WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., a senior member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, today questioned Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford during a hearing to examine counter-ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) operations and Middle East strategy.

Wicker’s questions primarily focused on the Administration’s policy toward Syria. Specifically, Wicker asked about President Obama’s unwillingness to stop Syria’s barrel-bombing campaign against civilian populations, NATO’s role in resolving the conflict, and whether the President is contemplating working with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.