The mission against the Islamic State group finally has a name: Inherent Resolve.
Col. Ed Thomas, a spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed the mission name on Wednesday, The Associated Press reported. U.S. airstrikes in the region have lacked a public name since they began in August.
Reporters had questioned the Pentagon why missions like Operation United Assistance in West Africa had a name, but strikes in the Middle East against the radical Islamic terror group — where over 1,400 U.S. military personnel are deployed — did not.
The formal designation now creates a mechanism for officials to better handle budgeting and award designations, CNN reported Monday. The Pentagon initially said it would designate awards and medals for troops deployed to Iraq that had been reserved for Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. That is now likely to change.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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