Outspoken Republican Senator Rand Paul has strongly criticized Washingtons overeagerness to be involved in every civil war on the planet.
There is no greater priority for the federal government than the defense of the Constitution and the nation, Paul said during a speech at the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention on Monday.
Yet, sometimes I think our defense is weakened by our overeagerness to be involved in every civil war on the planet, he was quoted as saying by Politico.
The Kentucky senator also blasted the US intervention in Libya, Egypt, and Syria, saying we often dont think before we act.
For our countrys sake, certainly for our soldiers sake - for the sake of every veteran who ever donned a uniform and fought for this country - Americas mission should always be to keep the peace, not police the world, Paul said.
Last week I was told by the administration, you know what their goal is in Syria? To fight to a stalemate, he added.
The US Congress on Monday gave green light to President Barack Obama to send weapons to militants fighting against the government in Syria.
Last month, the White House announced that it would arm the militant groups in Syria, but some US officials opposed the idea.
"We believe we are in a position that the administration can move forward," said House of Representatives Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says imposing a no-fly zone against Syria would cost the United States one billion dollars a month.
In a letter to the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Army General Martin Dempsey warned that thousands of American troops would also be required to establish a no-fly zone.
The use of such force is no less than an act of war, he said, and would come at a time of growing fiscal restraint on the Pentagon.
Some options may not be feasible in time or cost without compromising our security elsewhere, Dempsey said.