More Wars Without End Under Trump?
Will the Trump era end up being merely an extension of the endless “Wars on Terror” that have been the hallmark of the Bush and Obama eras? It is certainly starting out that way. Stylistically, the Trump approach to war has the same suicidal quagmire-of-empire look. Candidate Trump rightfully blasted President Obama’s penchant for publicly announcing to the world (including the enemy) U.S. military plans in advance, including force levels, deployments, and planned timelines for withdrawals. That gives away huge advantages to our enemies — to our detriment, of course. In regard to this element of warfare, President Trump is operationally different. On March 8, stories began to appear in the media reporting that President Trump had deployed Marines attached to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit and soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment to Syria to intensify the assault of the American-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Raqqa, the capital city of the Islamic State (ISIS). The deployments had begun in secret weeks earlier; even after news of the operation leaked out, few details were available. Similar secrecy surrounded the January 29 U.S. commando raid into Yemen, barely one week into the new Trump administration. Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer William Ryan Owens was killed in that operation, which was directed against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
During his Joint Address to Congress on February 28, 2017, President Trump honored Owens’ widow, Carryn Owens (who was in attendance), and effectively used his touching tribute to her fallen husband to sell his planned “war on terrorism.” The president declared in his address: “As promised, I directed the Department of Defense to develop a plan to demolish and destroy ISIS — a network of lawless savages that have slaughtered Muslims and Christians, and men, women, and children of all faiths and beliefs. We will work with our allies, including our friends and allies in the Muslim world, to extinguish this vile enemy from our planet.”
Yes, ISIS, like AQAP, is indeed a vile enemy. However, President Trump should be made to answer some very important questions concerning this latest deployment of U.S. military forces to a far-flung corner of the globe. Questions, President Trump, such as:
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