Operation Inherent Resolve

Operation Inherent Resolve
Part of the Global War on Terrorism, Military intervention against ISIL, Iraqi insurgency, Syrian Civil War, and Spillover of the Syrian Civil War
F/A-18F Super Hornets of VFA-22 launch from USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), supporting Operation Inherent Resolve; October 2014.
Date 15 June 2014 – present (10 months, 2 weeks and 6 days) Iraq: 15 June 2014 – present (10 months, 2 weeks and 6 days) Syria: 22 September 2014 – present (7 months, 1 week and 6 days) Location Iraq and Syria Result Ongoing Airstrikes on ISIL and al-Qaeda positions in Iraq and Syria Humanitarian efforts Arming and support for local ground forces 2 American journalists, 2 American humanitarian workers, and 1 American oil worker killed as hostages of ISIL[1][2][3][4][5]
Belligerents
United States of America  U.S. Navy[6] U.S. Air Force[7] U.S. Army[8] (Advisory, training) U.S. Marine Corps [9](Advisory, training)	Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant [10][11][12] al-Qaeda al-Nusra Front[13] Khorasan Ahrar ash-Sham (disputed)[14]
Commanders and leaders
Barack Obama (President of the United States) Ashton Carter (United States Secretary of Defense) James L. Terry (Commander of CJTF-OIR) Lloyd Austin (Commander of CENTCOM) Maj. Gen. Paul Funk (Commander of Coalition Joint Forces Land Component Command-Iraq)[15] John R. Allen (Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL) Brett H. McGurk (Deputy Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL) Chuck Hagel (SECDEF 2013-2015)	Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (Leader of ISIL) Abu Alaa Afri (Deputy Leader of ISIL)[16] Abu Mohammad al-Adnani (Spokesperson) Abu Ayman al-Iraqi (Head of Military Shura)[17] Abu Muslim al-Turkmani † (Deputy Leader, Iraq)[18] Abu Ali al-Anbari (Deputy Leader, Syria) Abu Omar al-Shishani (Field commander in Syria)[19][20] Abu Mohammad al-Julani (Leader of the al-Nusra Front) Abu Humam al-Shami † (al-Nusra Military Chief)[21] Abu Muhammed al Ansari † (al-Nusra Emir of the Idlib province) Muhsin al-Fadhli (Leader of Khorasan)[22][23] David Drugeon (WIA)[23] Abu Jaber[24]
Units involved
Elements of: U.S. Fifth Fleet[25] VFA-87[26] VFA-81[27] VFA-113[25] VFA-94[27] 9th Bomb Squadron Coalition Joint Forces Land Component Command-Iraq[15] 1st Infantry Division[28] 82nd Airborne Division[28] 505th Infantry Regiment[28] 3rd Brigade Combat Team[28] MAGTF[29] Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Central Command[30]	Military of ISIL Wilayat al-Anbar Wilayat Fallujah Wilayat Ninawa Wilayat Salah al-Din Wilayat Kirkuk Wilayat Raqqah Wilayat Khayr Wilayat Barakah Wilayat Halab
Strength
United States: 4,400 troops (in Iraq)[31][32][33][34][35] 2,500 troops (in Kuwait)[36] 7,000 contractors[37][38] USS George H.W. Bush carrier strike group USS Carl Vinson carrier strike group (replaced USS George H.W. Bush in late October)[39] USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group (replaced USS Carl Vinson in late March)[40][41] F-15 Eagle, F-16 Falcon, F/A-18 Hornet, F/A-18 Super Hornet and F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft[42][43] AV-8B Harrier II & A-10 Thunderbolt ground-attack aircraft[44][45] B-1 Lancer bomber aircraft[46] Lockheed AC-130 gunships[47] EA-6B Prowler & EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft[48] Lockheed U-2, Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint STARS & Boeing RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft[49] Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker & McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender refueling aircraft[50][51] Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopters[52] MH-60M Black Hawk multi-mission helicopters[53] MQ-1 Predator & MQ-9 Reaper unmanned ground-attack aircraft[54][55] RQ-4 Global Hawk & Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel unmanned surveillance aircraft[49][56]	Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant: 200,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria (according to Iraqi Kurdistan Chief of Staff.)[57] 20,000–31,500 (CIA estimate)[58] 1 Mi-28 or Mi-24 Helicopter[59] 3 MiG-21 or MiG-23 aircraft[60][61] At least 600 tanks[62][63] At least 5 Drones[64][65][66][67] al-Qaeda: al-Nusra Front: 5,000–8,000[68] Khorasan: 50[69] Ahrar ash-Sham: 10,000–20,000[70]
Casualties and losses
United States: 3 servicemen killed (non-combat)[71] and 2 soldiers wounded[72][73] 6 civilians killed (5 executed and 1 unknown)[4][74][75][76] 1 F-16 crashed[77] and 1 F-15 damaged[78] 1 MQ-1 Predator Drone shot down by the Syrian Air Defense Force[79][80]	Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant: 15,500+ killed in Iraq and Syria[81][82][83] 73 tanks, 282 Humvees,[84] 303 pickup trucks, 26 armored vehicles, and 394 other vehicles damaged or destroyed[62] al-Qaeda: 90 killed[85] (17 Khorasan)[86] Ahrar ash-Sham: 2 killed[85][87]
6,365+ civilians killed by ISIL[88][89][90] 66–103 civilians killed by Coalition airstrikes in Syria[85][91] 118 civilians killed by Coalition airstrikes in Iraq[92] 7 civilians killed by airstrikes in Libya[93] Over 970,000 civilians in Iraq and Syria displaced, or fled to Turkey and other countries[94][95][96][97]

Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) is the U.S. military operation name for the Military intervention against ISIL, including both the campaign in Iraq and the campaign in Syria.

Unlike their coalition partners, and unlike previous combat operations, no name was initially given to the conflict against ISIL by the U.S. government.^[98] The decision to keep the conflict nameless drew considerable media criticism.^{[99][100][101][102][103]} U.S. service members remain ineligible for Campaign Medals and other service decorations due to the continuing ambiguous nature of the continuing U.S. involvement in Iraq.^[104]

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) news release noted:

According to CENTCOM officials, the name INHERENT RESOLVE is intended to reflect the unwavering resolve and deep commitment of the U.S. and partner nations in the region and around the globe to eliminate the terrorist group ISIL and the threat they pose to Iraq, the region and the wider international community. It also symbolizes the willingness and dedication of coalition members to work closely with our friends in the region and apply all available dimensions of national power necessary - diplomatic, informational, military, economic - to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL.^[105]

The Defense Department announced at the end of October 2014 that troops operating in support of Operation Inherent Resolve after June 15 were eligible for the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal. Service areas are: Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, as well as troops supporting the operation in the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea east of 25 degrees longitude. The medal is approved retroactively beginning June 15, the Pentagon said.^[106]

As of December 4, 2014, three U.S. service members have been lost through accidents or non-combat injuries/incidents.^[107]

See also

• Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve, commander headquarters of ongoing operations.
• Operation Shader, name for similar British operations
• Opération Chammal, name for similar French operations
• Operation Impact, name for similar Canadian operations
• Operation Okra, name for similar Australian operations
• Liberation of Mosul

References

External links

Media related to Operation Inherent Resolve at Wikimedia Commons