US Must Allow Military to Execute Missions Unconstrained - Ex-DIA Chief

Former Defense Intelligence Agency Director Michael Flynn thinks the AUMF should not create obstacles for commanders executing their military missions.

WASHINGTON, February 13 (Sputnik) — US military commanders should be given ample authority to conduct the war against the Islamic State and not be constrained by provisions added to the new authorization for use of military force (AUMF), former Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Director Michael Flynn told US Congress on Friday.

“We need to be very clear in this AUMF… when we give our military commanders a mission we should allow them to execute that mission and not overly constrain them with approved authorities,” Flynn said at a hearing of the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee.

The US conduct of war has become “overly bureaucratic,” Flynn commented, adding that the White House should allow military commanders “to do the things they’ve been assigned, tasked, and are very capable to do.”

The war authorization is not bad, he said, but the limitation on US combat operations on the ground is a concern.

US President Barack Obama sent a draft war powers authorization to Congress on Tuesday which prohibits US armed forces from engaging in “enduring offensive ground combat operations.”

Members of Congress will take up the war authorization against the Islamic State in the coming weeks.

Flynn served as DIA Director from 2012 until April 2014 when he retired a year ahead of his scheduled departure.