds of aircraft, ships, submarines, and other enablers.”
Engel, though, asked Dempsey in a letter on Monday for details on smaller-scale operations to help Syrian rebels fighting President Bashar Assad’s forces.
“While I do not profess to be a military expert, it is clear that this analysis does not fully reflect an even more limited option that some have advocated, which would involve cruise missile or other stand-off weapon strikes on regime-controlled air bases,” Engel wrote to the military leader.
Engel maintained a more-limited strike of this nature, in the least, could prevent Assad’s regime from using aircraft against civilians and opposition fighters, whom President Barack Obama’s administration recently decided to help arm. The move also could help stem the flow of arms to the regime from Iran and Russia, the New York congressman maintained.
“It stands to reason that this even more limited stand-off strike option would come at lower cost to taxpayers than the options outlined in your letter, and could be accomplished with fewer military assets,” Engel wrote to Dempsey. “Most importantly, it would not involve putting any U.S. boots on the ground or in Syrian airspace.”
Engel’s letter references Congress’ consideration of the “pros and cons of U.S. military involvement in the Syria conflict”–which he notes has led to more than 100,000 deaths, has displaced millions of people, and could destabilize the region.
Still, any near-term decision by U.S. lawmakers is not likely. Both the House and the Senate began their summer recesses this week, and don’t plan to return to Washington until the second week of September.
Engel, for his part, filed legislation early this year calling for the Obama administration to arm the Syrian rebels.