JOE BIDEN/MILITARY: “Former Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday [Sep. 10, 2020] that he supports drawing down troops in the Middle East but if elected president would keep a small force there to prevent extremists from posing a threat to the United States and its allies…
He also said he does not foresee major reductions in the U.S. defense budget as the military refocuses its attention to potential threats from “near-peer” powers such as China and Russia…
Biden said conditions in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq are so complicated that he cannot promise full withdrawal of troops in the near future.
However, he supports a small U.S. military footprint whose primary mission would be to facilitate special operations against the Islamic State, or ISIS, and other terror organizations.”
-Joe Biden as quoted by Steve Beynon, “Biden says US must maintain small force in Middle East, has no plans for major Defense cuts,” stripes.com, Sep. 10, 2020