The President's Request for Authorization to Use Force Against Isis

The 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), which was passed after the 9/11 attacks, was not and is not intended to apply to the current engagement of the United States in Iraq and Syria. It is imperative that Congress authorize any further military action against ISIL. We need to know whether associated forces that come under this agreement could include forces affiliated with ISIL in Libya, Nigeria, or elsewhere. We need to know whether a new administration could revert to relying on the 2001 AUMF in 3 years if this AUMF, if passed, were to expire. And we need to know how long we expect to be there and what our exit strategy will be, what metrics will indicate success, or tell us it is time to bring troops home. We have an obligation to the families who are sending their children into harm's way to understand our goals, what is achievable and what is not, and ultimately to vote to authorize or not authorize the use of force. The AUMF that the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations passed in 2015 had a restriction on the deployment of ground troops, allowing for all potential uses that the administration had so far identified, including the use of special operations forces to go after high value ISIL targets, search and rescue of downed pilots, and the use of forward air controllers with Iraqi units to better direct coalition airstrikes. It also repealed the 2002 AUMF in Iraq and set a 3-year timeframe for Congress to reconsider the 9/11 AUMF.