On December 19, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that there are roughly 2,000 troops stationed in Syria – 1,100 more than previously shared with the […]
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On December 19, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that there are roughly 2,000 troops stationed in Syria – 1,100 more than previously shared with the public. Pentagon spokesperson Major General Patrick Ryder disclosed the new number almost off-handedly, without explanation for the shock news as Syria experiences a generational moment following former President Bashar al-Assad’s regime collapse on December 8. The announcement personifies the ongoing and widespread disdain of American political and military leaders for transparency on military operations abroad.
Indeed,thelaxnesswithwhichRyderannouncedthenewdeploymentnumbersisunacceptable.Theseforcesarenot,asthespokesperson claimed,simply“temporaryrotationalforces”butreflecttheworstexcessesofmissioncreepthathavecometodefineU.S.militaryoperationsinthepost-9/11era.Ryder’sfollow-onstatements,inthesamebreathashisclaimsofthetemporarynatureofthedeploym
