The Pentagon still is not deviating from the promise to keep American boots off of Syrian soil. That includes joint terminal attack controllers, even though Army Lt. Gen. William Mayville, director of operations on the Joint Staff, acknowledged Tuesday that having JTACS on the ground is “obviously something that we prefer to do when collateral damage or concerns about precision in a closed environment” is a factor. “But, we don’t always have to strike with JTACS forward. We’ve been doing this very successfully thus far in places, not only the rural places like you saw in Mount Sinjar and as we moved to support the Pesh and Iraqi forces … [around the] Mosul Dam, but also in the Haditha area, which is a relatively built-up area.”
U.S. munitions have been expended at a high rate during Operation Epic Fury against Iran, prompting concerns that the Pentagon is eating into weapons stockpiles it needs to deter threats around the world. Yet the newly released $1.5 trillion defense budget request was developed before the war against Iran and…