FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Wednesday said he worried that international efforts to stabilize areas previously held by the Islamic State would “lag behind” the military push to defeat the terrorist group.
Once the Islamic State is defeated in Iraq and Syria, Carter said there will still be much work to do, like rebuilding cities and restoring services to communities, a priority he has stressed to Secretary of State John Kerry.
“Such progress is critical to ensuring that ISIL, once defeated, stays defeated, so that our partners’ gains are made irreversible,” Carter said during a troop event at Fort Bragg. “For that reason, the international coalition’s stabilization and governance efforts cannot be allowed to lag behind our military progress.”
Lawmakers, prior to their summer break, also expressed concern that areas U.S. forces are helping clear now would fall back into terrorist control under local forces who are not yet capable of holding land.
Carter said much of the $2 billion pledged by coalition members at last week’s meeting of defense ministers in Washington will go to reconstruction efforts, and that U.S. contractors, who did much of the rebuilding in Iraq and Afghanistan, could play a role in that.
Carter’s remarks came during a troop event with about 75 members of the XVIII Airborne Division on Wednesday. About 450 soldiers from the unit will deploy to Kuwait to join the fight against the Islamic State.
“We now have momentum in this fight and clear results on the ground,” Carter told the troops. “The president, the country and the world are counting on you to take the next steps and execute our next plays so we can help our partners collapse ISIL’s control over Mosul and Raqqa.”
He stressed that the U.S. forces’ mission is to provide aerial support and logistics and to advise and train local troops “to enable, but not to substitute for local forces,” since only a defeat by local forces will stick, he said.
During a question-and-answer portion of the event, troops asked Carter about his confidence in Iraqi forces’ ability to take and secure land, the possibility of an expanded mission if the Islamic State spread to another country and how the U.S. mission is combating the Islamic State’s ability to spread its ideology online.
“I’ll give you the assessment first: wasn’t so good, getting better, needs to get better,” Carter said of the information environment. “It’s the first sort of Internet-fueled terrorist organization. So it’s new and we’re getting better and better at beating it.”
Carter touted the military success the U.S. has had against the Islamic State, including taking out the group’s leaders, hitting its supplies of cash and oil and making progress in the effort to encircle Mosul and Raqqa.
He also talked about next steps to accelerate the campaign against the Islamic State, which were decided during last week’s meeting of defense ministers in Washington, but Carter said he was not ready to release yet due to operational security concerns.
During his visit to Fort Bragg, Carter also met with Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, who will take over as the lead in the fight against the Islamic State when the XVIII Airborne deploys, a job currently held by Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland.
“I want you to know that I’ve known Steve for years, admire his exceptional talent, and have total confidence in him to lead you,” Carter said.
Later Wednesday afternoon, Carter will meet with members of Joint Special Operations Command in North Carolina, but declined to give specifics on topics he will discuss.
