Operation Inherent Resolve

Operation Inherent Resolve
Part of the War on ISIL, the War in Iraq, the Syrian Civil War, and the Global War on Terrorism
U.S. military F/A-18F Super Hornets of VFA-22 take off from USS Carl Vinson to support U.S. efforts for Operation Inherent Resolve in October 2014.
Date Iraq: 15 June 2014 – present (1 year, 10 months, 3 weeks and 2 days) Syria: 22 September 2014 – present (1 year, 7 months, 2 weeks and 2 days) Location Iraq and Syria Result Ongoing Over 8,100 airstrikes launched on ISIL and al-Qaeda positions in Iraq and Syria Humanitarian efforts conducted Arming and support for local ground forces ISIL loses tens of thousands of troops, thousands of vehicles, and 25-30% of its territory in Iraq[1]
Belligerents
United States U.S. Armed Forces Intelligence Community	Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant[2][3][4] al-Qaeda al-Nusra Front[5] Khorasan Ahrar ash-Sham (disputed)[6]
Commanders and leaders
Barack Obama (2014–present) Ashton Carter (2015–present) Sean MacFarland (2015–present) Lloyd Austin (2014–2016) Maj. Gen. Paul E. Funk (2014–present)[7] John R. Allen (2014–2015) Brett H. McGurk (2014–present) Chuck Hagel (2013-2015)	Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (Leader of ISIL) Abu Alaa Afri  † (Deputy Leader of ISIL)[8] Abu Mohammad al-Adnani (Spokesperson) Abu Ayman al-Iraqi † (Head of Military Shura)[9] Abu Muslim al-Turkmani † (Deputy Leader, Iraq)[10] Abu Ali al-Anbari (Deputy Leader, Syria) Abu Omar al-Shishani † (Field commander in Syria)[11][12] Abu Mohammad al-Julani (Leader of the al-Nusra Front) Abu Humam al-Shami † (al-Nusra Military Chief)[13] Abu Muhammed al Ansari † (al-Nusra Emir of the Idlib province) Muhsin al-Fadhli † (Leader of Khorasan)[14][15] David Drugeon † [15] Abu Jaber (2014–2015)[16][16] Abu Yahia al-Hamawi (2015–present)[17]
Units involved
Elements of:  U.S. Navy[18]  U.S. Air Force  U.S. Marine Corps[19]  U.S. Army[20] Coalition Joint Forces Land Component Command-Iraq[7]	ISIL army 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)[21][22][23][24][25] 2,500 troops (in Kuwait)[26] 7,000 contractors[27][28] USS George H.W. Bush carrier strike group USS Carl Vinson carrier strike group (replaced USS George H.W. Bush in late October)[29] USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group (replaced USS Carl Vinson in late March, departed in October 2015)[30][31] USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group (replaced USS Theodore Roosevelt in December 2015) F-15 Eagle, F-16 Falcon, F/A-18 Hornet, F/A-18 Super Hornet and F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft[32][33] AV-8B Harrier II & A-10 Thunderbolt ground-attack aircraft[34][35] B-1 Lancer bomber aircraft[36] Lockheed AC-130 gunships[37] EA-6B Prowler & EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft[38] Lockheed U-2, Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint STARS & Boeing RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft[39] Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker & McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender refueling aircraft[40][41] Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopters[42] MH-60M Black Hawk multi-mission helicopters[43] MQ-1 Predator & MQ-9 Reaper unmanned ground-attack aircraft[44][45] RQ-4 Global Hawk & Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel unmanned surveillance aircraft[39][46]	Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant: Between 9,000 to 18,000(U.S. intelligence estimate, January 2015)[47] Between 20,000 to 31,500(CIA estimate, September 2014)[48] 200,000 (Iraqi Kurdistan Chief of Staff estimate)[49] 3 MiG-21 or MiG-23 aircraft[50][51] At least 600 tanks[52][53] At least 5 Drones[54][55][56][57] al-Qaeda: al-Nusra Front: 10,000[58] * Khorasan: 50[59] Ahrar ash-Sham: 10,000–20,000[60]
Casualties and losses
United States: 3 KIA[61][62][63] 8 servicemen killed (non-combat)[64] and 2 soldiers wounded[65][66] 6 civilians killed (5 executed and 1 unknown)[67][68][69][70] 1 F-16 crashed[71] and 1 F-15 damaged[72] 1 MQ-1 Predator Drone shot down by the Syrian Air Defense Force[73][74]	Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant: 27,000 killed[75] 23,000+ targets destroyed or damaged (as of March 17 2016)[76] 139 tanks 374 HMMWVs 1,272 pieces of oil infrastructure 1,000+ fuel tanker trucks[77] 1,000+ pick-up trucks, VBIEDs, and other vehicles al-Qaeda: 105 killed[78] ---- Ahrar ash-Sham: 2 killed[79][80]
6,365+ civilians killed by ISIL[81][82][83] 66–103 civilians killed by Coalition airstrikes in Syria[79][84] 118 civilians killed by Coalition airstrikes in Iraq[85] Over 970,000 civilians in Iraq and Syria displaced, or fled to Turkey and other countries[86][87][88][89]

Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) is the U.S. military's operational name for the military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, in the vernacular, Daesh),^[90] including both the campaign in Iraq and the campaign in Syria. Effective 22 September 2015, U.S. Army III Corps is responsible for Combined Joint Task Force- Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR).^[91] A change of command from III Corps to XVIII Airborne Corps is expected in late summer 2016.^[92]

History

2014

Unlike their coalition partners, and unlike previous combat operations, no name was initially given to the conflict against ISIL by the U.S. government.^[93] The decision to keep the conflict nameless drew considerable media criticism.^{[94][95][96][97][98]}

The U.S. decided in October 2014 to name its military efforts against ISIL as "Operation Inherent Resolve"; the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) news release announcing the name noted that:

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.^[99]

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.^[100]

By 4 December 2014, three U.S. service members had died from accidents or non-combat injuries.^[101]

2015

On 22 October 2015, a U.S. Master Sergeant, Joshua L. Wheeler, was shot dead when he, with about 30 other U.S. special operations soldiers and a peshmerga unit, conducted a prison break near Hawija, in which about 70 hostages were rescued, five ISIL members were captured and "a number" were killed or wounded. The Kurdistan Regional Government said after the raid that none of the 15 prisoners it was intended to rescue were found.^[102][103]

2016

As of 9 March 2016, nearly 11,000 airstrikes have been launched on ISIL (and occasionally Al-Nusra), killing over 27,000 fighters^[104] and striking over 22,000 targets, including 139 tanks, 371 Humvees, and 1,216 pieces of oil infrastructure. Approximately 80% of these airstrikes have been conducted by American forces, with the remaining 20% being launched by other members of the coalition, such as the United Kingdom and Australia. 7,268 strikes hit targets in Iraq, while 3,602 hit targets in Syria.^[76]

Until March 2016, U.S. military members were ineligible for Campaign Medals and other service decorations due to the continuing ambiguous nature of the continuing U.S. involvement in Iraq.^[105] However, on 30 March 2016, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced the creation of a new medal, named "Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal".^[106]

Assets

 United States Navy

• USS George H.W. Bush carrier strike group (June 2014 – late October 2014)^[29]
  • Strike Fighter Squadron 213 (VFA-213) using Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets
  • VFA-87 using McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C Hornets.^[107]
  • VFA-31 using Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornets.
  • VFA-15 using McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C Hornets.^[108]
• USS Carl Vinson carrier strike group (late October 2014 - late March 2015)^[30][31]
  • VFA-113 using McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C Hornets.^[18]
  • VFA-94 using McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C Hornets.^[109]
  • VFA-81 using Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornets.^[109]
  • VFA-22 using Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets.
• USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group (late March 2015 – 13 October 2015)^[110]
  • VMFA-251 Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 251 (VMFA-251) "Thunderbolts" using McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C(N) Hornets. (USMC Unit)
  • VFA-211 using Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets.
  • VFA-136 using Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornets.
  • VFA-11 using Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets.
• USS Harry S. Truman carrier air wing (December 2015 – June 2016)^[111]
  • VFA-25 using Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornets.
  • VFA-83 using McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C Hornets.
  • VFA-103 using Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets.
  • VFA-143 using Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornets.

Other units

• Patrol Squadron 26 (VP-26) - Tridents using Lockheed P-3C Orion
• Patrol Squadron 46 (VP-46) - Grey Knights using Lockheed P-3C Orion

United States Marine Corps

• Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF)^[112]
• Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force - Crisis Response - Central Command^[113]
• USS Essex until October 2015.^[114]
• USS Kearsarge from November 2015.
  • Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 162 (Reinforced) (VMM-162 REIN) with McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II.^[114]

 United States Army

• 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) using Sikorsky MH-60M Black Hawks^[43]

Coalition Joint Forces Land Component Command-Iraq^[7]

• 1st Infantry Division^[20]
• 82nd Airborne Division^[20]
  • 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division (January to September 2015).^[115]
  • 505th Infantry Regiment^[20]
• 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division^[20]
• 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (September 2015 – June 2016).^[115]

U.S. and coalition forces are training Iraqi forces at four sites: in al-Asad in Anbar province, Erbil in the north, and Taji and Besmayah in the Baghdad area.

See also

• Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, commander headquarters of ongoing operations
  • Military intervention against ISIL order of battle
• 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
• Operation Martyr Yalçın, name for similar Turkish operation against ISIL
• Operation Tidal Wave II, name of a sub operation against ISIL oil infrastructure
• German intervention against ISIL, also named Operation Counter Daesh, related German operations

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External links

• Media related to Operation Inherent Resolve at Wikimedia Commons