Pentagon:Robert Gates and Leon Panetta the former defense secretaries criticized President Obama for his strategy regarding the Syrian civil war on Tuesday, with both agreeing that Obama should not have sought the approval of Congress for a military strike against the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Obamas first two defense secretaries, disagreed on whether the United States should ultimately carry out a military strike in retaliation for a chemical attack that the U.S. says killed 1,400 people. However, both expressed skepticism about ongoing negotiations, led by Russia, for Assad to hand over his stockpile of chemical weapons to the international community.

Panetta said he supported a strike because Obama needed to enforce the red line he set over Syrias use of chemical weapons.