Carter: 'We're at war'

Defense Secretary Ash Carter told the House Armed Services Committee Tuesday that the United States is at war with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and is prepared to increase airstrikes and special forces operations.

“We’re at war,” he said. “We are using the might of the finest fighting force the world has ever known.”

Carter, who spoke before skeptical GOP lawmakers pushing for greater U.S. presence in the Middle East, said the Defense Department had recently stepped up attacks against ISIL's oil infrastructure and was prepared to do more.

“Over the past several weeks, because of improved intelligence and understanding of ISIL’s operations, we’ve intensified the air campaign against ISIL’s war-sustaining oil enterprise, a critical pillar of ISIL’s financial infrastructure,” he said in his prepared opening statement.

“In addition to destroying fixed facilities like wells and processing facilities, we’ve destroyed nearly 400 of ISIL’s oil tanker trucks, reducing a major source of its daily revenues,” Carter continued. “There’s more to come too.”

Carter added that DOD was already deploying special operations personnel to Syria and was ready to increase their numbers.

“Where we find further opportunity to leverage such capability, we will be prepared to expand it,” he said.

Carter noted that DOD has also deployed special operators to Iraq to conduct raids and free hostages as a “specialized expeditionary targeting force.”

“These special operators will over time be able to conduct raids, free hostages, gather intelligence, and capture ISIL leaders,” he said. “This force will also be in a position to conduct unilateral operations into Syria."