The Pentagon has announced that is is sending an additional 200 troops, mostly command and logistics experts, to Jordan to help prepare the Jordanian government for a potential military intervention in Syria’s ongoing civil war.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says the deployment is aimed at readying for a possible move against Syria’s chemical weapons, adding that the Pentagon is constantly updating its preparations in the event they are ordered to attack Syria.
At the same time, Hagel cautioned Congress that “you’d better be damned sure” that a war is what they want, noting that even imposing a no-fly zone or a humanitarian corridor would leave the US stuck in Syria until the end.
Indications today are that the new troops will primarily be training Jordan’s own military for a possible run at Syria’s chemical arsenal, but of course the bulk of the US troops in Jordan at the moment are deployed along the Syrian border, operating a training camp for the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA)
