Pentagon Puts Price Tag On Military Options In Syria

05:05

July 23, 2013

This image taken from video, which has been authenticated, shows free Syrian Army fighters fire at Syrian army soldiers during a fierce firefight in Daraa al-Balad, Syria, March 18, 2013. (Shaam News Network via AP)

For the first time, the Department of Defense is detailing the U.S. military options to stem the tide of the civil war in Syria.

The letter to the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Carl Levin, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Martin Dempsey, lists options which range from training opposition troops to conducting air strikes and enforcing a no-fly zone.

But the options come with costs, according to Dempsey, in the billions of dollars.

Guest

Thom Shanker, Pentagon correspondent for the New York Times.

This segment aired on July 23, 2013.

policy