{"id":46624,"date":"2017-10-27T14:32:02","date_gmt":"2017-10-27T14:32:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/10\/27\/commentary-did-isis-losses-make-americans-safer-no\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T03:49:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:49:39","slug":"commentary-did-isis-losses-make-americans-safer-no","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2017\/10\/27\/commentary-did-isis-losses-make-americans-safer-no\/","title":{"rendered":"Commentary: Did ISIS losses make Americans safer? No"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Editor\u2019s note: <\/i><\/b>The following is an opinion piece. The writer is not employed by Military Times and the views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Military Times or its editorial staff.<\/i> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After more than a year of effort, U.S.-backed forces in the Middle East \u2014 supported by U.S. military advisers, special operators on the ground and tens of thousands of airstrikes \u2014 have ejected ISIS from their so-called Iraqi \u201ccapital\u201d of Mosul and their Syrian \u201ccapital\u201d of Raqqa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most important question: Has this use of the U.S. military made America safer? Sadly, the answer is unambiguous: No.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. armed forces exist to protect and defend the U.S. and our citizens. They should be used only when vital national interests are at stake \u2014 and even then, only when all other measures to preserve our security have been exhausted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The American taxpayers ultimately provide the financial means to build and support these forces, and we send our men and women to fight, and if necessary die, to defend America and the Constitution. However, service members shouldn\u2019t be forced to sacrifice their blood and limbs to send \u201cmessages,\u201d to prop up foreign governments, or to help various rebel groups around the world accomplish local political objectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By these standards, the hard-fought military successes our forces have enabled in Iraq and Syria have at best been sacrifices made on behalf of other nations, not the U.S. At worst, they\u2019ve been prolonged strategic failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the tactical defeat of ISIS \u2014 depriving the group of land, not life \u2014 there is now a window of opportunity to limit further damage and preserve U.S. military strength: U.S. forces that were deployed to Iraq and Syria to battle ISIS should be redeployed to the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\t