(ProsperNews.net) – Vice President Kamala Harris recently claimed that, for the first time this century, no active-duty U.S. military members are in a combat zone, but critics have pointed out that this statement is misleading. During the recent debate with former President Trump, Harris stated, “As of today, there is not one member of the United States military who is on active duty in a combat zone in any war zone around the world.”
However, while the U.S. is not officially engaged in declared wars, American troops are still deployed in areas where hostile actions frequently occur. The Pentagon confirmed that while the U.S. is not actively engaged in a declared war, troops are stationed in several dangerous locations worldwide, including Syria, Iraq, and Jordan, where they can encounter combat-like conditions. Hazardous duty pay, which compensates military members in dangerous environments, is still distributed in these areas, further highlighting the risks faced by deployed troops.
Mark Montgomery, a retired admiral, pointed out that combat-related hazardous duty pay is still issued, mentioning Syria as a notable example. Although official designations of war zones have been reduced, American forces remain in harm’s way, participating in operations that involve direct engagement with hostile forces. Just recently, U.S. troops conducted a raid in Syria targeting a senior ISIS commander, and there have been injuries from attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq by Iranian-backed groups.
Robert Greenway, a combat veteran and former senior director for the National Security Council, criticized Harris’s comments as particularly uninformed, given recent military operations that have put U.S. troops at risk. He emphasized that the U.S. military has been continuously deployed in combat zones since the Gulf War in 1991, and recent incidents, such as attacks on Al Asad Airbase in Iraq, further demonstrate the ongoing dangers.
Currently, there are about 2,500 U.S. troops stationed in Iraq alone, with plans for a gradual withdrawal but no complete exit until at least 2025. While the official classification of combat zones has changed, American service members continue to operate in hazardous conditions, contradicting the Vice President’s assertion that they are not serving in combat environments.
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