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More of our bloated military?
The U.S. general overseeing the campaign on Friday predicted that the jihadists will be "much degraded" by airstrikes a year from now, in part because he is focusing attacks on those resources that enable IS to sustain itself and resupply its fighters. On Friday, for example, the U.S. military said one of its six airstrikes overnight in Syria hit several IS petroleum storage tanks and a pumping station — sites that are central to the militants' ability to resupply their forces and generate revenue. Likewise, it said two coalition airstrikes in Iraq damaged or destroyed IS military targets near the contested town of Beiji, home of Iraq's largest oil refinery.
In his first public overview of the campaign he leads from the Florida headquarters of U.S. Central Command, Army Gen. Lloyd Austin cautioned against expecting quick progress. He said he cannot predict how long it will take to right a wobbly Iraqi army and build a viable opposition ground force in Syria. "The campaign to destroy ISIL will take time, and there will be occasional setbacks along the way," Austin told a Pentagon news conference, "particularly in these early stages of the campaign as we coach and mentor a force (in Iraq) that is actively working to regenerate capability after years of neglect and poor leadership."
While hammering the jihadists daily from the air, the U.S. military is talking of a years-long effort — one that will require more than aerial bombardment, will show results only gradually and may eventually call for a more aggressive use of U.S. military advisers in Iraq. "This isn't going to get solved through 18 airstrikes around a particular town in a particular place in Syria. It's going to take a long time," the Pentagon press secretary, Rear Adm. John Kirby, said Thursday, referring to a recent concentration of American airstrikes on the Syrian city of Kobani, near the Turkish border.
That is one reason why the Pentagon is preparing to set up a more formally organized command structure, known in military parlance as a joint task force, to lead and coordinate the campaign from a forward headquarters, perhaps in Kuwait. On Wednesday it formally named the campaign "Operation Inherent Resolve." As of Thursday the U.S. had launched nearly 300 airstrikes in Iraq and nearly 200 in Syria, and allies had tallied fewer than 100, according to Central Command. Those figures don't capture the full scope of the effort because many airstrikes launch multiple bombs on multiple targets. Central Command said that as of Wednesday, U.S. and partner-nation air forces had dropped nearly 1,400 munitions.
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Speaking to reporters Thursday in Washington D.C., Maj. Gen. Walter Piatt, deputy commanding general of U.S. Army in Europe, said “(W)e see recruiting kind of accelerating … We’ve seen it all the way throughout Europe and [it’s] impossible to track every single person where they are.” Piatt’s remarks, published on Friday on The Hill website, come amid increased force-protection measures and security warnings for U.S. military personnel in Europe. The general also said there is a “possibility of lone wolf attacks,” where “somebody could just take advantage of an opportunity to attack.” “It’s a real threat to the protection of our citizens and facilities,” he said
On Thursday, force-protection conditions were raised across the U.S. European Command area of operation as part of a planned security rehearsal that was to extend through Friday afternoon. EUCOM officials said in a news release this week that the elevated posture was not in response to a specific threat but was a result of force-protection concerns throughout the EUCOM area of responsibility. Earlier this month, EUCOM issued new guidance that encourages commands across Europe to examine their policies on wearing uniforms off base.
In an Oct. 1 memorandum to all 86th Airlift Wing personnel, the majority of which are assigned to Ramstein Air Base, the wing’s vice commander urged individuals “to assess your personal and professional awareness of and preparedness for anti-U.S. activity in Europe,” in light of recent U.S. strike operations against the Islamic State. The memo came on the heels of an Army Threat Integration Center “special assessment” issued late last month, which warned against potential threats posed by the Islamic State, its followers and others influenced by radical Islam.
The memo said that while specific extremist plots against the military community had been not been identified, “terrorist groups and their supporters have the capability of conducting attacks with little to no warning in” the United States “and against U.S. military installations and facilities worldwide.” Among other security measures, the memo urges U.S. personnel to be careful about posting government and military affiliations on social media.
Islamic State could pose threat to Americans living abroad military officials warn - News - Stripes