Degrade and Destroy

“This is the ultimate insider’s view of perhaps the darkest chapter of the Forever Wars. Michael R. Gordon knows everyone, was seemingly everywhere, and brings a lifetime of brilliant reporting to telling this crucial story.” —Retired U.S. Navy Admiral James Stavridis, Sixteenth Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and author of To Risk It All: Nine Conflicts and the Crucible of Decision An essential account of the struggle against ISIS—and of how Presidents Obama, Trump, and Biden have waged war. In the summer of 2014, President Barack Obama faced an unwelcome surprise: insurgents from the Islamic State had seized the Iraqi city of Mosul and proclaimed a new caliphate, which they were ruling with an iron fist and using to launch terrorist attacks abroad. After considerable deliberation, President Obama sent American troops back to Iraq. The new mission was to “degrade and ultimately destroy” ISIS, primarily by advising Iraqi and Syrian partners who