![]() ![]() Issues that emerged in this environment are likely to be far more acute against a more capable adversary. The war to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), known as Operation Inherent Resolve, presented one of the most permissive operating environments U.S. operations in the Middle East for great-power conflict as well. ![]() But it can and should also learn lessons from U.S. The Defense Department undoubtedly should learn from its experience competing with Russia and Iran in Syria below the threshold of conventional war. Air Force needs to prepare for proxy war scenarios akin to Syria. Aaron Stein and Ryan Fishel argue that the U.S. But it is important that the Pentagon does not relegate the lessons learned from its recent operational experience in the Middle East to the trash bin. Department of Defense is attempting to make the long overdue pivot from focusing on the Middle East to shoring up deterrence in the Indo-Pacific and Europe by improving its ability to prevail in large-scale combat against a great power. military operations in Iraq and Syria that are relevant for a potential future war against a great-power adversary like China or Russia? What lessons can be gleaned from recent U.S. The first article explores the evolution of airpower since Operation Desert Storm. campaign in Syria,” he wrote.Editor’s Note: This is the second article in a two-part series on airpower and Operation Inherent Resolve. ![]() “Rejecting an operation name and then reversing that decision without explanation is really the perfect metaphor for the U.S. And the Pentagon can offer letter groups to commanders to inform operation names, the official said, such as UR, which in 1983 prompted a staff officer to recommend Urgent Fury for that year’s attack on Grenada.īeltway commentators were puzzled by Wednesday’s announcement of Inherent Resolve, especially since The Wall Street Journal quoted one military officer criticizing the name as “kind of bleh.” On Wednesday, Kirby told reporters that although “anonymous sources” may have criticized the name, Defense Department leaders never rejected it.įoreign Policy magazine’s Middle East editor, David Kenner, wrote on Twitter that he thought the back-and-forth was emblematic of the Obama administration’s handling of the wider Iraq and Syria crises. The Joint Staff at the Pentagon runs a computer system that helps “validate” names. The Central Command and the military’s other combatant commands have the authority to name their operations, a defense official told POLITICO. ( Also on POLITICO: Poll: Obama hits lowest approval) The persistent lack of one, however, attracted attention inside Washington - especially when the Pentagon quickly branded its response to West Africa’s Ebola outbreak Operation United Assistance. Inherent Resolve had first been mentioned in a Wall Street Journal report about Pentagon and White House discussions about what to name the campaign against ISIL, or whether to give it a name at all.ĭefense officials have downplayed the significance of an operational name, saying such code names have no legal or formal significance. 8 airstrikes in Iraq ordered by President Barack Obama and expanded last month to targets in Syria. Central Command, which is running the campaign in Iraq and Syria, says the new code name applies to military operations that began with the Aug. And the message is, “We are going to stay resolved and determined to get at this threat,” Kirby said. ( Also on POLITICO: Why the Islamic State Is Losing)ĭefense officials wanted a name that would send a message, he said. John Kirby told reporters Wednesday afternoon. Later, the Joint Staff posted this message on its Twitter account: “Ongoing actions in Iraq & Syria designated as Operation Inherent Resolve.”Īmerican commanders discussed the name with the allies in the campaign against ISIL and got their buy-in before announcing it, Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm. Martin Dempsey, walked into the Pentagon press room on Wednesday morning and made the brief announcement. Ed Thomas, a spokesman for Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. ![]()
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