75,000 troops needed to secure chemical weapons if Damascus falls

Reuters/Hugh GentryThese forked-tongued criminals will say anything in order to justify putting US troops in yet another country.  Then of course that is almost always the first step they take when they want to seize the assets of a sovereign nation while at the same time boost the profits for the military industrial complex. 

RT News

The potential of strategic US strikes in Syria has sparked fears Damascus’ chemical weapons could fall into the wrong hands if the government is toppled. A recent congressional report says 75,000 troops would be needed to safeguard the WMD caches.  

The Congressional Research Center (CRS) report, issued just one day before the alleged August 21 chemical weapons attack in a Damascus suburb, was compiled with the aim of “responding to possible scenarios involving the use, change of hands, or loss of control of Syrian chemical weapons.”

It states that Syria’s chemical weapon stockpiles, which a French intelligence report recently estimated at over 1,000 tons, have been secured by Syrian special forces.

“Due to the urgency of preventing access to these weapons by unauthorized groups, including terrorists, the United States government has been preparing for scenarios to secure the weapons in the event of the Assad regime’s loss of control,” the document reads

Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 7, 2012, then-Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta warned the ouster of Assad would present a scenario “100 times worse than what we dealt with in Libya.”

In order to secure the 50 chemical weapon and production sites spread across Syria, in addition to storage and research facilities, “The Pentagon has estimated that it would take over 75,000 troops to neutralize the chemical weapons,” the document continues, citing a February 2012 CNN report.

Meanwhile, a resolution backing the use of force against President Bashar Assad’s government cleared the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on a 10-7 vote on Wednesday, although section 3 of the draft ostensibly ruled out US combat operations on the ground.

The wording of the text, however, could potentially allow for troops on the ground for the sake of non-offensive operations, including securing chemical weapons stockpiles and production facilities.

While the Senate committee initially opted to limit US military involvement in the country to 90 days with no potential of ground operations, Republican Senator John McCain joined forces with Democratic Senator Chris Coons to add a provision calling for “decisive changes to the present military balance of power on the ground in Syria.”

The Obama administration’s vacillations on Syria were perhaps best exemplified by Secretary of State John Kerry. Speaking before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, Kerry suggested it would be preferable to give the White House the power to send in ground forces in the event that Syria “imploded” or if chemical weapons were at risk of being obtained by extremists.

“I don’t want to take off the table an option that might or might not be available to a president of the United States to secure our country,” he told the committee in the run up to the vote.

After being told by Senator Bob Corker –  the top Republican on the committee –  his sentiments regarding boots on the ground were not “a very appropriate response,” Kerry quickly backtracked.

“Let’s shut the door now,” Kerry said. “The answer is, whatever prohibition clarifies it to Congress or the American people, there will not be American boots on the ground with respect to the civil war.”

Having cleared committee, the measure authorizing force in Syria is expected to reach the Senate floor next week. Senator Rand Paul, a republican with strong ties to the Tea Party movement, has threatened a filibuster.

http://rt.com/news/syria-chemical-weapons-troops-458/

8 thoughts on “75,000 troops needed to secure chemical weapons if Damascus falls

  1. How big of a slap in the face is it to send the U.S. Military off to two wars that have lasted for 12 years to fight alqaeda, then start funding alqaeda in Syria with our own tax dollars? Our government is presently funding the very same people that killed many of my friends and fellow soldiers and tried to kill me! How is this not considered “aiding the enemy” or “treason”? Snowden and Manning have been called traitors for giving intel to the enemy by releasing secret data. Isnt it worse to directly give weapons and training to our enemies? Why haven’t McCain, Obama, Kerry, et al been arrested, tried in court and put in prison, just like manning? They are now attempting to start a war in Syria that will entail our military fighting alongside alqaeda forces in Syria. Why? What the hell gives these bastards the right to fund our enemies? We have lost thousands of our friends and fellow American Patriots in Iraq and Afghanistan to alqaeda. Not to mention the numerous soldiers that were maimed.

  2. SEND THE ISRAELI TROOPS IN. Say No to USA troops setting foot in Syria.
    Say no to any USA involvement, let Israel do it, let them fight the war they started, since they are the ones who bombed Syria in the first place.
    Send Israel to finish their job. Fight your own damb wars Israel.

  3. Well, I hope tptb are all putting together their lists of close family and friends to fill their need for the 75,000 troops.

    1. Maybe they should send DHS over to help them since they are doing such a hell of a job protecting and policing our country. (sarcasm)

      1. And the tSa, iRs, sSa, with all their new guns & ammo, you’re right there NC 🙂
        Oh and hey, maybe they should send those thugs that showed up at your office today. Betting those thugs would messing there pants if they had to go over there 🙂

  4. The US military leadership are tactically inept. They have failed to win after a decade against rebels armed with sub-machine guns and a few shoulder-launched missiles, in a battle zone where not only does the US have advanced weaponry and satellite intelligence it has total air supremacy.

    The US has little chance fighting against professional forces who like the rebels are defending their homes against these aggressors. The real danger is it cannot see that destroying the world before its failure does not mean it wins.

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