1 | PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES USE OF FORCE TRACKER | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | Last updated March 17, 2016 | |||||||
3 | CANDIDATE | MILITARY OPTION/ FORCES | COUNTRY/ THREAT | POLITICAL/MILITARY OBJECTIVE(S) | UNILATERAL/ MULTILATERAL | SOURCE | ||
4 | Jeb Bush (dropped out 2/21/16) | air strikes | Iraq | "to cover [local forces'] operations and to strike with fierce precision...severely hinder the enemy’s freedom of movement...improve the ability of fighter aircraft and Apache attack helicopters to provide necessary close air support to local ground forces...enable us to hit [the Islamic State] hard and rarely miss." | unilateral | Full Remarks: Taking On Islamic Terrorism 8/14/15 | ||
5 | ground troops | Iraq | "embedded with the Iraqi military...to create a fighting force that will both take out ISIS, as well as bring about change in the Assad regime." | multilateral | Face the Nation, CBS News 11/29/15 | |||
6 | no-fly zone | Syria | "stop the regime’s bombing raids that kill helpless civilians...keep Iranian flights from resupplying the regime, Hizballah, and other bad actors...a critical strategic step to cut off Assad, counter Iranian influence, keep the pressure on for a settlement, and prevent more needless death." | multilateral | Full Remarks: Taking On Islamic Terrorism 8/14/15 | |||
7 | safe zone | Syria | "protect Syrians not only from ISIS, but also from Assad." | unilateral | Full Remarks: Taking On Islamic Terrorism 8/14/15 | |||
8 | "for [refugees] to stay in the region rather than go to Europe." | unilateral | Republican Debate 11/11/15 | |||||
9 | "for the remnants of the Syrian Free Army to be built up." | unilateral | State of the Union, CNN 11/15/15 | |||||
10 | special operations forces | Islamic State | "target terrorist networks." | unilateral | Presidential Candidate Jeb Bush Remarks on Military Readiness, CSPAN 11/18/15 | |||
11 | Ben Carson (dropped out 3/4/16) | air strikes | Iraq | "to take [the Islamic State] over." | Republican Debate 12/15/15 | |||
12 | drone strikes | Mexico | "to destroy the caves that are utilized to hide...[the scouts and the people who are facilitating all illegal activities]." | unilateral | State of the Union, CNN 8/23/15 | |||
13 | ground troops | Islamic State | "get the [coalition] over there to join you." | multilateral | This Week, ABC News, 8/16/15 | |||
14 | no-fly zone | Syria | "What we need to be thinking about is, how do we oppose [Putin]?" | unilateral | This Week, ABC News 11/1/15 | |||
15 | safe zone | Syria | "it's a humanitarian thing." | multilateral | Fox News Sunday 11/15/15 | |||
16 | special operations forces | Iraq | "to guide what the Air Force is doing." | unilateral | This Week, ABC News 11/1/15 | |||
17 | "shut off the supply route, soften [the Islamic State] up, then...take them over." | unilateral | Republican Debate 12/15/15 | |||||
18 | "push [the Islamic State] out of Iraq." | unilateral | Meet the Press, NBC News 9/20/15 | |||||
19 | Syria | "send in our special ops at 2:00 a.m. and attack them everywhere they go." | unilateral | Republican Debate 1/14/16 | ||||
20 | Chris Christie (dropped out 2/11/16) | air strikes | Islamic State | "take on ISIS." | multilateral | America's Newsroom, Fox News 10/12/15 | ||
21 | ground troops | Islamic State | [Should the strategy of arming U.S. allies fail to defeat ISIS]..."If you’re going to involve American troops, you’d better go whole hog.” | multilateral | Town Hall 10/30/2015 | |||
22 | no-fly zone | Syria | “We have to do whatever it is we need to do to make sure Putin understands that putting the [Soviet Union] back together is not an option.” | unilateral | America's Newsroom, Fox News 10/12/15 | |||
23 | "We need to try something else...we would shoot down the planes of Russian pilots." | unilateral | Republican Debate 12/15/15 | |||||
24 | safe zone | Syria | "to keep Syrians safe inside Syria." | unilateral | A Conversation With Governor Chris Christie, Council on Foreign Relations 11/24/15 | |||
25 | "for refugees to be able to stay inside their own country." | unilateral | State of the Union, CNN 11/22/15 | |||||
26 | Hillary Clinton | air strikes | Islamic State | "smash the would-be caliphate and deny ISIS control of territory in Iraq and Syria...combined with [local] ground forces actually taking back more territory from ISIS." | multilateral | Hillary Clinton on National Security and the Islamic State, Council on Foreign Relations 11/19/15 | ||
27 | "getting back the Sunnis on the ground, along with the Kurds, who can be the fighters who will actually take back territory with air cover and with targeted attacks on ISIS infrastructure." | multilateral | This Week, ABC News 12/6/15 | |||||
28 | ground troops | Iraq | "helping to train and build back up the Iraqi military." | multilateral | Democratic Debate 11/14/15 | |||
29 | no-fly zone | Syria | "stop Assad from slaughtering civilians and the opposition…cutting off the supply lines, trying to provide some safe refuges for refugees...creating a safe space away from the barrel bombs and the other bombardment by the Syrians...give us new leverage in the diplomatic process." | multilateral | Hillary Clinton on National Security and the Islamic State, Council on Foreign Relations 11/19/15 | |||
30 | “I think it gives us some leverage in our conversations with Russia.” | multilateral | Democratic Debate 12/19/15 | |||||
31 | safe zones | Syria | "for Syrians so they wouldn’t have to leave but also for humanitarian relief....extra leverage that I’m looking for in the diplomatic pursuits with Russia with respect to the political outcome in Syria." | unclear | Hillary Clinton on National Security and the Islamic State, Council on Foreign Relations 11/19/15 | |||
32 | special operations forces | Syria | "working with the Kurds and Arabs so that we can be supportive." | unilateral | Democratic Debate 11/14/15 | |||
33 | Islamic State | "to support [Sunni and Kurdish forces]...This combined approach would help enable the opposition to retake the remaining stretch of the Turkish border from ISIS, choking off its supply lines. It would also give us new leverage in the diplomatic process that Secretary Kerry is pursuing." | unilateral | Hillary Clinton on National Security and the Islamic State, Council on Foreign Relations 11/19/15 | ||||
34 | unlimited force | worldwide | "go after terrorists wherever they plot, using all the tools at our disposal." | unilateral | Hillary Clinton on National Security and the Islamic State, Council on Foreign Relations 11/19/15 | |||
35 | Ted Cruz (dropped out 5/3/16) | air strikes | Islamic State | "an overwhelming air campaign unfettered from the rigid and restrictive targeting rules ostensibly designed to protect civilians, but which have effectively enabled Islamic State to continue oppressing them." | unilateral | Ted Cruz, "Redefining the Mission Against ISIS," Washington Examiner 6/11/15 | ||
36 | carpet bombing | Islamic State | "We will carpet bomb them into oblivion...to utterly destroy ISIS." | unilateral | Freedomworks Rising Tides Summit 12/5/15 | |||
37 | unlimited force | Islamic State | "so that every militant on the face of the earth will know if you go and join ISIS, if you wage jihad and declare war on America, you are signing your death warrant." | unilateral | Freedomworks Rising Tides Summit 12/5/15 | |||
38 | special operations forces | Syria | "to provide [the Kurds with] the targeting intelligence our air campaign requires." | unilateral | Ted Cruz, "Redefining the Mission Against ISIS," Washington Examiner 6/11/15 | |||
39 | Carly Fiorina (dropped out 2/10/16) | no-fly zone | Syria | "makes crystal clear to Vladimir Putin that our jets will fly when and where they want, that our troops cannot be threatened in any way by Russia." | unilateral | Fox News Sunday 11/1/15 | ||
40 | "because Russia cannot tell the United States of America where and when to fly our planes." | unilateral | Republican Debate 11/11/15 | |||||
41 | special operations forces | Islamic State | "helping to direct that [bombing] campaign." | unilateral | This Week, ABC News 11/1/15 | |||
42 | Jim Gilmore (dropped out 2/12/16) | unlimited force | Islamic State | "to attack, condemn and eliminate the so-called Islamic state. The attacks on ISIS must be unlimited, and the criminal forces of that ideology must be destroyed." | unilateral | Gilmore for America: Terrorism | ||
43 | Lindsey Graham (dropped out 12/21/15) | aviation battalions of attack helicopters | Islamic State | "distinct advantage over ISIL in Syria, in Iraq…degrade and destory ISIL." | unilateral | Face the Nation, CBS News 6/14/15 | ||
44 | ground troops | Iraq | "10,000 troops...to provide the capacity to those in the faith who reject the ideology." | unilateral | Republican Undercard Debate 12/15/15 | |||
45 | Syria | "regional army of Arabs and Turkey. Ninety percent them, 10 percent us. Up to 10,000 U.S. forces...to destroy the caliphate and its roots. Take Raqqah away from ISIL, kill every one of these bastards we could find." | multilateral | Republican Undercard Debate 12/15/15 | ||||
46 | no-fly zone | Syria | "tell Putin that, if you bomb the people that we train in Syria, I shoot your plane’s down." | unilateral | Republican Undercard Debate 8/6/15 | |||
47 | unlimited force | Islamic State | "Whatever it takes, as long as it takes, to defeat them." | multilateral | The Joe Piscopo Show 11/11/15 | |||
48 | Iran | "all the force…that's necessary to keep [Iran] from getting a nuclear weapon." | unilateral | State of the Union, CNN 7/12/15 | ||||
49 | Mike Huckabee (dropped out 2/2/16) | air strikes | Islamic State | "bomb the absolute stink out of them...an aggressive air campaign...[to] destroy ISIS." | multilateral | "Mike Huckabee: Build a Coalition to ‘Bomb the Absolute Stink’ out of ISIS, Follow With Troops," WND 11/14/15 | ||
50 | ground troops | Islamic State | " 10,000, 20,000 [troops]" to "destroy ISIS." | multilateral | Republican Undercard Debate 12/15/15 | |||
51 | loosen rules of engagement | Islamic State | "to make sure that we are not just going over and setting off some fireworks...to kill some terrorists and kill every one of them we can to make it very clear that to take action or threaten action against the United States, and you’ve just signed your death warrant...to defeat it ideologically." | unilateral | Republican Undercard Debate 12/15/15 | |||
52 | unlimited force | worldwide | "Whatever it takes" to defeat "radical Islam...I would include not just ISIS but Boko Haram, al-Qaida, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Iranians." | unilateral | "Huckabee's ISIS Strategy: 'Whatever it Takes'," WND 7/10/15 | |||
53 | John Kasich (dropped out 5/4/16) | ground troops | Islamic State | "degrade and destroy ISIS, because, as you begin to do it, that whole caliphate begins to fall apart." | multilateral | State of the Union, CNN 8/16/15 | ||
54 | "We absolutely have to be [on the ground] and not just with special forces….We have to be there on the ground in significant numbers." | multilateral | Republican Debate 3/3/16 | |||||
55 | no-fly zone | Syria | "Anybody flies...in there a second time, they will not fly out...becomes a sanctuary for the people...sends many messages in the Middle East that we're still involved." | unilateral | Republican Debate 11/11/15 | |||
56 | safe zone | Syria | "to relieve the suffering of Syrian refugees and reduce their travel to Europe...Jordanian and Kurdish allies could provide protection for them on the ground, while the United States provides protection from the air." | multilateral | A Conversation With John Kasich, Council on Foreign Relations 12/9/15 | |||
57 | Islamic State | "so these refugees do not have to leave their country." | multilateral | Meet the Press, NBC News 11/22/15 | ||||
58 | Martin O'Malley (dropped out 2/2/16) | special operations forces | Islamic State | "fighting ISIL on the battlefields of Iraq and Syria...to up the battle tempo." | multilateral | This Week, ABC News 11/22/15 | ||
59 | George Pataki (dropped out 12/29/15) | air strikes | Islamic State | "destruction of the oil fields." | unilateral | SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Daily 12/9/15 | ||
60 | ground troops | Islamic State | "destroy [ISIS's] training centers, destory their recruitments centers, destroy the area where they are looking to plan to attack us here, and then get out. And leave a little note behind: You come back, so will we." | unilateral | New Day, CNN 5/20/15 | |||
61 | no-fly zone | Syria | "so that Syrian refugees don’t have to flock to Europe or try to get to the United States. They will have a safe haven. Anti-Assad Syrians can group there, train, organize there and let them fight the fight to protect our allies...Putin is a bully, and the most important and effective thing you can do to a bully is punch him in the face." | multilateral | Republican Undercard Debate 12/15/15 | |||
62 | special operations forces | Iraq | "to destroy those training centers, recruitment hubs, planning hubs, social media centers." | unilateral | Republican Undercard Debate 12/15/15 | |||
63 | unlimited air power | Islamic State | "deny ISIS the capability to have training camps, planning centers, recruitment centers, social media hubs organizing to attack us here...use Tomahawk missiles to whatever is necessary." | unilateral | New Day, CNN 5/20/15 | |||
64 | Rand Paul (dropped out 2/3/16) | air strikes | Iraq | "amplify the forces there." | multilateral | Republican Debate 9/16/15 | ||
65 | Marco Rubio (dropped out 3/15/16) | air strikes | Islamic State | "defeat ISIS." | -- | State of the Union, CNN 12/6/15 | ||
66 | special operations forces | Islamic State | "to help [Sunni Arab forces] with training, to help them conduct special missions, and to help improve the air strikes." | multilateral | Republican Debate 12/15/15 | |||
67 | "targeting ISIS leadership, and revealing that they are not invincible...subjecting them to high profile, humiliating defeats, where we strike them, we capture or kill their leaders, we videotape the operations, we publicize them because this is a group that heavily uses propaganda to attract fighters and donors from around the world." | unilateral | This Week, ABC News 11/15/15 | |||||
68 | Yemen | "to help [a joint pan Arab Sunni force that would stand up to both extremism and Iran's ambitions] improve their capabilities." | multilateral | Marco Rubio's Foreign Policy Vision, Council on Foreign Relations 5/12/15 | ||||
69 | Libya | "It will require a specific number of American special operators, in combination with an increase in air strikes. And that will include, if necessary, operating spaces in Libya." | multilateral | Republican Debate 3/3/16 | ||||
70 | Bernie Sanders | air strikes | Islamic State | "supporting Muslim troops on the ground...fighting for the soul of Islam and defeating this terrible ISIS organization." | multilateral | This Week, ABS News 11/8/15 | ||
71 | special operations forces | worldwide | Chuck Todd: "What does counterterrorism look like in a Sanders administration? Drones? Special Forces, or what does it look like?" Sanders: "Well, all of that and more." | unlilateral | Meet the Press, NBC News 10/18/15 | |||
72 | Rick Santorum (dropped out 2/3/16) | air strikes | Iran | “If [Iranians] do not open them up and begin to dismantle them, each and every one, allow us access to all military facilities, and if they don’t, then we will take them out…through an air and missile campaign.” | unilateral | Breitbart News, SiriusXM 1/5/16 | ||
73 | ground troops | Islamic State | "10,000 troops…and if more is necessary...we must take [ISIL's] ground." | unlilateral | Republican Undercard Debate 9/16/15 | |||
74 | no-fly zone | Syria | "for the refugees, for providing stability to the rebels, and an opportunity for the rebels to reconstitute. And, making sure that we stop the flow of refugees into Europe, and into the United States...to make sure that [they] don’t even need refugee camps so people can stay in the area." | multilateral | Republican Undercard Debate 12/15/15 | |||
75 | Donald Trump | air strikes | Islamic State | "take away their wealth...take away the oil...I’d bomb the hell out of the oil fields." | unilateral | Anderson Cooper 360, CNN 7/9/15 | ||
76 | "The other thing with the terrorists is you have to take out their families, when you get these terrorists, you have to take out their families." | unilateral | Fox and Friends, Fox News 12/2/15 | |||||
77 | ground troops | Iraq | "knock ISIS out. I would knock out their source of wealth. " | multilateral | State of the Union, CNN 11/8/15 | |||
78 | safe zone | Syria | "I love a safe zone for people...so that they could have a safe -where they could to live, and then ultimately go back to their country, go back to where they came from." | multilateral | Face the Nation, CBS News 10/11/15 | |||