U. S. Defense officials after nine months of training and equipping Syrian Rebels to fight eyes as they have only four or five rebels on the battlefield with a few dozen more on the way. Here the chair the of the Senate Armed Services committee is john mccain, the Ranking Member zachary. The Senate Armed ServicesCommittee Meets to receive testimony on the United States strategy of military operations counter Islamic State of iraq or isil. I want to thank the witnesses under secretary wormuth and general austin for appearing before us today and their continued service to our nation. Its been one year since president obama spoke to the nation about the threat posed by isil and increased to u. S. Military operations against us. Many of us believe the goal of the present laid out quote to degrade and ultimately destroy isil is right. Many of us agree the military strategy that seeks to empower local horses and i dashed to combat isil. With training equipment assistance in their power one year into this campaign seems impossible to assert that isil is losing and we are winning. If you are not winning in this warfare you are losing. Stalemate is not success. It is accurate that we have conducted thousands of airstrikes against isil trucks and fighters bunkers and buildings. This conjures the illusion of progress but what effect does that have to wax some territory in the margin mainly the shiite and Kurdish Forces but isil was consolidating control of its territories and expanded control in syria. He continues to dominate sunniarab areas in iraq and syria and maintains control of key cities like mosul fallujah and ramonic at efforts to take take ramadi and efforts to retake those have stalled entirely. It is now operating in afghanistan, yemen, libya and egypt and other radical islamic groups like boko haram in nigeria and alshabaab and somalia have pledged allegiance to isil. This appearance of success only enhances isils ability to radicalize recruit and grow. Published media reports suggest the cias estimate of isils manpower has remained constant despite u. S. Airstrikes which did just either they were wrong to begin with or that isil is replacing in realtime. This committee is disturbed by recent whistleblower allegations that officials at Central Command skewed intelligence assessments to paint an overly positive picture of conditions on the ground. We are currently investigating these allegations which we take with the utmost seriousness. The department of defense should as well and those responsible must be held accountable. Ultimately its not that we are doing nothing to counter isil. It is that there is no compelling reason to believe anything we are currently doing will be sufficient to achieve our strategic objective of degrading and ultimately destroying isil. The United States and our partners do not have the initiative. Our enemies do. Capitalizing on our inadequate policy to maintain and enhance initiative as they have for the past four years. Indeed the situation on the ground is not taking it another dramatic turn for the worse as several recent events make clear. Recent published reports state u. S. Officials believe isil is using mustard gas and may even be manufacturing these chemical weapons by themselves. Whether isil is manufacturing chemical weapons themselves required acquired from former or current stocks by Bashar Alassad this is a scenario for our partners in the middle east and for us. The same time the United States ever to train and equip Syrian Rebels to fight eyes of his clearly unfortunately failing. The goal was 3000 fighters in the first year this program has trained and equipped 54 fighters some of whom were killed or captured by al qaeda as soon as they return to syria. This program the administration promise would result in a viable indigenous ground force in syria has yet to produce any significant effects on the battlefield. They fixation with perfect setting in the congress and the administration is good shooting to this. Far worse has been the administrations requirement that this new syrian force could only fight isil not the assad regime which has killed far more serious than isil and the president s refusal until weeks ago to authorize Close Air Support another military assistance to ensure our syrian partners would beessful. Unfortunately these contradictions were clear from the beginning and many members of this committee warned the administration to change course or their failure to do so has squandered a lot of time, money and worst of all credibility. This committee to continue supporting this program we need major changes. Into this vacuum has stepped vladimir putin. As in ukraine and elsewhere he has cautioned weakness and is taking advantage according to media reports putin has deployed strike aircraft tanks howitzers personnel carriers marines and housing for up to 1500 personnel and military bases in western syria. This is an expansion of russian power in the middle east that we have not seen for decades and it will allow putin to further prop up assad with this indiscriminate killing machine play kingmaker undermine u. S. Goals policies and operations and ultimately prolong this horrific conflict. The main beneficiary will be isil. Many of us have said from the beginning, from the beginning that the conflict in syria would not be contained and for four years we have seen evidence of that. The hundreds of thousands dead and the millions of displaced people the use of chemical weapons in the rise of the worst terrorist army in the world. Now we are seeing the latest manifestation of this failed policy the flood of people pouring out of the middle east has led to the worst refugee crisis in europe since world war ii. The administration is promised except 10,000 refugees in the coming years. Thats a noble gesture but unless we address the cause of his crisis which is the continued conflict in syria the refugees will keep coming. Isil will grow stronger in the middle east will descend further into chaos and u. S. National security interest will be put at greater risk. For four years we have been told that there is no military solution to this conflict as if anyone believes there is. And there are no good options. As if anybody believes there are better influence is limited as if that has not always been the case. We will not succeed overnight as if our problem is one of time and not policy and that we cannot solve every problem in the middle east as if that solves us of our responsibility to make the situation better where we can. This is not a question of our capacity or capabilities or options. We have options between doing nothing and evading invading iraq and syria. Many members have suggested such options for years now and theyre still relevant. We need to put an end to assads ability to use airpower against his people especially the use of horrific barrel bombs, shoot down planes that dropped barrel bombs that slaughter innocent civilians. One of the leading killers of innocent civilians. We need to establish safe zones inside of syria where refugees and displaced people can be secure. We need forward air comptrollers to add precision and lethality to our air campaign. We need to make significant changes to improve and expand our iraqi forces and while no one believes that we need to invade iraq or syria but that is that we will likely need additional u. S. Special forces and military advisers to be successful. I hope our witnesses will not repeat her desired policy goals in the list of technical achievements and talk about quote nine lines of effort. We have heard all of that before. But we have yet to hear a theory of victory. I hope we hear one today. Senator reid. Thank you very much mr. Chairman secretary wormuth and general austin welcome. This hearing continues to counter isil in the middle east africa and south asia. It takes extreme ideological and protect its including the use of chemical weapons. Isil is gain control of syria and iraq erasing the border between these countries. This Violent Extremist Group has enslaved women and girls in carried out horrific attacks in and ethnic and religious minorities and broadcast its barbaric acts on social media. To escape the violence of isil the assad regime and multiple other elements millions have been displaced or fled outside of iraq and syria. The plane has added to the sensitive urgency to restoring restoring in a region. While the coalition pushes isil out of some territories including gains by the peshmerga in the north and Iraqi Security forces and the removal of isil along sections of the border with turkey the selfdescribed Islamic State continues to hold key cities including iraq a dan balz on iraq. There executed forces counter is to take back has struggled and brashear remains contested. The same time iranian backed shia militias have stalled their operations near fallujah and despite its isil is consolidating its control of the population in the areas that holds in syria and iraq. The recent agreement between a state and turkey expanding access to land and use of turkish airbases seeking an isil free zone on the Syrian Border is an important step forward how are the provocative deployment by additional military forces under the guise of assisting and encountering isil efforts appears to be an effort by putin to prop up the assad regime further complicating efforts to restore security in syria. These events have raised concerns of whether the current efforts against isil is sufficient. Critical issue for the military isil strategies the progress of train and equip program. While the u. S. Led air campaign has had an effect integrating isil effective local forces can take full advantage of coalition airpower siege ground from iceland hold it. In iraq operations require recruitings to give numbers of sunnis into the Iraqi Security forces and equipping them to assist the isil thread. I am concerned sunni recruitment has fallen short of its target and the government of iraq has been slowing in arming sunni forces. We will be interested in your assessment. General i hope youll address intensify military operations to counter the isil threat. For example would you support a more active role in the us military personnel in facilitating the engagement of sunni tribes are providing advisers in the ministry of defense or accompanying Iraqi Security forces on a limited basis with direct contact with the enemy is not anticipated. Isil problem is not geographically bound by syria and iraq and isil appeared in yemen afghanistan egypt libya nigeria the horn of africa and the caucasus and elsewhere. Im interested in your assessment of the groups growth in the region and how centcom is pitcher batting to regional efforts to combat the group. Ultimately the success of the counter isil has been nonmilitary at also. Whether the International Coalition including states in the region can effectively counter isils propaganda financing and the spread of this extreme ideology and whether political solution can be found to the crisis in syria. These issues their primary responsibility of the department of defense but i assume our witnesses agree these issues are integral to our conference of approach encountering isil threat. General austin i hope you also to the extent possible given the ongoing review by the Inspector General to ask questions involving intelligence assessments with respect to isil. As importantly wait for the investigation before completed before making a judgment ive no doubt youll take such allegations are serious was as we do in congress and we take them seriously. Like senator mccain the committee will be kept apprised of this investigation and be active in terms of the recommendations. Let me thank both witnesses further testimony this morning. Thank you mr. Chairman. Thank you chair and mccain and Ranking Member rate as well as members of the committee think given the opportunity opportunity to be here today to give an update on the military aspect of our kinds are isil campaign is a pleasure to be here with general austin. We work closely together everyday on a range of issues so its nice to be here with him today. As the chairman said its been just over a year since United States and the coalition of nations began a military campaign against isil tailor made began that campaign about a year ago i saw was pushing into kurdish territory in Northern Iraq and pushing towards baghdad over the past 12 months isil has lost territory in both syria and iraq despite advances its maiden ramadi. Progress has been slow but steady. Theres definitely been setbacks in the past year. While not 10 feet tall i iso remains an enemy that adapt to evolving positions on the battlefield. Our train and equip programs in iraq and syria have faced challenges. Iraq the pace of our program is moved more slowly than we would like and its area of the stringent criteria we are using at the outset of the program has contributed to smaller numbers than we had hoped for. As a military Campaign Continues in both countries would expect there will continue to be challenges clearing and holding territory. But we have also seen progress in the past year. You are all familiar with the successful operations to take back kurdish territory in iraq to defeat iceland kobani and until recently retake to create as well as other successful engagements. On the political front Prime Minister of body continues to demonstrate the resolve necessary to confront isil and its driving to manage what is a very difficult Political Landscape in baghdad. In syria we have seen opportunities emerge that we didnt envision a year ago particularly in the northern part of the country were syrian kurds working with syrian arabs have successfully pressured isil along the turkish border. Over a year ago the president outlined a whole of Government Strategy to degrade into the isil and he emphasized it would be a multiyear campaign. But secretary carter was here in july he outlined the nine Alliance Efforts the compressor strategy so i wont go over them again in detail but i would emphasize it will take more than the military campaign to be successful. We also need to dry up isils finances. And to stop the flow of foreign fighters into iraq and syria in particular and protect the United States from potential attacks from isil provide humanitarian assistance in areas that we are taking back from isil and find a way to more effectively counter isils very successful messaging campaign. As secretary carter said to the committee in july of the administration believes we have the right strategy in place. We are now focused on implementing the strategy as effectively as possible or this is very much an interagency effort with increasingly better synchronization against across all departments and agencies involved and the tax secretary carter and secretary kerry have been meeting together with their senior staff to monitor and identify issues in the campaign and they are meeting tomorrow to focus in particular on foreign fighters. Dod as you know is possible for two of the alliance of effort inside the strategy denying isil safe haven in building partner capacity so i would like to speak briefly in those those areas and general austin while celebrity. Causing campaign is decorated isils military capacity has removed some of its key leaders enabled local forces in iraq interpreted as such has regained control of tikrit from isil earlier this year and syrian kurds and sunni are partners have taken the key border town in syria which severed one of isils key lines of communication and put isil on the defensive and also put more pressure on a stronghold in syria. These examples demonstrate how when we have credible Ground Forces and we support them with our airpower isil can suffer. We are also working hard to build the capacity of Partner Forces on the ground prison to begin efforts with trina to put more than six brigades and provided training to more than 14,000 iraqi Personnel ArmyKurdish Peshmerga and counterterrorism personnel and they have more in the pipeline. As secretary carter said in july training for the iraqi army has been slowed by lack of trainees coming into the training sites. Over the last several weeks we have had better participation from iraqi units of the training sites and iraq expanded the pool of units eligible for training. Our forces on the ground at alassad and their bases are involved in advising and training sunni tribal fighters and anbar province. Both are providing direct training and also training the training assistant with the iraqi cignetti forces and in terms of equipping the sunni tribal fighters we have recently delivered a battalions worth of equipment to iraqi officials working on the two airbases to distribute the equipment. We are also overseeing the distribution of the government of iraq equipment to the sunni tribal fighters from these bases. Through these efforts we now have more than 4000 sunni tribal fighters and anbar province. We are also still in the early stages of our train and equip program in syria. This effort its important to highlight is one element of what we are trying to do in a Larger Campaign in syria which includes an increasing number of airstrikes as well a supporting Partner Forces on the ground like the syrian kurds are sunni arabs and other local forces such as turtlemound to put pressure on iso in northeastern syria. These efforts have rolled isil back in the area and have had Significant Impact on isils freedom of movement and supply lines. As of september 15 hour train and equip program the specific program we are currently training more than 100 fighters who may ha