Undated photo of ISIS militants
The Senate vote of 78-22 to approve a temporary spending bill that included money to support training of vetted Syrian opposition groups to fight Islamist fundamentalists drew praise from President Barack Obama late Thursday. Read More
A helicopter approaches the container ship MV Cape Ray (T-AKR 9679) in the Mediterranean Sea to drop off cargo Aug. 4, 2014. US Navy Photo
The ship put into swift service to destroy the chemical weapons of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad has returned to Norfolk, Va. after eight months at sea, an official at the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) told USNI News on Wednesday. Read More
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
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
An undated image of Iraqi Security Forces.
No one blames President Richard Nixon and his Vietnamization policy for the disastrous collapse of South Vietnam in April of 1975. Read More
MV Cape Ray (T-AKR-9679)
The U.S. ship that was quickly put into service to neutralize Syrian chemical weapons has departed Rota, Spain to take on the arms at an Italian port, Pentagon officials announced on Wednesday. Read More
