“Oh, this is beyond anything that we’ve seen,” Hagel responded when asked that question last month. “They’re beyond just a terrorist group – they marry ideology, a sophistication of strategic and tactical military prowess. They are tremendously well-funded.”
The territorial ambitions of IS include taking over “Lebanon, the current state of Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and Kuwait,” Dempsey added. “If they were to achieve that vision, it would fundamentally alter the face of the Middle East and create a security environment that would certainly threaten us in many ways.”
“So,” Hagel added, “we must prepare for everything. And the only way you do that is that you take a cold, steely, hard look at it – and get ready.”
