U.S. Mulls Broader Range Of Targets In Possible Syria Strike
As U.S. lawmakers weigh whether to support an attack on the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, military planners have expanded the target list for a potential strike.
The Pentagon had been focused on attacking Syria with so-called stand-off weapons — cruise missiles, for example. Launched from ships, they can attack Syrian positions without placing American pilots in danger. Cruise missiles are very precise, and perfect for hitting fixed targets, such as command-and-control centers the Syrian military relies on.
Hitting those targets is still the best way to deter the use of chemical weapons, and to weaken the Syrian military in general, says Anthony Cordesman of the Center on Strategic and International Studies.
"If you take out command-and-control facilities, you weaken every aspect of the operation," Cordesman says.
Adding Assets To List Of Targets
Since that initial target list was drawn up, the Pentagon has broadened it. In part, that's a response to Congress. The language of a measure moving through the Senate now says it is U.S. policy to "change the momentum" on the battlefield in Syria, to create favorable conditions for a negotiated settlement that ends the conflict. As a result, U.S. planners might add the regime's arsenal of missile sites, many on mobile launchers.
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