Burr: Obama has no strategy to defeat ISIS

by Drew Elliot, Jones and Blount, November 16, 2015.

President Obama has no strategy to defeat ISIS, Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) told John Dickerson, host of the CBS news program “Face the Nation” Sunday morning. Burr, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, discussed the terrorist attacks in Paris along with the state of security in the United States via video link from Greensboro.

“We don’t have a strategy in Syria as it relates to ISIL,” said Burr said, using an acronym for the group favored by the U.S. intelligence community. “The president talked the other morning about ISIL was contained. America learned within 24 hours it’s not contained. It’s rampant everywhere in the world that they intend to carry out these horrific acts. It just so happens the United States is a target. But Paris was easier.”

The nation’s attention shifted from the U.S presidential race to Paris on Friday in the wake of coordinated attacks that took 129 lives and injured more than 350 people, 99 of them seriously. The attacks put new urgency on terrorism, immigration and national security as candidates work the campaign trail.

Burr said intelligence analysts had always thought Europe an “advantageous target” for ISIS, and the using tactical “pinpricks” to strike ISIS does not constitute a strategy. He also said the current U.S. contingent of 3,500 military advisers and 50 special forces soldiers is not enough.

“Mirror that with a global effort and we can take this fight to a very difficult and barbaric terrorist organization,” Burr said. He called for more intelligence assets to be deployed to provide better intelligence about targets the U.S. can strike, including increased special operations.

Burr appeared on the show with Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. The exchange among Burr, Nunes and Dickerson can be viewed here. Michael Morell, former deputy director of the CIA, and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders also appeared on the show.

http://jonesandblount.com/2015/11/16/richard-burr-obama-has-no-strategy-to-defeat-isis/