June 2014 to December 2017 represented the high tide of radical Islamist (Salafi-jihadist) territorial control under the authority of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. This monograph analyzes and provides policy response options for US national security and Army planners concerning the potential for post-territorial caliphate battlefield migration by the sizable contingent of battle-hardened Islamic State foreign fighters situated within various enclaves in Syria and Iraq. The monograph achieves these ends by
- discussing Islamic State territorial eras and demographics;
- offering an overview of the initial inflows of these fighters into the territorial caliphate, outflows to the United States, and lateral transfers to new battlefields, as well as mentioning special issues related to Islamic State women and children;
- highlighting and analyzing the four strategic options available to the Islamic State in its post-territorial caliphate phase; and
- offering senior US policy makers and planners options for counter-battlefield migration policy responses.
These options pertain to policies focused on extremists and the Islamic State as an organization and embedded within the context of higher-level US foreign policies toward Syria and Iraq. Additionally, recommendations for counter-foreign terrorist fighter programs and the Joint force are provided.
National Strategy and Policy Community and Academia, Members of the military and Congressional leaders focused on the Islamic Region, Veterans and Veteran organizations, military historians, and members of the general public interested in military operations, especially across the Middle East, will find this publication interesting and useful.
Product Details
- Bunker, Robert J.
- US Army War College
- Strategic Studies Institute
- Islamic State Extremists