islamic state watch

U.S. Settles for ‘Kind of Bleh’ Name in Ongoing Operation Against ISIS

Bombs over Kobani. Photo: Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images

Although it was initially rejected by the Pentagon for being uninspiring and, in the words of one official “just kind of bleh,” the American military establishment just couldn’t come up with anything better, so, whatever: The campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria is officially called Operation Inherent Resolve. (Not to be confused with the Pynchon adaptation coming soon.)

The Associated Press reports that the decision took “weeks of quiet deliberation behind closed doors at U.S. Central Command and at the Pentagon,” and calls the choice, in a rare bit of sass, “inherently bland.” Desert Storm, it is not.

According to Central Command’s explanation, “the name INHERENT RESOLVE is intended to reflect the unwavering resolve” — yeah, we got that part — “and deep commitment of the U.S. and partner nations in the region and around the globe to eliminate the terrorist group ISIL and the threat they pose to Iraq, the region and the wider international community,” it said in a statement. “It also symbolizes the willingness and dedication of coalition members to work closely with our friends in the region and apply all available dimensions of national power necessary — diplomatic, informational, military, economic — to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL.” Inherently.

That’s exactly the kind of roundabout answer kids give in class when they didn’t do the required reading.

U.S. Settles for ‘Bleh’ Name in ISIS Fight