U.S. President Barack Obama meets with military leaders from 22 nations to discuss strategy in the Middle East at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Oct 14, 2014. The discussion was part of a ongoing effort to build a coalition and integrate capabilities of each country. (Photo by D. Myles Cullen)
WASHINGTON —
Military leaders from 22 nations and other key U.S. military leaders gathered today at Joint Base Andrews for the latest in a series of coalition meetings to achieve deeper consensus on the nature of the threat posed by ISIL, integration of air and ground campaigns, and the resources required.
The participating leaders acknowledge that although the military dimension of the campaign, alone, will not be decisive, the coalition's military effort will contribute to overall success.
Observations from the meeting included:
- The root of the struggle lies in the conditions of the region: Ethnic and religious tensions, exclusionary governance, intolerance, and economic privation.
- ISIL is the most pressing terrorist organization but not the only one. It is illustrative of other threat organizations manifest across the entire region.
- The Coalition has strategic momentum although ISIL has tactical momentum on several fronts.
- ISIL is an adaptive enemy. The coalition will adapt as well by leveraging all elements of power.
- ISIL has been very effective in exploiting information operations and social media to spread its propaganda. We must be more effective in using these avenues to communicate facts and create awareness of ISIL's activities and atrocities. The Arab members of the Coalition in particular understand this aspect and are taking action.
The chiefs of defense agreed to recommend to respective governments to continue moving forward together against ISIL, to contribute capabilities best suited to each nation, and to take action to build on the successes already achieved by coalition efforts on the ground and in the air.