American strategy to fight the Islamic State

• Main Author: Ewa Fronczak
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Towarzystwo Wiedzy Obronnej 2018-06-01
• Series: Wiedza Obronna
• Subjects: U.S. strategy; ISIS; global coalition; Inherent Resolve
• Online Access: http://wiedzaobronna.edu.pl/index.php/wo/article/view/16

The Islamic State is an insurgent and terrorist group that till the middle of 2017 controlled large areas of Iraq and Syria, where it proclaimed a new Islamic caliphate. The U.S.-led global coalition to combat ISIS was created in 2014 with its military component called Operation Inherent Resolve. Through the last years, the Obama and Trump administration officials implemented some changes in strategy and tactics that have significantly reduced the area controlled by the group and made it operate in the underground or leave the region. The following paper addresses the main pillars of the Global Coalition, Operation Inherent Resolve and the U.S. strategy under both presidents. Moreover, it discusses the reasons of changing the strategy from the attrition one to that of annihilation. Finally, it gives a theoretical background concerning the theories of asymmetric warfare, war strategy and land operations.