Hartzler: Islamic State poses a real threat to Americans

(From Fourth District Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler)

As our troops are elsewhere on the globe defending our freedoms, the House Armed Services Committee held a hearing this week to get a better sense of the situation in Syria and Iraq and to hear from our nation’s top leaders as to what our strategy is to address the threats coming from this region.  

Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford testified before the committee about what we have been doing and the Administration’s recent decision to increase our troop presence in an effort to defeat ISIS. 

 The Islamic State poses a real threat to Americans and our national security, yet I still feel we do not have a solid strategy in place to fully contain and defeat this threat. The recently passed defense authorization bill requires the President to develop and publish a strategy. I welcome this requirement and look forward to finally hearing how we are going to defeat ISIS. It is past time..