A version of this piece originally appeared in the Center for International Maritime Security’s NextWar blog.
Thirteen years ago America woke up to the Long War. Sept. 10 was a sadly appropriate time for the President Barack Obama to address the continuation of the conflict, now opposing the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS or ISIL). Read More
F/A-18C Hornet assigned to the Golden Warriors of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 87 takes off from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) in the Persian Gulf on Aug. 10, 2014. US Navy Photo
The U.S. will launch a comprehensive air campaign to exterminate the Islamic State of Iraq and the Syria (ISIS or ISIL) terrorist group that has been ravaging those two nations. President Barack Obama announced the launch of the new full-scale American intervention during a televised speech on Sept. 10. Read More
Dick Cheney, Vice-President of the United States of America in of the World Economic Forum in 2004. World Economic Forum Photo
Former Vice President Dick Cheney said President Barack Obama was wrong in asserting that the threat from Islamic fundamentalists to the United States was declining during his term in office. Instead, Cheney said, “a whole new wave of jihadists” was rising in the Middle East and that “al Qaeda is not diminished.” Read More
An undated photo of an ISIS fighter.
The news on the crisis with Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS or ISIL) is moving so fast that last week’s top story on the situation now seems like ancient history. Last week global news outlets repeatedly made the point that by fighting to defeat ISIS, the United States is, by default, aiding the regime of Bashar al Assad in Syria. Read More
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS or ISIL) fighters in Iraq.
The former director of the National Counterterrorism Center says it is important to “keep the threat in perspective,” but also to realize the Islamic State “is only one group we are concerned with.” But in his assessment, even as strong as the Islamic State has shown itself to be in Syria and Iraq, it does not pose an immediate threat to the United States homeland. Read More
An F/A-18C Hornet attached to the Valions of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 15 launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) on Aug. 11, 2014. US Navy Photo
U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet strike fighters flying from the deck of USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) have flown 30 air strikes against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS or ISIL) terrorists since Aug. 8. but more sorties are geared toward surveillance, officers on Bush said on Wednesday. Read More
F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to the Tomcatters of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 31, launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) on July 31, 2014. US Navy Photo
U.S. airstrikes have helped paved the way for Iraqi Kurdish forces to retake a critical dam in Northern Iraq according to the Pentagon. Over the past three days, U.S. forces have conducted 35 airstrikes against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS or ISIL) terrorists around the Mosul Dam complex. Read More
Sailors direct aircraft as an F/A-18E Super Hornet attached to the Tomcatters of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 31 takes off from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77). US Navy Photo
America announced its overt military support of the struggling Iraqi government in Baghdad with F/A-18 Hornets dropping two 500 lb. bombs on Iraq and Syria Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) targets near Irbil, Iraq, on Aug. 7.
The strike, launched from the USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77), was followed by a speech from President Barack Obama who said, “there is no American military solution to the larger crisis in Iraq. The only lasting solution is for Iraqis to come together and form an inclusive government—one that represents the legitimate interests of all Iraqis, and one that can unify the country’s fight against [ISIS].”
American airstrikes have continued. Read More
Displaced people from the minority Yazidi sect walk toward the Syrian border on the outskirts of Sinjar mountain on Aug. 11. Reuters Photo
The Pentagon on Thursday vehemently defended its initial assessment of the humanitarian crisis in northern Iraq, despite new reports the amount of Iraqi civilians trapped on the Sinjar mountain range was closer to 4,000 — not 40,000. Read More
Sailors launch aircraft from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) on Aug. 7, 2014. US Navy Photo
The U.S. military has launched more than a dozen air strikes against Iraq and Syria Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) forces in northern Iraq, but the terrorists are adapting to operating while under attack from American air power. Read More
