AP, Aboard a US Military Aircraft, 24 August 2014 — Gen. Martin Dempsey says he will recommend the U.S. military move directly against Islamic State militants in Syria if and when he determines they have become a direct threat to the U.S. homeland or Europe. But the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says he still believes the insurgent group is more a regional threat and is not plotting or planning attacks against either the U.S. or Europe. Dempsey says he believes that key allies in the region — including Jordan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia — will join the U.S.in helping to quash the Islamic State group. So far, the Obama administration has restricted its military action against the militants to specific operations within Iraq.