Screen grab from Syrian State Television
The deployment of a major Russian expeditionary force to Syria in late September resulted in a flurry of public attention and heated rumors. Read More
Essay: Russia’s Military Role in Syria
Tag Archives: ISIL
Authors Outline Saudi Arabia’s Counterterrorism Campaign Against ISIS
Undated photo of Saudi special forces. Reuters Photo
The Islamic State and Saudi Arabia “believe in an intolerant version of Islam,” but the critical difference between the two is that the kingdom is a pragmatic state, the author of a recent essay on the Saudi interior minister said Wednesday. Read More
Senate Panel Explores Speed of U.S. Military Technology, Weapons Development
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.)
SECDEF Carter: U.S. Shifting Emphasis Away from Training Anti-ISIS Syrian Fighters to Finding Leaders on the Ground
Secretary of Defense Ash Carter testifes before the Senate Armed Services Committee on U.S. military strategy in the Middle East Oct. 27, 2015. DoD Photo
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter told the Senate Armed Services Committee the United States has shifted its emphasis from training forces outside of Syria to return to fight Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS or ISIL) to one of identifying “capable and motivated” leaders inside the country who put defeating the extremists ahead of removing Bashar al-Assad from power in Damascus. Read More
Opinion: Russia’s Desert Storm Moment in Syria
Russian fighters over Syria. Sputnik Photo
Russia is having its Desert Storm moment in Syria. The near-daily release of Russian fighter cockpit videos and missiles being launched from Russian ships in the Caspian Sea is making millions of Russians feel proud and strong. For instance, on Oct. 21, Russian media reported that 53 strike sorties struck 72 “terrorist targets.” Oddly those same reports are even convincing some in the United States that Russia is somehow more effective in Syria than the United States and its allies. Read More
Former SECDEF Robert Gates: U.S. Faces a Generation of Middle East Conflict
Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday described the Pentagon under the reorganization of the 1986 Goldwater-Nichols act as “a department designed to plan for war,” but not organized to fight protracted campaigns. Read More
Allen: Global Coalition Making Progress in 5 Lines of Effort Against ISIS
Undated photo of ISIS fighters.
The global coalition to counter the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is making progress in its five-pronged approach to defeat the organization, sometimes called Daesh. Read More
Russian Warships in Eastern Mediterranean to Protect Russian Strike Fighters in Syria
Russian cruiser Moscow.
A Black Sea-based Russian surface action group scrambled to the Eastern Mediterranean —under the guise of drilling in the region — are likely there to provide an air defense bubble to protect Russian fighters striking targets in Syria, according to a Russian press report. Read More
Opinion: Finding Common Interests with the Russians in Syria
The increased presence of Russian forces in Syria has added another layer of complexity to an already confusing array of warring factions—a good estimate is that 18 to 20 factions now are fighting for one cause or another in Syria. The Russians assuming an active role in the Syrian battle space took the United States by surprise. For many American political, military, and media voices it is evident that Russia’s recent actions stuck a nerve. Read More
Panel: Iran Pursuing Goal of Global Activism
While the U.S. government speaks with a unitary voice on policy matters, Iran offers different messages for four distinct audiences—the West, the Islamic world at large, the Shi’ite minority in Islam and to countries in West Africa and Latin America—the author of a new book on Iran’s ambitions said Friday. Read More
