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Joint Chiefs Chairman: Islamic Terrorism a ’30-Year Issue’

By Jeryl Bier

Meeting with Italian defense officials in Rome Monday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey said that the threat to the world from Islamic terrorism is “probably a 30-year issue.” The Army News Service reports:

The threat from Islamic terrorists will not get any easier, the chairman said. 

“I think this threat is probably a 30-year issue,” he said, noting that terrorists easily recruit young fighters via the Internet. Counter-messaging is one of the lines of strategy in defeating extremists, he said.

The military leaders also expressed concern about the infiltration of foreign fighters through Italy and other southern NATO countries:

There is concern, both sides noted, that foreign fighters could be moving through Italy’s and NATO’s southern flanks. Close to 170,000 refugees have come through Italy’s shores in the past year.

Dempsey said the approach in dealing with extremism should consider the swath of countries from the Middle East to Africa, where ISIL and other terrorist groups operate.

In addition to terrorism, Gen. Dempsey singled out Russian aggression as the other main threat to the U.S. and its allies:

For the first time in a “very long time,” the United States and its allies are facing the “very distinct threats” of a conventional state threat from Russia, Dempsey said, and the unconventional threat of terrorism from extremists.

Dempsey also praised Italy’s cooperation in the fight against ISIL, as officials noted that the U.S. and Italy are the “top contributors of on-the-ground trainers and advisors who are enabling the Kurds and Iraqis in the fight against extremists.”

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