The United States Is At War In Yemen

Micah Zenko, Foriegn Policy: Make No Mistake — the United States Is at War in Yemen



The White House just doesn’t want to admit it.



The Obama administration revealed that the United States was participating in yet another Middle East military intervention via a press release from the spokesperson of the National Security Council (NSC). This time, it’s Yemen. Late Wednesday evening, March 25, the White House posted a statement declaring: “President Obama has authorized the provision of logistical and intelligence support to GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council]-led military operations.”



There was no prime-time address by the president or secretary of defense — the only two people in the national command authority who can lawfully direct the U.S. military to engage in hostilities. There was no statement from the Department of Defense, the federal agency responsible for those armed forces providing the support to the GCC, or comment from U.S. Central Command, the combatant command whose geographic area of responsibility includes the GCC members and Yemen itself. Rather, the NSC spokesperson simply let us know.



U.S. officials subsequently emphasized that aiding partner countries in their intervention into Yemen is simply “providing enabling support,” as Brig. Gen. Michael Fantini, Middle East principal director of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, told a House hearing last week. And the NSC made it clear that “U.S. forces are not taking direct military action in Yemen.”



Yet, make no mistake, the United States is a combatant in this intervention.



WNU Editor: I concur .... the U.S. is involved in another Middle East war .... and in this war there are no specific goals or objectives, no clear courses of action, and no idea on what the "end state" or exit strategy would entail. There has also been no debate or vote in Congress, no mention from the U.S. President or the Pentagon, and little if any media coverage on what the U.S. military and/or intelligence community may end up doing in Yemen. In fact .... I do not even know why we are involved in this fight.