By Jesse Kirsch
WASHINGTON—The final version of an authorization to allow the president to use military force against the Islamic State should incorporate clear objectives and the means to achieve those goals, military and intelligence experts said Monday.
President Barack Obama currently is operating under a 2002 authorization to use military force approved by Congress for President George W. Bush’s Iraq campaign. But Obama has asked Congress to pass a new authorization for the fight against the Islamic State with a time limit of three years.
The expiration date got a big thumbs up from the experts—Retired Army Lt. Gen. David Barno, Wilson Center President Jane Harman and former CIA General Counsel Jeffrey H. Smith.
Smith said an authorization to use military force, or AUMF, must include specific language regarding who can be attacked. The White House draft says “organizations fighting for, on behalf of, or alongside ISIL,”. but Smith said that is too broad. He contended that there should be a system requiring the president to identify groups to Congress before using force. At the same time, Smith argued that the president must be given necessary flexibility to get the job done.
Barno, the first commander for combined forces in Afghanistan, agreed, saying a commander would want to “have as much latitude as you can.” If the president is restricted, so is the military, he said.
ISIS has grown rapidly, establishing strongholds in Iraq and Syria. As part of its terror campaign, the radical group has killed numerous journalists, including American James Foley last summer. Capitalizing on social media and drawing support from around the world, ISIS continues to expand its hold in the Middle East. The recent killing of American Kayla Mueller provided further impetus for a U.S. response.
Barno said a lack of purpose and “overarching context” in the proposed AUMF would hamstring a military effort.
Harman, who served nine terms in Congress on the House Armed Services, Intelligence and Homeland Security committees, said “members of congress who duck” need to be “held accountable,” urging her former colleagues to push aside partisan politics.
