WASHINGTON — On behalf of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and its Auxiliary, we are saddened and concerned hearing the news that three American service members were killed and more than 30 others were injured after a drone attack on a U.S. military installation in Jordan yesterday.
First, we send our condolences and prayers to the Gold Star families whose loved ones were lost in this grievous terroristic act. We honor your sacrifice and honor the lives and service of your fallen soldiers.
While we are always concerned for the safety of U.S. service members serving in harm’s way, reports of increasing drone attacks on U.S. and allied troops serving in the Middle East are particularly disturbing. It shouldn’t take Americans losing their lives for our Defense Department to dramatically increase force protection measures against what has seemed to become a common asymmetric tactic of terror in the region.
After more than 20 years of gathering invaluable lessons-learned in our global fight against terrorism, one of the most poignant is that terrorists cannot stand against a sudden and overwhelming response. That is why this administration needs to act swiftly and decisively to ensure these attacks are no longer a threat to our forces.