Do you agree with the assessment that ISIS is not a 'clear and present danger' to the United States?

GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad — Sat, 18 Jul 2015 16:04:41 -0400

Air Force Gen. Paul J. Selva, Obama's nomination to be the Pentagon's No. 2, echoed the testimony last week by Gen. Joseph Dunford in naming Russia as the main national security threat to the U.S., while also saying ISIS "does not threaten us at home."

"I would put the threats to this nation in the following order: Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, and all of the organizations that have grown around ideology that was articulated by al Qaeda," Selva said.

Selva, head of U.S. Transportation Command, was testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on his nomination to become vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, succeeding the retiring Adm. James "Sandy" Winnefeld.

Sen. John McCain, the SASC chairman, seemed surprised at the list and asked Selva why he didn't rank ISIS as a threat to the homeland.

Selva said that ISIS "does not present a clear and present threat to our homeland and to our nation. It is a threat we must deal with," he said, but "it does not threaten us at home" or present an existential threat as Russia does with nuclear weapons.

When asked about the threat of "lone wolves" inspired by ISIS, Selva said they also "do not present an existential threat to the security of our nation."

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2015/07/14/pentagon-no-2-says-isis-not-a-clear-and-present-danger-to-us.html

Pentagon No. 2 Says ISIS Not a ‘Clear and Present Danger’ to US

Obama's nomination to be the Pentagon's No. 2, echoed the testimony last week by Gen. Dunford in naming Russia as the main national security threat to the U.S.

Response by SFC Jeff Gurchinoff made Jul 18 at 2015 4:11 PM

SFC Jeff Gurchinoff — Sat, 18 Jul 2015 16:11:44 -0400

A Russian did not just kill 4 unarmed Marines on US soil. A radical Muslim did.

Response by LTC Jason Bartlett made Jul 18 at 2015 5:00 PM

LTC Jason Bartlett — Sat, 18 Jul 2015 17:00:50 -0400

Just my 2pence but seems like another example of a senior leader who compromises his integrity by following the WH party line.

Response by Sgt Kelli Mays made Jul 18 at 2015 8:03 PM

Sgt Kelli Mays — Sat, 18 Jul 2015 20:03:51 -0400

Absolutely

Response by Sgt Kelli Mays made Jul 18 at 2015 8:04 PM

Sgt Kelli Mays — Sat, 18 Jul 2015 20:04:58 -0400

Absolutely not! ISIS is a threat...not just here at home, but everywhere...look what happened in Paris and many other places...

Response by MAJ(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 18 at 2015 9:05 PM

MAJ(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 18 Jul 2015 21:05:57 -0400

General Selva clearly thinks they are a threat. However, he says they are not an existential threat. All he is saying is Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea are larger threats to national security. They have or are closer to the capability of causing an existential crisis in the US than is IS or AQ. I would urge my fellow RallyPointers not to confuse existential national security threats with individual level threats. Sure, IS has killed more Americans than Russia has lately. However, Russia could nuke the West Coast into oblivion, IS cannot.

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Jul 19 at 2015 6:39 AM

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel — Sun, 19 Jul 2015 06:39:39 -0400

They are Obviously good Propagandist and good at getting disaffected youth to Strike Out on US Soil. Lord Knows that the Xenophobic Rhetoric put out by some so called "News" Agencies actually helps ISIS. I still don't see them as a "Clear and Present Danger" Just more "Lone Wolves" and they come in all Political, Religious and Cultural Affiliations.

Response by COL Vincent Stoneking made Jul 19 at 2015 10:22 AM

COL Vincent Stoneking — Sun, 19 Jul 2015 10:22:16 -0400

I think MAJ(P) Private RallyPoint Member hit it right on the nose. To expand, it all comes down to clear definitions, clear thinking, and intelligent prioritization of resources. To say that something isn't the WORST problem is different from saying it isn't a problem.

There are a number of frames for this type of threat at the strategic level, and the general is basically saying that ISIS doesn't make the top two rungs (Existential/Survival or Vital) on one of them.

The good old fashioned risk assessment will demonstrate the core idea. What is the probability that ISIS will do bad things targeting America? What will be the impact if they do said bad things? When determining the impact rating, consider that some threats have "end all human life on earth" as an outcome....That should inform your assessment of what a "catastrophic" outcome is.

Now do that for EVERY threat out there and rank them 1 to N.

Now look at the resources (blood and treasure) you have at your disposal, and allocate them across all the just rated risks. Even just focusing on risk mitigation, you will quickly find that you don’t have enough resources to bring everything down to “low”, let alone “none.”

Our leadership owes us a clear statement of its prioritization of the largest risks the nation faces, which will in turn drive policy, planning, and future force shaping.

In this instance (though nobody asked me), I agree with the prioritization. What happened last week sucks, but it does not compare to either thermonuclear war or a hot WWIII.

Response by CSM Charles Hayden made Aug 7 at 2015 2:06 AM

CSM Charles Hayden — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 02:06:22 -0400

Pentagon water coolers spout free "Kool Aid"!

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 3 at 2015 10:32 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 03 Oct 2015 22:32:57 -0400

I believe if Obama minded his business and stopped protecting ISIS and his favorite terrorists the world would be a lot safer and Russia would not be a threat.

Response by Cpl Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 4 at 2015 12:34 AM

Cpl Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 00:34:44 -0400

I disagree with the assessment. Considering there are some in the US already who are making attempts to join ISIS. Eventually they will give up going and stay home.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Oct 4 at 2015 3:13 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 15:13:06 -0400

Good I can stop worrying about ISIS.

Response by SPC George Rudenko made Oct 23 at 2015 9:21 PM

SPC George Rudenko — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 21:21:37 -0400

We don't get to see the good credible intel. Minus that, we cannot make a judgement.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Oct 24 at 2015 6:37 AM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Sat, 24 Oct 2015 06:37:21 -0400

I don't see China, Iran, Russia, or N Korea attacking the US mainland unless they are prepared for WWIII.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 24 at 2015 11:09 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 24 Oct 2015 11:09:28 -0400

:-/ Closing my eyes that doesn't mean the danger in front of me will disappear.

Saying they are not a threat doesn't make it so.

Response by PO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 26 at 2015 7:48 AM

PO3 Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 26 Oct 2015 07:48:44 -0400

So do Osama bin laden ... until the twin tower fall.

Response by SGT Jerrold Pesz made Oct 28 at 2015 8:00 PM

SGT Jerrold Pesz — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 20:00:29 -0400

Anyone who would say that is an idiot and does not deserve to be in a leadership position.

Response by SSgt Khanh Pham made Nov 29 at 2015 12:27 PM

SSgt Khanh Pham — Sun, 29 Nov 2015 12:27:52 -0500

LoL not at anyone in particular but the current situation with the issue. USA does not have a threat outside the USA. We may have destraction, itches, and annoyances but there is nothing out there that threated the USA in any meaningful way.

Now the clear and present danger is the US military is a threat to the USA. The political apparatus is a clear and present danger to the USA. The plethora of other unaccountable agencies with unknown budget are very clear and present danger to USA.

If I was doctor evil and was bent on destroying USA to the ground. First step would be to fully support the USA in everything, give money bonuses to US officials (military-civilian), send them honey pots, send them political cloud to get into top position. By supporting incompetent American into position of power across the entire spectrum of society leadership, destruction is 100% imminent.

Currently we are at the saturated level of bigotry and corruption. I dont think we can get worse without being upfront about our corrupt practices. The act of self interests above the interests of the herd.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Nov 29 at 2015 1:19 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Sun, 29 Nov 2015 13:19:29 -0500

What an absolute idiot. Who gave him the terrorism crystal ball?

Response by SFC Marcus Belt made Mar 25 at 2016 5:15 AM

SFC Marcus Belt — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 05:15:24 -0400

I agree. The cannot project significant military power against us or our interests...yet. North Korea can cause more damage in the next 15 minutes to a significant regional ally than Da'esh could in 15 months.

Response by SPC Sheila Lewis made Jun 28 at 2016 11:00 AM

SPC Sheila Lewis — Tue, 28 Jun 2016 11:00:34 -0400

No matter what they call themselves, they are a danger to the United States.

Response by PO1 Kerry French made Mar 4 at 2017 11:33 PM

PO1 Kerry French — Sat, 04 Mar 2017 23:33:16 -0500

BAHAHAHAAHAHAHA riiiiight. Russia and China are threats but ISIS is also a threat due to their ability to recruit via the internet and their infiltration of the refugee resettlement program.