Syrian no-fly zone would 'cost US$1b a month'
US military chief gives senators estimate and spells out risks involved in other options as calls mount for stronger response to civil war
Establishing a no-fly zone to protect Syrian rebels would require hundreds of US aircraft at a cost of more than US$1 billion a month, with no assurance that it would change the momentum in the civil war, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff says.
In a letter to two senators, General Martin Dempsey outlined the risks, costs and benefits of more aggressive US military action as the White House weighs the next steps in helping the opposition battling President Bashar al-Assad.
The conflict has killed about 100,000 and displaced millions, prompting more calls in Congress for greater US action.
Dempsey said the decision to use force in Syria was not one to be taken lightly. "It is no less than an act of war," he wrote. And once that decision was made, the US had to be prepared for what came next. "Deeper involvement is hard to avoid," he said.
Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, and Senator John McCain had pressed Dempsey for his personal assessment before moving ahead with his nomination to another two-year term. McCain and Levin have been pushing for a more aggressive US response to the civil war.
Dempsey spelled out costs, ranging from millions to billions of dollars, for options ranging from training and arming vetted rebel groups, conducting limited strikes on Syria's air defences and creating a no-fly zone.
