Will Better "Job Opportunities" Combat Terrorism?
Rob O'Neill Responds to the True Nature of ISIS Brutality, Talks Global Military Strategy.
As if the beheadings of hostages we've sadly become accustomed to weren't horrific enough. ISIS shocked even seasoned soldiers and war veterans with its release earlier this month of a Jordanian pilot being burned alive. How could it get any worse? In a mere two weeks' time, ISIS showed the world how...
Last Week
21 Egyptian Christians kidnapped in Libya by ISIS terrorists and beheaded.
This Week
45 people in Iraq said to have been burned alive by ISIS militants, just five miles outside of an airbase where U.S. Marines are stationed.
Citizens of the world are getting a glimpse into just how terrifying terrorism has become. Now what? What should our defense strategy be?
According to U.S. State Department Spokesperson Marie Harf, who appeared on "Hardball with Chris Matthews" on MSNBC: "It's not just a fight about dropping bombs on terrorists. It's really how we stop the causes that lead to extremism." Harf poses the question, "What makes these 17-year-old kids pick up an AK-47 instead of trying to start a business?" To that point she suggests the root of the problem is a "lack of job opportunities."
FOX News' Greta Van Susteren invited ex-Navy SEAL Robert O'Neill to weigh in "On the Record" about the true nature of ISIS brutality.
Highlights of Their Exchange:
Van Susteren: "You heard the State Department. One of the things we need to do is get jobs for ISIS. I'm sort of paraphrasing… What's your thought with regard to ISIS?"
O'Neill: "The State Department, they're into diplomacy and that's the kind of stuff they're going to say. Right now, I don't think we need diplomacy. We're going to have to use our military strategy. The people of ISIS — if you can call them people — they get paid to cut off heads, to crucify children and to sell slaves. I don't think a change in career path is what's going to stop them."
“They get paid to cut off heads, to crucify children and to sell slaves. I don't think a change in career path is what's going to stop them.”
Van Susteren: "If you had a green light. If you were in charge. What would you do?"
O'Neill: "I would rely on the three pillars of our military strategy, which are military defense, deterrence and a line of solidarity, and right now the solitary with our allies would be to go defend them. You've got people being burned in al-Baghdadi right outside our al-Asad airbase. They helped us in 2007 when we needed Sunni help to destroy al-Qaeda in Iraq. Now they're asking us for help and we're not doing it. We need to get troops…boots on the ground in there with our allies, our true allies, to defeat them. We need to meet force with force at the point of origin."
“We need to realize with our allies that this is a global war — and just because we're not fighting them doesn't mean they're not fighting us.”
Van Susteren: "Are you confident that would work?"
O'Neill: Definitely it would work. Right now all we're using is air power. Air power, although strong, is a force multiplier and we need forces on the ground to multiply. We need to bring in some Marines. We can fly in C-17s to al-Asad airbase, get them out there with our allies, get real-time intelligence. If these guys meet the U.S. Marine Corps it's a matter of days before they're hiding again."
Van Susteren: "Do you have a sense talking to people who served in the war with you…is there frustration with civilian leadership?"
O'Neill: "There is some frustration. Some of my friends who are still serving say the problem is that a lot of decisions that are being made are made by people who want to get re-elected. They're not necessarily fighting the war that needs to be fought. We need to realize with our allies that this is a global war — and just because we're not fighting them doesn't mean they're not fighting us.