The rebels will reportedly be trained in infantry tactics and then sent back to their homeland. The spokesman for the US-led military operation against Daesh, Colonel Steve Warren, said the new effort was part of the Pentagon’s adjustments to the train-and-equip program built on prior experience.
However, many details about the new program remain unclear, including its cost, the number of fighters it aims to train as well as the exact date of its launch, according to Foreign Policy magazine.
Michael Maloof, former Pentagon official and senior security policy analyst in the office of the Secretary of Defense, was not too optimistic about the Pentagon’s ability to learn from the mistakes, saying that his hopes for the new programs were pretty low.
“The program is very vague, no details are being given as to where the training will be conducted and smaller contingence doesn’t necessarily mean a success. The problem has been as to who would be available to fight ISIS as opposed to wanting to take down the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad. That has been the problem. Also what countries would actually conduct the training, before it was Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Turkey? Those countries generally are against the government of Syria as it now stands.”
“It is going to be questionable as to how effective this so-called revised program is going to be. I don’t hold much hope for it and it’s just another waste of money frankly at this point,” Maloof said.
Talking about what the Pentagon’s exact goal was for launching this new train-and-equip program, the official said, “The concept is to fight ISIS, but in reality the people that they are recruiting are Sunnis, they are sympathetic to the Sunni ISIS fighters and even though they may not agree with them whole heartedly, they are Sunnis and Sunnis will not be fighting Sunnis. That’s just the way it goes.”
He further spoke about the reluctance of Turkey in going after ISIS and instead are venting against the Kurds. “The consequences of these actions are questionable and the success is highly dubious and I don’t hold much faith in them.”
Maloof also discussed Saudi Arabia’s position in this situation. He said, “Saudi’s don’t like ISIS either but they are bank rolling, funding them outside the Kingdom but if they start pointing inward that’s another problem for them because ISIS is fundamentally against monarchy.”
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| 0 | Edit | Delete The defense budget could easily triple (from 29 billion to 90 billion) the current level of annual Social Security expense and actually improve US national security. Reply 
| 2 | Edit | Delete At this point, truly wasted money. ISIL is gone in Syria and Iraq. NATO will fly them elsewhere, but there's no place for them in Iraq or Syria. Reply 
| 2 | Edit | Delete jas, the party is just getting started in Libya Reply 
| 1 | Edit | Delete WHO will train WHO?What Americans have to show in a Real battle? Reply 
| 0 | Edit | Delete american troops and traners in iraq, libya, yeman, ukraine, poland, europe, asia, syria?
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| 0 | Edit | Delete Skevin,
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| 1 | Edit | Delete The USA and the EU will never stop in the pursuing of getting rid off of Assad by all means. These western countries believe that a free passage of gas through Syria territory will chock the Russian into submission. Remember all the bodies created after the UN creations were created to defend and protect the USA ambitions of world dominance. Countries are bringing into submission by economical and financial strangulation. Russia must accept this reality and program actions to eliminate these threats. Supporting the North Koreans must be the strategy to take. However, the Russian wants to pretend to be the good guys by following the dictate of the UNSC because the Russian believes stupidly that the USA will forget or diminish its involvement in Syria, because Russia is doing things correctly according the world norms. Reply 
| 0 | Edit | Delete jas,
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| 0 | Edit | Delete The MIC plays a big part of US economy and that is all they know. This helps keep US economy afloat with dwindling manufacturing bases. It will continue until it becomes very costly. Reply 
| 0 | Edit | Delete maybe the 'plan b' ? Reply 
| 0 | Edit | Delete stripping the dollar is a ways to go. Reply 
| 0 | Edit | Delete www.c-span.org/video/?405326-1/hearing-fiscal-year-2017-defense-budget Reply 
| 0 | Edit | Delete Should be providing assistance to the Kurds and Syrian Army. Except for the Russians, these groups are the only ones holding the fight together against ISIS. US trainers and monetary assistance in the billions worked so well in Iraq - yes, a waste of $$. Reply 
| 1 | Edit | Delete landauroj, In my understanding they cannot succeed in their attempt. Reply 
| 0 | Edit | Delete On a positive note, I cannot recall any American trained insurgents who have faced a battle hardened foe with any success. Reply 
| 1 | Edit | Delete teddy j, people that they are going to train will be sent to another country like Lybia or elsewhere but not Syria because Syrian are recovering from 5 years misery. I thought the external forces will follow Russia example by withdrawing their armies and give chance to the Syrian to figure out their problems. I am wondering if there is a commander in the West boat. It seems like any official can take decision without consultant with their chief. This sounds like the jungle. Why not ask Russia some advise when it comes to making decision?? Reply 
| 0 | Edit | Delete bange,
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| 0 | Edit | Delete Business as usual! No plan. Just throw money into the hole and see if it sprouts. What a bunch of LOSERS! These morons just fell out of the turnip truck this morning. No idea of what they're doing. Just ripping all of us taxpayers off over and over again. Reply 
| 0 | Edit | Delete The CIA just want to see how much they lost after Russia pound on them for 5 months. Reply 
| 0 | Edit | Delete If the sovereign nation of Syria wanted help from USA, it would ask for it. If the US government was honorable, it would not violate, meddle, and invade sovereign nations. The problem is that US neoconservative hegemons, in their hubris, think they know what is best for other nations and think they have carte blanche to blow US taxpayer dollars on capitalistic imperialism -something the general US populace has no interest in. As it turns out, neoconservatives do not know what's best -even for themselves. They failed to acknowledge that the Syria/Russia/Iran/Iraq punishment of foreign sponsored terrorists in Syria represents a severe bludgeoning of US foreign policy and of US adventurism. Incapable of learning from this received discipline, the neoconservatives appear to be, once again, scheming on their next blatant affront to humanity.
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jasin reply toultravi01et(Show commentHide comment)
ultravi01etin reply tojas(Show commentHide comment)
sotos.markides
teddy j
''helpng and training?"
call these amercan ''personnel" '' and their masters what they ARE -
in other lands -- where they are not needed but just keep coming...like in any house.
they are VERMIN.
teddy jin reply toSkevin(Show commentHide comment)
VERMIN -- THAT'S what they are in countries they don't have any business being n.
they are like the roaches -- that range all over people's kitchens, tables, cupboards..like filthy rats that spread disease everywhere they go.......
landauroj
teddy jin reply tojas(Show commentHide comment)
to the pentagon and imperal america -- it is not a waste of money..
because it is a contnuation of their ''investment" in empire--
meaning:
this ''traning and support " is to try to 'make a comeback" in what else
but STILL trying to sabotage in syria and hope to ''divide" and rule -- and GRAB A PIECE for the USA - THROUGH the ''rebels"
all it is - is a ''modified" version of the SAME ''assad must go regime change".
just watch -- THAT is what it is about. same OLD GAME of ''proxy" INVASION by america,
linebackerk
michael
linebackerk
ptcjm
PaleRider
bangein reply tolandauroj(Show commentHide comment)
If the oppositions have accepted the ceasefire and are negotiating to find political solution, and SAA is stronger than before, nobody is going take what external force want them to do now. Syrians are tired of war and the terrorist that step in have fell to achieve their goal. It is too late for this mission to succeed.
FlorianGeyer
Could it be that the US training is for a fantasy 'online war game' where American heroes commit impossible feats of 'derring do' and always win. It could be called ' Call of Booty' as many US military are rather overweight, have big arses and steal what they can, including the valour of other nations.
bangein reply toteddy j(Show commentHide comment)
teddy jin reply tobange(Show commentHide comment)
well -- if they SHOW UP somewhere else..
it goes like this:
if in EUROP;E or russia -- they are easly spotted -- by sheer fact that do NOT look lke ANY russans at all -- and wil forthwith be identified -- soon enough if not at once -- or even merely in attempting to cross borders - or EVEN N TRANSIT for russia surely always watching ...and will be dealt with INCLUDING their having been trained BY the USA -- AND that WILL BE brought -- BIG TIME
before the UN , UNSC -- and USA -- DIRECTLY held accountable -- (it has never been presented that way by other countries in all the years of the UN -- and f there IS a country that CAN and WILL do it with THIS kind of obvious culpability -- it will BE russia if the usa EVER dares to ''send them" to russia.
secondly -- it wont' work in TUNISIA AND MOROCCO -- two very mportant countries right along the south mediterranean .
because RUSSIA has just begun to establish with BOTH countries a SERIOUS defense and monitor against such affairs...
russia is - in other words gradually building a defense system all around the perimeter of the mediterranean from syria and even between turkey and greece by mere presence and passage of russian ships ...
and all the way to algeria...n short -- CLEARING the mediterranean of these AMERICAN AUTHORED chaos and destruction imperial methods...and these terrorists where-ever they are - from and to - -- will be TRAPPED in that area and dealt with
and along with that -- the AUTHORSHIP of the USA inexhorably thrown into the dustbin.
just watch...
what now -- the USA is going to '''destabilize" egypt? morocco? tunisia/ ? algeria?
there's libya yes -- but NATO makes lots of noises but KNOWS it can't really afford to do another ''libya" - NOT with the risk of facing russia that has now demonstrated that there WILL BE NO MORE REGIME CHANGE...
SO - these terrorists - for that is whaty they remain trained by the USA --
IN REALITY have fewer and fewer countries to ''destabilize" by order of washington...washngton is , therefore, pnetagon along with it of coruse
trying to show IT HAS SOME SAY or nfluence if by nothing else than ''traniing and equiiopping"
''moderate rebels and opposition" that are anything BUT -- EXCEPT AS AMERICAN INVASION PROXIES.
they have NOWHERE to go without showing themselves EXACTLY as just THAT.
better they go to SAUDI ARABIA =- RIYADH -- and let themselves have photo sessions with their finance masters royals -- and their ''trainers" americans.
that way they can be where they BELONG together and nowhere else!
they're going to be sent to where -- in VIETNAM? CHINA ? where they are SO OBVIOUSLY 'TRANEES OF AMERica? : "
THEY'RE goping to be ''moderate rebels and opposition" in BEIJING?
THAILAND ? india?
they and their handlers wlll be getting a swift kick
cezum
lgwUSMC
Harold Jay Hoover
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