Two key Republican lawmakers, channeling U.S. troop frustration at having their hands tied in the war on the Islamic State, are calling for the ages-old “rules of engagement” to be rewritten to allow wider attacks on the terrorists.
“The rules of engagement need to be changed,” said Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. “All the Air Force generals that I talk to, they all say this is insane, that we cannot hit these targets because of zero collateral damage.”
Rep. Michael McCaul. Michael Bonfigli/Christian Science Monitor
In the Senate, Armed Services Chairman John McCain agreed.
“We need to review … this whole business of the rules of war in this new kind of challenge that we are facing, a new kind of war that we are in,” said McCain, a former Vietnam War POW.
McCain said during a recent visit to Iraq he talked with junior officers who expressed frustration with the rules. “They are not happy because of the restraints that have been placed on them,” he said.
One key example McCain and McCaul cited was that Air Force jets launched with bombs and missiles on missions to attack Islamic State strongholds typically come back with 70-75 percent of their weapons unused.
Sen. John McCain. Michael Bonfigli/Christian Science Monitor
And even after the Paris attacks, President Obama gave the OK to begin bombing oil tankers used by the terrorist group to sell stolen fuel. The military dropped leaflets to warn the drivers to get out of their rigs.
McCaul said the military also has to get the green light to hit areas where the Islamic State plots on social media. He said the organization sends out 200,000 tweets a day, sometimes from Internet cafes, and uses an encrypted smartphone app that the U.S. hasn’t cracked.
McCain noted that in Paris, the terrorist attackers spend just $10,000, a sign at how unsophisticated they are. “Stateless organizations don’t have a particular interest in any kind of adherence to the rules of war,” he said.
As he prepares for possible congressional action on the rules, he urged the public to pay attention to the torture, cruelty and murder committed by the Islamic State and use that as a guiding indicator in how they are treated by U.S. troops.
The rules of engagement issue was raised at Tuesday night’s GOP presidential debate.
In the meantime, he said he is considering a call for a joint administration and congressional commission to revise the rules that have been in place for decades to take on stateless terror groups.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
