As Stratfor has noted, the ideal outcome for the West in Syria would be a slow and negotiated handover of power that guarantees the control and containment of the chemical stockpiles . Nevertheless, the West already has contingencies in place in case a sudden security lapse leaves these weapons unaccounted for. Intervention Options Securing Syria's chemical weapons would require the projection of air or ground forces into the country, necessitating a comprehensive suppression of enemy air defenses, or SEAD, campaign. The bulk of Syria's air defense systems are located in western Syria, where the majority of the regime's alleged chemical weapons stockpiles are likewise located — Palmyra is the lone exception. The need to suppress enemy air defenses would abate only if the Syrian air defense network degrades through fighting on the ground. The severity of Syria's chemical weapons situation would determine how intervening forces would secure the weapons.