Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, Representing California’s 46th Congressional District
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 1, 2015
MEDIA CONTACT: Emily Morris, 202-225-2965, Emily.Morris@mail.house.gov
REP. LORETTA SANCHEZ PRESSES DEFENSE OFFICIALS ON SYRIA AND IRAQ STRATEGY
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (CA-46), senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, questioned Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford during a full committee hearing on “U.S. Strategy for Syria and Iraq and its Implications for the Region.”
Congresswoman Sanchez, who also sits on the House Homeland Security Committee, asked tough questions about expanding efforts beyond just military force to counteract ISIL, arming Kurdish forces to effectively fight ISIL, integrating the Iraqi army, and cyber issues regarding ISIL recruitment.
Congresswoman Sanchez asked General Dunford how the U.S. is arming the Kurdish forces and if “it [is] really for the battlefield that they find?” Congresswoman Sanchez noted that Iraqi Kurdistan President Masoud Barzani had told her that Kurdish forces needed heavier duty weapons instead of light arms. Continue reading