Brent Scowcroft Center Strategy Initiative Program Assistant Rachel Rizzo writes for The Hill on how Congress should modify the Authorization of the Use of Military Force (AUMF) on ISIS:
At Wednesday’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, top administration officials urged Congress to pass a new, bi-partisan Authorization of the Use of Military Force (AUMF) against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
For the past six months, the United States has led a 62-nation coalition in an intense bombing campaign against the ISIL in Iraq and Syria. In Iraq, this strategy is not working fast enough. It is time for the U.S. to pass official legislation to allow for a limited number of additional Special Operations Forces (SOF) to assist the Government of Iraq (GOI) to fight ISIL, with their mission narrowly and clearly spelled out in the new AUMF. The question before Congress is how to strike a balance between limiting U.S. engagement in Iraq, while still making enough of a difference to regain lost Iraqi territory and stabilize the country long-term.