As the fighting in Syria continues to rage, the United States and NATO have reportedly ordered the deployment of two Patriot missile batteries and 400 American troops to Turkey. The small force could be there as soon as mid-January.
The missiles and troops will be under the overall control of NATO. But the missiles will be operated by U.S. forces with the ability to choose whether to override computer systems that automatically order firing against any incoming Scud missiles, according to U.S. military officials.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced that he had signed orders for the Patriot missiles, emphasizing that he was sending a clear message to Syria that NATO will defend Turkey.
Syrian rocket and artillery fire have landed in Turkey and Syria has launched short range Scuds close to the Turkish border.
“We’ve made very clear to them that were going to protect countries in this region,” Panetta said. “We have to act to do what we have to do to make sure that we defend ourselves and make sure that Turkey can defend itself.”
Turkey asked for Patriot missiles as a defensive measure after several Turkish civilians were killed in cross border incidents.
But the recent Scud firings also clearly changed the alliance’s view of the risks on the expanding battlefield.
“Scuds, which are medium surface-to-surface missiles, are particularly worrisome because they can carry chemical payloads,” said Adm. James Stavridis, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, in a posting on his blog.
Stavridis said the missiles will “protect major population centers in Turkey from any possible incursions into NATO airspace.”
The 400 U.S. troops will comprise all support elements, including communications, intelligence and basic supply and transportation forces.
Could this be the full extent of America’s physical presence in the Syrian conflict, or is this a sign of more things to come?
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Comments
Oh, that’s a relief.
Quick scan of the headline had me thinking Roger Goodell had adopted NASA’s new mission statement.
The Burqa Bowl. Rather catchy ring to it.
For a second there I thought those patriotic democrats were going to finally man up.
Oh, goody. The first Islamist country now will have an up-close and personal chance to learn the ropes of Patriot antimissle batteries – the better to defeat them when the US is the target. Another Obama accomplishment.
This does not necessarily apply to Turkey but the islamist countries have been notoriously lazy about maintaining advanced weapons systems. In places like Kuwait, Iran and Saudi Arabia US contractors maintained the weapons systems because in spite of the training provided the host countries military was, to be polite, not interested in menial maintenance tasks. This is why Iran-Contra was relatively minor. The Iranians may have gotten advanced weapons parts but they did not have the personnel to use those parts.
“…or is this a sign of more things to come?
Don’t you know Zero will not stop supporting the Islamists until a Caliphate has been established? Where is Congress in this decision to put Americans in harm’s way? How about all the tanks and personnel planned to send to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt to point at Israel? 1400 years of history tells us that Muslims kill Muslims, that is what they do. For all those years they have said,” kill the Saturday people (Jews), then kill the Sunday people (America), then kill the Sunni and the Shia”. The religion of “peace” is about killing until there is no human left on earth. Mahadi sounds like satan himself.
Has the War Powers Resolution been permanently repealed by President Bump-in-the-Road? No link to the story and no mention of Congress being notified, so who knows? Seems to me that Congress should be notified, but Barry has a way of ignoring Congress and the rule of law!
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/warpower.asp
Congress was notified yesterday afternoon in the proverbial Friday afternoon document drop.
The Senate made the decision many years ago when they agreed to the NATO treaty.
Or have you forgotten that Turkey is a NATO member? an attack on one is an attack on all.
Don’t pay any attention to this. Look here, people, look at this school shooting.
Turkey should have never been added to NATO! The War Powers Resolution came after NATO and SEATO Treaties, because of Vietnam and SEATO. Some of us thought the resolution was ignored in Libya which was also a NATO operation. Libya is not in NATO!