The top U.S. general told Congress on Wednesday he would not recommend regularly deploying small numbers of American troops to the front lines with Iraqis just to "stiffen" their spines, despite the Iraqi army's collapse in battles against Islamic State.
"If their spine is not stiffened by the threat of ISIL and their way of life, nothing we do will stiffen their spine," said General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, using an acronym for Islamic State.
Dempsey, however, renewed the possibility that he might recommend temporarily sending U.S. forces forward during a battle to retake a major city from Islamic State, if U.S. military leaders thought it would improve the chances of success.