WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today issued the following statement after President Obama’s address to the nation regarding the Islamic State:

“The consensus is clear: The Islamic State poses a direct threat to the security of the United States, to our allies in Europe, and to stability in the Middle East. This barbaric group needs to be defeated and eliminated from the world stage.

“To be successful, we must target the terrorists’ command-and-control centers in Syria and Iraq, train and equip the Iraqi, Kurdish, and Free Syrian forces, and build a strong international coalition to aid in the fight.

“For months, the President has downplayed this threat and has sent mixed messages to our enemies and our allies about our resolve. I look forward to the plan outlined by the President tonight finally replacing the Administration’s past policies of half-measures and disengagement. I hope the President will match his tough talk with action.

“I look forward to hearing more details about how the President plans to execute his strategy when Secretary Hagel and General Dempsey testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee next week.”