Congress needs to reassert itself on use of force

by | Jun 21, 2017 | Opinion

By Lee Hamilton

 

The Trump Administration, like its predecessors, has shown an apparent appetite for the use of force overseas. The “mother of all bombs” dropped on Syrian troops, saber-rattling toward North Korea, deployments of U.S. forces in 10 or more countries — all of this suggests a growing comfort with the idea of putting our troops in dangerous places.

Politicians on Capitol Hill have noticed this. In particular, senators Jeff Flake of Arizona, a Republican, and Tim Kaine of Virginia, a Democrat, have introduced legislation to authorize the use of military force against ISIS and other terror groups. This is an effort to assert congressional authority and extend Capitol Hill’s oversight over the use of force by the White House, something Congress has long neglected. “It’s our constitutional duty in Congress to authorize military action,” Kaine said at the end of May.

All I can say is, Amen! American soldiers are involved in combat situations in countries all over the globe. We’re deploying special operations forces and advising, equipping and training local forces to fight. All too often, these countries’ leaders are more concerned with overcoming internal threats than they are with the strategies and values that motivate us to help them.

The argument for all this often comes down to: “We need to do something.” Once we’re there, the arguments for staying get rolled out: we can’t leave without loss of face; we need the leverage more troops provide for negotiation; we’ll lose credibility and standing if we withdraw.

But our experience over the years has shown that we don’t tip the scales of a war that in most cases has no battlefield solution. We repeatedly get ourselves locked into situations where we must ask ourselves how much bloodshed and destruction we can accept as a result of our entanglement.

The decision to send troops overseas requires clear eyes, hard questions and specific answers. If we are sending our military abroad, our objectives and exit strategies need to be nailed down. Are we engaging in nation- or empire-building? Do we risk being locked into protracted, unending conflicts — we’ve already spent 15 years in Afghanistan — with minimal progress? Are we inflating the dangers to our national security, as we did when we falsely asserted that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction?

And when we do intervene, are we avoiding or increasing the suffering of the local people whom we’re trying to help? No use of force should go forward without reciprocity — that is to say, capable, committed local leaders who fight corruption and try to provide good governance and protect the values we cherish and promote.

The use of force ultimately comes down to the president — or the president and his top advisors — making the decision. This usually happens without sufficient dialogue, consultation, or robust debate beyond the White House. The people the president consults around him are not independent — they hold high office at his pleasure and, from my experience, generally come into the room prepared to reinforce his arguments.

What the president really needs, as LBJ advisor George Reedy famously said, is someone who can tell him to go soak his head. In particular, the people who have to do the fighting and bear the costs need to have a major voice in the use of force, and the best way to ensure that is with the involvement of the Congress.

There are obviously cases where the president needs flexibility. But if we’re to put our troops in harm’s way, he also needs independent advice and to answer tough questions. I don’t see any alternative but the strict, robust and sustained involvement of the Congress.

Deciding on the use of force is the most grave and consequential decision government makes. It is of such import that it should not be made by the president alone, but should be shared with the Congress. Presidents should not get broad authority to use force without limit on geography, objectives, or types of forces. The Founding Fathers had it right: the president is commander in chief, Congress has the authority to declare war. Power over the use of force needs to be shared.

 

Lee Hamilton is a Senior Advisor for the Indiana University Center on Representative Government; a Distinguished Scholar, IU School of Global and International Studies; and a Professor of Practice, IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years.

For more stories like this subscribe to our print or e-edition.

0 Comments

Public Notice - Subscribe

Related News

A hare much

A hare much

Columnist John Moore recalls the friends of his youth, including Harvey The Rabbit. Courtesy John Moore I never had more than one at a time, but I had stuffed animals.  Don’t all kids have a security blanket when they’re young? At first, I had a monkey who had a...

read more
President and accounted for

President and accounted for

Most of us can cite a handful of times when we knew that we were witnessing history.  Something unique. Something profound. A shift in the tectonic plates of society. So it was on January 20, 2025. There was a drawing for tickets to attend the presidential...

read more
Someone’s watching

Someone’s watching

While some in society have stopped wearing watches, columnist John Moore isn’t one of them. Courtesy John Moore  I noticed his Watch immediately. I usually notice watches immediately. But his was especially noticeable. It was a Rolex. I don’t own a Rolex, but one...

read more
Wild times picking blackberries

Wild times picking blackberries

Wild blackberries. Photo by Siala from Pixabay My father would load my sister and me into his ‘52 Chevy truck, and he’d steer down the gravel road leading to the homestead where my mom was raised. The radio played Loretta Lynn and Faron Young as the wind...

read more
Dream On

Dream On

I’m fairly certain my dreams have a drug dealer. What is it with dreams? Sleep is supposed to be an 8-hour window (mine’s never that long) when we rest, regenerate, and arise feeling as refreshed as the person in the Folger’s commercial who throws back the covers and...

read more
Hope for the holidays

Hope for the holidays

I especially love this time of the year! The Christmas season brings back so many fond memories from my childhood. Growing up in the humble neighborhoods of Brooklyn didn’t allow us to have much other than the music of Nat King Cole and Johnny Mathis. I was too young...

read more
What was in store

What was in store

John Moore continues to shop at mom and pop stores for may reasons stating where else do you get a free calendar every year? Courtesy John Moore When Wal Mart grew, warnings that it would put the mom-and-pop businesses under seemed to come true. Now, online businesses...

read more
A lot of class

A lot of class

In the movie “The Big Chill,” a group of old friends gather for the funeral of one of their own, and it turns into a reunion. Recently, a group of my old friends gathered for a reunion, and it turned into a gathering for a funeral. I got the call on the way to the...

read more
Picturing Grace

Picturing Grace

Print from John Moore’s personal collection. When I was a child, there was a painting that hung on my grandmother’s kitchen wall. It portrayed a man who was praying over a meal of bread and what appeared to be a bowl of soup. Near the man was a book, which I always...

read more
Surviving the holidays

Surviving the holidays

The holidays are more than football (here’s hoping watching the Cowboys is the most painful thing you’ll do this time of year) and food. It can be a season of joy, but for many of us, they can be full of difficult interactions. Whether you’re navigating grief or...

read more
Public Notice - Subscribe