Congressional Hearing - Chuck Hagel
MCR 611
Representing: Secretary of Defense Charles T. Hagel
By
Student ID: 41409
Unclassified paper submitted to the faculty of the National Intelligence University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for MCR 601
October 8, 2013
The views expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government.
Opening Statement
The conflict in Syria has reached a critical point, and we as a nation must make a decision and agree on decisive action. For the past 2 years, over 100,000 people have been killed in the civil war in Syria, by traditional weaponry and more recently, by use of chemical weapons. The role of the Department of Defense is to support U.S. diplomatic efforts in the region, while ensuring that the U.S. Armed Forces remained prepared to protect U.S. interests and uphold security commitments that we’ve made in the region. There are several options available, including working with the United Nations and members of the U.N. Security Council to facilitate the removal of Assad and his chemical weapons stores, but keeping the threat of military action against the Assad regime on the table is vital to preventing the Syrian government from ordering another chemical weapons strike against the civilian population.1
With the introduction of chemical warfare, a much greater risk is posed to neighboring friendly and partner countries in the region, particularly Israel, Jordan, Turkey, and Iraq. If the United States shows weakness towards Syria, or pulls back from its stance on the use of chemical weapons, the Assad regime could feel motivated to carry out more attacks, possibly outside of its immediate border. Any show of weakness would also embolden Syria to begin facilitating trade with local insurgent groups (Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, etc…) that would then use the weapons against U.S. allies in the region. Each witness today has
Representing: Secretary of Defense Charles T. Hagel
By
Student ID: 41409
Unclassified paper submitted to the faculty of the National Intelligence University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for MCR 601
October 8, 2013
The views expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government.
Opening Statement
The conflict in Syria has reached a critical point, and we as a nation must make a decision and agree on decisive action. For the past 2 years, over 100,000 people have been killed in the civil war in Syria, by traditional weaponry and more recently, by use of chemical weapons. The role of the Department of Defense is to support U.S. diplomatic efforts in the region, while ensuring that the U.S. Armed Forces remained prepared to protect U.S. interests and uphold security commitments that we’ve made in the region. There are several options available, including working with the United Nations and members of the U.N. Security Council to facilitate the removal of Assad and his chemical weapons stores, but keeping the threat of military action against the Assad regime on the table is vital to preventing the Syrian government from ordering another chemical weapons strike against the civilian population.1
With the introduction of chemical warfare, a much greater risk is posed to neighboring friendly and partner countries in the region, particularly Israel, Jordan, Turkey, and Iraq. If the United States shows weakness towards Syria, or pulls back from its stance on the use of chemical weapons, the Assad regime could feel motivated to carry out more attacks, possibly outside of its immediate border. Any show of weakness would also embolden Syria to begin facilitating trade with local insurgent groups (Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, etc…) that would then use the weapons against U.S. allies in the region. Each witness today has
Bibliography: “10 USC § 113 - Secretary of Defense.” Cornell University Law School. October 08, 2013. Accessed October 08, 2013.http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/113. “U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel Meets Israeli Counterpart; Discusses Iran and Syria.” The Economic Times. October 9, 2013. Accessed October 9, 2013. http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-10-09/news/42864419_1_chemical-weapons-tehran-nuclear-weapons. Hagel, Chuck. “Statement on Syria before the House Armed Services Committee.” Speech, Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C., September 10, 2013. Hagel, Chuck. “Statement on Syria before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.” Lecture, Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C., September 3, 2013. Hagel, Chuck. “Statement on Syria before the Senate Armed Services Committee.” Lecture, Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C., April 17, 2013. Hagel, Chuck. “Statement on Syria.” Speech, Open Forum, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, April 25, 2013.