NEWSROOM

ISIL Knows It Will Lose, Already Shifting Strategy, Obama Says at Pentagon
August 4, 2016 — After presiding at a meeting of his National Security Council in the Pentagon today, President Barack Obama said Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant leaders know they will lose in Syria and Iraq, and they are already shifting their strategy in advance of that sure defeat... MORE

President Barack Obama, center, Vice President Joe Biden, left, and Defense Secretary Ash Carter greet each other during a meeting of the National Security Council at the Pentagon, Aug. 4, 2016, to discuss the campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. DoD photo by Air Force Tech. Sgt. Brigitte N. Brantley

OIR Spokesman Details Progress Degrading ISIL in Syria, Iraq
August 3, 2016 — Coalition forces, along with partners on the ground in Iraq and Syria, are furthering gains in countering the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman said today... MORE

160731-N-OR652-368

ARABIAN GULF (July 31, 2016) – An F/A-18C Hornet assigned to the Wildcats of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 131 taxis onto the catapult on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (Ike). Ike and its Carrier Strike Group are deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class J. Alexander Delgado/Released)

Department of Defense Press Briefing by Col. Garver via teleconference from Baghdad, Iraq
August 3, 2016 — Department of Defense Press Briefing by Col. Garver via teleconference from Baghdad, Iraq... MORE

Iraqi Military Demonstrates New Skills in Mosul Campaign
August 2, 2016 — Military personnel unfortunately are all too familiar with the IED – improvised explosive device – and the VBIED – vehicle-borne IED. But not too many service members are familiar with the TreeBIED or the FridgeBIED... MORE

An aerial view of the Tigris River as it flows through Baghdad, July 31st, 2016. (DoD Photo by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Dominique A. Pineiro)

Iraqi Leaders Showing Confidence, Optimism in ISIL Fight, Dunford Says
July 31, 2016 — The biggest change in Iraq is the sense of confidence and optimism that leaders have “that absolutely didn’t exist last fall,” Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford said after a full day of meeting with Iraqi, U.S. and other coalition leaders in Baghdad and Irbil... MORE

Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks to Army Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland, commander of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve, in Baghdad, July 31, 2016. Dunford is visiting Iraq to assess the campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. DoD Photo by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Dominique A. Pineiro

Votel Impressed by Iraqi Leaders’ Rising Confidence in Counter-ISIL Fight
July 28, 2016 — Army Gen. Joseph L. Votel said the Iraqi government and its military are confident in the approach they are taking and their ability to accomplish the mission. Votel spoke about his command with NBC’s Richard Engel at the Aspen Security Summit in Colorado today... MORE

U.S. Army Gen. Joseph Votel Commander of U.S. Central Command, meets with U.S. Marine Sgt. Maj. Clifford Wiggins, Command Sgt. Maj. 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade, and members of the Jordanian Armed Forces during Exercise Eager Lion 16 near Amman, Jordan on May 22, 2016. Eager Lion 16 is a US military bi-lateral exercise with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan designed to strengthen relationships and interoperability between partner nations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Lauren Falk 5th MEB COMCAM/Released)

OIR Official: Captured Info Describes ISIL Operations in Manbij
July 27, 2016 — As the U.S.-led coalition and Syrian fighters continue the battle to retake the city of Manbij in Syria, captured information reveals the Islamic State of Iraq and The Levant’s thought processes and plans, Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Army Col. Christopher Garver told Pentagon reporters today... MORE

Two F/A-18E Super Hornets undergo preliminary checks on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Arabian Gulf, July 26, 2016. The USS Eisenhower and its Carrier Strike Group are deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Theodore Quintana

Department of Defense Press Briefing by Colonel Garver via teleconference from Baghdad, Iraq
July 27, 2016 — Department of Defense Press Briefing by Colonel Garver via teleconference from Baghdad, Iraq... MORE

Dunford Lists Ways to Measure Counter-ISIL Success
July 25, 2016 — Territory, resources and foreign fighters are the measurements the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will use to measure progress against the “physical caliphate” that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has declared in Iraq and Syria... MORE

Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and U.S. Marine Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, hold a press conference at the Pentagon, July 25, 2016. During the press conference Carter and Dunford discussed the DoD Photo by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Dominique A. Pineiro

Counter-ISIL Meetings Came At Critical Time, Carter Says
July 25, 2016 — Important initiatives to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant that evolved from last week’s counter-ISIL coalition meetings came at a critical time in light of recent events, Defense Secretary Ash Carter told reporters today... MORE

Defense Secretary Ash Carter, left, and Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speak with reporters at the Pentagon, July 25, 2016. DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Tim D. Godbee