Luke Skywalker
Super Moderator
{vb:raw ozzmodz_postquote}:
Stephen Cheung (right) of the World Trade Center Los Angeles presents a Gecko Gripper gripping device that can stick on command in the harsh environment of space to President Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel as they visit U.S. exhibitors and State Pavillions during their tour at the Hanover industrial Fair in Hanover, central Germany, on April 25, 2016.(Photo: ODD ANDERSEN, AFP/Getty Images)
HANNOVER, Germany —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>President Obama on Monday confirmed in a well received speech here about the future of<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Europe<span style="color: Red;">*</span>that also touched on Syria that he was authorizing the deployment of an additional<span style="color: Red;">*</span>250 military personnel for the 5-year-old conflict<span style="color: Red;">*</span>as the international coalition<span style="color: Red;">*</span>tries to "keep up momentum against the Islamic State."
Obama said the additional U.S.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>troops would<span style="color: Red;">*</span>provide training and assist local forces in the fight against the extremist group, also known as ISIS or ISIL, but<span style="color: Red;">*</span>not play an active combat role. The move raises<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the number of U.S. special forces in Syria to 300.
“They’re not going to be leading the fight on the ground, but they will be essential," the president<span style="color: Red;">*</span>said during a speech in Hannover, Germany. The address<span style="color: Red;">*</span>capped a weeklong foreign trip for the president that<span style="color: Red;">*</span>also took him to Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom.
Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters<span style="color: Red;">*</span>in a press briefing earlier Monday that U.S.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>special forces in Syria were already making a difference and that the additional personnel<span style="color: Red;">*</span>would act as a critical "force multiplier" in the region.
"We want to accelerate that<span style="color: Red;">*</span>progress," Rhodes said.
In his address, Obama said he would ask Great Britain, Germany, France and Italy to do more to contribute to the U.S.'s efforts.
“Europe and NATO can still do more,” he said. “We need to do everything in our power to stop them.”
There was periodic applause for his comments on European unity, which he said promotes peace and prosperity.
“This is a defining moment and what happens on this continent has consequences for people around the globe,” Obama said.
“If a unified, peaceful, liberal, pluralistic, free-market Europe begins to doubt itself, begins to question the progress that’s been made over the last several decades, then we can’t expect the progress that is just now taking hold in many places around the world will continue.”
Obama urged also Europe’s leaders to pay attention to income inequality. He<span style="color: Red;">*</span>said it drives<span style="color: Red;">*</span>populations apart.
“If we do not solve these problems, we start seeing those who would try to exploit these fears and frustrations and channel them in a destructive way,” Obama said, decrying an “us-versus-them” mentality that breeds animosity toward immigrants, Muslims and others.
"Equality includes, by the way, equal pay for women," the president said.
Rhodes said Obama's announcement on the additional special forces<span style="color: Red;">*</span>indicated that the model the U.S.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>favors for Syria<span style="color: Red;">*</span>—<span style="color: Red;">*</span>air power and equipment from the coalition, plus special forces<span style="color: Red;">*</span>— was working.
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He said that over the course of Obama's seven<span style="color: Red;">*</span>years in office,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>he has deliberately changed the character of U.S. foreign policy so that it addressed a much broader set of issues and is better able to focus on anti-terrorism efforts.
"We've been able significantly reduce the number of American troops in harm's way," he said.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>He said the core of that approach involved building coalitions and working with international partners while staying true to U.S. values.
Obama<span style="color: Red;">*</span>toured the grounds of the Hannover Messe trade fair with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and<span style="color: Red;">*</span>said he was "proud to showcase America's spirit of innovation."
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About 300 American companies are exhibiting at the fair, the world's largest event focused on industrial technology.
Obama, who is on the last day of<span style="color: Red;">*</span>a week-long trip<span style="color: Red;">*</span>that included Saudi Arabia and Britain,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>said that being in Germany gave him "another chance for me to tell everyone to come here and buy in America."
He said that the result of fairs like the Hannover Messe are that you "see more partnerships, more trade and more good jobs."
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