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Carter: Counter-ISIL Defense Ministers Recognize All Must Do More
May 5, 2016 — Defense ministers who represent core countries contributing to the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant all agreed that they will continue to do more to accelerate ISIL's lasting defeat, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said today in Stuttgart, Germany, after the group’s second meeting... MORE

Defense Secretary Ash Carter speaks with reporters following a meeting with defense ministers of countries making the most substantial contributions to the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, at U.S. European Command headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, May 4, 2016. DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Tim D. Godbee

Dunford: U.S. Working With Libya to Assess Possible Needs in Counter-ISIL Fight
May 4, 2016 — The United States is working with the interim Libyan government to see what help it might need in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here today... MORE

Defense Secretary Ash Carter, Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Army Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti, commander of U.S. European Command, hold a press conference at Patch Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany, May 3, 2016. DoD photo by D. Myles Cullen

Operation Inherent Resolve Casualty
May 3, 2016 — On May 3, 2016, a Coalition service member was killed in northern Iraq as a result of enemy fire. Further information will be released as appropriate. It is CJTF-OIR policy to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities... MORE

Carter Welcomes Norway’s Expansion of Counter-ISIL Role
May 2, 2016 — Defense Secretary Ash Carter welcomed the May 2, 2016 announcement by Prime Minister Erna Solberg that Norway will expand its role in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant... MORE

Defense Secretary Ash Carter is greeted by Norwegian Defense Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide as he arrives in Muenster, Germany, as part of a European trip June 22, 2015. In welcoming Norway’s May 2, 2016, announcement that Norway is increasing its role in the effort to counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, Carter said he invited Soreide to participate in a meeting of defense ministers from countries leading the effort. DoD photo by Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Adrian Cadiz

Carter Details U.S. Strategy to Accelerate ISIL’s Defeat
April 29, 2016 — Moves made last year in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant have proved effective and U.S. officials have capitalized on that success to accelerate the counter-ISIL campaign, Defense Secretary Ash Carter told the Senate Armed Services Committee April 28, 2016... MORE

Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, meets with trainers assigned to Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve at Besmaya Range Complex in Iraq, April 21, 2016. There are 3,782 Iraqi and peshmerga soldiers being trained at five sites across Iraq. Trainers come from the United States, Australia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom. DoD Photo by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Dominique A. Pineiro

CJCS awards Purple Hearts to Marines in Iraq
April 28, 2016 — United States Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, pinned Purple Heart medals on Cpl. Adam J. Seanor, Cpl. William Crisostomosfelipe, Lance Cpl. Eli Cisco, and Lance Cpl. Javier A. Suarezmontalvo. The field artillery cannon crewmen with Battery E, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit were presented Purple Hearts for wounds sustained during a rocket strike near their gun position March 19... MORE

The Purple Heart was established by Gen. George Washington at Newburgh, New York, Aug. 7, 1782, during the Revolutionary War. It was reestablished by the President Herbert Hoover in 1932 and is now awarded in the name of the president to U.S. service members who are wounded or killed in combat. These four medals were presented to U.S. Marines Cpl. Adam J. Seanor, a native of Montgomery, Pennsylvania, Cpl. William Crisostomosfelipe, a native of Orange, California, Lance Cpl. Eli Cisco, a native of Mingo, West Virginia and Lance Cpl. Javier A. Suarezmontalvo, a native of Orange, Florida, during a ceremony at Kara Soar Base, Makhmur, Iraq, April 22, 2016. The Marines, all field artillery cannon crewmen assigned to Battery E, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, were awarded their Purple Hearts at the very site they were wounded. (U.S. Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Peter J. Berardi)

Carter: DoD’s FY17 Budget Request Takes Long View
April 27, 2016 — The fiscal year 2017 Defense Department budget request must, of necessity, take the long view, Defense Secretary Ash Carter told the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee April 27, 2016... MORE

Defense Secretary Ash Carter speaks with Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman as he arrives for the U.S.-Gulf Cooperation Council Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 20, 2016. Carter is visiting Saudi Arabia to help accelerate the lasting defeat of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and participate in the U.S.-GCC Summit. DoD photo by Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Adrian Cadiz

Dunford Explores Ways to Better-Integrate Counter-Extremism Efforts
April 26, 2016 — The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff met with British Chief of Defense Staff Gen. Sir Nicholas Houghton and other defense leaders in London yesterday to look at broadening efforts against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and other extremist groups. ... MORE

Additional Troops, New Technology Enhance Counter-ISIL Battle
April 26, 2016 — The latest in military technology and the addition of up to 450 more U.S. troops announced yesterday will enhance the U.S.-led coalition’s efforts to enable ground forces in the campaign to defeat Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorism in Iraq and Syria, the deputy commander for operations and intelligence for Operation Inherent Resolve told Pentagon reporters today... MORE

The B-52 Stratofortress -- a long-range, heavy bomber that can perform a variety of missions -- has been added to the U.S.-led-coalition’s airstrike arsenal in the campaign to counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Iraq and Syria. Air Force Maj. Gen. Peter E. Gersten, deputy commander for operations and intelligence for Operation Inherent Resolve, briefed Pentagon reporters April 26, 2016, about the accelerated counter-ISIL campaign. Air Force photo

Department of Defense Press Briefing by Maj. Gen. Gersten via Teleconference from Baghdad, Iraq
April 26, 2016 — Department of Defense Press Briefing by Maj. Gen. Gersten via Teleconference from Baghdad, Iraq... MORE