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Delivering a lasting defeat to the Islamic State in Iraq and the
Levant must be a global effort, and coalition partners and others
must step up their contributions to the escalating fight, Defense
Secretary Ash Carter said today at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Such a lasting defeat also must be achieved and sustained by
motivated and capable local forces, the secretary said, and reach
beyond the military campaign to enable political stability in the
region.
Carter's stop at Fort Campbell to address soldiers
assigned to the 101st Airborne Division's headquarters and 2nd
Brigade Combat Team who will deploy to Iraq later this year is part
of a two-day trip this week to three military bases.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter outlined the three military objectives for the coalition's campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant during a speech at Fort Campbell, Ky., Jan. 13, 2016.
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Global Undertaking
During his speech, the defense
secretary said the lasting defeat of ISIL must be a global
undertaking because the terror group is a global threat.
“Any nation that
cares about the safety of its people or the future of its
civilization must know this: America will continue to lead
the fight, but there can be no free riders,” Carter added.
As the United States invests in accelerating the
campaign, he said, so must every coalition partner and every
nation in a position to help.
“That means greater
military contributions but it also means greater diplomatic,
political and economic engagement. It means development and
reconstruction [and] ... actions at home and abroad to
disrupt, dismantle and degrade ISIL's capabilities. It means
stepping up,” the secretary said.
Carter said he has
personally reached out to defense ministers in more than 40
countries seeking more special operations forces, strike and
reconnaissance aircraft, weapons and munitions, training
assistance and combat and combat service support.
“Many nations are already contributing greatly,” he said.
“Many can do more.”
Coalition Contributions
Such contributions could include accelerating their own
efforts to disrupt networks that enable the flow of foreign
fighters and materials through their lands, Carter said, and
taking advantage of the opportunity to fight ISIL in Syria
and Iraq before it becomes a more serious threat.
“For Muslim-majority nations in particular,” the secretary
added, “that means stepping forward and debunking ISIL's
false claims to religious or ideological excuses for
brutality.”
He added, “I have seen the strength of
our coalition, and our success depends on building on that
strength.”
Carter said that next week he will meet
with defense ministers from six nations that play a large
role in the ground and air components of the counter-ISIL
campaign -- France, Australia, Germany, Italy, the
Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
“Each of these
nations has a significant stake in completing the
destruction of this evil organization and we must include
all of the capabilities they can bring to the field,” he
said.
Everyone in the Game
The secretary said
that the effort to defeat ISIL includes coalition forces
enabling local, motivated forces with a clear campaign plan,
American leadership of the global coalition, and
capabilities ranging from airstrikes, special-forces raids,
cyber tools and intelligence to equipment, mobility and
logistics, and training, advice and assistance from those on
the ground.
Beyond the military campaign in Iraq and
Syria, others must step up and meet critical challenges such
as setting conditions for sustainable political stability in
the region, Carter said.
“That means everybody has to
be in the game,” he added, noting that those who are needed
include diplomats and development experts to help the Iraqi
government rebuild, and restore opportunity to Sunni regions
so local people have a future worth fighting for.
Also needed, he said, are Treasury Department financial
experts to cut off the flow of money to ISIL; intelligence
agencies to help map ISIL's networks, leadership and
infrastructure; and experts from law enforcement and
homeland security.
Fighting ISIL
In Iraq and
Syria, Carter said, the coalition is taking ground back from
the enemy and gaining openings to take more, and denying
ISIL the ability to move fighters and materiel by cutting
off key transit routes to Raqqa and Mosul.
Coalition
members also are dismantling ISIL's war-sustaining finances,
targeting its oil production and industrial base and using
new methods to hit ISIL in its wallet, Carter said.
“Throughout Iraq and Syria we are significantly constraining
its ability either to defend or to attack, and we are
working with our partners to take advantage of every
opportunity this presents,” he added.
A specialized
expeditionary targeting force announced in December is in
place, preparing to work with the Iraqis to begin going
after ISIL fighters and commanders, the secretary said.
And President Barack Obama -- on the advice of Carter,
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Corps Gen.
Joseph F. Dunford Jr. and U.S. Central Command Commander
Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III -- ordered the most elite U.S.
special operations forces to Syria to support the ISIL
fight.
Evolving Threat
The threat posed by
ISIL and others continually evolves, changes focus and
shifts location, most recently into areas like North Africa,
Afghanistan and Yemen, Carter said.
“That's why the
Defense Department is organizing a new way to leverage
security infrastructure we've already established in
Afghanistan, the Middle East, East Africa and southern
Europe into a network to counter transnational and
transregional threats like ISIL,” he explained.
From
the troops Carter visited in Mor n, Spain, in October, to
those he visited last month in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, the
regional nodes offer a forward presence for responding to a
range of crises, the secretary said.
“This
counterterrorism network is already giving us the
opportunity and capability to react swiftly to incidents and
threats wherever they occur,” Carter added, “and it
maximizes our opportunities to eliminate targets and
leadership.”
Lasting Security
The campaign to
defeat ISIL is far from over, he said, and extraordinary
challenges are ahead.
The campaign will continue to
adapt as, with each success, ISIL's territory decreases, its
resources dwindle, and local, capable forces gain the
capacity to win the field of battle and lay the foundation
for lasting security in the region and a more secure future
for the world, Carter said.
By Cheryl Pellerin
DOD News / Defense Media Activity
Copyright 2016
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