Should we put boots on the ground to combat ISIS?

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 00:21:41 -0500

The president said we will not be in a full out war with ISIS and he said only special operations units will be on the ground. My question is, should we go in an all out war with ISIS?

Response by SPC David Shaffer made Mar 4 at 2015 12:24 AM

SPC David Shaffer — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 00:24:01 -0500

I don't think so. We have made far too many cuts to our defense, and I think we could spread ourselves too thin very quickly.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 4 at 2015 12:41 AM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 00:41:07 -0500

Young man, I am very secure in my assessment that ISIS will wither and die of it's own accord. Consider:
-It is an ideological movement that is morally bankrupt.
-Unlike other groups that have formed and operated in the area, ISIS has managed to piss off just about every government in the area. Without a sponsor, they have only the resources they can pillage or scavenge to use for operations. The area they own (aside from Mosul) is just about devoid of things of value.
-They rape, pillage, enslave, defile, and destroy. Good luck trying to govern a "state" that way. Regular folks like the lights to come on and potholes filled. Something tells me Al-Baghdadi has not formed a decent municipal plan.
-They have managed to make an enemy out of Jordan, Syria, Turkey (sort of), Kurdistan, Iran, Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, and the USA. Not too many times I can think of that group agreeing on ANYTHING.

The Islamic State will collapse. Probably not because of military considerations, but maybe. Most likely, their inability to forge any kind of policy aside from conquest will lead to their downfall. Basically, they are a modern day Golden Horde without a tactical innovation. We just need to put some stress on them, and watch them fold.
I think it is imperitive that the "boots on the ground" for the most part come from local stakeholders. For too long, the region has relied on outsiders to face down troublemakers while they talk out of both sides of their mouth to keep power. Frankly, it is sickening. I have had just about enough of middle-eastern doublespeak. Put up or shut up. President Healy would look after US interests and US interests only. My ground forces, if employed, would have very specific targets in mind, identify and eliminate them, and then stand by somewhere nearby for the next mission. Preferably off shore.

Response by LCpl Steve Wininger made Mar 17 at 2015 4:04 PM

LCpl Steve Wininger — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 16:04:14 -0400

I think we need to allow the Arab world to take care of this problem. The US should support legitimate units that are actually winning the war. YPG/YPJ units in Northern Iraq and Syria are doing an awesome job at turning back ISIS. However, they need support in the form of heavy weaponry and training to use such weapons.

I think US foreign policy is doing more to destabilize than help and needs to be reviewed. (Preferably by someone competent)

Response by SFC Charles W. Robinson made Jun 1 at 2015 9:01 PM

SFC Charles W. Robinson — Mon, 01 Jun 2015 21:01:02 -0400

As the presidential race has started ramping up, what to do about ISIS/ISIL has been one of the key points of discussion. A big part of this is whether to put American service members into direct action against the enemy in significant numbers. I am career service member of 26 years that retired in 2012 an that is 100% disabled. I believe that one cannot take options off of the table. Any candidate that says that they will not put “boots on the ground” are either liars or fools. I believe that if we do not defeat ISIS/ISIL now, we will end up losing more service members and even more importantly, more innocents in the end. This strikes directly to our character as a military institution; why do we serve and why do we "run to the danger?" In addition, will we as a nation demonstrate the characteristics that has made us one of the premier nations in the world? Will we do what is right or will we do nothing and just stand by and watch? It took Pearl Harbor to finally get us to do the right thing in WW2. What will it take for us to stand up this time?