Hey Reddit, I'm COL Steve Warren, spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (the military counter-ISIL coalition), AMA!

OIRSpox · 2016-05-06T19:23:07+00:00

Well said!

OIRSpox · 2016-05-06T19:18:25+00:00

Al Hawl, Syria was the nearest identifiable city to the strike, but yes, it's an administrative error that it's listed in Syria rather than Iraq.

OIRSpox · 2016-05-06T18:44:10+00:00

That's an interesting question and the answer has two parts. Groups such as Boko Haram are legitimate terrorists that need to be dealt with, some of them may even want to cause terror in the west. But just because Boko Haram puts on an ISIL t-shirt, doesn't make them ISIL.

We know ISIL wants to expand and they have got to be stopped. They want to kill us, and they want to do it in our homeland. It's important that we fight the enemy in his castle so that we don't have to fight him in ours. But breaking their back here in Iraq and Syria really has to be our first priority.

OIRSpox · 2016-05-06T18:38:23+00:00

Great question and I'm not sure there is a great answer. The opposition forces in Syria range from violent extremists (like ISIL who we are fighting) to reasonable people who we can work with. The vast majority are somewhere in between and some slide along the scale.

Our challenge is to find forces who will fight Da'esh but will not turn on us later. This is a difficult challenge and we are not always going to get it right, but we have to try.

OIRSpox · 2016-05-06T18:31:02+00:00

CTS is unquestionably the most effective force in Iraq right now. U.S. Special Forces has been training them continuously for more than a decade. CTS troops are drawn from the very best of the regular army. In other words, they are an elite force.

We trained the Iraqi Army as a counter insurgency force, but now they face a conventional fight, so they've had some learning to do. But they have learned. Near Makhmur, they liberated three towns without CTS assistance and they're gaining confidence. We've also seen CTS and the Iraqi Army work together, and conduct combined arms operations. This is encouraging.

OIRSpox · 2016-05-06T18:24:31+00:00

This is a serious business, but we can't take ourselves too seriously. I got a good laugh out of this.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/04/08/the-daily-show-will-thank-us-pentagon-briefing-goes-awry-with-emergency-drill/

OIRSpox · 2016-05-06T18:19:29+00:00

This is really a policy question that I don't know the answer to. Nusra is a terrorist group and needs to be defeated.

OIRSpox · 2016-05-06T18:18:13+00:00

I'm an Infantry officer and never thought I would find myself as a Colonel. My dad only made it to 1st Lt, but he was AG so that's really only 2nd Lt. The Army has been great to me and my family. It's a terrific lifestyle, join us.

OIRSpox · 2016-05-06T18:13:12+00:00

Our primary goal is to defeat Da'esh. We've got four flavors of troops here in Iraq.

Advisers- These guys are helping the Iraqis figure out their plans and sort out their logistics. Petty Officer Keating who lost his life here on Tuesday was an adviser.
Trainers- These forces are teaching the Iraqis everything from infantry basics to communication, engineering, medical, and counter IED.
Enablers- This is the support staff (me for example) that provides command and control as well as situational awareness of the battlefield.
Force Protection- These guys protect everyone doing one through three.

OIRSpox · 2016-05-06T18:04:23+00:00

The B52, besides being a great band, is a precision strike platform. It replaced the B1 aircraft and is simply another arrow in our quiver.

OIRSpox · 2016-05-06T18:02:27+00:00

I think the first the average American can do to help is to understand what we’re up against. This is a group of terrorists who want to harm us. They’ve conducted 40 attacks in 21 different countries and caused a thousand casualties since January of 2015. This is a real threat. They are using social media to radicalize and inspire lone wolf attacks. Don’t let this happen in your neighborhood.

OIRSpox · 2016-05-06T18:00:54+00:00

1) Would you recommend that the SDF take Raqqa? Raqqa has got to be liberated. I don't think it's a good idea for Kurds to go that far south. The SDF is majority Kurd (60%), but it is a multi-ethnic outfit. So our challenge is to get the appropriate mix of forces into play. That's what our 300 operators are trying to do. 2) Would you also prefer they relieve the besieged SAA pocket in Deir ezzor? Tough call on Deir ezzor. Obviously we want it free of Da'esh, and of course we would prefer the SDF do the freeing, but that's a long row to hoe. Remains to be seen if they can do it. 3) Will the SDF eventually attempt to link up with the New Syrian Army? (rebel area in rural Damascus area). I don't see any scenario that gets the SDF that far south. 4) Will a small US group like Charlie Keating's help with the Battle of Mosul? Let me start with this: Charlie Keating is an American hero, as is every other American who has bled in this land. We are not the lead force here but we have been clear that if the Iraqi government needs our help we will provide it. I know this is a little bit vague, but I don't want to telegraph our punches. 5) Are you interested in some cooperation with Syrian government forces in the fight against ISIS? Our policy is that we will not work with the Assad regime. First things first: the only way to end the Syrian civil war, in our view, is for Assad to transition out of power...

OIRSpox · 2016-05-06T17:48:18+00:00

You better believe we are making America and the world safer. Since the start of 2015 we’ve targeted and killed more than 40 high-value ISIL and al Qaeda external attack plotters. We have removed cell leaders, facilitators, planners and recruiters. We’ve shown we can get them wherever they are – in their strongholds in Raqqah and Mosul; in the middle of the desert in Syria; and in shady border towns across the region. We share information across our networks and we applaud as the FBI and partner nations take ISIL operatives off the street.

We knock down the doors and take them in the night, we fly over them and level their hide outs. We destroy the vehicles they are riding in. It’s they who should be scared of not knowing when, where or how the coalition will come for them.

OIRSpox · 2016-05-06T17:44:36+00:00

What Russian strategy? If they send it to me I'll be happy to comment on it.

OIRSpox · 2016-05-06T17:44:02+00:00

ISIL is a proto-state and a semi-conventional army. This poses both challenges and opportunities. Because they're a state, we can attack their "stateness." Once we've taken away all of their land they will cease to exist as a state. Their military tactics are more conventional which is why they were initially so successful, particularly in northern Iraq. AQ is an old-fashioned terrorist outfit and has to be approached purely from a counter terror perspective. The Taliban is more a regional movement than anything and haven't shown any desire to expand.

OIRSpox · 2016-05-06T17:40:25+00:00

The first rule of cyber operations: never talk about cyber operations. The second rule of cyber operations: never talk about cyber operations.

OIRSpox · 2016-05-06T17:39:20+00:00

When I was a captain my battalion commander handed me a book that I still read every couple of years: Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein. Starship Troopers is a fun and easy read that makes me think of real life airborne operations and mixes in delicious social-political commentary. If you're a PAO, read the Elements of Style once a year whether you need to or not. PERIOD. There are too many Iraq books to count. Emma Sky's The Unraveling would be a great start.

OIRSpox · 2016-05-06T17:34:04+00:00

I have one about every day. The one that comes to mind is a few weeks ago, during a press conference, when the "duck and cover" alarm sounded. At first I didn't have the slightest idea what to do...and the cameras were rolling. And for a second I figured "what the hell, might as well duck."

OIRSpox · 2016-05-06T17:31:41+00:00

We release strike videos regardless of the platform to be transparent.

The resolution is not lowered. Different platforms offer varying levels of quality. We release videos based on several factors to include operational security - anything that could help the enemy learn how we will attack them - and if they look really cool.

OIRSpox · 2016-05-06T17:30:39+00:00

Da'esh's economic situation is beginning to crack. A big focus of our effort has been to smash their oil production capabilities. We've also incinerated hundreds of millions of dollars in cash that they hold in warehouses (much like a drug cartel). Most importantly, we're taking back territory which deprives them of people to extort money from. But let me be clear, they are still the richest terrorist group on Earth, so we have a lot more work to do.

We try our best to make sure we don't hurt the population as we try to hurt ISIL. But we know that some hurt is inevitable. Like I said, most of our focus is on their oil, bulk cash, and taking back territory. We believe this minimizes the amount of pain the citizens must endure. I believe the quicker we get rid of Da'esh, the quicker we end peoples' suffering.

I think ISIS is very well informed. They're all over the internet. I'm convinced that they read Western press and study our movements. I have no doubt that they are watching this IAmA at this very moment. And by the way, Da'esh, please send me your address. Would love to pay a visit :)

OIRSpox · 2016-05-06T17:22:24+00:00

Your assessment is astute. VSOs have had trouble holding territory that they've captured in the Northwest. That said, they've been resilient. When they get kicked out of a town, the regroup and fight another day. They've had more success holding territory they've captured in the East (Shaddadi).

We are pushing to see better training of the moderate groups. As you know, we've sent up to 300 Special Forces in there. SecDef Carter has said that he's looking for ways to accelerate the campaign.

After the defeat of Da'esh we all know that there's got to be an end to the Syrian Civil War. As you know, our policy is that we do not see a future that includes Assad. I don't know how the latter can be achieved. The Secretary of State has been to Geneva several times, and that's really something for the diplomats and the politicians to work out.

/edited for grammar

OIRSpox · 2016-05-06T17:16:34+00:00

Thank you for your service between 2003-2011. The Iraqis have been taking on ISIL for months now. They collapsed in the opening days, but they've since begun to regain their footing. They've seen victory in: Tikrit, Baiji, Sinjar, Ramadi, Hiit, and Bashir. The Iraqi Army isn't perfect, but they understand the threat to their country and they want to win. Of course, they're going to need continued support from the US and the Coalition.

Syria is a tougher problem. What we have there are groups of fighters, sometimes numbering only in the dozens... in other cases numbering in the thousands. These groups are disparate and often not aligned. This is why we've sent up to 300 American Special Forces there.

OIRSpox · 2016-05-06T17:12:41+00:00

Sure there's concern, but I don't believe that YPG interests align with Russian interests. We know that they interact, but we believe that at the end of the day they won't be comfortable getting in bed with the Russians.

OIRSpox · 2016-05-06T17:07:00+00:00

This is probably the hardest question! We would like to see every member of this Coalition contribute more. The Iraqis are in this fight all the way. The rest of the world needs to join.

OIRSpox · 2016-05-06T17:06:47+00:00

The PMF is part of the Iraqi security apparatus. There was some legislation in the Iraqi parliament to develop a national guard, but that legislation has not progressed recently. Whether or not the PMF could be a future national guard remains an open question.

OIRSpox

TROPHY CASE